In the Hands of a Chef (29 page)

5.
While the fish is cooking, season the tomato halves with salt and pepper and toss with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Grill cut side down until charred, 4 minutes or less, depending on the heat of the grill—the idea is to char, not incinerate, them. Don’t disturb them until they’ve gotten a good sear, then carefully peel them off the grill and cook on the second side for another 2 minutes. They should be cooked, but not mushy. If they appear to be cooking too fast (hint: the skin is turning black), either shift them to a cooler part of the grill or remove them and cover. If covered, they’ll continue cooking off the grill.

6.
Put a healthy dollop of the potato-basil purée on each plate. Arrange the fish on top and sprinkle with the olives. Put 3 tomato halves on each plate. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the fish, drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, and garnish with the basil leaves and lemon quarters. Serve immediately.

I
’m always surprised when I
encounter people who love bluefish but won’t give mackerel a chance. I’m convinced its color and price scare people away (it’s often the cheapest fish at the fishmonger’s—ergo, it
can’t
be good). For others it’s memories of canned mackerel, which bears no comparison to the fresh whole fish. Mackerel is a firm, dark-fleshed fish with a moist meaty texture and sweet flavor that takes well to relishes. The eggplant dish included here is similar to Sicilian caponata, a sweet-and-sour eggplant salad.

Mackerel is often displayed whole, all the better to judge its freshness. As with bluefish, its fat content makes it more perishable than leaner fish. It should appear glistening and fresh, with clear eyes and no smell. If you’ve never grilled whole fish, mackerel is a good place to start. A ¾-pound fish is a healthy portion for a single person. The skin crisps deliciously, and its high fat content both keeps the fish moist and cuts down on the likelihood of sticking. With just a little care, you can produce grilled whole fish that looks spectacular and tastes great. For this recipe, though, ask the fishmonger to fillet it for you. Explain that you want to end up with 1½ to 2 pounds of fillets (two fillets for each person) with the skin on.

This is definitely a dish whose leftovers are worth saving. Cold grilled mackerel is a tasty fish, especially with a spicy mayonnaise like aïoli or rouille (page 13). The eggplant salad is actually intended to be served at room temperature, and it even improves with a day of sitting in the refrigerator.

MAKES 4 ENTRÉE SERVINGS

EGGPLANT RELISH

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus additional (optional) for drizzling

1 medium eggplant (about 1 pound), chopped into ½-inch dice

1 small white onion, chopped into ¼-inch dice

2 celery stalks, peeled and chopped into ¼-inch dice

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon crushed toasted coriander seeds

½ teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon tomato paste

2 medium tomatoes, peeled (see page 55), seeded, and chopped into ½-inch dice

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar

3 tablespoons chopped and pitted Sicilian green olives

2 tablespoons capers, rinsed

1 cup canned tomatoes, coarsely chopped, with their juices

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1½ to 2 pounds mackerel fillets, skin on (8 fillets)

¼ cup vegetable oil, or as needed

1 lemon, quartered

DO AHEAD:
The eggplant relish can be prepared a day ahead and refrigerated. Allow it to come up to room temperature before serving.

1.
Heat cup of the oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the eggplant and sear until golden on all sides (it won’t be cooked through). Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a plate. Add 2 tablespoons more oil to the pan. Add the onion and celery and cook until they start to brown, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, less than a minute. Add the coriander seeds, red pepper flakes, and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.

2.
Add the remaining ¼ cup olive oil to the pan, along with the fresh tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, olives, and capers. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 4 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes with their juices, and the eggplant. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the eggplant is tender. Season with salt and pepper and stir in 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley. Let cool to room temperature.

3.
Prepare a hot fire in a grill. A grill is hot when you can hold your hand near the grilling surface for no longer than a count of 2 before having to pull it away. The cooking times are given for a gas grill, with the lid closed; if using a wood or charcoal grill, cook with the lid off and reduce the cooking times. Make sure the grill grate is clean to minimize sticking.

4.
Season the mackerel fillets with salt and pepper on both sides, and brush both sides with the vegetable oil. Grill skin side down until the fish is three-quarters cooked, about 4 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets. The skin should be charred, and the fish should come off the grill easily.

5.
Flip the fish and cook on the second side until done, probably only a minute or two. The fillets should be opaque all the way through.

6.
Spoon a quarter of the eggplant mixture into the middle of each plate. Place 2 mackerel fillets (or a fillet, depending on the size) on top of the eggplant mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining chopped parsley. Drizzle with additional olive oil, if desired. Garnish with the lemon quarters and serve immediately.

S
had roe was one of
the strange foods like kippered herring that my father occasionally made for breakfast—and I avoided. Now I think it’s a treat, a genuine seasonal delicacy. It’s available only a few short weeks in mid-March and April, and its appearance always reminds me that despite the snow on the ground, warm weather is indeed on the way.

Shad roe are usually sold in “pairs, “ or “sets, “ attached pink lobes or sacs containing a firm mass of eggs. Cooked, the roe has a rich, distinctively nutty flavor and silky texture. Bacon, capers, and lentils are all traditional French accompaniments. In this recipe the pairs are briefly poached, then sautéed and served accompanied by lentils and wilted greens. You could easily double the recipe for an entrée, but the roe is so rich that an appetizer portion really is more than enough.

MAKES 4 ENTRÉE SERVINGS

LENTILS

2 ounces thinly sliced smoked bacon, cut crosswise into ½-inch thick pieces

½ small carrot, peeled and chopped into ½-inch dice

½ celery stalk, peeled and chopped into ½-inch dice

3 shallots, chopped into ½-inch dice

1 garlic clove, minced

½ cup French green lentils (le Puy), rinsed and picked over for stones

2 bay leaves

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

SHAD ROE

4 cups water

½ cup dry white wine

1 small onion, sliced ¼ inch thick

1 celery stalk, peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick

2 sprigs thyme

10 peppercorns

2 bay leaves

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 pairs shad roe (about ½ pound each)

About ½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour

7 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 shallot, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon capers, rinsed

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

¼ pound bitter greens, such as arugula or chicory

1.
In a heavy saucepan, cook the bacon over medium heat until it has rendered its fat but is not yet crispy. Add the carrot, celery, shallots, and garlic and cook until they just begin to brown around the edges but are still crisp, about 3 minutes. Transfer the vegetables and bacon to a bowl, leaving the fat in the pan.

2.
Add the lentils and bay leaves to the saucepan. Add enough water to cover the lentils by an inch. Bring to a boil, then immediately lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes; add additional water if necessary while the lentils are cooking.

3.
Return the vegetables and bacon to the pan and continue cooking until the lentils and vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 more minutes. The liquid should be almost completely absorbed, with a hint of soupiness. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the thyme and chopped parsley; discard the bay leaves. Keep warm.

4.
To poach the roe, put the water, white wine, onion, celery, thyme sprigs, peppercorns, and bay leaves in a medium saucepan. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes. Gently slip the pairs of roe into the liquid and poach for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and allow the pairs to cool in the poaching liquid.

5.
When the shad roe is cool, remove from the liquid. Trim off any dangling membranes, taking care not to rip the membrane that holds the eggs together. Separate each pair into 2 lobes. Season with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour.

6.
Distribute the lentils among four warm plates. Keep warm.

7.
Heat 6 tablespoons of the butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. As soon as the foam subsides, add the lobes and sear on each side until golden, about
3
minutes per side. Transfer the roe to the plates with the lentils.

8.
Add the shallot to the pan and cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice and capers and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper, add the parsley, and pour over the roe.

9.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter to the pan, increase the heat to high, and add the greens. Season with salt and pepper and toss until they’re slightly wilted. Divide the greens among the plates and serve immediately.

F
or the most part, I
try to keep things as simple as possible when combining seafood and summer vegetables. But not so the French—and on some occasions, jumping through their hoops makes sense. This is a lovely decadent dish whose major effort goes into a rich gratin of summer vegetables with cream. The salmon is very lightly flavored with basil and mint. After the gratin is baked, the salmon is given a quick sear and served atop the vegetables.

MAKES 4 ENTRÉE SERVINGS

Grated zest of ½ lemon

3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, plus 4 sprigs for garnish

3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Four 6-ounce salmon fillets, skin removed

Kosher salt

¼ pound sugar snap peas, strings removed

¼ pound thin string beans, trimmed

¼ pound zucchini, scrubbed and cut into ½-inch dice

¼ pound flat-leaf spinach, trimmed of thick stems, washed, dried, and coarsely chopped

1 ear corn, husked

¼ pound leeks, white part only, trimmed of roots and tough outer leaves, thinly sliced crosswise and swirled vigorously in a bowl of cold water to remove any grit

1 baking potato (about 8 ounces), peeled and cut into ½-inch dice

1 cup heavy cream

1 lemon, halved

Freshly ground black pepper

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots

½ cup toasted bread crumbs

DO AHEAD:
Marinate the salmon with the herbs an hour before cooking. You can shave some preparation time from the final assembly by blanching the vegetables ahead.

1.
In a shallow dish, toss the lemon zest with 2 tablespoons of the mint, 2 tablespoons of the basil, and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Rub the mixture on the salmon. Marinate for 1 hour in the refrigerator.

2.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice water—it should be large enough to hold all of the vegetables. One at a time, briefly blanch the snap peas, string beans, zucchini, spinach, and the ear of corn in the boiling water, then plunge them into the ice water to stop the cooking. The goal is to cook everything just to the point where an element of crispness still remains. The snap peas and string beans will take 1 to 2 minutes, the zucchini about a minute; the spinach only 15 to 30 seconds, and the corn 2 minutes. Remove the corn from the water and use a sharp knife to strip the corn kernels from the cob. Discard the cob.

3.
Fill a small pot with salted water. Add the leeks and potato, bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Plunge into the ice water with the other vegetables. Drain and dry all the vegetables.