Here's Why Comfort Food is a Love Language

I don’t think it’s too much to say that comfort food is the culinary equivalent of actual friendship.

It’s there when we need it. 

It makes us feel good. 

It knows our sweet spots. 

And it brings us great joy.

But why? What is it about comfort food that lends this smile-generating genre of grub an almost medicinal quality — such that its very name holds the word of its immediate effect? And why do we lean on our favorite comfort food dishes as a kind of personal relief?

In my opinion, it happens because comfort food done right is like a sweet alchemy of familiar coziness, trusted flavors that feel like coming home. Textures that really invite our teeth to participate, and warm aromas that instantly (magically!) bring bliss onto the plate. It is this special magic of comfort food that I’d like to salute. Such as:

• The sizzling scents and sounds of a salmon fried rice sautéing in a wok. 
• The happy marriage of crab flesh and hollandaise sauce expressed in a hearty brunch benedict.
• The golden hue of perfectly fried fish (which, by the way, can be accomplished in a healthy way).
• The primal pleasure of cooking something deep-flavored and savory — like a fish rosti — in a cast-iron skillet.
• The elegant comfort of a seafood risotto.
• The compact brilliance and surprise-and-delight factor of my absolute favorite snack, onigiri made with wild-caught seafood.
• The slaw-salsa-sockeye ratio of an expertly crafted fish taco.

So whether your go-to comfort meal is crispy, crunchy, creamy, gooey, oozy, melty, greasy — or all of the above! — we say, get at it. You deserve it.

Live wild!
Monica

Pictured Above: A plate of baked fish and chips made with our cod, and homemade tartar sauce — also known as an edible bear hug.