Clam chowder is a New England dish that has made a national debut.  Even in July in San Diego, I would be willing to bet that you wouldn’t have to walk very far to find a seafood restaurant that serves clam chowder.  Granted, you might not be treated to the same charming description of why their “chowdah” is the very best in the “greatah Bahston Areah”, but you will most likely be satisfied.  It wasn’t until I lived in Boston, however, that I discovered fish chowder, and in the years that I have been living here, I have come to appreciate fish chowder more than its creamier, more commercialized cousin.

It is an unspoken rule that fish chowder has a lighter broth than clam chowder.  Something about a clam is able to stand up to a broth that is almost as thick as pudding in consistency, and this is often the kind of chowder served in restaurants.  Fish chowder, however, is more delicate and subtle in its decadence.  It typically is served in a much thinner, lighter broth which I find more appetizing and better suited for an entree serving size.  I also love making fish chowder at home because it is so easy!  The batch I prepared for the recipe here took 30 minutes, almost exactly!  That wouldn’t be the case if I were scrubbing shells and chopping Quahogs.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. fresh haddock fillet, skinned with bones removed
• 2 small Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch cube
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 1 stalk of celery, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. fresh or 1/2 tsp. dry thyme
• 3 tbs. butter
• 2tbs. flour
• 3 cups seafood stock
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• Salt and pepper to taste

In a large, heavy bottom pot, melt the butterover medium heat.  Add the onions, potatoes, carrots, celery, garlic, and thyme.  Season generously with salt and pepper.  Let the vegetables soften for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are near tender.  Add the flour and stir to coat the vegetables and cook for one more minute.  Add the stock and milk and let it come to a soft boil, stirring occasionally to prevent the milk from burning on the bottom, and then reduce the heat to low.

Cut the fillet into thirds.  The pieces will break up as they cook.  Add them to the creamy stock and cook for about 7-10 more minutes, just until the fish turns opaque and begins to fall apart.  With a wooden spoon, break up the fish into bite size pieces.  Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

During the holiday season, we are treated with many decadent culinary delights.  It is the time of year when calories don’t count (because, clearly, it is important for your health to develop a “winter layer”) and heavy cream and cartons of butter are staples in your refrigerator.  After our fourth holiday party, having never missed out on the bacon-wrapped appetizers, gravy coated roasts, festively sweet cocktails, or cream-cheese filled desserts, I was ready for a meal that was a little less…indulgent.

Adrian and I love to host dinners, though, especially during the holidays, and when his parents were in town for a night, my first instinct was to go with seafood.  Not only is fish a very lean source of protein, I love it because it still feels “special” enough to serve to your mother-in law during the holidays.  I went with monkfish, because it is local to the Atlantic and it was really fresh.

Monkfish is probably the most bizarre looking fish in the world, at least on the outside.  We are talking prehistoric, extraterrestrial kind of ugliness.  I’ll be honest, if I were a fisherman, and I reeled one of these creatures in, I probably would have tried to throw it back as quickly as a home run ball hit by Alex Rodriguez in Fenway Park.  But the fillet you get from the seafood counter is quite lovely.  It is almost snow white and has a wonderful firm texture many people equate with lobster.  In fact, it has the nickname “the poor man’s lobster”; that is, of course, when people are not referring to it as the “sea-devil”.

Monkfish is a great selection for this recipe because its meaty texture holds up well to such a flavorful sauce.  If you can find it, skate wing would be delicious as well.  The rich flavor of the wine and the saltiness of the olives give this  dish an almost “puttanesca”-like flavor.  Try it out!  Your family and guests will be impressed with the diversity of your ingredients and you will have given everyone a decadent meal that is a nice break from the usual weightiness of holiday cuisine!

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. of fresh Monkfish fillets
• 1/2 cup of roughly chopped green olives
• 2 tbs. of freshly chopped basil
• 2 cups of hearty red wine
• 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon of red chili flakes
• 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Begin by seasoning your monkfish fillets with salt and pepper dusting them generously with the flour.  Melt the butter in the olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium high heat.  Add the dusted monkfish fillet to the pan, and cook for about three to five minutes on each side, depending on the size of your fillets, or until it becomes a nice golden brown color.  Remove the monkfish from the pan and place in a very low temperature oven (200 degrees) while you prepare the sauce.

De-glaze the pan by adding the wine and stirring up the little bits stuck to bottom of the pan.  Add the tomato paste, olives, and chili flakes.  Let the sauce thicken and reduce by about half. Taste the sauce to see if you need to add salt.  Pour the sauce over the fish, garnish with the chopped basil and serve immediately.  Serves four.

It is excellent served with rice or over egg noodles.  I also served steamed artichokes with a curry aioli  along side, which was absolutely delicious (that post will come soon!).  Enjoy!

After Aimee and I had an awesome dinner experience at Rendezvous in Central Square a couple weeks ago, I wanted to come home and try my hand at re-creating a great dish that we sampled.  For me, that night was really good all around, but the one dish that stuck out in my mind was the Bluefish Cakes appetizer.  Bluefish are found in New England waters my mid-summer usually, as the migrate north with the warmer weather.  When it starts to get cold in the Northeast as summer wanes, the Blues head back south.  We used to go down to the beach in Biddeford Pool, Maine on certain occasions when the Blues were really running, and bait fish would literally jump out of the water onto the beach to avoid being chomped by the Bluefish – an example of the Blues’ aggressiveness.

The fish itself is rather gamey tasting for a fish – meaning that it’s flavor is, well, rather fishy.  Many folks get turned off at this fact, as the Bluefish flavor isn’t very delicate.  I love it though, as the texture of the fish is a little more meaty – resembling Cod or Stripped Bass.  This bluefish was caught locally off the coast of Gloucester, MA.  Making these ‘cakes’ out of the fish turned out to be a perfect way to present the fish, as it gives you a chance to combine some more flavors with the strong taste of the Bluefish.  At Rendezvous, they serve these tasty cakes with a cool little salad of pickled onion (or shallot), mint, cucumber and cilantro.  I chose to mix up a little spicy remoulade – something I might serve with crab cakes.  So the next time you see Bluefish in your fish monger’s case in the summertime, give these guys a shot, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.  Here’s what to do:

Makes 10-12 large cakes – adjust the recipe as needed!

• 1 larger filet of fresh Bluefish (around 1.5 – 2 lb.)
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs (or any breadcrumbs)
• 1 medium onion – diced
• 2 small or 1 large jalapeno pepper – seeded and diced
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup good mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp. paprika (smoked if you have it)
• 1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. mustard powder
• A good sprinkling of salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• Olive oil and unsalted butter for cooking

Start by cooking the bluefish filets.  Salt and pepper the fish on both sides and heat enough olive oil to coat the bottom of a medium saute pan over medium heat.  Once the pan heats up, place the fish filets skin side down in the pan and cook them until the sides begin to turn opaque.  Once the skin will lift off of the pan, flip the Bluefish over and cook for just around another minute, then move the filets to a plate to let them rest.  Once the fish has rested and cooled a little, remove the skin and flake in a large mixing bowl.  Be gentle with the meat though, and try to leave some larger pieces in the mix.

Next, cook the onion and jalapeno pepper in the pan the fish was cooked in (add in a little extra oil as needs be) until the vegetables are translucent.  Add them to the fish, along with the breadcrumbs, mayo, Worcestershire, cayenne, paprika, mustard pepper and salt and pepper.  GENTLY fold the ingredients together until fairly uniformly combined.  Lastly add in the egg and lemon juice and again – GENTLY fold together until combined.  You really want to be gentle with this!

Once ready to cook the cakes, lightly form them into uniform rounds (as large of small as you want – mini cakes are delicious too!).  Cook them in a little butter and olive oil.  Cook them on each side until a nice even crust develops.  Enjoy them with some remoulade or other sauce of your liking.  Here’s a spicy remoulade sauce I enjoy making:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon (or any other) mustard
• 2 Tbsp. Gherkins (little dill pickles) – finely chopped
• 1 tsp. caper juice (from the jar)
• 1 tsp. seasoned salt (Lawrie’s preferred)
• Black Pepper

Mix all ingredients well in a mixing bowl and serve along-side the cakes with lemon!