The WFHL (Work From Home Lunch)
You’ve got 30 minutes, a looming mid-afternoon Zoom meeting that could have been an email, and a dream. What’s for lunch?
I pride myself on being an ingredient household. Snacks are absent from my grocery budget, and thus fridge and pantry. I extend this to frozen and microwavable food, boxed mac ‘n’ cheese, ramen, and anything that could be made under the duress of hunger pangs and cravings. Being an ingredient household only becomes an issue when I am drunk, hungover, or getting home from work after commuting five hours round trip and I didn’t get dinner at Penn Station before returning to Philadelphia. And, of course, it becomes an issue when I am not commuting and am tasked with making a Work From Home Lunch that will sustain me the most in the least amount of time possible.
When I worked in an office every day I rarely packed my own lunch. Office lunches conjure images of five-day-old chicken and rice in meal prep containers, especially pungent tuna salads, and watery Lean Cuisines. The phenomenon of food always smelling stronger and worse in an office is universal. My office was conveniently located in Old City, Philadelphia, so going to the Halal cart on 4th and Market, picking up a prosciutto-chutney-camembert croissant at Frieda on Walnut, or trying another Torchwood Cafe panini were all feasible in a sea of options. Sitting on a bench in front of Betsy Ross’s house while 8th graders on field trips milled around me eating a jackfruit and kimchi banh mi was a welcome alternative to the smells of office lunches.
I now work a different job on a hybrid schedule: I commute from Philadelphia to Midtown Manhattan two days a week and work from home the other three. I am devoted to the Lenwich across the street from my office building. When I work from home, making lunch is a welcome mid-day break. But, as an ingredient household, lunch is not as simple as instant ramen or any variety of Trader Joe’s frozen meals (but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t dread not just stocking frozen soup dumplings at my immediate disposal). My requirements: simple, nourishing, and especially fast.
A plus of working from home? You don’t have to fret about being the person eating fish. I will keep some frozen ingredients — salmon filets, shrimp, wontons — on hand to bring everything together quickly. Today’s newsletter shares three WFHLs that can be ready in time for your next last-minute company-wide ALL HANDS ON DECK meeting. Free subscribers will get the first recipe, in which I forgo my qualms about countertop appliances and, gasp, use my roommate’s air fryer. Paid subscribers will get a great way to use up some sour kimchi and tinned fish (tuna is tinned fish, right?). For just $5 a month, you can unlock all three recipes:
If you make anything, tag me @heardchefyeschef on Instagram. Let me know your adoration, your bastardizations, your deepest and darkest culinary secrets. Think of it like a confessional. I won’t share unless you tell me to.
Chili Crisp Salmon and Kale Salad
Serves 1. Ingredients:
Salmon
1 salmon filet, cubed
1 clove garlic, grated
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp chili crisp oil
Croutons
1 thick slice of sourdough bread, cubed
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp salt
Black pepper
Salad
2 scallions, sliced, whites and greens separated
4 oz shiitake mushrooms, torn
½ head kale, torn
1 tbsp kewpie mayo
Juice of ½ lemon
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp neutral oil (avocado, canola, what have you)
2-3 thinly sliced radishes
Parsley
Preheat your air fryer to 400°F. Set a pot of salted water to boil on the stove. Mix garlic, chili crisp oil, soy sauce, and honey in a bowl, then add cubed salmon and toss to coat. Marinate while you prep the croutons and salad.
In another bowl, mix the cubed sourdough, olive oil, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and black pepper until the sourdough is coated in the oil and spices.
When the air fryer is heated, air fry the croutons for 5 minutes, shaking about halfway through. Keep an eye on them; they should be well-toasted, but not near burning. Remove and set aside.
Heat the neutral oil in a pan on medium-high. Add the mushrooms. Let cook, undisturbed, until they start to release their water, then flip and stir. Add in the scallion whites once the water has evaporated.
After the scallions have gone into the pan, turn to the pot of boiling water. Submerge the kale for about 30 seconds until it turns vivid green, then quickly add to the pan with the mushrooms and scallions. It will sizzle as the water hits the hot pan. Cook on medium-high heat, mixing with the mushrooms and scallions, until sauteed and water is mostly evaporated.
With the air fryer still at 400°F, place the salmon cubes skin-side down in the basket. Air fry for 9 minutes, flipping the cubes halfway through.
In your serving bowl, whisk together the kewpie mayo, lemon juice, and salt. Spread around the bottom and sides of the bowl. Toss the croutons with the kale-mushroom-scallion mix and plate over the kewpie “aioli,” then add the salmon once done. Garnish with parsley, scallion greens, and radish slices.