Dinner Tonight: Citrusy Roast Fish + Cucumber Salad

This weeknight dinner is not fancy, not fussy, and inspired by nothing but the perfection of the pairing. It's full of refreshing flavors and textures, and it's beautiful, too. Coolingly light green limes and cucumbers are made all that much brighter with verdant sparks of dill, cilantro and fennel. Like we said, perfection.

The Menu

Creamy Cucumber Side by Lizthechef

Fish Baked in Foil with Fennel and Lime by merrill

The Grocery List (for 4)

1 organic English cucumber (about 1 pound)
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh dill
1 Meyer lemon
1 medium whole fish, about 2 1/2 pounds (Merrill used striped bass), cleaned and scaled
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro
1 fennel bulb
1 large lime

We assume that you already have onions, unsalted butter, Dijon mustard, black pepper, olive oil, kosher salt, rice wine vinegar, and sugar. If not, hop to it! You'll need those, too. 

The Plan

1. Slice and salt the cucumber and set aside for about an hour.

2. While the cucumbers rest, focus on the fish! Chop up everything you need. Fix yourself a cocktail!

3. Stuff the fish and pop it in the oven for a 45 minute, lime-adorned bake.

4. After the cucumber slices have sat for an hour (it's okay if you get a little impatient and only wait 40 minutes -- we won't tell) rinse and dress them. Pop the salad in the fridge to chill.

5. Dinner is served! Juicy, citrusy fish and cool and crunchy cukes -- this is easily a Sauvignon Blanc sort of meal, but a really good beer wouldn't be a bad idea either. Or even better, a beer-based cocktail, like amanda's lovely Summer Radler.