Heaven is a salt and vinegar chip

In the mood for fish tacos this week, we picked up a fish basket from Goodwood Hardware, which while pricey, is flush with grills and barbecue stuff. The basket, later loaded with redfish and trout from Whole Foods cooperated fine, but is there anything harder to get right on the grill than fish? Maybe scallops. I know, I know, it’s easy because it only takes a nanosecond, but there you go. That’s the problem. Stop short and it looks anemic and might be teeming with bacteria. Go long to achieve a good sear, and it’s lost all semblance of flakiness. Anyway, jazzed up with requisite tartar sauce, cabbage and lime, and stuffed in a soft tortilla, our version turned out just fine.

The Farmer’s Market was freezing cold last weekend, but featured nice finds like fresh Brussels sprouts from Glasers and gorgeous little yellow and red grape tomatoes from Papa Tom’s. The flavor of the tomatoes was pretty good, not great, but had improved from a few weeks back when I first bought them. They should have them for a while. We also sampled the tamales, which thankfully weren’t swimming in grease like so many, but maybe that’s because they were mostly masa, and sadly low on the yummy, shredded meat inside. The jarred tomatillo salsa was really flavorful, though. I have big plans for it to top some grilled chicken.

Latest cheese pick: Uniekaas Amsterdam Reserve Gouda from Whole Foods. Call me crazy, but I taste hints of vanilla in this sturdy, totally delicious cheese. Give it a go with a beer.

Finally, in the frivolous junk food file, Zapp’s Tabasco variety is out for a limited time, which is just one of the most perfect chips ever. And that’s not because it’s hot (Zapp’s Jalapeno is much hotter). It’s because it’s bathed in that jaw-jerking vinegar/salt tang with just a dusting of somethin’ spicy. Heaven.