As I’ve mentioned before, occasionally, I take over cooking responsibilities; such was the case earlier this week. And as usual, I improvised and created an Asian inspired noodle dish… noodle bowls really are my specialty. In this case, I took inventory of what we had on hand: organic soba noodles, white fish, garlic, mint, lemons, and sesame oil. I googled Japanese noodles and fish, read through a couple recipes and put this together. It turned out better than excepted, especially considering I almost burned the house down when the oil caught on fire in the oven. Scary! But everything turned out well. The lemony sauce I created for the noodles paired well with the cumin-garlic rub I prepared for the fish. We are big fans of sesame oil in almost everything, and it fit especially well with this dish. The dash of mint, which I cut from the garden, added a unique flavor in the end.

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp. sesame oil
• 1 tbsp. cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp. garlic salt
• 2 white fish fillets (we used cod)
• salt & pepper to taste
• sesame seeds, for serving
• Chopped fresh mint, for serving.

Preparation:

Cook the noodles according to the package instructions. Rinse under cold water; drain well.

In a small bowl, combine lemon zest and lemon juice. Slowly whisk in 3 tablespoons olive oil. Add the garlic. Mix well. Toss noodles with the dressing.

Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with foil.

Season both sides of the fish with remaining olive oil, sesame oil, cumin and garlic salt. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until cooked through.

Divide the noodles among four plates and place the fish over the noodles. Garnish with mint and sesame seeds.