Catch up on fish

The Lenten season is upon us and many Philadelphians are searching for quick and delicious ways to prepare fresh fish and shellfish.

I cook fish and shellfish often but leave the fancier preparations to professional chefs. I love a whole fried crispy fish, especially in Asian restaurants, but would never attempt to make it at home. Deep-frying is an art. The oil must be at the correct temperature; a deep-fat fryer is best but a wok works well. Since the house fills with smoke, I have set off the smoke alarm whenever I try to deep-fry.

It’s best to buy your fish from a reputable fishmonger. I always purchase mine from John Y in the Reading Terminal Market. He is up well before dawn and makes his way to the Food Distribution Center each day to buy fish and shellfish from around the world.

Supermarkets also have fine fresh-seafood counters. The Super Fresh on Columbus Boulevard has a fabulous fish counter. Then, of course, there is Ippolito’s, right here in South Philly.

Ask questions, make friends with the fish man and let your nose be your guide. Don’t be afraid to smell the fish you are about to purchase. If you are buying a whole fish, look at its eyes and gills. The eyes should be clear and the gills bright red. Touch the fish. It should feel firm yet spring back slightly with the press of your fingertip.

Fish dinners at home have changed significantly since I was a girl. We ate fresh fluke flounder every Thursday. Mom would vary the sides: Horn & Hardart creamed spinach, Harvard beets, stewed tomatoes, macaroni and cheese and baked potatoes, for instance.

Forty years ago, you had to go to a fish restaurant to find a selection. Since the late 1970s, restaurants throughout the city have prominently featured seafood. We know fish is packed with nutrients, vitamins and protein that are necessary in our daily diet.

My home library is filled with cookbooks on fish and shellfish. Too many volumes are fancy and meant as guides for chefs. One book I recommend is The New Legal Sea Foods Cookbook by Roger Berkowitz ($26, Broadway Books, hardbound, with whimsical drawings by Edward Koren, whose work is regularly featured in The New Yorker). Berkowitz’s family has owned Legal Sea Food, a fine Boston-based restaurant, for many years. There are outposts throughout the country as well.

Here are easy recipes for Lent from The New Legal Sea Foods Cookbook.

Cod with Olive Topping

Ingredients:

1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives
1/4 cup chopped Spanish olives
2 teaspoons capers
2 anchovies, minced
2 to 3 teaspoons minced garlic
1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup diced tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1-1/2 to 2 pounds cod fillets

Directions:

Preheat the broiler.

Place the first eight ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse for 10 to 15 seconds. Season with salt and pepper. Place the mixture in a bowl and set aside.

Coat the cod fillets with some olive oil. Place them in a broiling pan and broil for eight to 10 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through. Remove the cod from the pan and place on a warm serving platter. Spoon the sauce down the center of the fish.

Easy Baked Sole

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1-1/2 to 2 pounds sole fillets

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a small saucepan until it is bubbling. Add the garlic and tomato and cook for 30 seconds, stirring. Turn off the heat and stir in the cheese and basil.

Lay the sole fillets out on the counter and spread half of each fillet with the butter-cheese mixture. Fold over the other half of the fillet as if you were folding a piece of paper.

Place the fillets in a buttered baking dish. Dot with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Place the pan juices in a stainless steel saucepan and cook down to make a sauce.

Serves four.

Thai-Style Shrimp with Noodles

Ingredients:

8 ounces dried Thai rice sticks
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon hoisin sauce, optional
24 cooked medium shrimp
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup sliced scallions, both white and green parts
2 cups mung bean sprouts
1/4 cup finely chopped roasted peanuts

Directions:

Pour boiling water over the rice sticks. Let soak until tender, about 15 to 45 minutes. Drain well and set aside.

Heat the vegetable oil in a nonreactive saucepan. Add the garlic, lower the heat and stir constantly for two minutes. Add the fish sauce, ketchup, sugar, rice vinegar and hoisin sauce, if using. Cook for one minute until the ingredients are amalgamated. Add the shrimp and stir to coat with the sauce.

Add the drained rice sticks and toss to coat with the sauce. Top with cilantro, scallions, mung bean sprouts and peanuts. Serve immediately.

Serves four.

Shellfish Gumbo

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons flour
1-1/2 cups chopped onions
3/4 cup chopped celery
1 pound okra, cut into 1/4-inch slices (frozen is OK)
1-1/2 cups peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes
6 cups hot fish, shrimp or chicken stock
1 to 2 teaspoons minced garlic
1-1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled
8 ounces fresh crabmeat
1 pint fresh oysters
Hot pepper sauce
Salt, optional

Heat the oil in a large nonreactive pot and stir in the flour. Stir over medium-high heat until the flour is absorbed. Add the onions and celery. The flour will stick to the vegetables. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables wilt slightly. Add the okra, tomatoes and stock. Stir until the stock comes to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for at least 45 minutes, uncovered. Stir in the garlic. At this point, the gumbo may be refrigerated for one to two days.

Check the consistency of the gumbo. You may have to thin it a bit with a little water or stock. Before serving, bring the gumbo to a boil and add the shrimp, crabmeat and shucked oysters. Cook the mixture no longer than one to two minutes, depending on the size of the shrimp and oysters. Season with hot sauce and salt, to taste. Ladle over hot cooked rice.

Serves six.