fish

Travel Costa Rica! Eating Local

09 Apr 2011
fried fish with plantains

Simple food honestly prepared. Whole fried fish with plantains, served outside on the weathered boards of a rustic table, accompanied by beer and hot sauce.

Ocean breeze and shanty shade to protect us from the sun. The sound of something Latin and soulful crackling through speakers that have spent too much time in the salty air. The beat, somewhere between Soca and Salsa, competes with the crash of the waves.

These are the kinds of places I seek out when I travel.

I found one such place in Quepos, Costa Rica. It's called Bahia Azul. It's a simple place with rusty fixtures, broken chairs and happy people. It's not the kind of place you'd find many tourists. It's a bit off the beaten path. From the outside it may even seem a bit intimidating. Maybe not "clean" in the way Americans are used to, but it is authentic, and perfectly delicious.

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Notes From The Kona Coast: A Trio of Hawaiian Poke

06 Sep 2010
A Trio of Hawaiian Poke

During my time along the Kona coast I have made an effort to introduce myself to authentic Hawaiian foods. Poke is a raw fish dish and is a great example of authentic Hawaiian food because modern poke represents the best of the traditional and is friendly to modern influences and flavors.

For many people living in (and visiting) Hawaii poke is a food staple. According to my research, poke has been eaten on these islands longer than any other food. Captain James Cook was even served a simple form of poke during his visits to Hawaii as far back as 1878.

Today poke can be found everywhere from high-end resorts to hole-in-the-wall eateries. It comes pre-made at the grocery store, or lovingly prepared by home cooks. It is a must at island parties and celebrations. No luau would be complete with out at least 3 or 4 poke choices. Chef Sam Choy considers two things when determining how "local" a diner is when they visit Hawaiian restuarants: Their ability to eat peas with chopsticks and a proper appreciation for Island Style raw fish. In other words poke is the king of all Hawaiian Food.

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You Say Cacciucco, I say Brodetto- Rustic Italian Fish Soup

02 Jun 2010
Sippity Sup's version of Italian Fish Soup Brodetto

If you speak Italian you probably realize that brodetto is a word that means more than one thing. To those in Florence brodetto is an eggy bread soup with lots of lemon served at Easter. However in towns closer to the Adriatic brodetto is a hearty kind of fish stew similar to what we might call cioppino, or what the Tuscans might refer to as cacciucco.

Why the confusion? Well, until modern times very few Italians spoke “Italian”! There were regional dialects and most people were more comfortable speaking the language of their families.

But all this does not explain why I had a bit of trouble finding a recipe for the traditional Italian fish soup I know as brodetto, and the point of this story. You see, it all started in Palm Springs last weekend. I know, I know– Palm Springs and Italian fish soup is a stretch, but let me explain. You see I discovered in Palm Springs that Marcalla Hazan has a wonderful version of brodetto in one of her cookbooks. I happened to flip through a copy while at a friend’s house there.

After glancing at that recipe (I saw pureed fish heads and I was sold) I knew I was destined to come home and research this soup. It’s what I do when I get food obsessed. But in this instance, I should have borrowed the book. Because when I got home I scoured the internet and my vast collection of cookbooks seeking out a version of her recipe or at least something similar enough. It was a no go! I came up empty handed. Partly because brodetto could be so many things, local ingredients seem to be the ties that bind the dish to the name. Those ingredients do not even have to be fish!

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Brodetto- Italian Fish Soup

Sippity Sup's Brodetto- Italian Fish Soup
By jgreghenry Published June 2, 2010
Prep time: 90
Yield:1 ()

Ingredients:

  • 4 lb white fish, such as sole, flounder, snapper, or bass
  • 12 very large shrimp, unpeeled heads attached (optional)
  • 1 leek, white and light-green parts only
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 10 sli sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 10 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 4 whole cloves
  • 2.5 t fennel seeds
  • 12 whole black peppercorns
  • 1 medium onion, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
  • 2 stalks celery, cut in 1/4" dice
  • 2 medium carrots, scrubbed and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
  • 3 T unsalted butter, divided
  • 2 fennel bulbs, cored & cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick slivers
  • 3 clv garlic, peeled and minced
  • 2 T shallots, minced
  • 2 c bottled clam juice
  • 1 lb calamari, cleaned, cone removed, cut into 1/4 inch rings, tentacles left intact
  • 1 t vegetable oil
  • 2 T tomato paste
  • 0 salt and black pepper to taste
  • 4 roma tomatoes, seeded and roughly chopped
  • 0 plenty of chopped parsley leaves for garnish
  • 0 very good olive oil for drizzling
  • 1 c dry white wine
  • 24 small clams, scrubbed
  • 24 mussels, scrubbed and debearded

Directions

Fillet the fish, cut the flesh into uniformed sized chunks to assure they cook evenly. Set them aside. Remove the gills and any traces of blood from fish heads; thoroughly wash bones, and cut them to fit into a 12-quart stockpot. Place heads and bones in a large bowl, and set aside. Shrimp would have been too valuable to make it into an authentic brodetto, but if you are using some remove the heads legs and peels, adding them them to the bowl with the bones. Set the shrimps themselves aside separate from the fish. Quarter leek lengthwise; cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Transfer to a bowl of cold water; let stand 5 minutes to rid leek of sand. Lift out of water; drain in a colander; set aside. Make a bouquet garni by placing bay leaves, parsley, thyme, cloves, fennel seeds, and peppercorns in a 12-inch-square piece of cheesecloth. Form a bundle, and tie with kitchen twine; set aside. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a 12-quart stockpot over medium heat; add cut leek, onion, celery, and half of the fennel slivers; cook until vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Increase heat to medium high, and add fish heads, bones etc. Cook, stirring often, 5 minutes. Add wine, bouquet garni, and 2 1/2 quarts water, covering the bones. Bring liquid to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer 30 minutes, skimming any scum that rises to the surface. Turn off the heat, and let cool slightly. Then using an immersion blender puree the mixture until very smooth. Pour the puree through a fine mesh sieve, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids and add additional water making about 2 quarts. It should be a slightly thickened, brothy consistency. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large saute pan set over medium heat. Add the garlic and shallots, stirring until softened about 3 minutes. Add the clam juice to the pan along with the clams. Raise the temperature to medium-high cover the pan with a lid and cook 3 or 4 minutes shaking the pan once or twice during cooking until the clams open. Remove the clams to a plate, discarding any that do not open. Add the mussels to the same pan and its liquid and cover them cooking them as with the clams, about 3 minutes. Mussels typically take less time than clams to cook, so watch them. Set the open mussels aside with the clams. Discarding any unopened ones. If you are using the shrimp lower the heat on the pan to medium-low. Then add the shrimp in one layer poaching them in the broth you cooked the shellfish in. Cook until barely pink and still slightly under cooked. Set them aside with the shellfish. Repeat this process with the calamari, setting them aside when finished as well. Strain the cooking broth into the stockpot with the fish broth taking care to keep any gritty sediment out of the stock pot. Wipe the saute pan clean and heat the vegetable oil in it over medium-high heat. Add the remaining fennel bulb slivers in as close to a single layer as possible. Cook them, undisturbed until they begin to brown. Then turn them over and cook another two minutes. Remove them from the pan and set them aside. Add the tomato paste to the fish stock and set the stock pot over medium-high heat, once it comes to a simmer and the paste is incorporated, taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper. Bring the seasoned broth to a boil. Then lower the heat to a simmer. Add the tomato dice and and the reserved fish (not the shellfish or the shrimp). If you are using multiple kinds of fish start with the meatiest varieties adding the more delicate fish as needed to try and get it all cooked through at the same time. Once the fish is cooked, turn the heat off and add the reserved shellfish, shrimp (if using), calamari and fennel bulb slivers to the stock pot. Garnish with chopped parsley. Place a slice of rustic bread onto the bottom of each of 6 low sided soup bowls. Ladle the broth and a variety of fish and shellfish on top. Serve warm with a drizzle of very good olive oil.

Notes:

serves 6 Forgive the ingredient list being slightly out of order! My software won't let me correct it. GREG Source: Inspired by Marcalla Hazan. Stock adapted from Martha Stewart

Sup! Loves Cookbooks: Rice Pasta Couscous

19 Mar 2010
Sup! Loves Cookbooks: Rice Pasta Couscous

Rice, pasta and couscous. All cultures feature some version of these starchy standards. I could make an argument that these foods are the backbone of a successful meal. But that argument would only be half the story behind Rice, Pasta, Couscous: The Heart of the Mediterranean Kitchen from Jeff Koehler and Chronicle Books.

Because I was drawn to this cookbook for other reasons; for starters the author impressed me with his photography and writing skills as much as his inspired collection of recipes. This book has a very personal feel to it. Koehler’s descriptions of the recipes and his travels in researching this book give great insight into one of my favorite subjects, why we love the foods we love, both individually and culturally.

Though many areas of the globe feature versions of these staples, Koehler chooses to concentrate his focus on Mediterranean flavors and styles. Which seemed a warning sign to me that I’d likely find a collection of risotto recipes as familiar as a beloved old nonna.

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