There's Nothing Like Fresh Fish..... Amazing!

Once you have truly fresh fish nothing will ever compare. The texture, the aroma, the taste- everything. Right now we live in a land-locked state (poor us!) and so truly fresh fish doesn't exist. If you count fish flown in yet refrigerated, these aren't truly fresh so they don't count and although better than frozen, still not fresh. Sure, there are some heavy duty vendors here that supply the big casinos, with their purchasing power they can get anything! There are also a couple of restaurants here that fly in their own seafood daily from the East Coast (like Bartolotta), but they're on another planet. But for the mere mortal, this is much trickier..... and if you were lucky enough to live on a coast like we were: California, Puerto Vallarta, Nayarit, New York, etc. then you know exactly what I mean, right? Mexico is blessed with not only warm weather and wonderful beaches, but so much great fish and seafood in our culinary dictionary, not to mention so many inventive and creative cooks who do wonders with this lovely food, that we are blessed with nature's bounty. Those of you still in Mexico, take advantage of fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, poultry and fish most of all, go out and celebrate your good luck with some amazing food!!!! Fresh is fresh. Right off the boat, fresh out of the water- that's fresh and you can tell. Everything else is "almost fresh" if it's never been refrigerated, iced or frozen. The taste and texture begin to degrade the minute it comes out of the water, once it dies, no way around that which is why the different in price. You can see and smell freshness and in fish and seafood, it's a BIG deal. It's long been touted that fish is the easiest protein to digest and the best assimilated. It's lighter than meat yet just as nutritious, lower in calories, fat and higher in the good fats you need too. The taste is also much more delicate and subdued so heavy seasoning or saucing isn't called for and therein lies the problem and the benefit, good cooks can do it justice since they know how to use a light touch while heavy handed cooks will simply lower them into mediocrity by overcooking and over seasoning. There is one restaurant which sends me into dreamworld as far as fish and seafood are concerned. It's in New York and it's called, "Le Bernardin" and is headed by one of the Chef's I most admire: Eric Ripert. This is a 3 Michellin Star rated restaurant and Eric Ripert has been considered one of the pre-eminent Chefs in the world. His focus is to use the best ingredients and make them shine with simplicity yet amazing flavors. He promotes sustainable practices and whole / slow foods. I've tried his recipes and can tell you they are among the easiest to re-create and will give you amazing results. Poached Halibut with a Fine Herb Vinaigrette.- The tender texture of the fish with the light acid of the vinaigrette make a perfect pairing with a dry White Wine.1 quart water

6 tablespoons flour ½ cup dry white vermouth ¼ cup lemon juice ¼ cup orange juice ¼ cup sherry vinegar 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 3 to 5 tablespoons canola oil 4 (6 ounce) halibut fillets ¼ cup fresh cut chives, parsley, tarragon and chervil (Fines Herbs) Fine sea salt and freshly ground white pepper

1. Bring the water to a boil in a wide shallow pot over high heat. Whisk the flour into about ¼ cup of cold water until smooth and stir into the boiling water. Then add the vermouth, lemon juice and orange juice and boil the poaching liquid until it thickens. Season with a generous pinch of salt and reduce the temperature to low heat so that the poaching liquid is hot but not boiling, about 180° F.

2. Combine sherry vinegar and Dijon mustard in a mixing bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the extra virgin olive oil to emulsify the vinaigrette and just enough canola oil to balance out the acidity.

3. Generously season the halibut fillets with salt and white pepper and place them in the poaching liquid. Poach the fish until it feels just barely warm in the center when a metal skewer is inserted into the fish and left in for 5 seconds. About 3-4 min.

4. While the halibut is cooking, chop the herbs and stir the herb mix into the vinaigrette. Do this almost when ready to serve, the herbs will loose flavor and color if done in advance.

5. When the fish is cooked, remove the fillets from the poaching liquid with a slotted spatula onto a towel lined plate or tray to take off the liquid. Then transfer the halibut fillets to large warm plates, spoon the vinaigrette over and around the fish and serve immediately. ***********************************

Snapper with Coconut Curry Sauce with Tropical Fried Rice.- Fresh fish with tropical flavors lend this dish a summer feel you will come to love!

The Fried Rice: 1½ cups basmati rice (I use long grain) 4 tablespoons olive oil 2 teaspoons minced ginger 3 tablespoons sliced scallions (green onions) 1 jalapeño, diced, deveined ¼ cup diced banana ½ cup diced apple ¼ cup golden raisins ¼ cup sliced almonds Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Cilantro chiffonade for garnish(cut in very fine ribbons)

The Coconut Curry Sauce and Snapper: 2 tablespoons canola oil 1 shallot, thinly sliced (or finely chopped onion) 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1 stalk lemongrass, thinly sliced 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh ginger 2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste 1 teaspoon Madras curry powder ½ cup chicken stock 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 4 (6-ounce) snapper filets ¼ cup fresh lime juice ½ cup fresh basil, julienned Pinch salt

1. Rinse and drain the basmati rice. Place the rice in a small sauce pan with 2 ½ cups of water and a pinch of salt. Bring the rice to a boil over high heat, lower the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes until most of the water has been absorbed. Place a tight fitting lid on the pan and remove from heat and let sit for another 10 minutes. Spread the rice out on a sheet pan and cool. 2. Prepare the sauce by heating the canola oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot, garlic, lemongrass, and ginger and sauté until softened. Add the Thai curry paste and curry powder and stir to combine. Add the chicken stock and simmer for about 10 minutes, until lightly reduced. Add the coconut milk and simmer for 5 more minutes, for the flavors to come together. Remove the curry sauce from the heat and season to taste with salt and pepper. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a wide shallow saucepan. 3. Season the snapper fillets generously with salt. Place the seasoned fish into the pan with sauce and cook the fish on medium heat, until it is just warm in the center, basting occasionally for about 6 to 8 minutes; a metal skewer should be easily inserted into the fish and, when left in for 5 seconds, feel just warm when touched to the lip. 4. While the fish is cooking, heat a large non-stick pan with olive oil over high heat. Add the ginger, scallion and jalapeno to the pan and very quickly toss until fragrant. Add the rice, banana, apple, raisin and almonds and season to taste with salt, pepper. Garnish rice with cilantro, finish snapper with julienne of basil and serve immediately. ******************************* Cioppino.- The Italian favorite and one of ours too. Any fish or shellfish will work and everyone will love it! 6 oz tomato sauce (your favorite type) 6 oz cioppino sauce (see below) 6 oz clam broth 5 mussels 5 clams 6 shrimp 5 oz calamari 3 crab legs or 4 oz crabmeat 3 small fish fillets Cioppino Sauce: 1 large onion 2 stalks celery 1 fennel bulb 1/2 cup olive oil 8 oz clam base 1 tsp salt & pepper 2 tbl fennel seeds 1 tsp red pepper flakes 1 gal pomodoro sauce, preferably Italian tomatoes Chop vegetables either by hand or in food processor. Add oil to large stockpot and add vegetables, cook for about 5 min. Add clam juice and clam base. Add salt, pepper, fennel seed, chili flakes, tomato sauce. Cook at least 30 min on low heat. Reserve. In a large pan, at least 2 in deep, add a couple of ladle fulls of the cioppino sauce and 1 of tomato sauce, a serving spoon of clam juice and bring to a boil. Lower heat and add the mussels, clams and stir for 2-3 min. If desired, add more chili flakes. Add shrimp and fish. Cook for about 3-4 min then add the crab legs and finally the calamari. Once you're ready to serve top with crab meat if using. Serve with some garlic bread or toast. ************************************ I hope you will be able to try these recipes. Fish and seafood are so great, everyone should be a fan, right? It doesn't matter what type of food you're into since all of them have terrific fish and seafood recipes, so whether you like American, Mexican, French, Italian, Indian, Thai, Chinese or whatever..... they're all good. I've got some leftover Bouillabaisse I made at school that I've been saving and it's so fantastic, I can hardly wait..... YUM! So go ahead and treat yourself to the best you can find while you give your body excellent nutrition and make some fresh fish today!