TWO MARINADES for GRILLED or ROASTED SHELLFISH and FISH
THREE COMPOUND BUTTERS for SHELLFISH and FISH
BAKED HALIBUT with TOMATOES and BREAD CRUMBS
POACHED SALMON with MUSHROOMS, TARRAGON, and CREAM
SEAFOOD CURRY with COCONUT, CITRUS, and CUCUMBER
Freshness is the key when it comes to fish and shellfish. I try to shop for seafood the day I plan to eat it. Unlike meat and poultry, which can hang around for a day or two in the refrigerator without any loss of texture or flavor, seafood suffers if stored for more than a day. While I might have an idea of what I’d like to cook, the real inspiration comes the minute I look into the iced display case at my fish market and see what looks best that day. Fish and shellfish are fast and easy to cook, making them ideal candidates for evenings when I don’t have a lot of time to get dinner on the table. A piece of tuna cooks in seven or eight minutes, giving me just enough time to prepare the sauce (or grab one from my pantry) and steam some broccoli. Fillet of sole cooks in six minutes, leaving enough time to squeeze lemon juice, rinse capers or toast almonds for the sauce, and wilt some spinach. Shrimp and scallops cook in only four minutes.
While fish and shellfish are typically expensive in restaurants, they are a bargain when you cook them for yourself. At my local market, certain fish are standbys: salmon, halibut, swordfish, sole, rock cod, trout, and tuna are usually available, and because they are popular, they are inevitably fresh due to constant turnover. (I try to pay attention to news reports on what fish might be temporarily in danger of being overfished, and resist buying them, no matter how delicious they are.) I love the crunch of shrimp and squid, the soft sweetness of crab, and the delicate texture of scallops, and I have a longstanding passion for lobster that goes back to my childhood. I like the briny saltiness of clams and the earthy sweetness of mussels. On certain evenings I might use an assortment of fish and shellfish to make a soup, a stew, or a fragrant curry. Seafood figures in many pastas and risottos (see the Pasta and Grains chapter), too, because a little goes a long way.
The simplest and easiest way to prepare a lobster is to boil it gently for about 10 minutes and serve it with drawn or flavored butter. A two pounder is a perfect, messy dinner best eaten alone so you can dig in and crack shells, lick your fingers, and suck noisily on the little legs. When I am in an especially festive mood, I might prepare lobster in a more elaborate way, such as grilled or roasted, which results in a different texture and the meat perfumed in a different way.
Most recipes for grilled or roasted lobster require you to kill the shellfish while it is alive; however, I am too squeamish to plunge a knife into the back of a lobster’s head while it is still kicking, even though I can drop it into boiling water without a qualm. So I take the coward’s way out and drop it into heavily salted boiling water, cook it for 6 or 7 minutes, depending on its size, and then plunge it into an ice-water bath. (Some cooks believe that it’s easier to remove the lobster meat from the shell if you haven’t iced it, because the unchilled flesh doesn’t adhere to the shell. But I think it’s safer to chill the lobster and not worry about it spoiling.)
Once it has cooled in the ice-water bath, place the partially cooked lobster on a cutting board and, with a sharp knife or cleaver, cut it in half from top to bottom. Remove the gravelly sac at the lobster’s head and the long intestinal vein that runs down the center. Save any coral or roe to add to the sauce. Detach the claws from the body, and carefully remove all claw and knuckle meat. Lobster crackers or a mallet and sharp small kitchen shears or scissors work well. If you plan on grilling the lobster meat in its shell, remove the tail meat and cut it into 2-inch segments, then put it back into the shell body along with the claw and knuckle meat. If you will be roasting the lobster and the shell is not crucial to your aesthetics, put the lobster meat in a buttered or oiled gratin dish. In either case, if desired, drizzle liberal amounts of marinade (page 110) over the lobster meat and let stand for about 20 minutes at room temperature, or up to 1 hour in the refrigerator. The marinade will tenderize and perfume the lobster meat and deliver a more velvety texture.
If you wish to grill or broil the lobster in its shell but it has not been marinated, brush on all sides with flavored oil and drizzle the meat with a marinade. Alternatively, spread a compound butter (page 112) over the lobster meat. Place the lobster halves, shell-side down, on a grill rack over a charcoal fire or on a broiler pan. Tent with aluminum foil if using a charcoal grill. Grill or broil for about 5 minutes to heat through. If you have used a marinade, baste with additional marinade as it cooks.
If you wish to roast the lobster, preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the lobster meat in its shell in a baking pan or gratin dish. If not already marinated, drizzle the lobster meat with a marinade or spread with a compound butter. Roast for 10 or 12 minutes to heat through.
Years ago, I wrote a newspaper column about my favorite childhood restaurant memories. In it I mentioned Lundy’s, a famous seafood restaurant in Brooklyn, where I spent many an idyllic Sunday eating steamers, lobster, biscuits, and warm huckleberry pie. I talked about how my favorite waiter applauded the day I ate my first whole lobster. After the article appeared, I received a letter from a fellow Brooklynite, now a doctor, who told me that his family, to avoid an additional lobster expense, would order lobsters for themselves and chicken for him, then eat the lobster and put his chicken in their empty lobster shells. He’s still upset.
A steamed lobster with melted butter, French fries, and a glass of fine white Burgundy is my idea of heaven. While lobster is invariably an expensive restaurant item, it is a relative bargain at home. Because of its cachet, however, lobster always feels like an extravagance. To Elena, my granddaughter, it is the ideal “special occasion” dish. I make it for her on her birthday or any time we have a family celebration. The first time Elena tasted lobster she loved it and began asking for it every week. Finally my son explained to her that lobster was for special occasions, not for the everyday family dinner. Quite often when we dine together she asks, with hope in her voice, if the dinner is going to be a “special occasion.”
These marinades will keep for 2 or 3 days in the refrigerator and are great with broiled or grilled lobsters, shrimp, scallops, or fish. Marinate the shellfish for no longer than 20 minutes at room temperature or up to 1 hour in the refrigerator. Reserve some of the marinade for basting during cooking. The same marinades are delicious with chicken as well, which can marinate as long as overnight in the refrigerator.
Serve the marinated and cooked shellfish or fish with black beans, warm tortillas, Molho di Pimentão (page 21) enhanced with tomatoes and onion to make a salsa, and a lime wedge, or with fried potatoes and with diced avocado tossed with the molho.
MAKES ABOUT 1/2 CUP
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon finely minced jalapeño chile, or to taste
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon grated lime zest
1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice or cinnamon
Pinch of cayenne pepper, or to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients, including salt and black pepper to taste, and whisk together lightly.
Serve the marinated and cooked shellfish or fish with couscous or spicy fried potatoes, or green beans with cumin and lemon zest. This marinade is also good spooned over broiled or poached fish or used as a marinade for chicken or lamb chops. It can be thinned with olive oil and lemon juice, turning it into a dynamite vinaigrette for grilled vegetables or a tuna and bean salad.
MAKES ABOUT 1/2 CUP
1 teaspoon sweet paprika or pimentón de la Vera (page 22)
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch of ground turmeric
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped preserved lemon (optional)
1/4 cup pure olive oil, or as needed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a small bowl, whisk together the spices, garlic, lemon juice, parsley, cilantro, and the preserved lemon, if using. Whisk in enough olive oil to make a thick, but fluid, sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Spread these butters over fish or shellfish before roasting, broiling, or grilling. They are especially good on lobster, fish steaks, shrimp, and scallops. If you like, you can make a double batch and store half in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Pesto Butter
Combine 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature with 1/4 cup Pesto (page 33). Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper and maybe 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice. Serve the seafood with fried potatoes and green beans.
Tandoori Butter
Combine 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature with 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger, 1 teaspoon finely minced garlic, 1 tablespoon ground coriander, 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve the seafood with saffron rice and green beans or spinach.
Ginger-Shallot Butter
Melt 1 tablespoon unsalted butter in a saucepan. Add 2 tablespoons minced shallot and cook gently for a few minutes. Add 2 tablespoons dry white vermouth or white wine and simmer until the liquid is absorbed and the shallot is tender, about 2 minutes longer. Let cool to room temperature. When cool, add 1 tablespoon peeled and grated fresh ginger, 1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives, and 3 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature, and mix well to combine. Serve the seafood with steamed rice and green beans, asparagus, or spinach.
Northern halibut, from cold Alaskan waters, has the most incredible buttery texture, falling into large flakes after cooking. (My local California halibut is a leaner fish and has a tendency to dry out quickly.) While I often broil it and serve it with butter-enriched Indonesian Sweet Soy Sauce (page 32) or with Moroccan Charmoula Marinade (page 111), here’s a great way to bake it using some of the ingredients in your pantry. Cinnamon and oregano will give it a bit of a Greek accent.
1 halibut fillet, about 8 ounces and 3/4 to 1 inch thick
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup peeled, seeded, and chopped tomatoes
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Pinch of dried oregano and/or cinnamon (optional)
1/4 cup dried bread crumbs or Toasted Bread Crumbs (page 82)
In a baking dish, marinate the fish in the 1 tablespoon olive oil, the lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine the tomatoes, garlic, wine, parsley, and the oregano and/or cinnamon, if using. Place over medium heat, bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, and cook for about 10 minutes to blend flavors. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Pour the tomato sauce over the fish and top evenly with the bread crumbs. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake until the fish tests done (it should appear opaque when pierced with the point of a knife) and the bread crumbs are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Eat while piping hot.
Because salmon is so easy to cook at home, I almost never order it in restaurants. I can poach it in white or red wine and make a sauce by adding some cream to the pan. I can thin Peppery Prune Sauce (page 24) with some of the wine and spoon it over the poached fish. I can also broil salmon and drizzle it with Indonesian Soy Sauce (page 32) or Pesto (page 33). When I want an elegant salmon supper, however, this is the recipe I return to over and over again. It combines three of my favorite ingredients, fresh tarragon, sautéed mushrooms, and salmon. If I don’t have an open bottle of white wine on hand, I use dry white vermouth, which is shelf stable.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 ounces fresh mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
11/2 cups dry white wine, dry white vermouth, or part wine and part water
1 salmon fillet, about 6 ounces, skinned
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon, plus more for garnish
In a small skillet, melt the butter over high heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté until they give off some liquid, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Pour the wine into a saucepan large enough to hold the salmon and bring to a simmer. Slip in the salmon, cover the pan, and poach gently over low heat until the salmon tests done (it should appear opaque when pierced with the point of a knife), 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the salmon from the poaching liquid with a slotted skimmer and set aside on a warmed plate; keep warm.
Add the cream and 1 tablespoon tarragon to the poaching liquid and reduce over high heat to a slightly syrupy sauce. Add the mushrooms and warm through. Spoon the sauce over the salmon. Garnish with a bit more tarragon.
India and Southeast Asia provide the inspiration for the fragrant spice mixture in my all-purpose curry. Add about 8 ounces fish fillet, cut into cubes, or a mixture of fish and shellfish, about 8 ounces in all (not counting shells), to the simmering base, along with a few slices of cucumber or some blanched green beans. Serve with steamed jasmine or basmati rice and your favorite chutney.
2 tablespoons canola or corn oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 teaspoons each finely minced garlic and grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon grated lime or lemon zest
1 teaspoon each ground coriander and cumin toasted in a dry pan
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, toasted in a dry pan
1 teaspoon minced jalapeño chile, or to taste
1/2 cup canned coconut milk
1 cup fish or chicken stock
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, or to taste
1 tablespoon brown sugar, or to taste
Salt
1/2 small cucumber, peeled, quartered lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 2-inch pieces
6 ounces firm white fish fillet, cut into 2-inch cubes
4 medium or large shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 scallops, muscles removed
8 clams, well scrubbed (optional)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or Thai basil
In a very large saucepan or wide sauté pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender and translucent, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, lime zest, coriander, cumin, pepper, and chile and cook for 3 minutes longer. Add the coconut milk, stock, lime juice, brown sugar, and salt to taste and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat immediately and simmer for 5 minutes to blend the flavors. This is the curry base. It can be made a day ahead, covered, and refrigerated.
Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil, add the cucumber, and parboil for 2 minutes. Drain and refresh in cold water. Drain again and set aside.
Ten minutes before serving, in a saucepan, bring the curry base to a simmer. Add the cubed fish and cook until the fish is tender and cooked through but not falling apart, 5 to 8 minutes, adding the shellfish and cucumber during the last 3 to 5 minutes. Spoon into a serving dish and garnish with the mint and the cilantro.
Variation: You can easily transform this seafood curry into a chicken curry by adding 8 ounces boneless chicken, cut into 1-inch cubes, in place of the fish and shellfish, and using chicken stock instead of fish stock. Sliced zucchini or green beans may be added instead of the cucumber.
In the frenetic quest for originality and novelty that seems to drive many food publications and restaurant menus, scores of good dishes fall by the wayside. I’d like to bring this oldie but goodie back. One of the quickest and probably most popular ways to prepare sole is with butter and lemon, but I love it in the Italian style called piccata, with lemon and capers. Serve with roasted or steamed potatoes and spinach or broccoli. This recipe also works well with trout.
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces Dover or petrale sole fillet
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed
Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish
Spread the flour on a plate and season with salt and pepper. Dredge the fish fillet in the seasoned flour, tapping off the excess.
In a large sauté pan, heat 3 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the fish fillet and sauté quickly, turning once, until it is golden brown on both sides, about 4 to 6 minutes total. With a slotted spatula, remove the fish to a warmed dinner plate.
Add the lemon juice and capers to the pan juices over low heat. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter for a thicker sauce. Pour over the fish and top with the parsley.
Variations: You can also break up the cooked fish, return it to the caper and lemon sauce, and toss with cooked linguine.
Sole amandine is another simple and delicious old-fashioned dish. To make it, omit the capers and fry a few tablespoons of slivered blanched almonds in the pan juices until bubbly and golden. Spoon the almonds and juices over the fish.
Sometimes this is called pesce spada alla ghiotta, sometimes alla stemperata. Regardless of the name, it’s that offbeat Sicilian combo of garlic, pine nuts, raisins, capers, and olives, sometimes combined with tomatoes, and sometimes not, that seduces me every time.
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 swordfish fillet, about 8 ounces and 1 inch thick
About 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1/2 cup peeled, seeded, and chopped tomatoes (optional)
2 tablespoons green olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
2 tablespoons raisins, plumped in hot water
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup fish stock, dry white wine, or water
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly oil a baking dish that will accommodate the fish fillet. On a flat plate, stir together the flour with a little salt and pepper, then dredge the fish in the seasoned flour and shake off the excess.
In a sauté pan, heat about 1 tablespoon oil, or as needed to form a film in the pan, over medium-high heat. Sauté the fish on both sides until lightly colored. With a slotted spatula, remove the fish to the prepared baking dish.
In the same sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and sauté until soft and pale gold, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, if using, and simmer for 3 minutes to thicken slightly. Add the olives, pine nuts, raisins, capers, garlic, and stock, and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes to blend the flavors. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Ladle the sauce over the fish. Bake until the fish tests done with the point of a knife, about 10 minutes. Eat while hot or warm.
Variation: You can also make this dish in a sauté pan. Just place the sautéed fish in the sauce in the pan, cover, and simmer gently over low heat until the fish is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
Here are two of my favorite ways to prepare a tuna steak at home. You can use the less-expensive albacore if you don’t want to spring for ahi. It may not have the meaty red color, but it will still taste good.
Here is steak au poivre made with tuna. Sautéed spinach and fried potatoes are ideal accompaniments.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest and 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste
Salt
1 tuna steak, 6 or 7 ounces and about 1 inch thick
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly cracked (not too fine, not too coarse) black pepper
To make the lemon butter, in a small bowl, combine the butter with the zest and juice and the salt to taste. Set aside.
Coat the tuna with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, then dip in the cracked pepper. Sprinkle with salt.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a cast-iron pan or a heavy nonstick pan over high heat. Add the tuna and sauté for about 3 minutes on each side. It should be crusty on the outside and medium-rare in the center. (You may cook it longer if you prefer it more well done.) Transfer to a warmed place and top with the lemon butter. Eat at once.
Variations: Tuna is versatile. A simple steak or fillet broiled, grilled, or sautéed without a crust can be topped with a spoonful of Pesto (page 33). Also try the Moroccan Charmoula Marinade (page 111), one of the compound butters (page 112), or Indonesian Sweet Soy Sauce (page 32).
The tuna should be cut about an inch thick to prevent it from drying out while cooking. Use a cast-iron pan or heavy nonstick pan as it helps the crust to brown and set up quickly. The dish is a bit austere, so I often add a dollop of aioli flavored with red pepper as a sauce. It seems to make the dish more elegant. Or you may sauce it with a raita of yogurt flavored with chopped cucumber, tomatoes, and garlic. Accompany with sautéed chard or spinach.
1 tuna steak, 6 or 7 ounces and about 1 inch thick
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 tablespoons dried bread crumbs
1 tablespoon ground fennel or cumin, toasted in a dry pan
Red Pepper Aioli (page 35)
In a shallow dish, marinate the tuna in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the lemon juice for a few hours in the refrigerator. If you are short of time, you may cut this to 10 to 15 minutes at room temperature.
Just before cooking, sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper. In another shallow dish, stir together the bread crumbs and the fennel. Dredge the tuna in the bread crumb mixture.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a cast-iron pan or a heavy nonstick pan over high heat. Add the tuna and sauté for about 3 minutes on each side. It should be crusty and light brown on the outside and medium-rare in the center. (You may cook it longer, if you prefer it more well done.) Transfer to a warmed plate, top with the aioli, and eat hot.
Variation: For a citrus flavor, add a little grated orange zest to the bread crumb mixture and a squeeze of orange juice to the oil in which the fish is marinated. Serve with a butter seasoned with lemon or orange zest, in place of the aioli. You may also grill or broil the fish rather than sauté it. This method works with salmon.
