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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Eden Center unscrambled - one of my favorite markets - 26 Oct 2011
If you want a trip to Vietnam without leaving the area, head out to the Eden Center on Wilson Boulevard at Seven Corners, just before Route 50 and Route 7 intersect. You won't hear English spoken. The music blaring from the outdoor speakers comes from a local Vietnamese radio station. It's packed with Vietnamese tailors, jewelers, video stores, Chinese medicine practitioners and more. This is the list of food-related outlets, to eat at or to buy ingredients for your home-cooked Vietnamese feast. read more...
Hearty Crab Bisque - 4 May 2011
This is the kind of dish that's perfect for al fresco parties. It's a soup/stew dish from Alcione Vinet, owner-chef of Park Cafe most of which can be prepared ahead of time. Mop up its juices with a crusty loaf of bread and serve a salad on the side. read more...
Fished-to-order wild Alaska salmon - 21 Apr 2011
I've no idea what his fish is like, but I love wild salmon fisherman Traveler Terpening's story, starting with his name. And anyone who can increase and improve fresh fish supplies in Washington is worth telling you about, in my view.
Traveler and his wife Nicole Ziegler lived until recently in Alaska where Traveler was born. They've moved to DC, but will still spend their summers at their remote fishing camp, catching and flash-freezing wild chinook and sockeye salmons for sale to Washington enthusiasts. read more...
Stop eating farmed salmon! - 10 Feb 2011
Peer closely at the photo. Those bubbles aren't kelp. They're lice. Sticking to the flesh of wild salmon. Salmon farming, promoted in the name of sustainability, is killing fish. read more...
Halibut with Fanny Bay Oysters, Sauternes and Blood Orange Reduction - 3 Dec 2010
The secret of this recipe from Yannick Cam, owner-chef now of Bistro Provence in Bethesda. This recipe comes from his time as owner-chef of Le Paradou. It's a festive dish for this time of year, its secret in balancing the tartness of the citrus fruits against the unctuousness of the Sauternes and the butter in the sauce, and of course serving it with fish of prime freshness. read more...
Sustainable fish delivered to your door - 4 Nov 2010
'i love blue sea' ships sustainably-caught fish, filletted just before it's shipped overnight to your door. Given how hard it is to buy really fresh fish widely in the DC area, this site is worth checking out. read more...
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...
The lunch shift is over and chef Peter Smith, owner of PS 7’s restaurant is surrounded by gin. No, he’s not relaxing over a drink. The gin is in bowls in an pre-formed state. It’s the mash, a mix of herbs and berries and peels and roots that Smith has worked out how to use in his food as flavorings.
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Eggplant
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Ribollita - wondersoup or wodge?
Yasaman Persian Bakery - one of my favorites
Breads - a good chew
Duck & goose
A festive 'Special': Foie Gras Creme Caramel
Festive presents weird and wacky at World Market
Walnut oil
The perfect Yorkshire pudding
Chew On This: The acai berry diet can only thin your wallet...
The Queen Mum's favorite cake
West Indian Black Cake
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