Wizard Recipes

The growing popularity of fish and shellfish is hardly a surprise. Seafood is a rich source of protein, vitamins, and minerals and is low in fat. And oily fish, such as salmon and tuna, are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which can lower blood cholesterol levels.

BUYING FISH AND SHELLFISH

The surface of a whole fish should glisten but not look slimy. Ask the fishmonger to show you the gills; they should be bright red with no tinge of brown. The eyes should not be sunken, but don’t worry if they are clouded over, because the eyes of some fish lose their shine soon after they are caught.

Fish fillets and steaks are often sold in plastic wrapped trays. Look for fish that appears moist and has no gaps in the flesh, which should feel firm through the plastic. The meat of dark fish, such as tuna, should not contain any rainbow streaks.

Mollusks (including clams, mussels, and oysters), must be purchased alive because their viscera deteriorate quickly once dead. Tightly closed shells indicate the mollusks are alive, but if you tap a gaping shell and it closes, it’s also fine.

Don’t buy mollusks with broken shells. And if a clam or mussel feels especially heavy, it could be filled with mud, so discard it. Mollusks sold out of their shells, like scallops and squid, should be as sweet smelling as an ocean breeze. And the siphons of soft-shell clams should retract slightly when touched.

Crustaceans, including crabs and lobsters, should be purchased alive from a store with a large turnover and appear lively. Fresh shrimp should also be subjected to the sniff test; black spots on the shell mean the shrimp are over the hill.

STORING FISH AND SHELLFISH

• Keep fish and shellfish as cold as possible. Have the seafood you purchase packed in ice, or place it in the same bag as your frozen food.
• Store fish in the coldest part of the refrigerator, where the temperature is between 35° and 40°F. Or store on ice: Fill a baking dish with ice, and place the wrapped seafood on top, replenishing the ice as needed. You can also cover frozen artificial ice packets with a kitchen towel and place the wrapped fish on top.
• It is especially important to keep oily fish, such as mackerel and bluefish, as cold as possible. Their high fat content means they can go rancid quickly at less than- ideal temperatures.
• If you must freeze seafood, be sure it is very fresh, and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and heavy-duty foil. Freeze for up to three months.
• Shellfish should also be placed in the coldest part of the refrigerator. Store live clams, mussels, and oysters in a large bowl covered with a wet towel; use within one day. Refrigerate crabs in a tightly closed heavy duty paper bag poked with a few air holes; cook within one day of purchase.

Lobsters should be cooked on the day of purchase because they don’t last long once out of water. Keep them well wrapped in a wet cloth or in several layers of newspaper in the refrigerator.

• Cooked crab and lobster should be eaten within one day of purchase. Shucked oysters and crab meat are often pasteurized, which extends their shelf life but decreases their flavor.

COOKING  SUCCESS

Here’s the simple secret to cooking fish successfully: Don’t overcook it. Cook it until the flesh is just opaque throughout; it will continue to cook after it has been removed from the heat.

Before cooking fillets, especially thick ones, run your fingers over the flesh to feel for any stray bones. Remove them with tweezers set aside for that purpose.

To check fish fillets or steaks for doneness, use the tip of a small knife to separate the flesh in the thickest part; it should be uniformly opaque. To check whole fish, make an incision at the backbone to see if the flesh is opaque or insert an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part near the backbone; it should read 135° to 140°F.

When cooking clams, mussels, or oysters, scrub the shells well under cold running water to remove any surface sand and grit.

Scallops have firm, ivory-colored meat that can be divine if not overcooked. The flavor is sweet, nutty and delicate. They are readily available in seafood markets, but they must be absolutely fresh to be good. Everything between the two shells is edible, although in North America people opt for the single large adductor muscle only.

Unlike clam shells, the two halves of a scallop shell don’t completely close. They dehydrate quickly after harvesting and die if the fishermen don’t keep them in optimum environment. Because they are so perishable, processors often clean scallops on board the fishing vessel and keep them on ice. They are not as easily available for harvesting as shrimp.

The fishermen must catch enough to make it worthwhile to bring them into port, so those unfortunate ones they caught early may be shivering quite a while on ice before they haul the last ones in.

Storing scallops in fresh water improves the all-important appearance for marketability. Unfortunately for the consumer, this also increases weight and dilutes flavor.

Individually quick-frozen scallops retain their freshness, flavor and moisture well, and you often get a better buy and quality than fresh ones when you cannot validate just how fresh is fresh.

Distributors usually soak scallops destined to sell as fresh in a chemical (sodium tripolyphosphate) to retain moisture and improve appearance. They may look great but be wary-the chemical alters the flavor and you might think of wandering over to the frozen counter instead.

Stores commonly sell two major species of scallops, the small and more delicately flavored bay scallops and the larger, more abundant and nearly as good sea scallops, which are much cheaper. Tiny calico scallops from Florida are very uncommon. They resemble bay scallops but supposedly don’t have as good a flavor.

The scallops at the market are pure meat, you only lose the liquid it releases on cooking. Count on 4 to 5 ounces (110 to 140 g) per person.

Shrimp is without doubt our most popular shellfish and among the most popular of all seafood. With its firm meat (when not overcooked) and delicate, distinctive but not overpowering flavor, even diners who never choose seafood from a menu may order shrimp (provided there’s some juicy red meat on the plate next to the shrimp).

A dozen different species of commercially important shrimp grow in various parts of the world. With modern air transportation, we have access to all of them. Flavor has nothing to do with size, but restaurants prefer the large shrimp, because they are easier and faster to shell and look very showy on the plate.

Diners are also willing to pay extra for colossal and jumbo sizes. Sizes vary tremendously. Really tiny shrimp weigh less than one-tenth of an ounce (3 g) each (the weight of a clove of garlic), while the giant species weigh in at about half a pound (225 g), too much for one serving.

A significant amount of imported shrimp is now coming from Asian shrimp farms, where they harvest and immediately flash freeze them, then ship by air all over the world. Shrimp are so perishable that they must freeze them immediately after they leave the water. If the shrimp you brought home from the store turns out not very good, blame it on the handling somewhere between the water and your plate. (Or blame the cook.)

It is the underpaid retail store worker that knows the least about handling and storing to preserve flavor. Your best bet is to buy shrimp frozen, if you can find it packaged in the right quantity, and defrost it yourself. (See suggestions on storing later in this chapter.)

Retailers generally buy shrimp in four-pound boxes, that are only occasionally displayed, but you can request a full frozen box. Asian markets always have them in the freezer case. The fresh-looking shrimp on display at the fish counter are not fresh-the clerk defrosted them just a few hours before you arrived. Usually the only way you can buy fresh, never-frozen shrimp is from fishing boats just pulling in.

Don’t ever buy pre-cooked shrimp. Cooking shrimp is almost as easy as cooking potatoes, and you can do a far better job than the supermarket’s underpaid cook in the back.

Seafood in the kitchen is almost like French pastry-it is quite a challenge to many cooks. While creating French pastries is difficult and it takes enormous experience and know how, preparing good seafood is easy. It takes only some basic knowledge and a little experience.

Here is some additional specific information about each of the 4 species of shellfish that you are likely to find at the fish market:

Langostino is a small member of the lobster family caught off the Chilean coast. The tail meat, picked from the shell by hand, cooked and frozen is highly prized. This meat looks like small shrimp and tastes like lobster, but with a more delicate flavor. Its color is a brighter orange than lobster’s. A similar species, called lobsterette, lives off the coast of the Caribbean and south Florida, as well as in southern Europe. Retailers use the two names interchangeably.

Look for these in the freezer, either individually quick frozen or in bulk. They are moderately priced compared to lobster. You’ll find langostino marketed without tail so all is edible meat. For cooking, count on 4 to 5 ounces (110 to 140 g) per person.

Many people consider lobster the king of all shellfish, and some think that it should be listed on the menu in Heaven. The fact is that not everyone is willing to die and go to Heaven for it. In fact, not many are willing to pay the high price for it. A good lobster is indeed a treat, but not all lobster is good, and many discriminating seafood eaters feel it is overrated. Both scarcity and its image as a luxury seafood help keep lobster prices high.

Most think of lobster not only of a luxury food, but also as a very rich food, yet it only has a moderate amount of fat. Having such high esteem, chefs often prepare lobster to sparkle in appearance and flavor, which means loading it up with butter and sauces in the traditional French manner. Those additions are what make lobster rich, not the meat itself.

You can eat every part of a lobster but the shell. You can serve its tail, the white body meat and the claw meat in the shell right from the steamer. Chefs customarily use the tomalley, which is the unique-flavored green liver, and the roe (also called coral) in sauces. Actually, ambitious chefs even take advantage of the beautiful shell coloring by extracting its carotene pigment and using it as natural food coloring.

Like crab meat, fresh lobster does not freeze well (its texture suffers), but after blanching, the frozen and thawed meat retains its quality and texture well.

We have two important lobster species in the kitchen, one is named European and the second, much larger, American (or Maine) lobster. We also have the small spiny lobster, which is not a true lobster but a relative of the crayfish.

A live lobster in the shell yields 25 percent edible meat, same as a dead one. Serving sizes are same as crab: 1 to 1¼ pound (450 to 570 g) in the shell generously serves one person or 4 to 5 ounces (110 to 140 g) of raw lobster meat.

Mussel is a bivalve with meat that varies from pale tan to a deep orange in color. It has a tangy or smoky flavor. Like eel, mussels are much neglected in the U.S. but highly valued in Europe where they are actually farmed. In the right season mussel meat is excellent. During spawning, the flavor is less desirable, the amount of edible meat is less and it could be bitter.

One species, the blue or edible mussel, is by far the most commonly available, but some markets may also offer the greenshell mussel from New Zealand. Like clams, your best bet is to buy mussel live in tightly closed shells.

If you can slide the two shells past one another, the muscle of the mussel has relaxed, signifying that the animal is dead. Skip these and those with shells gaping open. Once the shell opens, clams and mussels dehydrate rapidly. Can’t find mussels for a recipe? You can substitute clams or oysters- different flavor but they behave the same in the sauce pan..

Mussels are now farmed. The cultivated ones have a milder flavor, but tight control over harvesting and distribution attests to their freshness. About 40 to 50 percent of in-the-shell mussels’ total weight is edible meat. Six to 8 shells

serve a person or 4 to 5 ounces (110 to 140 g) of shucked mussel meat.

Octopus is a delicacy in high regard in the Orient. It is less highly regarded in North America, probably for the same reason eels and snakes aren’t often on menus here. None of them look very pretty when alive. (Neither do pigs, you could argue.) Octopus has a delicate, firm, sweet white meat so high in quality that the Japanese even use it in sushi.

Octopus is particularly vulnerable to dry heat, which turns it into something resembling a piece of bread dough you have forgotten on the counter for a day. It does better when simmered for longer periods of time in stew-like preparations. In quick-cooking methods it is best if you tenderize the meat before cooking, especially if it came from a large (over 2½ pounds or 1140 g), older animal.

You can buy octopus in cans, too, but don’t bother sampling it. The flavor is very poor compared to the real thing. Eighty percent of the original dressed weight of octopus is edible meat. You’ll find it in the market dressed, cleaned, eyes and other inedible parts removed, and each weighing about 3 or 4 pounds (1360 to 1820 g). The amount to buy is 4 to 5 ounces (110 to 140 g) of meat per person.

Oysters are not for everyone, but the minority who likes them is unconditionally passionate about them. Other folks consume oysters in large quantities simply because of their reputation as an aphrodisiac. All this aside, oysters are a real delicacy, particularly when the host or hostess serves them au naturel, or raw.

Since uncooked meat of any kind has little or no flavor, traditional condiments and sauces usually accompany raw oysters, in which the texture and mouthfeel give the eating pleasure more than the flavor. Oysters change flavor drastically during spawning season. They accumulate glycogen, a starch which turns the meat milky and the taste starchy and bland. Their meat also contains a higher amount of fat during spawning season.

The old wives’ tale about eating them only in months with an “r” in their names works because those r-less months correspond with the spawning season. If the weather is cooler than normal, though, oysters retain their spawn and the flavor continues bland. It pays to look at both the calendar and the weather pattern before choosing an oyster recipe for the next dinner party.

You can buy oysters fresh in the shell, freshly shucked, or individually quick frozen. If you buy them shucked, make sure the liquid in the package or container is clear-this indicates freshness. You buy oysters in the shell by size-small, medium and large.

Very small and extra large sizes are also available, but these are mostly sold to restaurants. Of the six commercial species, three are common at retail or in restaurants. The highest quality Olympia oysters, from the Northwest, are larger and not quite as flavorful as Pacific (or Japanese) oysters, and finally the Eastern oysters, which you find most readily.

Serve oysters cold (raw or cooked) on the half shell on crushed ice with lemon or dipping sauce in a small bowl on the side. If you are serving them hot, display them on a bed ofhot coarse salt (the salt keeps the tiny creatures hot).

Edible yields vary a great deal, depend ing on the size and thickness of the shells and the size of the oysters. It is anywhere from a mere 5 percent for thick-shelled, small oysters to about 15 percent. If you buy oysters in the shell by the number, count on 6 to 9 per serving or if you buy them shucked, 4 to 5 ounces (110 to 140 g) by weight or 6 to 8 ounces (180 to 240 ml) by liquid volume