It Ain't So Easy in the Post No-Knead World: A Breadless Dinner

I'm not one to keep secrets about the amount of bread eaten in my house. For many years now, every dinner that promised any sort of sop-able liquid required a baguette, usually bought from Whole Foods, or Weaver Street Market when I lived in Carrboro, or even the local Giant Eagle, once I learned it sold fresh loaves from a local Pittsburgh bakery. Under these circumstances, Patrick and I probably worked through a loaf or two a week ... not a worrisome amount, but not the sort of habit that would win us any nutritional clout in the low-carb crowd. I've read the advice of dietitians that sometimes shows up in popular magazines: step away from the white bread.

Well, I admit it. I've been on a bread bender. The No-Knead Bread Phenomenon has transformed a habit into an addiction. I have become a slave to the flour bag, a bread glutton, a carbo-fiend spiraling out of control. All meals are now potentially no-kneed bread meals. Pasta for dinner? How about a loaf of bread with that? Soup? Sounds like the perfect occasion for bread. Why not dip a few hunks of bread into that bowl of meat and lentils ? A salad? Sounds better piled on a thick slice of bread. Why bother with anything else? How about a big fat loaf of bread for dinner? With a dish of olive oil and a glass of wine, you have a balanced meal, right? Just make sure you leave a few slices for tomorrow's breakfast of toast slathered with butter and raspberry jam. Under the bread spell, I didn't even care that my overpriced cereal was going stale, or that my grapefruit was turning spotty. I had given up on fiber and vitamin C.

When I hit the four-loaves-a-week point, I knew I needed an intervention. Woman may be able to live on bread alone, but, really, should she? Waist lines aside, I've fancied myself a sometimes adventurous cook. Dinner plates piled high with white bread fail to substantiate such fantasies.

I knew I had to come up with some addictive recipes to take my mind off of bubbly dough and crackly crust. I needed something fresh, packed with flavor, and free of bread-friendly sauces. Grilled fish and salsa seemed likely to do the trick. Tucking into a heap of mango and avocado topped with a bright slab of salmon, I felt Mr. Sullivan's bread loosen its grip on my dinner plate. I just wish I had a few slices stashed away for breakfast tomorrow. Left-over salmon does not pair well with morning coffee.


Grilled Salmon with Mango-Avocado Salsa
Serves 2 quite hungry people. For 4, add two additional salmon fillets, and divide the salsa among four plates.


2 salmon fillets with skin, 6 oz. each, 1-1 1/2 inches thick
2 tablespoons olive oil
coarse salt and fresh ground pepper

For salsa:
1 large, or 2 smaller Haas avocados, diced
1 large, or 2 smaller mangoes, diced
1/2 medium-sized white onion, diced
15 cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
1 medium jalapeno, minced
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 teaspoon fresh lime zest
juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped; a few leaves reserves for garnish, if you like
coarse salt and fresh ground pepper to taste


1. Prepare salsa: mix all salsa ingredients in medium bowl. Allow flavors to mingle as grill heats.

2. Heat grill to high. Brush both sides of salmon with olive oil, season generously with salt and pepper. Grill skin side down (with grill lid closed if using gas grill) until skin is crispy, about 3 minutes. Flip fillets over and transfer to a cooler part of the grill. Cook for a minute or two more, until salmon is nearly opaque, but still pink in the very center. Remove from grill.

3. Divide salsa between two plates and place a salmon fillet on top of the salsa. Garnish with a few cilantro leaves, and serve.