Hi everyone, and welcome to Prix Fixed, Lifehacker’s new menu planning suggestion column. Whether you have a popular date, an important anniversary, or meet your in-laws for the first time, we will help you plan an impressive menu that suits your dietary needs and culinary skills. Will there be hackers? You bet your ass will have.

In order to start the column and get everyone used to this format, we started with a request from our own editor-in-chief Jordan Calhoun:

I have a date and need a dinner that is both impressive and within my limited skills. I'm fine in the kitchen, but I have absolutely no confidence in doing anything too fancy that might lead to epic failure. If I had to rate my skills, I would give them a C+. As for dietary restrictions-I am a pescatarian, allergic to broad beans and do not drink alcohol, but my date does not have any restrictions or allergies that I know. In terms of equipment, I have a gas stove, all the pots and pans I need, but the oven has limited things-a baking tray and two heat-resistant glass baking trays. Thanks for your help, I will tell you how it is going!

After talking about cooking with Jordan quite a bit, I knew he was a big fan of salmon and he was tired of roasting in the oven. The good thing about salmon is that it can be cooked in many different ways to get great results, but I want Jordan to try milk poaching — or, in this case, semi-poaching — a simple and forgiving technique Gently infuse your fish fillets with flavor while maintaining deliciousness and softness.

For both sides, we are making a naked tomato salad and a store-bought baguette. Peeled cherry tomatoes may seem a bit overwhelming and boring-it is-but it is also easy and impressive, which is what we are going to do here. Removing the skin from the tomato means it melts in your mouth-not bursts. In addition, our simple small seasoning will not slip off the smooth skin, but stick to the bare flesh, thus making a simple but special small salad.

Okay, before we get into the recipe, let's take a look at our shopping list:

You will also need some common pantry items. If you don’t belong to any of them, just add it to your shopping list:

About an hour and a half before your date arrives (or the night before), get naked-or nekkid? -Tomato salad. To do this, you need:

Start by peeling your little tomatoes. Make a small x on the bottom of each tomato (opposite the stem), being careful not to get too deep into the flesh. They should look like this:

Bring a small pot of water to a boil and fill a bowl with ice water. Put the tomatoes in boiling water, work in batches if necessary, and let them sit for 7-10 seconds until the skin begins to peel. Immerse them in an ice water bath and repeat the above steps until all the tomatoes are soaked.

Now is the interesting part. Peel gently. If you want, you can set them aside to make tomato salt (although you need more skin to make a decent amount). Put the peeled tomatoes in a mixing bowl, then add all the remaining ingredients to the jar (or any other small container with a safety lid) and shake to emulsify. If you are not sure how to remove the thyme leaves, pluck the tenderer leaves at the end, then grab one end with your non-dominant hand and use the fingers of your other hand to remove the rest from the woody stem and pass the stem down.

Drizzle enough seasoning on the tomatoes to cover them (about half of what you do). If you want to eat in a few hours or less, close the lid and let the salad sit at room temperature. If you plan to eat it the next day, cover it and put it in the refrigerator, but be sure to take it out one hour before eating.

Now let's talk about fish. In addition to poaching fish fillets in creamy, high-fat half and half (fat is an excellent carrier of flavor), we will also provide them with some quick treatments to extract excess water and help them to boil. Keep the shape. But first, we have to prepare a place so you will not feel rushed while cooking. In terms of ingredients, you will need:

Examine your salmon and use tweezers to hold them firmly and gently slide them out to remove any spicule bones. If you are using skinned fish fillets, draw a long fish skin on the diagonal to prevent the fish from curling during cooking. You can remove the skin, but they are rich in fatty acids, so I always leave them on. (I am also lazy.) Put them aside.

Prepare all other ingredients. Remove the kernels from the corncob, mash and peel the garlic, slice the pepper and half into thin slices, then rinse the thyme and green onions. Mix 1/4 cup of salt with 2 tablespoons of sugar, then sprinkle a little more than half of the mixture on all sides of the fish fillets until they are coated with a sparkling shell of salt and sugar. Let stand for 15 minutes.

While you are waiting for your fish to heal, pick up the pan you plan to use to boil the fish-it should be just wide enough to hold two fillets so that they can be dipped in the cream when they are boiled. Place the reserved corn cobs vertically in an empty pot, and then scrape them with a knife blade to extract all the delicious sugar and corn juice. Add half and half, corn kernels, and all remaining ingredients (except salmon and side dishes) to the pot. Heat on medium to low heat. (This is also a good time to heat the baguettes in the 250 degree oven.)

After the 15-minute curing time has elapsed, rinse the fish, blot dry with paper towels, and set aside.

Half of the half will never completely "simmer", but it will bubble. Once this happens, reduce the heat to a minimum. Half should be steam, not boiling or bubbling, although you may occasionally see a bubble or two. If you see a film starting to form, don’t worry, just stir it a bit. Place the fish in a steaming bath of dairy products and cook for 7-10 minutes until it hardens and begins to peel off at the thickest part. If half and half do not completely cover your fish, don't panic, just flip it gently with a spatula after about four minutes.

Once your fish is cooked to the firmness and flaky shape you want-I assume Jordan can solve this problem because he made so many salmon-transfer the fillets to a shallow bowl and remove the bay leaves from the inside , Shallots, thyme and pepper poaching liquid. Pour the corn and boiled liquid with the fish into a bowl, decorate the fish with green onions, fresh thyme leaves and lemon zest, then grind some fresh pepper on the fish, then add half and half. (Never skip the final part-it will make a meal feel exquisite and complete.) Serve with your nekkid tomato salad and crusty baguette, and a small bowl of that exquisite flaky salt.

If you need some menu planning suggestions, please send your request to Claire via [Email Protection]. Be sure to provide as much information as possible, including any dietary restrictions, protein preferences, budget, and available kitchen equipment. Keep in mind that the turnaround time can be as long as a week, so please receive these requests as early as possible.

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