Many New England restaurants will serve you a heavy, stew-like chowder laden with cream and thickeners. We prefer this light fish chowder. A milky broth allows the sweet flavors of the fish and potatoes to come through. Creamy but not too rich, it makes a cozy meal that soothes the soul, bowl after bowl. Only warm squares of Cakey and Sweet Cornbread can make it any more perfect. Happily, it’s a snap to make. You start by quickly poaching fish in water with some aromatic veggies. Then you set the fish aside for later so it won’t overcook. The cooking water becomes your fish stock. And the chowder stays light because the only starch…
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Anchovy Bread (Sfogliata)
A tiny grenade of umami, the humble anchovy gives chefs a secret weapon for deepening the flavor and richness of sauces and stews. It melts away as it cooks, leaving only salt and a savory meatiness. But Italians take anchovies out from behind the curtain, celebrating them in the dish bagna càuda, in robust pasta sauces, and as a classic pizza topping. And this Italian Anchovy Bread (aka Sfogliata), sliced into colorful little pinwheels with luscious paprika-spiced filling, further proves how anchovies can command center stage. We first learned about this easy and elegant bread from Ruth Reichl’s book, My Kitchen Year. Ruth, the longtime Editor-in-Chief of Gourmet and acclaimed food critic at the…
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Dan’s Marinated Grilled Shrimp
Dan, Recipephany’s grillmaster, can make just about anything tender, juicy and deliciously smoky on his (t)rusty old Grill Master barbecue. Usually he just plays it by ear, mixing up rubs and sauces with seemingly random herbs and spices. He knows when something’s done by using common methods like an instant-read thermometer, and by being “open to vibrations in the ether.” But for his Marinated Grilled Shrimp, he sticks pretty closely to this recipe—although he rarely uses a measuring cup. And every time it comes out tangy, luscious and with a slight Italian accent. The secret is the simple marinade. The fact that I often request Dan’s Marinated Grilled Shrimp attests to its magnificence. After…
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Baked Cod Fish Cakes
Fish and potatoes. Perfect mates. And when you can taste both in one bite of a fish cake, what could be better? Especially when it’s cod, the Mighty White Fish that made New England famous. These easy baked fish cakes let the sweet flavor of the cod shine through. Plus you get the crunch of a spicy crumb topping studded with bacon bits. If you can’t find the world-renowned North Atlantic cod, or it’s way too expensive, substitute your favorite white fish or something local recommended by an expert at the fish counter. These cakes will still taste delicious. Got frozen fish fillets you wish you could cook right away? Turn those rock-hard slabs…
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Boondock Shrimp and Green Beans With Rice Noodles
The basics for Boondock Shrimp with Green Beans came from my baking buddy Joanne Hofmann Sexeny, whom I met during a tour of Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street when it was a shiny new enterprise. Joanne has the distinction of being an America’s Test Kitchen (ATK) recipe tester, and she authorized me to critique a shrimp and green bean stir-fry recipe under development for Cook’s Country Magazine. I gave it a positive review, while noting a few recipe errors. The mistakes were hard to spot and I wondered if ATK had planted them to test their readers. Now four years have passed, and while I haven’t seen the final version, I assume they fixed the…
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Chris’s Fish Tacos Fabuloso
Two years ago we packed our snorkel gear and headed to Baja California, Mexico. The fish put on quite a circus. A swirl of polka dots and iridescent stripes greeted us as soon as we entered the water. The Baja is also famous for another kind of fish marvel: the fish taco. It originated there, probably before the Spanish arrived. We sought out the best fish tacos in every town we passed through. The Los Claros restaurants won hands down as Baja’s best. We made triply sure by visiting all three—in Cabo San Lucas, La Paz and San Jose del Cabo. Los Claros believes in giving you options. They batter-fry or grill fish while…
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Charlie the Tuna Salad
For 50 years I have credited my Mom’s olfactory alarm system for saving us from one of the deadliest poisons known to man. She religiously poked her nose into every can before ruling it fit for consumption. But my memory hasn’t kept up with that of my 97-year-old mother. She remembers that she rejected the Tainted Tuna because of how it looked. I was 13 at the time, and eager to make Mom’s sweet and crunchy tuna salad, a task I always relished (pun unavoidable). I opened the only can we had on the shelf and handed it to Mom. She took a whiff. Fine. But then she stopped. “It looked nasty,” she says.…
