Fish

In my opinion, cooking a whole fish in a salt crust is sort of a gimmick. There are better ways to cook a whole fish.

For an inauguration dinner, part me thought I'd just have watercress soup and very little booze so we wake up on the first day of President Obama's presidency clear headed, flat stomached, and ready to go. Then I really thought that through: It's not much of a celebration.

I'll cook this fast, easy and satisfying dish many more times. But I think I'll stick to fish with a little more character.

Right after Thanksgiving, if you are anything like me, you also won't want to look at another saucepan for an entire year—but alas, some dinners must be sauced. So, you can imagine my sheer delight in discovering this tilapia was a snap! A very tasty snap.

Here's a New Year's Resolution that shouldn't be hard to keep: Eat more American caviar. Not only is it delicious, with a briny-nutty flavor that rivals the imported stuff, but it's also from sustainably farmed fish like American sturgeon and paddlefish. Here are five brands we love.