In the kitchen, the leftover, not necessity, is the mother of invention. Last night while casting about for dinner ingredients I came up with: four mushrooms a bit past their prime, one frozen flounder filet, and a half dozen frozen shrimp. For reasons I cannot begin to explain risotto came to mind. What turned out was a thick creamy porridge-like dish reminiscent of a rich chowder, hence the whimsical name. Note that bay scallops would be a great substitute for, or addition to, the shrimp. You could, of course, eschew the bacon if you prefer a meat-free meal.
Accompanied by a green salad this recipe serves two generously.
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Ingredients |
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60 grams |
2 ounces |
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Shrimp or bay scallops |
170 grams |
6 ounces |
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White fish filet in small pieces |
85 grams |
3 ounces |
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Olive oil |
As needed |
As needed |
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Bacon, one rasher, chopped |
30 grams |
1 ounce |
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Onion, one medium, diced |
140 grams |
5 ounces |
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Arborio rice |
240 grams |
8 ounces (1 cup) |
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Dry white wine or vermouth |
60 milliliters |
¼ cup |
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Shellfish or fish stock |
750 milliliters |
3 cups |
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Heavy cream (36%) |
30 milliliters |
2 Tablespoons |
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Salt and pepper |
To taste |
To taste |
Bring the stock to a simmer and keep warm.
Film the bottom of a saucepan with olive oil and sauté the mushrooms over medium heat until they become fragrant and release their liquid. Set aside. If needed, add a bit more oil to the pan and sauté the shrimp until just done, about 2 minutes. Set aside with mushrooms. Do the same with the fish.
In the same pan cook the bacon, stirring often, until it is almost crispy. Add the onion and sauté until translucent but not browned. Add the rice and fry, stirring constantly until chalky, about 2 or 3 minutes. Stir in the wine or vermouth and allow to mostly evaporate.
Begin adding the stock 60 milliliters (2 ounces) at a time stirring after each addition until it is nearly absorbed. Continue until the rice is creamy and just al dente. Stir in the cream then fold in the mushrooms and seafood. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Stretching from Buzzards Bay to Narragansett Bay, roughly from Taunton past New Bedford to Fall River, the South Coast of Massachusetts is known for its diverse population and, especially, for its Portuguese fishermen. And it is famous for its Portuguese-style seafood soups and chowders. Unlike the creamy Irish-style “New England” chowders found farther north, these have a distinct Mediterranean flair. (Manhattan clam chowder actually originated here.) Besides a variety of fish and seafood, these chowders include spicy Portuguese chourico sausage. In fact, I would say that chourico and tomatoes are pretty much the essence of South Coast soups. So feel free to use whatever fish or shellfish you have on hand. You can hardly go wrong.
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Ingredients |
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1 tablespoon |
15 ml |
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Bay leaves |
2 |
2 |
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Chourico, sliced ¼ (6 mm) thick |
6 ounces |
170 grams |
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Onion, chopped |
6 ounces |
170 grams |
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Green bell pepper, chopped |
4 ounces |
110 grams |
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Tomatoes, coarsely chopped |
1 14½ ounce can |
1 411 gram can |
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Garlic, minced |
1 tablespoon |
15 ml |
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Allspice berries |
4 or 5 |
4 or 5 |
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Firm potatoes, cubed |
12 ounces |
340 grams |
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Fish stock or clam juice |
about 2 cups |
about 500 ml |
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Pimentón (optional) |
¼ teaspoon |
1 ml |
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Old Bay™ seasoning (optional) |
½ teaspoon |
2½ ml |
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Salt and pepper |
to taste |
to taste |
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Minced clams |
1 6½ ounce can |
1 184 gram can |
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Cod or haddock, cubed |
8 ounces |
225 grams |
Heat the oil in a heavy soup pot or Dutch oven over a medium flame. Brown the bay leaves in the hot oil for a minute or so then add the chourico. Cook, stirring often, until rendered and brown. In the same pot, sauté the onions and bell pepper until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes, garlic, and allspice to the mix and cook for a further couple of minutes.
Add the potatoes to the pot along with enough stock to just cover them. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer gently for about 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir in the pimentón and Old Bay™ seasoning, if using. Season with salt and pepper.
Gently fold the clams and fish into the broth. Simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes or until fish is cooked through.
Stocks are indispensable in the kitchen. They are the base for soups, risottos, sauces, and gravies. And, if you are like me and hate to waste things, they are great cleansers of the soul because many things that might otherwise be consigned to the garbage get a last chance to shine. Indeed, the best stocks are made from odds and ends along with a few panty basics. For this stock I used a salmon head, shrimp tails and shells, and stems from shiitake mushrooms. The head I bought for the purpose but the rest were trimmings that I collected in a bag in the freezer. Most cookbooks will tell you that salmon is to be avoided for fish stock because of its distinctive flavor. Personally, I do not mind that flavor and anyway salmon heads are pretty much all I can get. One should remove the gills lest they impart bitterness to the stock but I have forgotten to no ill effect. I make my stock in a pressure cooker for speed and convenience but do not let the lack of such a device dissuade you from making stock. Just double or treble the cooking time. Note that the quantities in the recipe are rather vague. There is really no magic formula; use what you have at hand. If the stock is too intense, water it down; if too weak, boil it down a bit. Even a watery stock is better than plain water.
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Ingredients |
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1½ to 2 pounds |
700 to 1000 grams |
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Shrimp, crab, or lobster shells |
½ to 1 pound |
250 to 500 grams |
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Mushroom stems |
2 ounces |
70 grams |
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Onion, coarsely chopped |
1 medium |
1 medium |
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Carrot, coarsely chopped |
2 small |
2 small |
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Celery, coarsely chopped |
1 stalk |
1 stalk |
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Bouquet garni |
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Bay leaves |
2 |
2 |
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Black peppercorns |
8 to 12 |
8 to 12 |
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Thyme |
sprig |
sprig |
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Parsley |
Sprig |
sprig |
Rinse the fish head and remove the gills (or have your fishmonger do it). Put into pressure cooker vessel. Add the crustacean shells, mushroom trimmings, and vegetables. Put the ingredients for the bouquet garni into a large tea ball or tie in a bit of cheesecloth and add to the pot. Cover with water to the limit set by the pressure cooker manufacturers—in mine that is 16 cups. Cook at high pressure (15 psi, 103 kPa) for 30 minutes. Allow the cooker to cool for about 15 minutes. Release pressure according to manufacturer’s instructions. Pour the stock through a colander into a large bowl then filter through cheesecloth or a reusable coffee filter into suitable storage containers—I use 1 quart screw top plastic freezer containers. Freeze for up to several months.
The Brazilian coastal state of Bahia is known for its rich cultural mix including many descendants of its earlier largely Yoruba slave population. Their influence is evident in the local popularity of dende oil, palm kernel oil similar to that used extensively in West African cooking. (In fact, depending on when you live, you may only be able to find the West African version. If so, dilute with equal parts of a light, neutral oil to approximate the Brazilian product. If you can find neither substitute olive oil colored with a bit of paprika and turmeric.) This rich stew of seafood flavored with chilies, peanuts, coconut, and palm oil is typical of Afro-Brazilian cuisine. Serve it simply over rice or with Brazilian black-eyed pea fritters, acarajé.
Note: Vatapá is usually thickened with bread crumbs. To make the dish gluten-free I have substituted potatoes. Feel free to replace the potatoes with fresh, untoasted breadcrumbs.
Ingredients |
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6 ounces |
170 grams |
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Garlic |
2 or 3 cloves |
2 or 3 cloves |
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Serrano, jalapeño, or other hot chili |
1 to 4, or to taste |
1 to 4, or to taste |
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Bell pepper (1 small) |
2 ounces |
60 grams |
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Dried shrimp* |
½ cup |
125 ml |
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Dende oil or substitute |
2 tablespoons |
30 ml |
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Fish stock or water |
½ cup |
125 ml |
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Peanut butter, natural |
¼ cup (2 ounces) |
60 grams |
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Potatoes, mashed |
4 ounces |
112 grams |
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Coconut milk |
1 cup |
250 ml |
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Fish, firm white |
8 ounces |
250 grams |
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Shrimp, peeled and deveined |
8 ounces |
250 grams |
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Salt and pepper |
to taste |
to taste |
* If you cannot find Brazilian dried shrimp use a teaspoon (5 ml) of Thai shrimp paste or just omit.
Coarsely chop the onion, garlic, chilies, and bell pepper then puree in a food processor along with the dried shrimp, adding a bit of water if necessary.
Heat one half of the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion mixture and sauté until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes.
Add the stock and peanut butter, stirring until fully incorporated. Mix in the potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 5 minutes to meld the flavors.
Stir in the coconut milk and remaining oil. Fold in the fish and shrimp. Simmer for another 5 or 6 minutes, or until shrimp and fish are done.
If anything good can be said to have come out of British imperialism surely Jamaican cuisine would be high on the list. The blending of African and Indian flavors and textures is absolutely sublime. To come up with this recipe I combined traditional West Indian codfish cakes with Jamaican vegetable fritters that resemble Indian pakora. I used haddock but any flaky white fish will do. You can make them small as snacks or, as I have here, as meal-sized cakes. Serve them with mayonnaise to which you have added some Jamaican curry powder.
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Ingredients |
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4 ounces |
120 g |
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Cooking oil |
1 tablespoon |
30 ml |
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Carrot, shredded |
1 medium |
1 medium |
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Onion, finely chopped |
1 medium |
1 medium |
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Garlic, minced |
3 cloves |
3 cloves |
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Ginger, grated |
1 tablespoon |
30 ml |
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Jamaican curry powder |
1 tablespoon |
30 ml |
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Cayenne pepper |
to taste |
to taste |
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Eggs, lightly beaten |
1 large |
1 large |
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All purpose or rice flour* |
1 cup |
125 g |
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Water |
as needed |
as needed |
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Salt |
to taste |
to taste |
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Oil for frying |
see Method |
see Method |
*Note: replace up to half the flour with chickpea (besan) flour for a taste more like pakora.
Steam or microwave the fish until just done. Flake and set aside.
Heat the one tablespoon of oil in a frying pan and sauté the carrot, onion, garlic, and ginger until soft. Stir in the curry powder and cayenne, then the egg. Fold in the reserved fish. Mix in the flour, a bit at a time, to form a thick batter adding a bit of water if needed. Season with salt to taste. Wet your hands and form the mixture into patties of whatever size you prefer.
In a heavy cast iron skillet heat about ¼ inch (6 mm) of oil. When almost smoking add the patties and cook for about 2 or 3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. Serve either hot or cold.
Recently I learned that some in the West believe fish and yogurt to be a poisonous combination. Fortunately no one informed the people of Bengal, who proudly call themselves Bongs, otherwise we would not have this lovely dish, known in the local language as Doi Maach. In India or Bangladesh it is often made with rohu, a variety of carp common in the Ganges delta. Not having any rohu I used haddock but any firm, non-oily, white fish would do. Serve it hot with plain basmati or other long grain white rice.
I adapted this recipe from one published at about.com.
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Ingredients |
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1 pound |
500 grams |
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Onion (1 medium) |
3 ounces |
85 grams |
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Plain Greek yogurt |
1 cup |
250 grams |
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Ginger paste |
1 tablespoon |
15 milliliters |
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Garlic paste |
1 tablespoon |
15 milliliters |
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Turmeric powder |
½ teaspoon |
2½ milliliters |
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Indian chili powder (mirch) or cayenne |
½ teaspoon |
2½ milliliters |
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Corn starch (see note) |
1 teaspoon |
5 milliliters |
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Mustard oil (preferred) or substitute |
2 tablespoons |
30 milliliters |
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Whole cloves |
3 |
3 |
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Whole black peppercorns |
5 |
5 |
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Whole green cardamoms |
2 |
2 |
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Cinnamon stick |
1-inch piece |
25 mm piece |
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Bay leaf, preferably Indian |
1 medium |
1 medium |
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Onion, finely chopped |
4 ounces |
120 grams |
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Salt |
to taste |
to taste |
Cut the fish into 1-inch (25 mm) cubes. Puree the onion to a paste in a food processor or blender. Combine the yogurt, onion paste, ginger paste, garlic paste, turmeric, chili powder, and corn starch. (Note: the corn starch will help non-fat or low-fat yogurt from separating.) Add the fish to the mixture and mix in gently. Marinate in the refrigerator for an hour or two.
Place a skillet large enough to hold the fish and marinade over medium heat. When hot add the oil then the whole spices, i.e. cloves, peppercorns, cardamom, cinnamon, and bay leaf. Fry until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the chopped onion and sauté until starting to color, about 5 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the heat and allow to cool for a minute or two. Turn in the fish and marinade, folding gently to combine with the spices and onion. Return to low heat and simmer until the fish is done and the marinade has turned golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt.
Last February I posted a version of this Portuguese-style fish chowder using frozen and canned ingredients. Now that fresh vegetables are abundant I thought it a good time to reprise it with fresh. Alas, the fish I used was frozen since fresh cod is very expensive here but if you can get fresh by all means use it. Remember that the stock is the key to the final result so use a good fish or seafood stock (I made mine from a salmon head and some shrimp shells) but do not use too much—this is a chowder, not a soup. Enjoy it with a glass of wine and perhaps some crusty Portuguese rolls.
Note: chourico is a spicy Portuguese sausage that it pretty readily available in New England and the Northeast. If you cannot find it you can substitute fresh chorizo or kielbasa. If you do use kielbasa, render it before using because it tends to be much fattier than chourico.
Serves 2 to 4
Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot or enameled Dutch oven over medium heat. When hot add the bay leaves and cook for a few minutes until they turn brown. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 30 seconds or until fragrant and lightly golden. Add the onions and allspice. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the chourico and sauté for yet another 5 minutes. Finally, add the potatoes and stir for a couple of minutes to coat with the fat in the pan. Deglaze the pot with the wine then pour in the stock. If needed add a bit of water to just cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil then cover and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.
Uncover the pot and stir in the tomatoes and green beans. Season with a generous grind of black pepper and salt to taste. Turn the heat up a bit to maintain a simmer for another 10 minutes.
Gently fold in the fish—you do not want to break it—and simmer for a final 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
The Internet is a wonderful resource for cooks but it is not without its pitfalls. Search for a classic dish and you will find dozens of recipes most using different ingredients and techniques. But read through enough of these and usually a pattern will emerge. Take this classic fish dish from the Tuscan port of Livorno. Some recipes have you fry the fish, some do not; some bake the dish, others not; some have potatoes, some not. What is consistent, however, is that all contain tomatoes, olives, and capers. Some recipes use the tomatoes chopped up while others use a tomato sauce. I chose the latter because I happened to have some marinara sauce in the refrigerator. Another feature of the dish is that it usually contains a fair bit of olive oil. While some call for the oil to be poured over the fish I opted to blanch potatoes in it to reduce the baking time and minimize the chance that the fish would dry out. Caution: do not be tempted to top this dish with Parmesan; Italians never use cheese with fish.
Preheat the oven to 350°.
Heat the oil in a large skillet until a potato slice dropped into it immediately sizzles. Add the potatoes one slice at a time in one layer. Fry for about 3 or 4 minutes, turning once, until they are lightly browned but not crisp. Remove to a colander to drain and cool. Repeat until all the potatoes are done.
Put the onions into the hot oil and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and squeeze out as much oil as you can. Set aside.
When they are cool enough to handle, arrange half of the potato slices on the bottom of a small baking dish, overlapping them. Spread the onions over the potatoes. Place the fish in a single layer over the onions and distribute the anchovies on top of it. Sprinkle the olives and capers over the dish then cover with the rest of the potato slices. Season with salt and pepper. Finally, pour over the marinara sauce to cover.
Bake in the hot oven for 25 to 35 minutes or until a thermometer stuck into the fish reads 140°. Garnish with the shredded basil leaves and serve immediately.
How can you pass up a cookbook called Around the World in 450 Recipes (London: Hermes House, 2005), especially when it is less than $7.00 at your local mega-mart shoppers’ club? I especially like its British perspective on American food but more about that another time because today I am exploring food using coconut milk. I adapted this recipe from the chapter of the book titled “India” but I suspect it is actually Sri Lankan. By the way, I am not color blind; it is called green curry because it contains coriander leaves.
A note about coconut milk: it is not as some believe the liquid inside a coconut. Rather it is made from coconut flesh. Traditionally the grated coconut was soaked in hot water then the milk was laboriously extracted with a large mortar and pestle. I learned from a long-ago Sri Lankan roommate to make it in a blender using desiccated coconut—a recipe follows. You can buy coconut milk in a can but many Asians consider it too thick.
In a bowl large enough to hold the fish mix the turmeric, lime juice, and salt. Add the fish pieces and turn to coat evenly. Set aside to marinate for 15 minutes at room temperature or at least 30 minutes under refrigeration.
Put the onion, Serrano peppers, garlic, peanuts, and fennel seed into a food processor and pulse to break up. Add the thick coconut milk and puree to a thick paste, adding a bit more coconut milk if needed. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed, well-seasoned or non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat and, when hot, add the cumin seeds. Fry them, stirring often, until they become fragrant and begin to pop. Add the ground coriander and fry for about 30 seconds being careful not burn either of the spices. Pour the paste in all at once and stir to incorporate the browned spices. Fry, stirring, until it has thickened and browned a bit, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the thin coconut milk and the cilantro leaves. Cook for a further 3 or 4 minutes or until slightly thickened
Add the fish pieces to the pan, return the gravy to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, turning the fish from time to time.
As suggested in the book, I served it with Pea and Mushroom Pilaf.
To make coconut milk:
Put 1 cup of unsweetened desiccated coconut into the jar of a blender (a food processor does not work as well) and pour in 1¼ cups boiling water. Allow to stand for a few minutes then blend on high speed for about 30 seconds. Pour into a strainer over a bowl. Squeeze as much liquid as you can out of the coconut. This is called thick coconut milk. Return the coconut to the blender and repeat the process with another 1¼ cup of boiling water. Strain into a second bowl. This is the thin coconut milk. If a recipe does not specify which to use I simply mix them together. To get coconut cream, let the thick milk sit until it separates. The cream is what forms on top.
Whatever you do not use right away will keep for a few days in the refrigerator. Warm a bit in the microwave to recombine before using.
The area of Massachusetts and Rhode Island surrounding New Bedford, called the South Coast, is home to a large population of the descendants of immigrant Portuguese fishermen. Those fishermen, or course, caught the prized fish of the region, cod, and certainly ate it regularly with the spicy chourico sausage they had brought from their homeland. This hearty chowder, reminiscent of the cioppino the Portuguese introduced to the San Francisco Bay area, is perfect for a winter’s night with a nor’easter howling outside.
Heat a 6-quart enameled Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium heat and add the olive oil. When hot add the bay leaves and cook for a few minutes until they turn brown. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 30 seconds or until it is golden. Add the onions and allspice. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the chourico and sauté for yet another 5 minutes. Then add the potatoes and stir for a couple of minutes or until coated with the fat in the pan. Finally pour in enough stock to just cover the potatoes, turn up the heat to bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for 10 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and green beans to the pot and simmer, uncovered, for another 10 minutes. Season with a generous grind of black pepper and salt to taste. Gently stir in the fish—you do not want to break it—and simmer for a final 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and sprinkle on the cilantro. Let the chowder to sit for 10 minutes before serving.
