What I Cooked This Week: May 18 - May 24

A running list of what I am cooking. Use it for ideas, inspiration, or just to entertain your boredom. I’ll keep it simple. Each entry will include:

• What I cooked (don't worry, there's always a photo)
• What I experimented with
• What I liked and disliked
• Other thoughts (I'll try to spare you here - I'm a cutthroat critic of my own cooking)

May 18, 2025

Cornmeal & Polenta Crusted Snapper

Back to frying fish. I’ve been in a loop lately—obsessed with tightening up a few core dishes. Fried fish is one of them. This one riffs on the Sunday fish fry at Balboa Surf Club in Houston’s Post Oak area. They use grouper, but snapper’s what I could get.

What I experimented with:

• Polenta in the cornmeal crust
• Creamy avocado-lime sauce

• ✅ Polenta in the cornmeal crust is a game changer—extra crunch, golden color, and just feels fancier. Stolen straight from Balboa.
• ✅ The avocado-lime sauce was spot on. Bright, creamy, and clean. (Avocado, nonfat Greek yogurt, lime, jalapeño, cilantro, water, salt & pepper.)
• ✅ Fried in light olive oil. Clean taste, no complaints.
• ❌ Needed a touch more salt overall.

Takeaway:

Polenta (big cornmeal) belongs with cornmeal (little cornmeal) if you want the perfect crust.

Rating: 8.6/10

May 19, 2025

Thai Red Curry Chicken Meatballs

Saw this on TikTok and figured I’d try it. I’ve made a ton of Thai red curry over the years, but never with meatballs. It’s a good move. The texture throws you off in the right way—soft, juicy, a little unexpected.

What I experimented with:

• Is it still an experiment if I've made this before?
• Chicken meatballs simmered straight in the red curry

• ✅ Nice change of pace with the meatballs
• ❌ Something in the aromatics (garlic or ginger) tasted a little off. Likely too old.

Takeaway:

Meatballs aren’t just for spaghetti or pho. They play surprisingly well in curry. Next time I’ll make sure my ginger hasn’t seen better days.

Rating: 7.2/10 (8.5 if the ginger/garlic was fresh)