Fish with Spicy Tomato Sauce & Tahini

+ october add-to-cart! (p.s. bury me in this sauce)

Hi! Fall is here, to my chagrin (or sad girl september, for those who celebrate). When I’m not curating spotify playlists to cry to, I’m brainstorming/testing/writing lots of exciting upcoming recipes to share with you all, plus a post on healing, essential kitchen tools, and more. I’m leaning into Libra season and getting my shit together, so expect some other fun updates and changes to Anti-Spam soon.

Side note: if you don’t already have the Substack app, I highly recommend you download it!

The app makes it so easy to like, comment and save posts for quick access and organizing. I can’t count the number of people who say a major obstacle to cooking my recipes is they can’t easily bookmark/save/reference them—this is your solution!

Not only does liking and commenting on posts in Substack help me HUGELY, but it is so helpful for me to know what content you all like the most so I can create more of it. The platform also makes it easy and fun to find other amazing newsletters—literally, 5 minutes on the homepage and I’ve subscribed to at least 2 new Substacks that I can’t believe I ever lived without. Download it here.

Add To Cart #4

FAVORITES:

pod — Ride with Ben Skinner and Mary Beth Barone. nothing better than testing a new recipe and chortling to some of the best takes on the internet.

tv — Tell Me Lies Season 2.

book — God of the Woods by Liz Moore.

playlist — alternating between listening to sad music to make yourself sadder and goodgirlsgonebad

app — (well, besides Substack) QuakeFeed. If you live in California, you neeeeed this app to get earthquake notifications. I’ve had it for years, and even since I’ve moved back to New York, I still get notified and text my LA friends immediately. While you’re at it, if you don’t have an earthquake kit under your bed and in your car (yes, 2 total), literally WHAT ARE YOU DOING: order one now.

product — this salt lamp night light drenches my bathroom in a seductive spa-esque glow that I adore. it also lets me turn off harsher overhead/blue lights at night which I’m convinced myself helps my brain wind down before sleep.

home — my favorite new chef’s knife, courtesy of my gracious friend Anna (!) and her beautiful LA kitchen that I inhabited for 2+ weeks in September. If I could have one knife only, it would be this one!

workout — pvolve at the NYC studio, getting back into it this week!

beauty — I’ve been having my heavy metal detox smoothie every day, and I’m convinced it clears my skin and reduces puffiness and inflammation. I also re-upped on my favorite moisturizer that I’ve used for over a year—so good at preventing breakouts.

supplement — Ancient Minerals magnesium spray that you put on your stomach and feet at night. rub in well! makes me sleep so well and great for digestion.

snack — raw carrot salad for hormone health… idk, trying it. 1 large carrot, 1 tsp virgin coconut oil (keep by the window to stay melted, or run under hot water for a minute), apple cider vinegar and salt.

grocery — the west village abingdon square farmers market has really been charming me lately. After being reminded of what perfect produce is like in LA, I came back to new york and was really icked by the taste of some vegetables I bought at the grocery store. It was the first time I truly noticed the difference in TASTE between a local, fresh carrot and one sitting in the store (even if I purchased organic/in a bunch with the green tops on). buy local!!! food tastes better.

recipes — I have two today.

• #1: I can’t emphasize enough how obsessed I am with this arugula, spicy roasted cauliflower, halloumi and avocado salad. It’s possibly the best salad I’ve ever had. I recently had friend who self-identifies as “salad hating” tell me it was in their top 5 (also made me wonder WTF are 1-4??).

• #2: been making my Shawarma Chicken on repeat, particularly because I am doing limited runs of my Anti-Spam Shawarma Spice Blend for my paid subscribers :) if you haven’t received yours yet, another batch is going out today! The product is awesome because 1) it’s a big jar, and each lb of chicken uses 1.5 Tablespoons, 2) you don’t need to go out and buy 9 spices yourself, and 3) all you have to do to marinate the chicken is add olive oil, garlic, salt, and the spice blend!

drink — back on the natural wine train after almost 3 weeks in California. sorry not sorry. wishing I had a Vin on Rose on my corner…

WISHLIST:

health — I want a red light therapy panel for winter to combat S.A.D. (seasonal affective disorder, otherwise known as seasonal depression, otherwise known as sad girl fall), of which I suffer greatly. Brands I’ve heard are awesome: Block Blue Light, Platinum Therapy Lights, Rojo, MitoPro, and Hooga. Still perusing this site to find the best one.

supplement — about to pull the trigger on this grass-fed collagen protein powder that I want to start adding to my heavy metal detox smoothie for better skin, hair, nails etc. I trust anything Jennifer Fisher recommends.

product — I need this mini waffle maker. now that it’s getting chillier, I want to test out a waffle to potentially replace my morning smoothie? idk bold quest but I’m thinking banana, collagen protein, an egg, cassava flour (or coconut/almond), wild bluebs, fall spices…? I saw my friend bella making an aesthetic mini waffle, so I decided to make an aesthetic mini waffle…

home — I need help with my at-home coffee-making situation. Counter space is limited, but I can’t keep buying cans of La Colombe. I’ve never figured out how to make batches of really good iced coffee that doesn’t take 24-48 hours to steep. I used to use a percolator and then chill it, but my coffee taste has evolved and this tastes like shit now. I can do pour-over, but it uses so many beans per cup and sends me to outer space in a bad way. I don’t know if I’m ready to commit to an espresso machine, or if I just need a way to make a batch of GOOD coffee to then chill, or what.

recipe — my friend terry made homemade curry chicken salad that he claims is the best he’s ever had… I’ve tried many times to make it at home, and it just never hits the same as the classic store-bought versions. I screenshotted the recipe from his instagram story and will be making immediately, so stay tuned.

drink — I NEED to go to The Corner Store and order from this absolutely stunning martini menu:

FINALLY, time for what you all came for… the recipe!

Inspired by Ottolenghi plus a few tweaks, this spicy-sweet-savory sauce is WILDLY good and I recommend doubling the batch (granted you have a big enough pan) so you can put it on everything. The delicate fish cooks quickly in the sauce, making it a perfect one-pan meal that is light yet also hearty, and guaranteed to impress a group.

TOOLS:

• a large, high-sided saute pan with a lid, like this

• measuring cups and spoons

INGREDIENTS:

serves 4

• 2 lbs halibut