Summer Dinner, 15 min or Less: Smoked spiced whiting with Cucumber mozzarella pasta

Recipe:   Smoked Whiting with Pasta Salad

Smoked Whiting: Served cold

Whiting is a mild flavored fish that is, as the name suggests, white fleshed.  Its firm texture makes it ideal for smoking.  The term whiting is applied to several types of fish around the world.  In the Pacific, it refers to Australian whiting or Pacific/Japanese hake.  Out here on the east coast, it refers to Atlantic (English) whiting.  Summertime is a great time to enjoy this fish because smoked whiting is served cold.  That's right, there's no slaving over the stove once the smoking process is done.  You just pull the fish out of the fridge, slice, and serve.   Traditionally, fisherman have smoked their catch to create this delicacy.  In modern times, you can buy prepared smoked whiting that is ready to eat. I like it as a lunch or dinner course.  The smoked fish could sub for lox on a bagel, too.


Redner's Warehouse Markets sells spiced, smoked whiting.  The barbecue spices on the their version make this fish absolutely delectable, even for the fish-finicky.  For under $10, you can feed a family of four with a fish raised right here in the USA. 

AlwaysFreshFish.com hails locally from Toms River, New Jersey.  They ship fresh smoked whiting to your door, as pictured in the photo below, for about $40 for five lbs.

Recipe: Cucumber mozzarella pasta salad

Pasta salad: Served warm or cold

Kauffman's golden nugget radiatore pasta is available online direct from PA Dutch Country.  Or, you can visit them in person in Bird-In-Hand, PA!

Ingredients:

Bite size pasta; I like golden nugget radiatore
1 cucumber
Fresh herbs; I like basil and curly parsley
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Cook radiatore pasta al dente.  Drain and set aside to cool.  Add ice cubes to the strainer if you like yours more cool than warm. Chop a cucumber into bite size pieces.  Add chopped herbs, salt and pepper.   Add olive oil and pasta and gently stir.  Gently mix in the shredded mozzarella cheese.  If the pasta is still a little bit warm, the cheese will melt slightly.  I like my pasta salad this way.  If you want your cheese to be more firm, make sure the pasta is fully cooled.  Serve with main course and enjoy.