Fish - fresh
Once upon a time, fishmongers would cut fish to order from whole fish, so the customer could be sure, by the clarity of its eyes, the firmness of flesh and the color of its gills, of the freshness of the fish. These days, with fish ready-filleted, its freshness is anyone's guess. If in doubt, ask to sniff the piece before you buy. But there are some sources more reliable for supplies of good, fresh fish than others.
Rick Stein, James Beard award winner and longtime PBS show host, has a fine new book, Complete Seafood, with more than 150 recipes and 550 step-by-step photographs that will take any fear out of cooking fish.
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Tuna ventresca - 17 Jun 2010
Tuna ventresca is the Ferrari of canned tuna to the jalopy of regular canned tuna. Good tuna is a useful summer stand by. Build a Salade Nicoise around it or team it with a can of drained cannellini beans, slices of red onion and a good glug of olive oil with a grind of black pepper for a summery meal. read more...
Chesapeake crabs - a shell shucked summer - 17 Jun 2010
The 2,300 square miles of the Chesapeake Bay make an exceptional breeding ground for fish and crabs. The purity of the bay is threatened by run off from fertilizers and industrial pollution. But it still supports some wonderful crabs. Mind you, when I was backpacking through Vietnam, I passed a fish processing plant called The Chesapeake Bay Crab Company. So who knows where the crabs you shuck this summer are coming from... read more...
Fish: New Orleans-style Barbecue Shrimp - 28 Apr 2010
This is a dish to impress from Jeff Tunks, owner-chef of Acadiana that's not hard to prepare, and a good deal can be done ahead of time. read more...
Grilled Mediterranean Sardines with Lemon and Olive Persillade - 28 Apr 2010
Now we're moving into grilling season, try this recipe from BlackSalt. Serve them with crusty fresh bread warm from the oven. (The persillade is delicious over broiled chicken or lamb, too.) read more...
The Fishery - one of my favorites - 28 Apr 2010
It's hard to find a fishmonger in Washington DC where you can see the fish whole before it's filleted. It's a common practice in Europe where housewives gauge freshness by demanding to press the flesh, check the gills and look at the eyes of their approaching dinner before they decide to buy. So your best bet for assuring freshness is to buy fish from a source where the eating of fish is key to the culture. This is why I like The Fishery, a Korean-owned market. read more...
Sushi ingredients - 28 Apr 2010
It's hard to avoid boxes of sushi at every supermarket. But some is better than others and some boxes don't have quite the assortment you want. read more...
Anchovies - 15 Apr 2010
One of the most unpopular fishes, anchovies are the culinary equivalent of the Wonderbra. They add body to any dish and most opponents don't even know they're there if they can't see them. read more...
Fish: Roasted Cod with Sauteed and Braised Sunchokes - 8 Apr 2010
Christophe Marque, chef of Cafe du Parc's recipe doesn't have to be limited to the winter season when sunchokes are in the markets. Substitute young potatoes for these gnarled roots and the recipe extends through the year. read more...
Anthony Acinapura - chef of Kellari - 5 Feb 2010
As you step through the door of Kellari, squeeze your eyes tight shut. When you open them again inside the K Street restaurant, you'll be in Plaka, that warren of tiny streets below the Acropolis in Athens that tourists find so funky.
Anthony Acinapura is in the kitchen. He's not Greek. But he's spent a lot of time in the Greek islands, doing what you do almost better in Greece than anywhere else: rent open air jeeps, drive from the beaches to the wineries and tavernas and restaurants and stop over a spectacular view just as the sun is setting. read more...
Ikura - 30 Dec 2009
The glowing bright orange 'caviar' beads used in sushi called ikura is the roe of the orange shum salmon. read more...
Sushi and sashimi explained - 30 Dec 2009
Confused about the difference between sushi and sashimi and the pricing of tuna? Here's an explanation. read more...
Fish: Wild Chesapeake Rockfish with Lemongrass Broth and Shiitake Mushrooms - 11 Nov 2009
You don't need to be a master chef to make this elegant dish from Rob Klink, chef of Oceanaire Seafood Room. The broth can be finished ahead of time, and with a final 10 minutes to saute the fish and mushrooms, it can star at any dinner party without driving the cook into a frenzy. read more...
Fish: Sautéed Shrimp with Cannellini Beans - 4 Nov 2009
Shrimp and cannellini beans make a surprising and successful combination in this quickly cooked recipe from Savino Recine, owner-chef of Primi Piatti, a man who believes in providing richness in taste without resorting to unhealthy dairy products. read more...
Fish: Quesadilla de Camaron (Shrimp Quesadillas) - 14 Oct 2009
You could make the different elements of Joe Raffa, chef of Oyamel's easily-prepared recipe ahead of time and only toast the tortillas at the last minute. It would turn it into a dish you could serve at a large party. read more...
Fish - fresh or not so fresh? - 14 Oct 2009
Once upon a time, fishmongers would cut fish to order from whole fish, so the customer could be sure, by the clarity of its eyes, the firmness of flesh and the color of its gills, of the freshness of the fish. Not any longer. Now that it's generally sold ready-filletted, you've only your nose to rely on. Use it. read more...
Nosh Notes: Crabs & clams - 5 Aug 2009
Crabs and clams are a local treat worthy of serious foodie consideration. Where to observe - and experience the treat. read more...
Fish: Four-minutes Smoked Branzino Carpaccio - 5 Jun 2009
This recipe from owner-chef Enzo Fargione of Teatro Goldoni is a challenge to serious cooks - not in technique but in finding the equipment! But once you've assemble the parts, it only takes 4 minutes to make. You may have to substitute another receptacle for a Cigar Box! But you have the ingenuity... read more...
A & H Gourmet and Seafood Market - one of my favorite markets - 11 Mar 2009
There was a time when A & H Gourmet and Seafood Market was just plain A & H Seafood Market. And plain it was. While it had fresh fish flown in from Portugal once a week, it was a little dark and dingy. You wouldn't recognize what ex-Taberna del Alabardero executive chef, Santi Zabaleta, has done to the place. read more...
Fish: Seared Scallops with Nicoise Salad & Gribiche - 17 Dec 2008
Joe Palma of WestEnd Bistro's elegant take on a Salade Nicoise works as well for sweetbreads as it does for the scallops he calls for in this recipe. A shame we haven't developed an appetite yet for a scallop's coral - that beautiful roe you see in the photo that's prized by French cooks... read more...
Fish: Provençal Fish Stew - 10 Dec 2008
This hearty fish stew from Jeff and Barbara Black - of BlackSalt and more - is a year-round meal in a bowl that's quick and easy to assemble. It's the backbone of regular orders to a Mediterranean fishmonger like the one in my photograph. read more...
It may be sacrilege to say so, but I did have a moment's wonder at Julie Powell dedicating a whole year to cooking out Julia Childs. Life is surely too short. But I admired her staying power. Most cookbooks contain only a handful of recipes you actually want to tackle - though heaven forfend that I should level this criticism towards Mastering the Art of French Cookery.Anyway, here's someone who really slackened my jaw. Meet Todd Wilbur, who spends his time to trying to recreate food made by the industrial giants. He wants to cook Krispy Kremes just like the factory. He wants to clone Big Macs, Yoo Hoo chocolate drinks, and dozens more junk foods, to taste just like the real (or unreal) McKoy.
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