Cooking A Whole Fish Is Not As Hard As You Think

Instructions:
Rinse fish inside and out with cold water, pat dry with paper towel.

Stuff cavity with salt, pepper, lemon, parsley, or any favorite herbs or spices.
Drizzle skin with olive oil. Place in a loose pouch of heavy duty aluminum foil and splash with white wine. Roll the foil shut so that liquid or air can’t escape but leave a space between the top of the fish and the top of the foil pouch.

Cook on medium-high grill for 12-18 minutes depending on size of the fish.

Feast of the Seven Fishes 2014

Every year, I like to do something special during the holidays with Mr. M&P and I. We end up spending so much time hosting and seeing family and friends that there isn't much time to devote to ourselves. With that said, years ago, I decided to do a special Feast of the Seven Fishes for just us two. It's just a nice gesture to celebrate another year together. This year, I decided to do an Asian theme for the seven course.

First course, shrimp har gow or crystal dumplings. I chopped up some shrimp with pork fat and bamboo shoots. Then I made wrappers with wheat starch and tapioca starch making a translucent skin when cooked. I added a little bit of cilantro on top for extra flavor and color. These actually turned out to be pretty good but the wrappers were so difficult to work with. Even with my dumpling making skills, I could probably never make these again just because they were really difficult.



As for the taste, I really enjoyed the sweetness of the shrimp with the fattiness of the pork. The bamboo shoots added a nice textural contrast to the softer proteins. The wrapper became slightly chewy but soft.

Read more »

Barchetta

For Ms. Lollipop's birthday, we went to Barchetta. She is known to love seafood both raw and cooked. Barchetta is David Pasternack's new seafood place. It opened with mixed reviews but we wanted to go and judge ourselves. The space is open, bright, and modern. They didn't change much from the previous restaurant (La Promenade des Anglais) so we recognized it right away.

Due to lighting and our larger group, it was difficult to take pictures of other people's dishes. So I only took my own and the birthday girl's food.



To start, I had the Calamari alla Piastra ($16) which was grilled whole squid with red hot pepper and arugula salad. The squid was cooked nicely and I enjoyed it being left whole with tentacles and all. Inside, they left the ink sack as well so it became a sauce. I enjoyed this and was the perfect amount of food to start the night.

Read more »

Marea

It has been too long since I've last been to Marea. As a big fan of Chef Michael White's restaurants, I really should revisit many of his establishments. The problem is that he keeps opening up more places! How can I balance it all out?

A few months ago, my family and I went out to Marea to celebrate the boys' birthdays as well as Mother's Day. It was an all in one celebration! And was I excited when we decided to go to Marea? Oh heck yes!



The decor remains were beautiful as ever while the tone of the restaurant was bustling with conversation. Service was smooth and attentive as usual. And now the food. The meal started with an amuse bouche of smoked trout and marscapone cheese profiteroles. Little bites of smokey, creamy fish. It tasted rich and lightly of the sea. A really nice savory start to the meal.

Read more »

Seafare Chippery

Interesting thing about my new neighborhood is the variety of fish and chips places. These stand alone fried fish and seafood joints certainly only make one type of cuisine. You would think that just one place would satisfy the many in the surrounding towns. But behold, there are several to choose from. The closest to me is the Sea Fare Chippery. It's easily spotted off the roast as a small blue building with a giant anchor outside.

The menu is short, the service is fast and friend. Since we wanted to try a variety of things, Mr. M&P and I shared a bunch of things. First, the seafood salad ($10) for a large pint. As one of the few items not fried, this was delicious. Fresh tasting seafood, bright olive oil, and tasty herbs envelope each piece of mussel, clam, shrimp, conch, and calamari. Normally, seafood salad is priced per pound making it a pricey dish. Not so here.

Read more »

Cooking: Stuffed Calamari

The main dish may have been satisfactory enough but I always do more. I did stuffed calamari again but this time with pesto sauce instead of marinara. Unfortunately, I used a pesto that I wasn't completely happy with. Next time, I should stick with my gut feeling and use what I think is good.

Read more »

Independence Day Party

Shortly into the Spring and Summer, I realized that most of my big family parties are based during the winter months. So much time passes by before I have people over for a big feast. Sure, I'll have dinner parties here and there but nothing like a big spread to impress. So for this year's Independence Day, I decide to host a party. The really difference was that I made it a lunch instead of my normal dinners.

So here is what I made for my beloved family: lobster rolls, make your own pulled pork sandwiches with cole slaw, corn, Korean spiced chicken wings, and potato salad.

Read more »