Dinner At The Xmaskaties'. I Love It When De Menfolk Cook: Teil Eins.

Monday, I drove 1 1/2 hours west to the Xmaskaties'. Mr. Xmaskatie was in charge of dinner.

Good Neighbor Butch had just caught this rockfish and given it to the Xmaskaties. My timing, as always, was impeccable.

Doesn't get much fresher than this.

Mr. Xmaskatie used his mandoline to thinly slice potatoes and onions ...

... which he artfully arranged around Rocky.

That little blot at the top is a dried chili pepper.

Seasonings for Rocky: Texas Pete Mrs. Dash Original Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy Paul Prudhomme's Seafood Magic

Two strips of bacon over top.

Some pats of butter, freshly ground pepper, and a sprinkling of Texas Pete.

Chopping parsley. I particularly liked this shot.

Lots of butter pats.

A little more Texas Pete.

Some Maggi Seasoning.

This is Alaea Sea Salt, a traditional Hawaiian table salt used to season and preserve. A natural mineral called "Alaea," or volcanic baked red clay, is added to enrich the salt with iron oxide. This natural additive gives the salt its distinctive color.

Sprinkling of Alaea Sea Salt.

In case you're interested, here it is.

Next, Mr. Xmaskatie started sealing the foil ...

... but not before giving Rocky a drink of white wine. Seal completely and bake at 325 for 1 hour.

And he cleans too!

Next, I started on more fixings for my King Crab Enchiladas. I had brought 3 enchiladas and some of my bean mixture, but I needed more beans and more white sauce. I minced some garlic and chopped up about 1/4 red pepper. And someone grated the cheddar and Monterey Jack.

I chopped about 1/2 an onion and added that to my melted butter. Cook about a minute.

Then I added the red pepper. Cook another minute.

Xmaskatie had a can of kidney beans which she drained and rinsed and I added to the onion and pepper.

Then I added in the bean mixture I'd brought.

Xmaskatie canned jalapenos last summer. I used a tablespoon or two of the jalapeno and a tablespoon of chopped cilantro. Unfortunately, Rosie was sloppy and spilled some jalapeno joos on the floor. Thank you so much, Xmaskatie, for getting my plumber's crack.

Add in about a cup of chicken stock and heat through.

Add in cilantro. If you're one of those people who doesn't like cilantro, add in parsley. Turn off heat and cover.

Next, I started on my Alfredo sauce.

Melted some butter and added some minced garlic, cooking for about a minute. Do not overcook garlic - makes it bitter.

I added about a cup of heavy cream and brought it to a boil.

Then I gradually added cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses, whisking.

Freshly grated pepper.

There goes a plop of cheese.

Chopped parsley.

Taste test.

A little Gewurtztraminer.

I poured the sauce over top of my enchiladas.

Chopped parsley.

More grated cheese on top.

Ready for the oven. Bake until heated through and the cheese is bubbly.

Mr. Xmaskatie unwraps his fish.

Mr. Xmaskatie offered me the prized cheek meat. Delicate and delicious.

Then he offered me the eyeball. Not wishing to offend and being the sport I am ...

... I thought what the hell. I'm game. If Anthony Bourdain can eat the ass out of a warthog, I can certainly eat the eyeball of a fish. I popped it in my mouth and bit down on it, expecting juicy, squishiness. It was like biting into a marble. Damn near broke my tooth. No more eyeballs for Rosie.

Rockfish front center. Perfectly cooked. So delicate. And going clockwise, onions and potatoes, red bean mixture, rice, and King Crab enchilada.

Thank you so much, Xmaskaties, for a grand meal. Company was damn good too.