Ramen Radiator

You would think that any recipe with the word "ramen" in its title would be a little suspect. Ramen is for college students and meals of desperation, not meant to be found in a book such as the one I discovered it in, Alton Brown's I'm Just Here for the Food. But there is was, in the chapter on boiling, Ramen Radiator. And then I looked at the ingredient list, "Halibut...huh," I thought, "and shrimp. Maybe this is worth testing." Ah, but the words that sealed the cooking deal for me came from Alton himself, "This is the coolest dish in the book, which is not to say that you shouldn't try the rest of the recipes. " If Alton says it is cool, it must be cool. The guy has flames painted on his mixer, led a motorcycle gang across country for "off the beaten path" eats, and his TV show on Food Network is great to watch even if you have no desire to cook. Trust me, you will like Alton. I know I do.

Back to the food. If you have an oven, a skillet, and foil, you can make this dish. Do not be afraid because it contains fish, shrimp, and strange sauces, the oven does most of the work for you. I followed the recipe, stuck it in the oven, still a little skeptical. Smelled different than I expected, but different should not mean bad, only not the usual smells of tomato sauce or olive oil. After it finished cooking, I took the packet out of the oven (you cook the "soup" in the foil) and opened it. Still smelled different, but the halibut looked good, and nothing leaped out to kill me. And then I took a bite.

I do not remember most meals I eat; probably would not remember what I ate yesterday if you were ask me. And, those meals I do remember are because of the people with me and what happened while enjoying a meal. But this, this meal I will remember because it is perhaps the best meal I have ever had. It was perfection. The halibut was flaky. The shrimp, which usually ends up rubbery, was juicy and crunchy. The broth, veggies, and ramen were scrumptious. As a whole, the "soup" was spicy, sweet, and salty, a veritable firework of flavor for my taste buds. It is a dish so good that I want to make it weekly, but will not because it deserves to be honored and reserved for special occasions, like birthdays, holidays, and Fridays.

Ah, I can see your wheels turning. You are beginning to get a little frantic. You have checked and, no, I have not linked to this recipe. That is because it is not online. It can only be found in Alton's book. So, go buy it, your taste buds will love you! However, if you cannot wait, I was able to find a similar recipe called Ramen Shrimp Pouch. Try it out and, if you want to live dangerously, reduce the shrimp quantity, add a little halibut and see what happens.