In the summer of 2006 I lost 40 lbs. Today, three years and some months later, the weight is still off and, in addition to staying on track, I’ve lost an additional five pounds. This recipe is a celebration of health and a farewell to my arch-nemesis: the up-and-down roller coaster of diet fads. For this success, I have the folks at SparkPeople to thank. I spent about a year with Sparky, and over those long months of tracking my weight, budgeting my calorie intake and expense, living on the forums, and listening to the advice of nutrition experts, I learned bunches about body maintenance and the negative impact of dieting mentality. That’s not to say I haven’t gone up or down a few pounds in all three years; hell, you can go down a pound or more just by sleeping eight hours. But every time I need to get back on track, I just remind myself of the principles and lessons I learned from Sparky.

Now onto the actual food!

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This recipe was a tasty deviation from regular, old basil pesto and was a wonderful contrast to the cioppino. I particularly liked the tarragon, the fennel, the Kasseri cheese, and the almonds. What was disappointing was the lack of anchovy flavor! Then again, yours truly has never before bought whole fresh anchovies and gutted them by hand, so I had no idea what to expect; I’m more used to the stuff they sell you in a can, which is pungent indeed. Next time I’ll be a little more careful and pair the anchovies with ingredients that complement rather than override.

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No kitchen can truly be great without homemade stock. Stock is the fonds de cuisine, or "the foundation of cooking," and is a major component of rich stews and many excellent sauces. (And as for sauces—well, no aspiring chef or gourmet cook can truly claim fame in the culinary arena without demonstrating command of sauces.) Furthermore, a properly prepared stock made from scratch will always outperform prepackaged stock from the supermarket or stock made from powders; the two cannot even compare. If you haven’t already, do yourself a favor and upgrade your kitchen with a little homemade stock. Prepare stock the night before and refrigerate or make in advance and freeze for up-to several months.

There are at least a dozen, if not several dozen, variations of stock, depending on the ingredients and the methods employed. However, we can usually break down a traditional stock into three basic components:

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I purchased a beautiful 1.56 lb hunk of fresh Ono from the farmer’s market this weekend. I came home and thought to myself, “This would be wonderful with macadamia nuts and mango.” Doing a search on google led me straight to Beverly Gannon’s fantastic recipe. What a find! The breading provided a crispy crust with a subtle nuttiness; the mango butter was a sweet and creamy complement to the delicate white flesh of the fish; and the garlic chile paste in the mayonnaise spread added just a touch of heat. Perfect! What follows next are a few procedural notes for future attempts.

1. This was an enormous amount of fish for two people. I could serve three or even four people if I had a side dish of vegetables. So, if you can, limit yourself about a 0.5 lb per person for a nice sizeable meal.
2. I had a bit of trouble maneuvering the fillets—first into the pan and then onto the roasting tray. To move the ono into the pan, just use your hands to lift the fish (breaded side up), then quickly but gently flip the fish onto the hot surface. Don't try to use a spatula or grab the fillet pincer-like with your fingers; you'll get breading and mayonnaise sloughing off everywhere.

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