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GRILLED RED SNAPPER WRAPPED IN FIG LEAVES

serves 4

We have a fig tree on the balcony of our studio that produces a lot of leaves and hardly any fruit. We use the branches and thick leaves to protect and perfume the fish as it grills. Use fresh grape leaves if they’re easier to find.

8 tablespoons salted butter, softened

6 anchovy filets, chopped

3 pinches crushed red pepper flakes

One 3-pound red snapper, butterflied and deboned by your fishmonger

Salt and pepper

Large fig or grape leaves, washed

4 sturdy fig tree branches the same length as the fish

1 lemon, halved

Really good extra-virgin olive oil

Prepare a medium-hot hardwood charcoal or gas grill. Meanwhile, soak 10 pieces of kitchen twine, each one about 8 inches long, in a bowl of water. Put the butter, anchovies, and red pepper flakes into a medium bowl and use a fork to mash everything together. The butter should be soft and spreadable.

Open up the fish like a book, flesh side facing up. Slather one-third of the anchovy butter on the fish, then season with salt and pepper. Close up the fish. Melt the remaining butter in a small saucepan over lowest heat.

Lay the wet pieces of kitchen twine out horizontally on a work surface, one piece in front of the next a few inches apart from each other. Cover the twine with a layer of the fig leaves, making a bed for the fish. Lay 2 of the branches in the center of the leaves, perpendicular to the twine. Place the fish on top of the branches. Place the remaining 2 branches on top of the fish then cover the fish with more leaves. Tie the twine around the leaves and fish making a neat, sturdy package with the leaves completely covering the fish.

Grill the fish over the hot coals until it is just cooked through, about 20 minutes, turning it over halfway through. The leaves will char as the fish cooks.

Transfer the fish to a large serving platter. Remove and discard the twine, uncover the fish (it will look rustic and messy), and discard the branches. Squeeze lemon juice over the fish and drizzle with olive oil. Serve the snapper, spooning some of the melted anchovy butter on each serving.

ACQUA PAZZA

serves 4

This classic Neapolitan fish preparation is both delicate and full of flavor. The term acqua pazza (“crazy water” in Italian) refers to both the dish and the poaching broth, which is stained red from tomatoes and aromatic with garlic and herbs. It’s one of those satisfying dishes, like San Francisco’s cioppino, created by fishermen who would make it on board with their catch of the day and a few other simple ingredients. We like to use black sea bass or red snapper, but any non-oily white fish will do nicely.

1 pound ripe plum tomatoes

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

½ cup dry white wine

3 sprigs fresh oregano

1 bunch fresh parsley

Salt and pepper

4 black sea bass or red snapper filets (about 4 ounces each)

Quarter the tomatoes lengthwise. Working over a sieve set over a bowl, scoop out the tomato seeds with your fingers. Put the tomatoes in the bowl with any of the strained juice and discard the seeds in the sieve. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the sliced garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook until the oil is fragrant and wellflavored yet the garlic remains pale blonde, 3–4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juice, the wine, oregano, half of the parsley, and 4 cups cool water. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and simmer the broth until it is slightly reduced, 15–20 minutes.

Chop the remaining parsley leaves (discarding the stems). Add the parsley, a generous pinch of salt, and some pepper to the broth. Season the fish filets with salt, then place them skin side up in the simmering broth (the fish will not be submerged). Cook until the fish is opaque, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Remove and discard the sprigs of oregano and parsley.

Use a fish spatula to arrange the fish flesh side up on a deep serving platter or on 4 deep plates. Taste the broth and adjust the seasonings. Spoon the tomatoes and broth over the fish and drizzle with some olive oil.

COLD POACHED SEA BASS & LEMONY-ANCHOVY MAIONESE

serves 4

When the weather turns hot and muggy and our appetites wane, we prepare this simple in bianco dish. The maionese alone restores our hunger for more.

FOR THE POACHED FISH

Salt

One 2-pound sea bass or other firm, white-fleshed fish filet

FOF THE LEMON-ANCHOVY MAIONESE

6–8 anchovy filets

Grated zest and juice of 2 lemons

2 cups mayonnaise

For the poached fish, fill a deep, medium pan with water and add enough salt to make it nearly as salty as the sea. Put the fish into the water and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Adjust the heat to keep the water barely bubbling.

Poach the fish until it is just opaque in the center (8–10 minutes per inch at the thickest part). Transfer the fish with a slotted spatula to a paper towel–lined plate to drain. When the fish has cooled off, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until well chilled, 2–4 hours.

For the lemon-anchovy maionese, crush the anchovies to a paste using a large mortar and pestle or finely chop them and transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in the lemon zest and juices. Add the mayonnaise, stirring until smooth. This makes about 2¼ cups. The maionese keeps in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Serve the fish with a generous spoonful of maionese on each plate.

TUNA CRUDO WITH PURSLANE & ARUGULA

Ask your fishmonger to cut a 1-pound piece of sushi-grade tuna loin into six ¼-inch-thick pieces. Drizzle some really good extra-virgin olive oil on a platter. Arrange the tuna on the platter and drizzle with more olive oil. Stir together the juice of ½ lemon and 3 tablespoons really good extra-virgin olive oil in a salad bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add 4 generous handfuls of a mix of arugula and purslane to the dressing, and toss well. Top the tuna with the dressed greens and sprinkle everything with crunchy Maldon salt.—serves 6

GRILLED SWORDFISH WITH TARRAGON SAUCE

serves 4

This unusual green sauce, thickened with fresh bread crumbs and brightened with a splash of vinegar, is also delicious spooned over smoky charcoal-grilled chicken. Make the sauce just before serving it.

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

½ cup really good extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the fish

½ bunch fresh parsley, leaves chopped

5–6 sprigs fresh tarragon, leaves chopped

Salt and pepper

1½–2 pounds swordfish steak, 1–1½ inches thick

Stir together the bread crumbs, vinegar, and 2 tablespoons water in a mortar and pestle, and set aside to soak, about 5 minutes. Pound the softened bread crumbs with the pestle until somewhat smooth. (If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, use a mixing bowl and a wooden spoon.) Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, stirring and mashing the whole time to make a creamy consistency. Stir in the parsley and tarragon, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set the sauce aside.

Prepare a medium-hot hardwood charcoal or gas grill. Rub the swordfish with olive oil and season it well with salt and pepper. Grill the swordfish until there are deep brown grill marks, about 5 minutes. Turn the fish and grill the other side until it is just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer the swordfish to a cutting board and cut into 4–8 pieces. Arrange the swordfish on a serving platter, drizzle with olive oil, and garnish with tarragon sprigs, if you like. Serve with the tarragon sauce on the side.

MIXED SEAFOOD GRILL WITH SALMORIGLIO

serves 4–8

We fancy octopus for its sweet, tender flesh. Most octopus sold in the United States is cleaned and frozen—a good thing, because freezing helps tenderize it. Cooking it in gently simmering water keeps it from becoming tough. Finishing it on the grill adds the smoky flavor of summer.

FOR THE MIXED GRILL

1 cup white wine vinegar

One octopus, 5–6 pounds, cleaned

12–16 large unpeeled shrimp

6 large squid, cleaned

Extra-virgin olive oil

Salt

2 pinches crushed red pepper flakes

2–3 lemons, halved

FOR THE SALMORIGLIO

Juice of 2 lemons

1–2 cloves garlic, minced

Small handful fresh oregano leaves, chopped

Small handful fresh parsley leaves, chopped

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

For the mixed grill, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the vinegar and octopus and reduce the heat to low. Cover and very gently simmer until the octopus is tender, 1–1½ hours. Drain and set aside until cool enough to handle. Cut off the head and cut out the hard “beak” in the center of the tentacles, leaving the rest of the octopus intact. Peel off the skin, if you like. Put the octopus into a large dish along with the shrimp and squid. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and red pepper flakes.

For the salmoriglio, put the lemon juice, garlic, oregano, and parsley into a medium bowl. Stir in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Prepare a hot to medium-hot fire to one side of a charcoal or gas grill. Grill the octopus, shrimp, and squid over the hotter section of coals until well marked and slightly charred in places, about 5 minutes. Move the seafood to a cooler spot on the grill if there are flare-ups. The squid should be opaque, the shrimp just cooked through, and the octopus just needs a little color and smoke. Arrange the seafood and lemons on a large serving platter. Serve the salmoriglio in a bowl to spoon over the seafood.

HARISSA MUSSELS

serves 4–6

Harissa, the Tunsian red chile paste, adds rich flavor and heat to these juicy mussels. We serve them any number of ways: spooned over garlicky toast for lunch, over crostini for hors d’oeuvres, stirred into warm spaghetti or orecchiette, or as one of our favorite toppings for our homemade pizza (see Pizza with Harissa Mussels).

3 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded

½ cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, mashed to a paste with a pinch of salt

2 teaspoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon harissa

Salt and pepper

Small handful fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped

4–6 slices toasted country bread, rubbed with a raw garlic clove

Put the mussels and wine in a heavy large pot and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Steam the mussels over high heat, vigorously shaking the pot over the heat a few times, until they open, 5–10 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, uncover, and let the mussels cool slightly. Pluck the mussels from their shells, discarding the shells and any mussels that don’t open. Set the mussels aside. Save the mussel broth for another use, if you like.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a heavy medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft and translucent, 10–15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Increase the heat to medium. Push the onions and garlic to the sides of the skillet and add the tomato paste and harissa to the center. Cook, stirring, until the pastes are toasted and a shade darker, about 3 minutes. Stir everything together. Reduce the heat to low. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the mussels and parsley. Adjust the seasonings. Divide the toasts between 4–6 plates and spoon the mussels over the toasts. Drizzle with olive oil.

SALMON CARPACCIO ALLA HARRY’S BAR

serves 4–6

Freezing the well-wrapped salmon for a couple of hours firms up the flesh and makes slicing easier. The sauce with it is a version of the one served over thinly sliced raw beef at the famed Harry’s Bar in Venice. We love to make it with raw wild Pacific salmon, too.

FOR THE MAIONESE SAUCE

1 large egg yolk

Salt

Juice of ½ lemon

½ cup canola oil

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

3–5 tablespoons milk

Pepper

1 tablespoon fresh tarragon leaves, finely chopped

FOR THE SALMON

1 pound center-cut salmon filet, skin and pinbones removed

For the maionese sauce, whisk together the egg yolk, a pinch of salt, and half of the lemon juice in a medium bowl. Combine both the oils in a measuring cup with a spout. Whisking constantly, add the oil to the yolk about 1 teaspoon at a time. The sauce will thicken and emulsify. After you’ve added about ¼ cup of the oil, you can begin to slowly drizzle in the remaining oil as you continue to whisk, until you have a thick, glossy sauce. Add more of the remaining lemon juice, if you like. Add the Worcestershire sauce. Stir in enough of the milk to thin the sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate until ready to use. The sauce will keep for up to 1 week in the refrigerator. Mix in the tarragon just before serving.

For the salmon, use a long-blade knife to cut the salmon across the grain into very thin slices. Evenly divide the sliced salmon between 4–6 dinner plates, arranging the slices in a mosaic pattern. Place pieces of plastic wrap over the salmon, and using a flat meat-pounder or even a metal measuring cup with a flat bottom, press down on the plastic, until the salmon spreads out and covers the whole plate. Repeat with all the plates of salmon. You can stack the plates and refrigerate them until you are ready to sauce and serve them.

Remove and discard the plastic wrap. Thin the maionese with a little milk if it’s too thick. Drizzle it over the salmon, à la Jackson Pollock. Serve cold.