The toaster oven that could

Today, I had a lovely, satisfyingly exhausting day, exploring a beach park in Singapore. It was fun exploring a new place, and I had some wonderful company on this adventure. On the way back home, I dropped by my favorite grocery store (that also happens to be right next door to my flat) to pick up something easy to have for dinner. I wanted something quick to put together, in addition to being light and healthy (trying to be good since I had worked hard hiking/burning calories earlier today :) ).

I thought of getting some sashimi from the Japanese stall (satisfy protein crave), but I stumbled upon this fish which was on sale. It is called Japanese Sanma.

I know what you're thinking...buying discounted fish? Living dangerous, eh?

But you know what, it was $2.80 for two, and after poking and smelling them, I decided they were all right. Plus they cost a fraction of a small plate of sashimi. The grocery store also has a good reputation for fresh food, so I thought, hey why not!

I remember reading somewhere sanma is tasty grilled. That sounds perfect for me: a small salad and a simple grilled fish. This is where the toaster-oven-that-could comes in. It was my first time grilling fish in my toaster-oven and I am very glad to say it came out perfect.

I basically just cleaned the fish (yes, I had to gut it). I cut the heads off to reduce the 'food staring back at you' effect. Some salt for seasoning and then threw the fish in the toaster oven for about 10 minutes (flipping once halfway through). Sanma is an oily fish so I did not even need to drizzle oil on this. The fish grilled perfectly with a nice color.


While the fish was grilling way, I put together a simple salad of arugula (or rocket as they are known here) dressed with a dressing made of olive oil, Japanese rice vinegar, minced garlic and ginger, and a dash of sesame seed oil.



The sharp arugula and the oily fish (had one fish, the other in the fridge for tomorrow's lunch) made for a mighty tasty combination. I was very happy with my dinner which took less than 15 minutes to put together. It was delicious AND healthy! Hurray!

I am also now very excited of the expanded possibilities of my toaster oven. I don't have a real oven in my Singapore flat and have missed being able to to roast and bake. The capability of this small oven is still limited as it has only one temperature setting that makes for perfect toast, but too high a temperature for baking cakes or cookies. But now that I have discovered grilling, I feel inspired to try out other recipes in this micro-oven. Stay tuned for more toaster-oven food adventures in the future!