About Fish

1. Wash and "beard" the mussels (No relation to James- the term refers to yanking off the bit of seaweed- the "beard"- attached to the mussel). Put in a bowl of cold water, and discard any that are open or stay open after you close them.
2. Saute the onions, parsley and thyme in butter. Add the mussels to the pot and pour in the wine. Cover and bring to a boil, allowing the mussels to steam until the mussels open. Reduce heat.
3. Thicken sauce with arrowroot or flour (use a few Tbsp more wine to make a slurry, otherwise you will make miniature dumplings in the sauce) and season with pepper.
4. Put the mussels in a bowl and poyr sauce over them. A more refined and more labor intensive resentation would be to serve them on the half shell with the sauce drizzled over them.
5. Serve with a hearty bread to sop up the drippings, which are not to be wasted.

   *Note: This is a crowd pleasing appetizer, but there is a rare joy to be had by sitting down to a large steaming bowl of these critters to make a full meal of them.

1. Mix mango, onion, cilantro, and lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep at room temperature.
2. Brush tuna with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
3. Grill tuna over high heat. (See note)
4. Spread salsa on the plate and place the tuna on top of it (If your tuna doesn't have nice grill marks or is otherwise not terribly pretty, THEN you can cover it with the salasa, but the dish will look a lot nicer and will taste just as good with the sauce on the bottom.

   *Note: use hardwood charcoal or a large amount of briquets to get a good, hot flame. Also, when the coals are ready put the grill over them and leave it for several minutes to heat up before putting the tuna on them. That will help give you those grill marks that look so good in the restaurant. Grill only 2 tp 3 minutes per side if your tuna is nice and fresh- you ant it slightly rare in the middle, like a beef steak. This is the way good tuna should be served, and if the fish is fresh you needn't worry about any risks to your health. If your steaks have been in the freezer a while or aren't exactly sashimi grade, then cook them 4 to 5 minutes per side so that they are fully cooked all the way through (this is more for flavor than for health).

1. In a large bowl stir together garlic, salt, minced rosemary, and 3 tablespoons oil and add shrimp. Marinate shrimp, covered and chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight.
2. In a shallow dish soak skewers in water to cover 30 minutes and prepare grill.
3. To grill, thread 4 shrimp on each skewer and brush with additional oil. Grill shrimp on an oiled rack, set about 5 inches over glowing coals, 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until just cooked through.
4. Alternatively, brush shrimp with additional oil and grill in a hot well-season ridged grill pan, covered, over moderately high heat 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.
5. Garnish shrimp with rosemary sprigs and serve with lemon wedges.

   *Note: Garnish with rosemary sprigs and accompany with Lemon wedges to serve.

1. Saute the onion, pepper, lime leaves, chile, chili paste and lemongrass for five minutes until the peppers are softened.  I usually use a bit of the soy oil floating on top of the chili paste, but canola or peanut oil will do.  
2. Mix  the broth and coconut powder in a measuring cup or other container and add to pot.  Let it come to a boil and add ginger and clams.  Cover and steam for several minutes until all the clams have opened up.  
3. In a wide bowl, put a half cup of rice (or more, if you care) in the middle. Separate the clam shells that contain the mollusk from the empty ones and divide between the two bowls around the perimiter of the rice.  Lable the broth with the peppers and onions over the clams and rice.  Garnish with the basil, cilantro, and onion stalk.
   

1. Cut the catfish fillets into strips about 1 inch long by 1/2 inch wide, place on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
2. Saute the garlic, chilies, lime leaves, lemongrass and shallots in the oil in a deep skillet over medium heat until very fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth or water, the lime juice and the galangal if you're using it and heat the mixture to a slow simmer.
3. Whisk the peanut butter and 2 tablespoons of the coconut milk in a small bowl until blended and then whisk it into the garlic mixture. Stir in the fish and remaining coconut milk and simmer gently until the fish layers separate when prodded with a fork, about 2 minutes. Stir in fish sauce, basil and cilantro and simmer 2 minutes. Serve immediately, with rice if desired.

    

   
   

Time: 1 1/2 hours, plus a half-hour's resting

2 tablespoons butter
2 medium Spanish onions (1 pound), finely chopped
3 large white potatoes (2 pounds), peeled and cut in  1/2-inch dice
1 1/2 pounds sea scallops in 1-inch chunks
1 1/2 quarts heavy cream
 1/4 cup plus one tablespoon Pernod
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons kosher salt, more to taste
2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper, more to taste
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

1. In a large stockpot over low heat, melt butter. Add onion, and sauté until translucent, 5 to 8 minutes. 
2. Stir in potatoes, and cook for 2 minutes. Add scallops, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add cream, and bring to a simmer; simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
3. Add Pernod, thyme, salt and pepper, and simmer 10 more minutes. 
4. Allow chowder to sit for half an hour or longer. Reheat if necessary. Ladle into mugs and sprinkle with chives.

1. In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, cook the sugar over low to medium heat, swirling the pan constantly, until brown and caramelized, but be careful not to scortch it (you'll know when this happens).
2. Remove pan from heat and pour the boiling water in, stiring vigorously.  If the water isn't hot enough you will get a big hard chunk of rock candy instead of a syrup.  If that happens you can cook it slowly under low heat until it dissolves, but better to do it right the first time.  When it thickens you can pour it into a jar and keep it in the refrigerator, using it as you need it.  If you only want to use it for this recipe, then about a third of a cup each should do the trick.
   
3. Return the pan to low heat and stir in the shallots, chili and ginger.  Add the fish, the fish sauce, and three tablespoons of caramel sauce (unless you are using what you made in the pan) and sprinkle with pepper.
4. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover the pan. Simmer for 15-30 minutes until fish is cooked through, turning  occasionally (add water if the sauce gets too thick, remove the cover if it gets too thin and reduce- the catfish should throw off a fair amount of water.  Serve with rice and garnish with cilantro.