Q: I got a pound of frozen trout in my CSA this week. I'm a single lady on a tight budget, so I don't really want to share my one pound of meat for the week! The trout is pretty frozen so I can't separate the fillets. Any ideas or recipes that will use the whole pound? Ideally something that can be frozen afterwards?

There are no secrets about food in our home. Our children, if they're paying attention, know where it comes from and what it was doing before it ended up on the plate. Though we don't forbid anything, we aren't shy about letting them know the difference between that fast food chicken sandwich and the chicken we got from Mr. Eubanks at the farmers' market. Much like adults, kids will eat what they want, in spite of what they know. But we like them to know what they're getting into. Take soft shell crabs, for instance. 

Though you might normally associate chimichurri with grilled steaks, lamb chops and other robust cuts of meat, this garlicky South American herb sauce pairs wonderfully with mild halibut and other lean white fish. Rubbed over the fillets before baking, the flavor of the chimichurri stays fresh and bright, infusing the delicate fish with a pop of green color and taste that says SPRING! It's another simple yet impressive fish recipe to add to your repertoire.

I absolutely love Spain. The culture, the people, the enthusiasm for life and for food. Where else in the world can you go, at half past midnight, and see three generations of people celebrating no particular occasion outside of a cafe? Where else in the world can you find a 24" pan of paella — piping hot, and filled to the brim with fresh seafood?  Though the former may be hard to replicate, the latter is something worth throwing a party for.

There are many reasons to love black cod -- it is sustainably fished, full of healthy omega-3 fatty acids, and wonderfully buttery when cooked. Here's one more: a classic Japanese recipe for black cod that makes an easy, elegant dinner for guests or a quick main dish you can prep over the weekend.

There are certain skills a parent should teach a child. Proper teeth brushing. Basic courtesy. The Electric Slide. How to safely shuck an oyster. The only way to master important skills is by practicing early and often, so we like to roast oysters at home, and doing it over an open fire isn't an easy option. I've learned to roast them in the oven, so we can enjoy mollusk madness any night of the week.

Q: I recently fell in love with making my own kimchi, which uses a tablespoon of salted shrimp in each batch. While I now have a lot of amazing kimchi, I also have a jar of salted shrimp in my fridge. It's something that I want to use, but I have no clue where to start. Help!

Sent by Amy

Lately I've been looking to add more healthy seafood to my diet without breaking the bank, and while canned fish will never have the allure of a fresh filet, today's good-quality canned salmon is not the fishy, bone-studded mush you may be picturing. The boneless and skinless fish — once flaked and mixed with brown rice, cilantro, shallots and lime juice — cooks up into crisp-edged cakes that make an easy and satisfying weeknight meal, especially when topped with a dollop of Sriracha-spiked mayonnaise.

Scallops are such an easy and underrated weeknight meal, and I know this from experience: I never seem to think about them as a dinner option, but when I do it's always a slap-hand-to-forehead kind of moment. Scallops sear in mere seconds, and while whipping up a beurre blanc (a.k.a. white butter sauce) may seem intimidating to the uninitiated, it's actually one of the easiest and tastiest classic sauces to know.
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Some days we have our acts together. Some days we just plain don't. That's life. For the days when those good intentions to make lunch ahead don't go quite as planned, here are a few pantry staples that make a very good emergency lunch.