A few of my favorite things

I have so many favorite ingredients in my cooking.. I barely know where to begin! I suppose will start with a selection of some staple herbs that grow very well here at the Jersey Shore. As we are reaching the end of the October harvest, Jersey gardeners are preparing their crops for the long, damp, raw winter months that we have in our region. A few of the most successful perennial herbs that I preserve in my green house are thyme, rosemary, oregano, mint, and sage. These are a must-have for a Jersey Shore garden! They grow beautifully and last throughout most of the year, if not all year long!

Here is a picture example of lemon thyme... one of my favorite herbs to pair with fish, especially sockeye salmon. It grows as an evergreen and can be picked fresh throughout the year. The flavor of lemon thyme is potent enough to stand on its own and give fish the flavors of citrus and thyme without any further ingredients. Simply oil a baking dish with olive oil, place a fresh piece of sockeye salmon on the dish, drizzle just a bit of asian fish sauce, sprinkle salt and pepper, then layer some sprigs of lemon thyme over the fish and bake in the oven at 350 degrees until the fish is cooked to your preferrence.