General Fish Suggestions
Randal Allred
Astrid Bear
Ray Martin's Fish Course
Adam Quinan
Blini with Caviar or Smoked Salmon - Doug Essinger-Hileman
Calamari
Fried, With Tartar Sauce
Calamari Ripieni E Stufati (Braised Stuffed Squid)
Sea-Pie - Matt Leingang
Crab Dishes
Crab Timbales - Doug Essinger-Hileman
Crab Dip - Linda DeMars
The Oriental Version of Crab Dip - Astrid Bear
The Spider Roll - Bob Saldeen
Maryland Crabcakes - Susan Wenger
Crawfish - Doug Essinger-Hileman
Matelote Rouge - Doug Essinger-Hileman
Tuna Nicoise Burgers with Roasted Garlic-Tomato Aioli - Bobby Flay
Clam Chowder - Bob Fleisher
Lemony Bourbon Basted Grilled Sea Bass - Alice Gomez
Grilled Sea Bass In An Italian Champagne Sauce
Lutefisk
Lutefisk, Some Thoughts - Kyle Lerfald
Forget Lutefisk - try Hakarl - Martin Watts
Ainsley's Tuna Marinade - Lois
Soupe du poisson - Lois
Molly O'Neill's Honduran Ceviche - Lois
Sole Food - Paul Murphy
Abalone - Bill Nyden
Oysters
Oysters - Dusty Blades
New Orleans Oysters - Donni Call
Oysters Kilpatrick - Helen Connor
Oyster Stews, Two - Doug Essinger-Hileman
Oysters Benedict - Doug Essinger-Hileman
Coulibac - Gerry Strey
Tuna Casserole
Bob's Very Retro Tuna Casserole - Bob
Easy Tuna Casserole - Bob Jernigan
John Marmet's Parmesan Tuna Casserole
Tuna Steak - David Millians
Tuna Cakes - Helen Connor
Tilapia - Susan Wenger
Basque Paella - Rebecca Dwan
Frozen Fish Tip - Jennifer Schultz
A Tip for Buying Fish - Jennifer Schultz
Fish Poetry
Charlezzzzz Muñoz Explains, and Mourns the Loss of Mona, Stephen's First Love
Brian Tansey
Fish Sauce - John Gosden
Moules Milleres - Brian Tansey
Pickled (and Otherwise) Herring (and Otherwise)
Doug Essinger-Hileman Asks...
Astrid Bear
Anna Ravano
Sara Waterson
Quohogs / Quahogs
Jean A.
Jill Bennett
Salmon Patties
Bob Saldeen
Karen Swaine
Lynne Murison's New Orleans Style Shrimp Barbecue
Tequila Shrimp and Citrus
Macaroni Grill Shrimp Pignoli Pasta
Solomon Gundy
Edmund Burton
Elise van Looij
Charlezzzzz Muñoz
Wikipedia on Salmagundi - Julie Hoffman
General Fish Suggestions
Randal Allred
I am not a devoted seafood fanatic, but I cannot gainsay the heavenly experience of fresh trout fried lightly in bacon drippings--or Atlantic salmon grilled with chives and butter over coals--or 'ono (wahoo to you haoles) roasted in coals of a kiawe wood fire seasoned only with rock salt (and a nod to Bruce's mother's prudence with seasonings)--or ahi (yellowfin tuna) grilled fresh--or mahimahi baked with a little salt and pepper and lime and coconut milk--or a simple halibut steak--or battered scallops and clams with a good tartar--or the heroic flavor of battered cod with chips and malt vinegar and salt on a brisk winter night in Bangor, Co. Down, waiting by the bus stop...
Astrid Bear
Take a trout. Stuff the pristine inside with lemon slices and fresh herbs, like thyme and parsley. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Wrap in tin foil and bake in a pretty hot oven till done. Maybe 10-15 minutes at 400F. Unwrap and enjoy. No fat, no frying.
Take a salmon filet. Put it in a baking dish and run it under a hot broiler till it sizzles. Brush with your favorite teriyaki sauce, rebroil briefly to brown but not burn the sauce, and serve it forth.
Take a marlin steak and pan sear it in a small amount of canola oil (no cholesterol) and serve with a fresh salsa of chopped mango, lime juice, cilantro and chipotle pepper.
Ray Martin's Fish Course
Since Charlezzzzz liked his first taste of crab (although I don't know what variety it was) , he could go on and try lobster, langoustines and crayfish - all similar to one another in taste and texture. Then, might I suggest some "bland" white flatfish (assuming they are available in the USA) like Plaice . . . Poached Rainbow Trout, too is an easy introduction to "real" fish. The meaty white fish such as Cod and Haddock, especially in the form of fish and chips usually tempts most reluctant fish eaters. Stronger flavours such as Salmon, or stronger still, herring and the other oily fish might be an acquired taste. Tuna, shark and Monkfish are very meat-like in texture, but worth trying...
Adam Quinan
I have always asserted that smoked salmon is not fish, neither are kippers. For many a year, I would not eat any other fish but in the last few years as I aged and my tastes changed I have found that i enjoy a firm white fish such as haddock or cod or more exotic firm species. But not a slab of the fish, have it cooked in a fish pie with a bit of smoked haddock and it is very nice. Which i can smell it cooking now.
Blini with Caviar or Smoked Salmon - Doug Essinger-Hileman
In a note to Rowen, Doug wrote:
Unfortunately, I don't have many recipes of Russian origin. However, I do have some. To go along with your caviar, you might consider blini, which are thin buckwheat pancakes that are a Russian favorite. The note that introduces the blini recipes in Jewish Holiday Cookbook by Greene says, "The beige-colored, 'light' buckwheat flour produces a blini with a mild, deliciously subtle flavor. The brown, 'dark' buckwheat flour is much stronger, and should used only when a very intense buckwheat flavor is desired.
"Blini are customarily served with sour cream and caviar or smoked salmon."
You could easily make the blini, then roll them, some with sour cream and caviar, some with thinly-sliced smoked salmon as the stuffing.
Calamari
Fried, With Tartar Sauce
Ingredients:
3 lb. calamari, cleaned and dried well
2 C all purpose flour
1 T mild paprika
salt and pepper to taste
3 C corn oil or other vegetable oil
lemon wedges
Put the flour, paprika, salt and pepper in a paper bag. Mix well. Add a batch of the cleaned calamari sacs (cut in 2" rounds) and of the tentacles, and shake so the calamari get coated with the flour. Shake off excess flour. Put oil in frying pan or wok. Preheat to 375 degrees. Put calamari in, a few at a time, and fry until golden (about 1 minute). Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle salt and pepper on them and serve with lemon wedges.
You may add buttermilk to the batter to give it a rich texture.
Lovers of fried calamari claim that the tentacles are the best part. However, pronounce the word tentacles carefully or you may inadvertently refer to an even more exotic culinary delicacy.
Tartar Sauce
Ingredients:
2 large egg yolks
1 T white wine vinegar
2 T Dijon mustard
Salt and white pepper to taste
1 C canola or vegetable oil
2 T fresh lemon juice
4 T minced onion
2 T chopped drained capers
1/4 C finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
Put egg yolks in a bowl and add vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Beat with a wire whisk for 10 seconds. Add the oil gradually, beating it until all the oil is used. Add lemon juice. Mix. Add remaining ingredients and blend well. Cover and chill.
Calamari Ripieni E Stufati (Braised Stuffed Squid)
Ingredients:
6 cleaned calamari (4-1/2 to 5 inches, excluding the tentacles)
Stuffing:
Tentacles
2 T olive oil
2 T minced Italian parsley
1 tsp minced garlic
1 whole egg, beaten
3 T Parmesan cheese
1/4 C unflavored bread crumbs
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
freshly ground pepper to taste
The braising liquid:
Olive oil or canola oil (1/4 inch in a pan)
4 whole cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 C canned peeled tomatoes, chopped, with their juice
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 C dry vermouth
Mince the tentacles and mix with the stuffing ingredients. Fill the sacs loosely with this mixture. Sew each opening shut or use toothpicks.
For the braising, heat the oil and the 4 whole garlic cloves until golden. Discard the garlic, and add the stuffed calamari in a single layer. Cook on all sides until golden. Add the tomatoes and their juice, the minced garlic and the dry vermouth. Cook covered over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes. Calamari are done if tender when pierced with a fork.
Remove calamari to a cutting board and let settle for a while. Remove thread or toothpicks from the calamari. Cut the remainder into 1/2 inch thick slices. Arrange the slices on a warm dish. Warm up the sauce in the pan, pour over the sliced calamari and serve.
Sea-Pie - Matt Leingang
I just got back from a week in La Belle Province (Québec) and took part in some of the holiday fare there. In addition to tourtière, a pie filled with loose ground meat, and other protein-and-starch faves, I was served something called six-pâtes (Full name: "Six pâtes du Lac St.-Jean"). It was a concoction of various meats (beef, pork, chicken), layered with potatoes, onions, and pastry dough, and baked in chicken broth until all the liquid is absorbed. It was delightful, and felt very O'Brian-esque. I started Googling for the recipe later on, and I discovered that this dish is also called cipâtes, or sometimes even cipaille. The latter, when pronounced in French, sounds like "SEA-PIE."
From Cipaille, or Sea Pie
Art. V. Fur Fort Food - Sea Pie, or Cipaille, by A. Gottfred.
A sturdy meat pie with a historic flavor.
The history of this dish goes back to at least 1747, when Hannah Glasse's cookbook gave the recipe for a 'Cheshire Pork Pie for Sea' consisting of layers of salt pork, meat, and potatoes. The recipe, with a myriad of variations, shows up in American cookbooks from 1796 and 1824 as well.
There is a traditional Quebec layered meat pie called cipaille (pronounced 'sea pie'). The similarity between the two meat pies probably is no coincidence! There are also very similar pies are called cipâtes and six-pâtes.
The recipe below takes a lot of preparation and baking time (two days in total, including six hours of baking), but if you use pre-cubed pork and beef stew meat and boneless chicken breasts, and instant biscuit mix for the pastry, you can really cut down on the time you spend in the kitchen. If you have game, then by all means substitute duck, goose, moose, deer, elk, etc. for the other meats. This recipe is quite large, so I have included ingredient lists for two versions, one to serve six or seven, the other to serve twelve to fourteen. Be warned : you will need one or two very large casseroles to cook this dish, even if you're doing the smaller recipe.
If you'd rather not spend time at a rendezvous doing the cooking, you can make cipaille in advance and take it with you to serve at room temperature. I understand that some Dutch ovens can be used as a casserole dish inside your home oven. Pre-baked meat pies are also handy if you have the bad luck to be under a ban on outdoor campfires, which was the situation in many parts of the country at various times this year.
Six-Pandâtes
To serve 6-7:
1 lb. (454g) pork, cubed
1 lb. (454g) beef, cubed
1 rabbit or 1 turkey drumstick
1 chicken leg
2 chicken breasts
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 large onion, chopped
1/4 tsp. summer savoury
2-3 slices salt pork
To serve 12-14:
2 lb. (900g) pork, cubed
2 lb. (900g) beef, cubed
2 rabbits or 2 turkey drumsticks
2-3 chicken legs
4 chicken breasts
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 lg. onions, chopped
1/2 tsp. summer savoury
4-5 slices salt pork
The day before: Remove bones from chicken, rabbits, turkey. Reserve bones, and cube meat. Mix meat, onions, salt, pepper, and savoury; cover and refrigerate for 12 hours. Place bones in small pot; add 1 chopped onion, salt, pepper, and cold water to cover. Simmer for two hours. Strain stock, and refrigerate until needed.
The same day: Make pastry. Combine 3 cups flour, 2-3 1 tbsp. baking powder, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Cut in 2-3 tbsp. butter, margarine, shortening, or lard. Stir in 1/2 cup milk; mix thoroughly. Divide pastry dough in half. Roll out half of pastry on lightly floured surface. Cut into 1-inch squares. Roll out remaining pastry for top crust.
At last, you're ready to make the pie. Fry salt pork slices in oven-proof casserole dish (or put dish in 400F oven for 5-10 minutes, to cook salt pork). Remove pork slices; put a layer of meat in the hot fat, and pour in half the stock. Cover with a layer of pastry squares, leaving a little space between the squares. Add remaining meat, pour in the rest of the stock. Cover completely with top crust; cut one or two 1" wide circles in the center of the top crust to let steam out. (If you have any leftover crust, put it in the fridge until the final half hour of baking; roll it out, cut in squares and bake with cipaille for the last 10-20 minutes). Bake at 400F for 45 minutes, then reduce heat to 350F and bake for five more hours. Keep a close eye on the level of liquid in the casserole ; if it seems to be drying out (no steam coming through the top crust), add water, beef broth, or chicken broth through the hole in the top of the pastry.
Crab Dishes
Crab Timbales - Doug Essinger-Hileman
For crab timbales, season about 2 cups of fresh crab meat with 2 tablespoons of sherry, 1/2 teaspoon of mustard powder, and 1/4 teaspoon worcestershire sauce. In 1/4 cup butter, saute 3/4 cup of bread crumbs with 1 tablespoon each of chives and parsley until the bread crumbs begin to brown. Add 3/4 cup of scalded milk and continue to cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes. Add the seasoned crab meat and 4 eggs that have been lightly beaten with 1 1/2 tablespoon of sherry.
Divide this mixture into 6 well-buttered ramekins or custard cups. Cook these in a water bath for about 30 minutes (until a knife inserted into the center of the timbale comes out clean) at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Serve the timbales on a bed of vegetables (cabbage that has been shredded into 1/4-inch wide strips about 4-5 inches long and bell peppers that have been julienned) that have been sauteed but still crisp and topped with mushroom sauce.
To make the mushroom sauce, saute 1/2 pound of mushroom in 1/4 cup of butter with 1 tablespoon each of finely chopped onion and parsley. Remove the mushrooms and set aside. To the pot, add 2 cups of dry white wine and 1 cup of chicken stock (the same one used in making the soup!). Bring to a boil, then reduce to a scant 1 cup of liquid. Remove from the heat, return the mushrooms to the stock, and let sit for about 30 minutes. Bring back to a boil, add 1 scant cup of scalded heavy cream. Bring this to a boil *twice*, then whisk in 1/4 cup of butter, bit by bit. With the last piece of butter, whisk in 2 tablespoons of sherry!
Crab Dip - Linda DeMars
One block of cream cheese softened (8 ounces), one can of lump crab meat (could use fresh) around 5 ounces, tangy cocktail sauce 1 cup. Mix every thing together. For really crabby dip, make the amount of cream cheese, crab and cocktail sauce equal. The original recipe had the crab and cocktail sauce mixed and spread over a block of cream cheese but it's better all mixed up.
The Oriental Version of Crab Dip - Astrid Bear
I'm thinking, with those ginger thins, maybe a more Oriental version. Thai sweet chili sauce, some cilantro or Thai basil . . . hmm.
The Spider Roll - Bob Saldeen
Softshell crab sandwiches, sure, but don't forget the sushi of the world "The Spider Roll"--deep fried soft shell crab with avocado, served with a little mayo dipping sauce...
Maryland Crabcakes - Susan Wenger
1 pound crabmeat, picked over for shell
1 tsp salt
1 tsp or more Old Bay seasoning
1 tbs baking powder
1 small egg, beaten
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
3 tbs mayonnaise
1 tbs whole grain mustard
Oil for frying
1. Add salt, seasoning, baking powder, to crabmeat, and stir.
2. Combine egg, Worcestershire sauce, mayonnaise, and mustard, then gently mix into crabmeat mix.
3. Shape into eight cakes and fry 2 to 4 minutes on each side. They should be runny.
Some people add breadcrumbs to sop the runniness, but I don't.
Crawfish - Doug Essinger-Hileman
According to The Gourmet Cookbook, vol. 1, to clean the crawfish "wash the crayfish in cold water and tear off the tiny wing in the center of the tail. This loosens and brings with it the small black intestine."
As for recipes, from the same cookbook:
Crawfish Czarina
Wash and trim 3 doz. crawfish, then cover them with milk for 5 hours. When ready to serve, bring to a boil an entire bottle of white wine with salt added to taste. Drain the crawfish and add to boiling wine. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Arrange on platter and serve with melted butter and cucumber salad.
Crawfish in White Wine
Wash and trim 3 doz. crawfish. Saute them in 3 tablespoons of butter over high heat until bright red. Add 1 teaspoon chopped shallot, a touch of thyme, salt and pepper to taste, and 2 cups of white wine (or 1 cup wine and 1 cup fish stock). Simmer covered for 15 minutes. Serve with parsley sprigs, lemon wedges and quartered hard-cooked eggs.
Crawfish in Dill
Wash and trim 3 doz. crawfish. Bring 3 quarts of water to the boil with 6 tablespoons salt and 6 heads fresh dill. Add the crawfish 1 doz at a time. Bring the water back to the boil after each addition. Add 2 or 3 more heads of dill, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Cool in cooking liquor, chill and drain.
If you want a simple Italian meal, cook them then add to fettuccine or spaghetti with your favorite sauce (so long as it isn't bottled!).
Matelote Rouge - Doug Essinger-Hileman
In case you are unfamiliar with matelot, the fish stew, I offer this recipe (adapted by me from Good Cookery, published by Marshall Cavendish Books Limited in 1979) for your edification and enjoyment:
Matelote Rouge
Red wine is used here with white fish: it sounds and looks a little strange but the flavor is excellent. [Doug's note: you can see where my confusion comes from!] It is so good that the dish can be made wholly with the cheaper varieties of white fish, but if you feel extravagant, you can use 100-175 g [4-6 oz] firm fish such as trout or halibut in place of the cheaper fish. This version of a matelote is unusual in another way too; the fish pieces are fried to seal them instead of being put into hot liquid. Be generous with the fried croutons.
Serves 4
600 g [1 1/4 lb.] mixed fillets (cod, hake and whiting)
125 g [5 oz] peeled prawns, fresh or frozen and thawed
50 g [2 oz] flour seasoned to taste (some like a simple seasoning of salt and pepper, others like Emeril Lagasse's mixture; personally, I prefer Old Bay Seasoning)
2 medium-sized onions, chopped
1 medium-sized carrot, sliced across the width
575 ml [1 pt] dry red wine (I have often used a good, rich Merlot in this recipe; however, I have also obtained good results by using an inexpensive Merlot or Burgundy -- many times Gallo's Burgundy in a carafe, a wine I find exceptionally well-suited for the base in sauces)
1 sprig thyme
1 sprig rosemary
45 ml [3 tablespoon] freshly chopped parsley
2 strips lemon zest
1 large garlic clove, peeled
salt and pepper
30 ml [2 tablespoons] oil
50 g [2 oz] butter
175 g [6 oz] button mushrooms, cleaned and quartered (to add an exotic nature to this matelote, vary, or even mix, the type of mushrooms; if using other than white button mushrooms, simply chop into bite-sized pieces) 5-6 slices bread (in the classic recipe, this would be a basic french bread; you can vary the character of this recipe by changing the type of bread you use)
15 ml [1 tablespoon] olive oil
30 ml [2 tablespoons] butter
Directions
1. Skin the fish fillets. Wash and dry. Cut into 2.5 cm [1"] pieces. Drain the prawns. Toss all the fish and 75 g [3 oz] prawns in the flour. Set aside.
2. Put the wine, garlic, half the onion, carrot, 15 ml [1 tablespoon] chopped parsley, thyme, rosemary and lemon zest in a saucepan. Season with salt and pepper to taste, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. In batches, fry over medium-high heat the fish and prawns in 25 g [1 oz] of butter and the oil until just cooked through and golden brown.
4. After the fish is fried, add the remaining butter, if necessary, and onions to pan. Lower the heat and gently cook the onions until just beginning to brown.
5. Add the mushrooms to the pan; cook uncovered for about 5 minutes.
6. Return the fish to the pan, on top of the bed of onions and mushrooms. Strain the wine sauce into the pan. Simmer until the sauce has thickened slightly.
7. While the stew is simmering, prepare the bread to become croutons. (Some people prefer to remove the crust; I do not. Some cut the bread into triangles, others into rounds; I prefer triangles.) Heat the remaining oil in a shallow frying pan, and fry both sides of the bread until golden. When all of the croutons are fried, fry the remaining prawns until just cooked through (about 1 minute).
8. To serve, put the stew into individual bowls, and garnish with croutons and prawns.
Tuna Nicoise Burgers with Roasted Garlic-Tomato Aioli - Bobby Flay
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 pound fresh tuna, finely chopped
1/4 cup nicoise olives, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped basil
1 tablespoon capers, drained and chopped
1 large shallot, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions
Mix together the mayonnaise, Dijon and vinegar. Place tuna in a large bowl. Fold in the mayonnaise mixture, olives, basil, capers and shallots and season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill the mixture well. Divide the mixture into fourths and mold into burgers. Chill again for 30 minutes. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
Roasted garlic-tomato aioli:
2 plum tomatoes, grilled, seeds removed and halved
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 cloves roasted garlic
2 cups prepared mayonnaise
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 baguette, cut into fourths
Mesclun greens
Place tomatoes, lemon juice and garlic in the blender and blend until smooth. Add the mayonnaise and blend until just combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Clam Chowder - Bob Fleisher
I'm not a Bostonian except by ancestry, but try this recipe, which was developed by a friend of mine who currently teaches geology at Colorado School of Mines. It's not quite traditional, but it's very good:
6 Tbsp butter
2 large onions, or 1 large onion and 2 leeks
1 green pepper
1 cup chopped celery, including leaves
1/2 cup flour
3 cans minced clams (8 oz cans)
1 cup clam juice
2 cups milk
1 large bay leaf
1/4 tsp white pepper
salt (to taste)
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2-1 tsp thyme
1/2 handful parsley flakes (chopped or dried)
tabasco (dash)
dry vermouth
1/4 tsp ground celery seed
basil or summer savory (a small bit--optional)
3-4 potatoes
6-8 Tbsp heavy cream
Melt butter in large deep pan.
Chop 2 large onions, or 1 large onion and 2 leeks (use the leeks if they are available). If leeks are used, include green parts, well washed.
Chop the celery, stalks and leaves, to produce about a cup.
Chop the green pepper. If more greenery is desired, use a second pepper.
Cooked the chopped vegetables in the butter at medium heat until they are soft, yellowish, and tender. Stir while sauteing.
Stir in 1/4 cup flour. Coat vegetables well, and cook at very low heat for about 10 minutes. Stir frequently; do not allow the mixture to burn, and do not let the flour-vegetable mass congeal to a paste.
Pour in the juice from 3 8-ounce cans of minced clams. This will be about 1 cup. Add one more cup of (bottled) clam juice.
Add 2 cups milk and slosh around to distribute the vegetables.
Add the bay leaf, white pepper, salt (to taste, but remember that clams are to be added later), paprika, thyme, parsley, a dash of tabasco, a couple of glugs of vermouth, the ground celery seed, and a small bit of basil or summer savory if desired.
Pare and chop 3-4 potatoes into roughly 1/2-inch cubes or chunks. If the pieces are too large, they won't cook fully. Add to soup.
Simmer, stirring frequently and tasting often. Cook at least 30-45 minutes. The soup will thicken considerably.
When happy with the taste and consistency, add the 3 cans of clams and 6 to 8 tbsp of heavy cream. Stir.
Serve (don't let the clams cook, or they will toughen) with paprika sprinkled on top.
This chowder seems to go well with baking powder biscuits or cornbread. In my experience, this amount serves 5-8, depending on appetites.
Lemony Bourbon Basted Grilled Sea Bass - Alice Gomez
Marinade:
1/2 cup Bourbon Whiskey
1/4 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup (orange or clover) honey
1/3 cup olive oil (plus additional for brushing grill and fish)
2 teaspoons garlic minced
1/4 cup chives chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh lemon thyme or thyme (plus additional for garnish)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
Fish:
6 (6-ounce) sea bass fillets
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Optional garnish:
Lemon slices and chives
Whisk together marinade ingredients. Remove and reserve 1/2 cup for basting; pour remaining into a 13 x 9 x 2 inch glass baking dish. Add fish fillets, turning to coat. Refrigerate 30 minutes to 1 hour. Remove fish from pan; discard marinade. Pat fish dry with paper towels; lightly rub with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Grill fish over hot coals, 3 to 4 minutes per side, basting frequently with reserved marinade. Serve garnished with lemon slices and chives.
Grilled Sea Bass In An Italian Champagne Sauce from Le bar grillé à l'italien
1 large sea bass
1.5 glasses champagne
2 spoonfuls chopped mushrooms
1 shallot
1 clove rocambole garlic
thyme, rosemary, pepper, allspice
2 glasses sauce allemande
1 ounce butter
juice of 1 lemon
Bass: filleted and lightly grilled.
The sauce: In a sauce pan, place a glass of champagne, two spoonfuls of finely chopped mushrooms, a shallot, a clove of rocambole garlic, a little thyme and rosemary, a pinch of pepper and of allspice. Reduce, and remove the herbs. Add next two glasses of sauce allemande and reduce further on a very low heat. Add a further half-glass of champagne and place the sauce in a bain-marie. Just before serving, swirl in a knob of butter and the juice of one lemon.
Lutefisk
Lutefisk, Some Thoughts - Kyle Lerfald
Lutefisk- dried, salt cod, pickled in lye, then rinsed, soaked, baked or boiled and served to people who invented akavit. Probably as a reaction to lutefisk.
What do you need to know?
The dish, like haggis, or any number of dishes "best seen but once a year," was born of necessity, and available resources. It's been around ever since cod came to Scandinavia. Nobody knows which country had it first, but now everybody seems to have a version of it. It may have been learned, after a fashion, from the Portuguese who were the first major users of salted cod, but the salt cod of Portugal is a very different dish.
But why in the midwestern United States?
Salt Cod travels as well as lumber-and is of a similar hardness and consistency until "reconstituted." Midwestern immigrants were able to have it shipped to their towns, where it supplied a taste of home (and plenty of iodine, I imagine, you don't see many goiters in old photos of scandinavian farmers). Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it....
Forget Lutefisk - try Hakarl - Martin Watts
Hakarl - dried shark, buried in gravel for some months (dug up and recycled as firelighters - no such luck). From there on in I am not fully familiar with the process, except that it ended up diced. It is served with brennivin, for the same reason that akavit was mentioned in the quote above.
I ate it once in Harrow. In spite of all the preparation it seemed to me that it started swimming again a couple of hours later.
Ainsley's Tuna Marinade - Lois
We had really great thick, unusually good tuna steaks at a friend's house this weekend, marinated first, then cooked on the grill just til done.
Normally, tuna's not really my thing, unless it's the high quality very white meat, canned in really light oil, served on a medium-toasted Thomas' English Muffin with a slice of onion and lots of mayonnaise.
The recipe for the marinade:
Soy sauce (1 cup)
Sesame oil (3 table spoons)
Fresh ginger (1 pc ~size of thumb)
Garlic (3 cloves)
Scallion (1)
These quantities are rough, I never measure - it's hard to do wrong. I chop the chopable ingredients roughly and blend all in blender (~20 seco
Soupe du poisson - Lois
How about Soupe du poisson? They take whatever little fish come out of the Mediterranean that day, cook them with tomatoes, onions and spices, and run the whole thing through a food mill. Then it's served with toasted bread in the soup dish you cover with garlic rouille and grated cheese, over which you pour the soup. It's a meal.
The fish are usually small with soft bones that practically dissolve in cooking. So yup, the whole fish goes into the mill.
Like the Med dish "friture de la rade", little whole fish fry, soaked with flour and then deep fried, they're about the size of french fries, and eaten entire. You feel crunch, not bones. And you have to look hard to see the eyes.
Molly O'Neill's Honduran Ceviche - Lois
1 Fresh Coconut
1 14-ounce can coconut milk
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
3 tablespoons nuoc mam (vietnamese fish sauce)
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 jalapeno pepper, stem removed (seeds retained)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 pounds tuna steak, cut into 1/4-inch dice
3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons finely sliced scallions
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
Leaves from 1 bunch watercress
1/2 cup seeded and finely diced red bell pepper
Proceed as usual for Ceviche
Sole Food - Paul Murphy
Take some REAL butter, a liberal amount, and a sole or several (enough for 50). Melt the butter in a large flat baking dish, large enough to hold the sole. Once melted, crush several cloves of garlic into the butter and plaice the sole atop. Bake until the piscatorial material is cooked and fit to eat, sprinkle with fennel and serve with Em Taverners potatoes. Stand back and take the plaudits, for 'pon my SOUL, they will come.
Abalone - Bill Nyden
While I've never had the gumption to try escargot, one variety of snail would be on my menu as often as I could afford it: abalone. This marine snail, if prepared properly, is a gourmet's delight.
Prepare a thin egg, beer and cracker-crumb batter. Season to taste, but the less the better, as the flavor of abalone is easily over-powered. I like just a touch of salt and garlic. Some people add pepper.
Take one fresh abalone and pry the critter out of its shell. Remove the guts and trim the thinnest layer off the foot and the mantle.
Slice the meat into quarter-inch thick slabs and have at them with a wooden mallet until they are an eighth inch thick (or thinner). This is wonderful for excising pent up aggressions. Cut the steaks into medallions about two inches across.
Heat a griddle to pancake hot (about 450 F) so a drop of water skittles off. Dip the abalone medallions in the batter and lay them on the griddle for 45 seconds, do the other side for 30 seconds and serve.
Abalone has a flavor very similar to calamari, but even milder. Since abalone is very dear, up to $65 a serving when you can find it, I make do with calamari.
Oysters
Oyster Stew - Dusty Blades
Nothing could be easier than the making of delectible Oyster Stew:
Use Chincoteague oysters, if possible. If not, at least use Chesapeake Bay oysters.
Melt butter in a sauce pan over a medium heat. Add unwashed, repeat unwashed, (One may wash the shells - that's all well and good. But, after shucking the oysters don't dare dispose of the juice [ called:"liquor"] or rinse the oysters.) Put the liquor and oysters into the pan and season with pepper and a little lemon juice. (If Chesapeake oysters are not available, one might want to add a little salt, as well.) Cook only until the edges turn up a bit and the oysters are warmed. Then add whole milk and continue on medium heat until the stew is hot. Serve with authentic oyster crackers. (My failure to specify the amount of each ingredient was intentional. Each oyster chef works this out for him/her-self.)
[Note: Oyster stew, prepared pretty much as I have described, was, as I understand it, a favorite of H. L. Menkin, the "Sage of Baltimore".]
New Orleans Oysters - Donni Call
Oysters on the half shell, topped with a heavy cream sauce with chopped 'shrooms and shrimp, and broiled on a bed of rock salt. Not as good, perhaps, as Oysters Rockefeller which the gods on Olympus would eat if they were so lucky and definitely NOT made with spinach, but a stellar dish nonetheless.
Oysters Kilpatrick - Helen Connor
Why has no one mentioned Oysters Kilpatrick? Apart from smoked, this is the only way I can eat the slimy wee things.
Take a dozen oysters on the half shell, sprinkle Worcestershire Sauce all over them (in their shells), top them with plenty of chopped bacon, stick them under the grill for a few minutes. Voila !!
Oyster Stews, Two - Doug Essinger-Hileman
Here's the basic recipe, taken from The Gourmet Cookbook, Volume 1:
Combine 2 cups each of milk and light cream and scald; keep warm. Poach 1 1/2 dozen oysters in their own liquor over low heat until their edges just begin to curl. (Remember to keep the heat low -- basically at the temperature necessary to bring the liquor to a **simmer**, not a boil!) Add the oysters to the milk/cream mixture along with 2 tablespoons of butter, plus salt, pepper and either cayenne or paprika, to taste. Serve as the butter is melting.
Here's another one, inspired by Jeff Smith, The (Onetime) Frugal Gourmet:
Saute 1-2 onions, chopped, in 4 tablespoons of butter. Add 2 cups of half-and-half, and bring to a simmer. (It is important at this point to remember that you want the soup base to be cooking at no more than a simmer -- bubbles coming to the surface only occasionally. You do not want the base to be boiling.) Add 3 cups of shucked oysters and their juice to the base and cook until the oysters until their edges just begin to curl. Add 2 tablespoons of parsley and serve immediately.
Oysters Benedict - Doug Essinger-Hileman
Having to travel to Kent Island yesterday, Sandy and I decided to renew our acquaintance with the Narrows Inn, which we last visited about 6 years ago. Though they are known for their crabcakes and fried green tomatoes, which is what I had the last time we ate there, I opted for their Oysters Benedict, while Sandy had their crab omelette.
While the crab omelette was good, the Oysters Benedict was superb. A slice of Canadian bacon was layered on top of each half of an English muffin, then topped with fried, battered oysters and hollandaise sauce. Though both the fried oysters and hollandaise sauce are places many restaurants would fall short in this dish, the chef at the Narrows Inn hit perfection. The hollandaise sauce perfectly balanced the rich cream with lemon juice. The batter surrounding the oyster was crisp and golden brown, and the oyster inside was heated through but still plump and juicy.
The only improvement, especially considering Kent Island's proximity to Virginia, would be to make this with a thin slice of real Virginia Ham instead of the Canadian bacon.
Coulibac - Gerry Strey
Coulibac (I think that's the spelling), which is salmon, vegetables, and mushrooms layered in a pastry crust.
Tuna Casserole
Bob's Very Retro Tuna Casserole - Bob 1 pound egg noodles
2 cans of tuna, drained and flaked
2 cans of mushroom soup (or substitute cream of garlic for one can)
1/2 cup sour cream
crushed potato chips (crisps for those of you in the UK) bacon bits
Cook the noodles until tender and drain them. In a large bowl mix the drained noodles, the tuna, the soup, and the sour cream. Pour into a greased casserole dish. Sprinkle with the crushed potato chips and bacon bits. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20 minutes or until top is brown.
Bob writes:
"Sounds good, but it makes a lot of casserole. And the CD* is wonderful."
Bob prefaced this recipe by writing:
"I have a friend, Linda, who plays the accordion professionally under the name Big Lou. I have just received, serendipitously, a CD* of her latest release, titled "Big Lou's Polka Casserole. I am listening to it now. Included in the notes, for what it's worth, is her recipe for Tuna Noodle Casserole."
Easy Tuna Casserole - Bob Jernigan
Mix tuna, chopped onions, a chopped green chile or two, some black olives, garlic, and chunks of cheddar cheese in a white sauce into which you have melted some longhorn colby cheese. Mix with cooked macaroni. Put a few pieces of cheese on top and sprinkle with paprika. Bake in a casserole dish.
John Marmet's Parmesan Tuna Casserole
Made a lovely tuna casserole last night with rotini, albacore tuna, mushroom soup, blue cheese, peas, celery, onions and when all cooked, and in the casserole dish, sprinkled with a heavy coat of parmesan.
You cooks the rotini just short of al dente, microwaves the peas and puts it all together with soup, raw onions, raw celery, tuna and blue cheese, then in the dish, heavy coat of parmesan, you bakes at 350 until hot, then broils the parmesan to a light brownness and crunchiness. Delicious.
Tuna Steak - David Millians
Take a tuna steak, spritz with lime juice, and maybe nutmeg if you're adventurous, and grill until done.
Cheerfully ignore these damned chefs who insist on treating fish like beef, and cook it done. rare beef is one thing, but if i want sushi, I'll eat sushi.
Tuna Cakes - Helen Connor
Tuna, mashed potato, formed into a patty, flour-coated and pan fried in an almost dry frypan. Fabulous cold with lots of salt.
Tilapia - Susan Wenger
For dinner tonight, I concocted:
fried fish (I used tilapia, a firm white fish) on thick-sliced seven-grain bread topped with a hefty slab of Gorgonzola cheese and buried under a few spoonfuls of (canned) mushroom cream of mushroom soup broiled until bubbly.
Basque Paella - Rebecca Dwan
6 green onions
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/4 C butter or olive oil-and-butter combination
1 1/2 C long grain rice
1/4 tsp saffron
2 10 oz cans whole baby clams (substitute some fresh if you have them, but
we generally just use the canned)
1 8 oz bottle clam juice
2 cans double-strength chicken broth, or strong homemade broth
2 teaspoons honey (the secret ingredient!)
1 bay leaf
3/4 to 1 lb shrimp--the small cooked "previously frozen" are fine
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley leaves, plus some more chopped for garnish
2 lemons, or more to taste
Thinly slice green onions, separating white part from green. In a 4 quart heavy covered enamel pan (I like my Copco), saute the white parts of the onions and minced garlic in the butter until soft. Add rice and saffron and cook, stirring, until rice is lightly browned.
Drain baby clams, reserving liquid; refrigerate reserved clams. Add liquid to pan, along with clam juice, 1 can of the chicken broth, honey, and bay leaf; bring to simmering. (This is the part that smells wonderful, with the clam juice hitting the sizzling rice, so have your guests standing around...)
Cover and bake in 350-degree oven for 30 minutes. Stir in the other can of broth, and if using any fresh shrimp, place them on top. Cover and bake 10 minutes more, then stir in baby clams, (rinsed) shrimp if precooked, fresh clams if any, parsley, and minced green onion tops. Cover and bake another 15 minutes. Stir in the juice of 2 lemons (I like even more). Top with additional chopped parsley. Offer lemon wedges and Tabasco on the side; with French bread and green salad, heaven on earth.
This paella is relatively uniform in texture--no big pieces, etc.--and I have had "strict" vegetarians and non-fish-eaters guiltily gulping it down because it's so damn good they can't resist it, and since you don't have to look at the small seafood too much, I guess!
Frozen Fish Tip - Jennifer Schultz
If you do buy frozen fish,soaking it in milk will get rid of the "frozen" taste and the smell.
A Tip for Buying Fish - Jennifer Schultz
Fish with a lot of fat are more prone to the "fishy" smell-it's best to purchase lean fish. If you are the one preparing the fish,careful skinning of the fish will remove the fat under the skin. If the fish has been out the sea for more than three days,then it is no longer fresh and will smell-this is why your best bet is to buy from a good fish market or store. Fresh fish will have a mild sea odor-not overpowering.
Fish Poetry
Charlezzzzz Muñoz Explains, and Mourns the Loss of Mona, Stephen's First Love
I did not send her Valentines
With sentimental wishes.
I did not send her Ballantines.
I did not send her knishes.
Though cakes and ale cd hardly fail
To please, I sent her fishes.
From oceans, rivers, swamps, and bogs
I sent her teleosts and frogs.
I sent her fish fished off a dock
And watercress and eight big oc
Topodes soaked in Roman garum
And asked her, "Please begin my harem."
She muttered Bah! I shouted louder
And sent one little clam for chowder,
One goldfish and a killer whale
Biting each other in a in a pail
With a whiskered oily catfish. Then
I never heard from her again.
Brian Tansey
That she has not replied is very odd
Here's the answer- send her a cod
That will turn her heart benign
And she will say - "Your plaice or mine?"
Charlezzzzz:
A codpiece might imply a bounder:
The seabed is no plaice to flounder.
Brian:
Maybe she decided to sit and wait
Lest she become a Sturgeons Mate!
Fish Sauce - John Gosden
As for the fish sauce, it is a primary ingredient in most Thai food, and is made by fermenting fish for a long period. In Thailand it is about the texture of soy sauce, and is called fish water, but in Malaya it is a paste, and is called belacan. In either case, it has a strong and characteristic odour, as well as the salty taste, and, rather like durian, you either like it or loathe it!
Moules Milleres - Brian Tansey
Ingredients in order of importance
Alka Seltzer
Three bottles of good quality dry white wine - chilled
One bottle of Mandaretto
Three pounds of Mussels
Six/ Seven Tablespoons of flour
4/5 Good sized shallots
Clove of Garlic
Loads of Fresh parsley
Olive oil
Bit of butter
Quarter Pint of cream
OK HERE WE GO
Open First Bottle of wine-taste mmmmmmmm
Place mussels in large container with water mixed with 6/7 large t/s of flour. Leave for few hrs.
Retreat and drink glasses of wine.
Later same day-Clean Mussels really, really well
Hard work-make sure to keep drinking-open second bottle.
Taste mmmmmm Tastes like more.
Heat olive oil/butter in a vessel with a large bottom (who shouted Mrs Williams??)
Feel the heat - take a cold glass of wine to cool down.
Gently heat the finely cut garlic and shallots (3 mins)
Open Third bottle
Add mussels to vessel turn heat up high and add glass and a half of wine (that bit kills me) Cover
Keep heat high shaking pan- ensuring all mussels open.
After 4/5 mins add the cream
Continue to shake.
Shake the pan too.
Dump the lot into a serving dish - sprinkle with loads of freshly cut parsley.
Finish off the third bottle of wine,
Lie down
Have a Mandaretto...
Now where do those blasted Alka seltzer come in???
Pickled (and Otherwise) Herring (and Otherwise)
Doug Essinger-Hileman Asks...
Has anyone experience with pickling their own herring? I was leafing through one of my favorite cookbooks last night and came across the chapter on sousing and pickling fish. There are listed two different recipes for pickling herring, one using a tart pickle -- what the cookbook terms a rollmop -- the other a sweet pickle. The recipes sound wonderful, so I'm wondering if there are lissuns who have personal experience with this.
Astrid Bear
I have done a little herring pickling. Be sure to remove the thin skin that probably remains on the outside of the herring before you pickle it.
Anna Ravano
Tale one orange and two smoked herring fillets per person. Dice orange segments and herring fillets, mix them in a bowl, dress with olive oil. C'est tout! Delicious. It's a Sicilian recipe.
Sara Waterson
Not herring, but mackerel; the principle being the same however. I believe we ran through this a few years ago, and posted up the receipt.... but another couple won't hurt!
My family had its own method, which involved slow-baking the filleted fish [rolled up and fastened with a toothpick, then packed upright - we'd do about 20/30 fillets at a time] into an earthenware dish, which was loosely covered with foil; and then leaving them to cool in the liquid.
I can't remember the exact flavourings etc, but I know bay leaves and black peppercorns figured largely, with - probably - a few cloves, whole picking spices etc, You can add fennel, coriander [fresh or seeds] etc to taste - it can all be done as 'variations on a theme'.
Classic Rollmop Recipe
8 herrings [or mackerel]
1 pint of water [c600ml]
2oz/50g of salt [make brine with above]
1 1/2 pints of white wine vinegar [c900ml] [or cider vinegar]
2/3 shallots, or one large onion, sliced
2 Bay leaves
4 pickled gherkins
1 TBSP pickling spice
Peppercorns to taste
The method says to soak the fillets in the brine, then dip in the vinegar
and roll the fish round some of the chopped shallot. Pack into a jar or crock, boil up the vinegar with the spices and flavourings, and pour over the fish when cold. Store, and eat after c48 hours.
But as I say, we would 'hot souse', then leave to cool, and eat over the next few days. We were always on holiday at our cottage in Salcombe when we made this - it was a summer staple, always in the larder. We trimmed the fish but left the skin on - we were working white mackerel though.
Scandinavian Sweet-Cure Pickled Herring:
2 lbs fat herring
2/3 shallots or small onions
3 large Tbsps of sugar
3 Tsps allspice
1/2 pint of white wine or cider vinegar
Gut the fish. Trim the heads, tails and fins of the fish but leave the skin on.
Pack into a large glass jar in slightly salted water overnight.
Next day fillet the fish, still leaving the skin on.
Cut into strips, Layer in a crock or glass jar with the spices, sugar, and finely sliced onion, then our over the vinegar to cover the fish. Leave in the fridge for c48 hours.
It's not a procedure to be too fussy about - we just threw it all together and it never came out exactly the same! And every family probably has their own favourite method, whilst experimenting a bit with herbs and spices. Let us know how you get on.
Quohogs / Quahogs
Jean A.
They are a kind of clam, but quite large and hard-shelled.
They are mostly used for chowder, but are awfully good stuffed.
To stuff a quohog one grinds them up and incorporates them into a stuffing made of Portuguese bread and mild spices. Then you stuff them into one half of the shell and bake them.
Smaller hard-shelled clams are called little-necks around New England, and are often eaten raw.
Soft-shelled clams are often called steamers, and are served steamed, with melted butter and hot clam liquid for dipping.
Up here in Essex Co., Massachusetts, the fried clam was invented. The Clam Box outside of the town of Essex claims the glory, and is always mobbed with fried clam seekers.
The soft-shelled clams are dipped in batter and fried.
Jill Bennett
From the NY Times Dining and Wine:
Thanks to its coastal setting, Rhode Island has a rich seafood heritage, much of it centering on quahogs, which are large chowder clams, usually measuring four or five inches across. The region's first European settlers learned about quahogs from the Narragansett Indians, who had been eating them for centuries and had cultivated clam beds that remain bountiful today.
"Because of the way the state is configured, almost everybody is near a shoreline, so they all go to the beach," Mr. Chiaro said to explain the state's quahog mania. "And if you're down at the beach and dig with your toes, you'll hit a quahog."
Although the term quahog is not unique to Rhode Island, and technically also applies to smaller hard-shell clams like cherrystones and littlenecks, it has a specific meaning on local menus. The fresh-shucked clams are chopped or ground and mixed into a stuffing, which typically includes bread crumbs, Tabasco sauce, minced onions, celery, peppers and often the Portuguese sausage chourica (reflecting the influence of Rhode Island's large Portuguese population). The stuffing is then spooned back into the large clamshells and baked, resulting in a big, delicious serving.
Salmon Patties
Bob Saldeen
I love "salmon patties" -- a can of red salmon with an egg and some soda crackers, mixed together to make hamburger-sized patties, then fried in a little oil. Pretty easy to throw together for lunch. Similar to crab cakes. One of the first things my mom taught me how to cook.
Karen Swaine
Salmon patties sprinkled with some of Paul Prudhomme's blackened (redfish) spice mixture are a great variation. I don't even bother with adding the egg anymore - it just means that the patties are a bit harder to keep in shape... but less cholesterol.
Lynne Murison's New Orleans Style Shrimp Barbecue
In large skillet
Heat 1/3 cup olive oil and 6 T butter.
Add seasonings below and 2 lb. Raw Shrimp (I usually buy frozen and rinse before I thaw them for cooking)
1 tsp each of rosemary, oregano, salt and crushed peppercorns (I substitute thick pepper)
2 bay leaves - Saute for 10-15 min. (probably closer to 15min)
Then add 1/2 cup Sauterne (too expensive for me to cook with so I ask my friendly wine merchant to help me substitute. Last time I used a heavy Chardonnay
And 1/2 juiced lemon (must be fresh)
Simmer for 5-10 min.
Serve with warm French bread (350 degrees x 7 min) for dipping in the sauce
Serves 4-6 as entrée. Messy, but enjoy it.
Tequila Shrimp and Citrus
1 1/2 pounds unpeeled, large fresh shrimp
1/4 cup tequila
2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 orange, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
1 lime, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
Peel shrimp, leaving tails intact, and devein, if desired.
Stir together tequila and next 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Add shrimp; cover and chill 30 minutes.
Alternately thread shrimp, bell pepper, and orange and lime wedges on 8 (10- to 12-inch) skewers.
Grill, covered with lid, over medium-high heat (350F to 400F) 5 to 6 minutes on each side or until done.
Macaroni Grill Shrimp Pignoli Pasta
Ingredients:
24 Jumbo Shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 cups sliced mushrooms,washed and sliced 1/4inch thick
1 1/2 tablespoon roasted pinenuts
6 handfuls fresh spinach leaves
6 cups cooked vermicelli pasta
4 tablespoons Butter
2 tablespoons fresh Garlic, minced
Lemon Butter Sauce:
1 tablespoon shallots, minced
1 tablespoon fresh garlic minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup Heavy Cream
1/2 cup Lemon juice,freshly squeezed
1/8 teaspoon White pepper
1 pound lightly salted butter, cut into tablespoons
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash spinach and remove stems before drying leaves between paper towels. Set aside. Spread pine nuts over bottom of sheet pan and place pan in oven on top rack. Roast until golden brown, approximately 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. Peel and devein shrimp. Set aside. Wash and slice fresh mushrooms. Set aside. Boil pasta in large pot of water to al dente stage according to directions on package. Set aside.
Prepare lemon butter sauce: Melt 1 tablespoon butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute shallots and garlic until translucent. Add white wine and reduce slightly more than half, whisking occasionally. Add cream and reduce by half. Add lemon juice and reduce by half. Add white pepper. Reduce heat to low. Add remaining butter 2 tablespoons at a time, whisking continuously after each addition to completely incorporate butter. Continue to simmer, whisking until sauce just coats spoon.
In large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the 4 tablespoons of butter. Add garlic and saute until garlic is translucent. Stir in mushrooms, shrimp, and pine nuts. Saute several minutes or until shrimp are done and show color. Remove skillet from heat and gently stir in spinach. Place warm pasta on plate with shrimp mixture to the side. Pour lemon sauce over pasta, permitting a bit of sauce onto shrimp.
Solomon Gundy
Edmund Burton
English Housewifry - 1764
To make Solomon Gundy to eat in Lent
Take five or six white herrings, lay them in water all night, boil them as soft as you would do for eating, and shift them in the boiling to take out the saltness; when they are boiled take the fish from the bone, and mind you don't break the bone in pieces, leaving on the head and tail; take the white part of the herrings, a quarter of a pound of anchovies, a large apple, a little onion shred fine, or shallot, and a little lemon peel, shred them all together, and lie them over the bones on both sides, in the shape of a herring; then take off the peel of a lemon very, very thin, and cut it in long bits, just as it will reach over the herrings; you must lie this peel over every herring pretty thick.
Garnish your dish with a few pickled oysters, capers, and mushrooms, if you have any; so serve them up.
Solomon Gundy
5-6 Salted Herrings
110g (4oz) Anchovies, finely chopped
Large Apple
Small Onion or Shallot, finely chopped
Mushrooms
Pickled Oysters
Lemon Peel
Capers
Wash the herrings well, soak overnight in a large amount of water to remove the saltiness.
Boil the herrings until tender.
Carefully remove the flesh from the bones, do not break the bone into pieces, leaving on the head and tail and retain.
Mix the flesh with the anchovies, onion (or shallot), apple and finely grated lemon peel together well.
Place over the retained bones, in the shape of a herring.
Pare lemon peel very thinly into long strips and lay over the fish decoratively.
Garnish with a few pickled oysters, capers, and mushrooms and serve them up.
Elise van Looij
Mmm, herring with apple and onion, a divine combination. The Germans use that as the basis for their Herring auf Hausfrauenart (the homemaker's way) which adds a creamy sauce (mayonnaise, mustard and cream work well). Add gherkins and bacon or potatoes as desired.
Charlezzzzz Muñoz
Seafood? Bah! Herrings, anchovies, oysters -- a deadly combination.
It started out with the frog-eating French, and came into English as Salmagundi -- a variation on the deadly dish that Edmund describes.
From there the name changed a little bit, as shown below:
Solomon Grundy,
Born on a Monday,
Christened on Tuesday,
Married on Wednesday,
Took ill on Thursday,
Grew worse on Friday,
Died on Saturday,
Buried on Sunday.
That was the end of
Solomon Grundy.
Which it's the Patrick O'Brian list of the world!