Elevating your outdoor dining with Ashley Johnson

This ain’t your mama’s cookout. Over on Tuesday’s with Ashley, we’re elevating the outdoor dining experience with a series of quick and light recipes for gatherings both at the table and outside on the ground. Click here to check out our latest story! But in the meantime, here’s a complete look at the recipes Ashley cooked for the story.

Marinated Onion and Arugula Salad

This is an easy side salad that just needs assembly! Combine ingredients to your tastes and serve!

• Marinated Onions - No Crumbs Left recipe (use the marinade as a salad dressing)

• Shaved fennel

• Shaved pecorino or Parmesan

• Trader Joes’ Everything But the Bagel seasoning

• Pepper

• Kosher Salt

Papaya and Fig Salad

This is an easy side that just needs assembly! Combine and serve!

• Crumbled feta

• Mint

• Papaya, de-seeded and cubed

• Figs, halved

• Lime wedges, squeeze to serve

You Ever Make Something So Good You Surprise Yourself? Well. This Is That Something: a Cod Fish Recipe (with white wine and tomato basil sauce)

Ingredients: 

• 3 cod fillets (1.5 lbs)

• 4 cloves garlic

• 2 shallots

• 1/4 cup basil 

• 3 tbsp butter 

• 1 tsp crushed red peppers

• Salt (I use kosher)

• Pepper

• 3 cups sweet heirloom tomatoes I used  

• Constellation Nature Sweet brand. 

• Dry white wine - I used a Pinot Grigio; brand doesn’t matter; for measurement, see step 7 
  
  

Steps:

1. Chop tomatoes (lengthwise in half), shallot and garlic. Set aside.

2. Rinse fish and pat dry. Season both sides with salt and pepper.

3. Heat oil and pan-sear fish until slightly browned on the outside. If you don’t see browning it could be because there’s too much moisture. That’s okay! Just wait until the fish is mostly white, flakes separating. You do not want to cook the fish all the way through as it will finish cooking through in the sauce. Set aside.

4. Heat olive oil and sauté garlic and shallots. Cook until fragrant/shallots nearly transparent. Be careful that garlic doesn’t crisp. You can manage this by not cooking with the heat too high.

5. Add tomatoes and spread along pan. Once tomatoes soften and seeds fall out, add basil, red pepper flakes, 1 tablespoon butter, and lemon zest (as much as you’d like).

6. By now your tomatoes will start getting squishy and a little syrupy. That’s good!!

7. Add wine. Note: Now everyone’s pans are a little different, so there is no precise measurement. But just know that the wine will reduce by half while simmering. So pour enough wine to cover the bottom of the pan but not cover up the veggies. We don’t want to overpower the flavors with wine.

8. Add salt.

9. Turn the heat up just a touch and let it simmer for about 3 minutes.

10. Add cod into the sauce and add the two remaining tablespoons of butter to the sauce. The sauce will reduce just a little more.

11. Let it simmer in the sauce until the cod is cooked.

12. Eat it and tell all your friends.