Rob and I are not big fans of fish, but we eat it pretty regularly because it's good for us. We've found various ways to eat it without really tasting it, such as hiding it in tacos or sneaking it into pasta salads. But we also often cook fillets for dinner, and while we've come a long way, I wouldn't say the experience of eating fish is particularly enjoyable for us. Until now.

Rob's mom served us some delicious salmon a few weeks ago, and it was so good that I found myself craving fish (!) for dinner last night. So I made it, and it turned out so well that I feel compelled to share the recipe. Which isn't much of a recipe, actually, because Rob's mom does not measure. I mean, I know for a fact that she owns measuring cups and spoons, but I do not believe she has ever used them. Rob loves her blonde brownies, and when we were first married I asked her for the recipe so I could make them for him. And she was like, "Um okay, so I mix brown sugar, regular sugar, and a couple of eggs."

"How much sugar?"

"Oh, maybe a cup or so of each? Whatever looks right."

Whatever looks right? Are you kidding me? "Okaaaay...and is 'a couple of eggs' two?"

"I might put three in. Depends on the size."

I thought perhaps she was trying to jeopardize my blonde brownie making in some weird mother-in-law sort of way. I mean, she couldn't even tell me the temperature at which she bakes them! But I've since learned that she's like this with everything she makes. And Rob gets this trait from her - he'll just throw in a little of this and a smidge of that. It used to drive me crazy. You know, because things have to be perfect? I mean, how can you just toss that in there without checking the recipe?! Measurements must be precise! And FLOUR SHOULD BE LEVELED WITH A KNIFE.

But I've gotten much better, and now find myself loosening up a bit with my cooking. Not with bread or cookies or things for which being exact actually matters, but with other stuff. I remember the first time Rob saw me improvise something in a recipe. He asked, "Did I just see you put something in that pot without measuring it first?!" And I replied, "Dude, it wasn't even ON the recipe." He looked at me stunned, his pride apparent. And I exclaimed, "I KNOW, right?!"

Normally when I make a non-recipe from Rob's mom, I will measure what I do so I can document it and do it again the next time. But marinades don't need exact measurements, or really even recipes. So when I made the salmon last evening, I didn't bother to measure. I didn't even use measuring utensils! And that? That, people, is personal growth.

Ingredients:

several glugs of white wine
clod of brown sugar
large splat of lemon juice
hunk of salmon

Whisk together the first three ingredients. Marinade the salmon in this mixture for about an hour. Bake (375-ish) or grill, basting at least once. The fish will flake with a fork when done. I sprinkled a wee bit of brown sugar on the fillets before serving.