Rigatoni with Shrimp, Calamari and Basil

Recently, my parents came to visit and spend some time with us and our little guy.  My mother brought a recipe that she wanted to make for dinner.  The recipe was for Rigatoni with Shrimp, Calamari and Basil.  My mother found the recipe online through Epicurious.  The original source was a recipe by Chef Michael White, which was printed in Bon Appetit.

Chef White is the Executive Chef and Co-Owner of AltaMarea,  a restaurant group that includes Marea, which means "tide" in Italian.  Marea is Chef White's "ode to Italian seafood." Chef White describes Marea as "redefin[ing] the seascape of high-end Italian cuisine serving regional foods of Italy that are heavily influenced by ingredients drawn from the four bodies of water that surround the boot." Given the restaurant has two Michelin stars, as well as being part of Relais & Chateaux, one can assume that Chef White has done an excellent job of redefining the seascape of Italian seafood dishes.

This particular dish focuses on two seafood ingredients that are very common from Liguria to Calabria, Venice to Apulia, and all points in between: shrimp and squid.  These ingredients find themselves in a wide variety of dishes, including many that I have previously prepared, such as my Brodetto dei Pescatore di Abruzzo (Abruzzese Fishermen's Stew) and Seafood Risotto.

For this recipe, my mother and I used 16 to 20 count shrimp (i.e., there are approximately 16 to 20 shrimp per pound).  The recipe requires reserving half of the shrimp for a finely chopped mixture that is incorporated into the sauce, with the rest being sauteed and added to the pasta at the end.  After setting aside the requisite number of shrimp, I was still able to ensure at least three shrimp per serving.  You can use smaller counts of shrimp, such as 26/30, which will guarantee more whole shrimp for each dish.  I would not use shrimp any smaller than 26/30, because the smaller sizes take away from the presentation. 

My mother and I also used whole calamari bodies, but not the tentacles, as the recipe directs.  I really wanted to use the tentacles, because I think that the tentacles provide an interesting element to the presentation and that they are very delicious.  However, my mother disagrees on both counts.  So, we bought the squid bodies and prepared them in accordance with the directions.

When it came to preparing the shrimp and the squid, I got to work with my dad (who is also a very good cook himself).  We de-shelled and de-veined the shrimp, as well as double-checked the squid to make sure that it was thoroughly cleaned and prepped for use in the dish.

The best part of this recipe is the fact that I got to make it with my mom and dad.  Unfortunately, opportunities for me to cook with my parents are few and far between, because of time and distance.  I really enjoy the time that I spend with my mom and dad in the kitchen.  Since I started cooking, my mother has shared recipes, such as the Bolek Family Tomato Sauce and the Bolek Family Standing Rib Roast, that have become some of my most treasured recipes.  I wish that I had more opportunities to cook with my parents and to create more such enjoyable and memorable experiences. 

RIGATONI WITH SHRIMP, CALAMARI AND BASIL

Recipe by Chef Michael White, printed in Bon Appetit
Collaboration between Chef Bolek and his Mom and Dad

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined, divided

14 ounces cleaned calamari (bodies only, tentacles reserved 

     for another use)

12 ounces rigatoni pasta

6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

3 cups of thinly sliced leeks (white and pale green parts only, about 3 large)

3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

1 8 ounce bottle of clam juice

1/3 cup frozen peas, thawed

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese

3/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

Directions:

1.  Prepare the shrimp and calamari.  Place half of the shrimp in a medium bowl.  Slice half of the calamari crosswise into 1/3 inch wide rings and place in a small bowl.  Coarsely chop remaining shrimp and calamari, place in processor.  Blend until shrimp mixture is finely chopped.  Transfer to another bowl.

2.  Cook the pasta.  Heat a large pot of salted water to boiling.  Cook pasta until just tender but still firm to bit, stirring occasionally.

3.  Make the sauce.   Heat 5 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add leeks, garlic and crushed red pepper.  Saute until leeks are tender but not brown, about 5 minutes.  Add chopped shrimp mixture, stir until shrimp and calamari are just opaque, about 2 minutes.  Add clam juice and peas, simmer until flavors blend, about 3 minutes.  Stir in 3 tablespoons of butter.  Season with salt and pepper.  Set sauce aside, cover to keep warm.

4.  Saute the shrimp and calamari.  Melt remaining 1 tablespoon of butter with 1 tablespoon of oil in medium nonstick skillet over medium high heat.  Add reserved whole shrimp and saute for 2 minutes.  Add calamari rings to shrimp, sprinkle with salt and pepper and saute until just opaque, about two minutes longer.  Remove from heat. 

5.  Complete the dish.  Drain pasta and return to the same pot.  Add the chopped shrimp and calamari sauce, 1/2 cup cheese and 1/2 cup basil and toss to blend.   Divide pasta among 4 bowls.  Top each serving with sauteed shrimp mixture, sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup of basil.  Serve with additional grated cheese.

Finally, the recipe suggested pairing  this dish with a dry white with a hint of acidity like a Benito Ferrara Greco di Tufo (Italy, $25) or a Falanghina dei Feudi di San Gregorio (Calabria, $15).

ENJOY!

Savage Boleks' Smoked Turkey

When people think of barbecue, thoughts turn to pork shoulders, ribs and beef brisket.  My thoughts turn to a wide range of meats when it comes to smoking.  Many of the more interesting barbecue projects have been done in collaboration with my father-in-law, Frank.  These projects include our smoked salmon fillets and smoked mullet spread.  

Recently, I collaborated with Frank on another BBQ project: smoked turkey.  My beautiful Angel eats turkey at Thanksgiving, and, more recently, has eaten some of my turkey dishes.  So, we decided to smoke a turkey so that everyone -- Clare's parents, Clare and myself -- could have something to eat.  

The meat was chosen, which then raised several questions.  First, do we smoke a whole turkey or just parts of a turkey (like a turkey breast, or turkey thighs)?  We seriously considered smoking an entire turkey.  This posed some serious issues, given the white meat and dark meat cook at different speeds and need to reach different temperatures.  There is also the secondary question of whether to cook the bird as is, or spatchcock the bird (that is, remove the backbone so the entire bird lays flat).  If we spatchcocked the turkey, we would have to cut it into two halves in order to fit into the smoker. All of these questions became moot, however, because I could not find a good sized, fresh turkey.  The best turkey was a whopping 21 pounds, which was way to big for our endeavor.

A couple of the smoked turkey thighs.

Thus, we decided to smoke a turkey breast and turkey thighs. The use of cut turkey parts would definitely shorten the cooking time, which would allow us to speed up the cooking time and allow us to enjoy the meat sooner rather than later.

Second, there is the question of using a brine.  A brine is a solution of water and salt.  Placing meat into this solution for a period of time helps to add moisture to the meat.  This added moisture is particularly helpful when it comes to cooking or smoking meats that have a low fat content, like turkey.  We decided to use a brine and, because we were using cut turkey parts, we decided to brine the turkey for about an hour.

The smoked turkey breast.

Third, there was the question of the rub and/or sauce.  We decided to do just a rub.  Frank searched for various turkey rubs, and, then he came across one that had a list of rather unusual ingredients ... at least for turkey.  Cardamom, ginger, turmeric, allspice, cloves, coriander and fenugreek.  All of those ingredients sounded like the perfect components of a rub.  After all, I have previously experimented with spices and turkey, making turkey thighs rubbed with an Egyptian Baharat spice mixture.  So, we decided to use the rather unusual combination of spices as the rub for the turkey.  This was perhaps the best decision we made in our preparations, because that spice mixture produced an amazingly, flavorful meat.

Finally, there was the question of the two additional flavor elements.  There are three elements to consider: wood, liquid and basting sauce.   When it comes to wood, the general rule calls for fruit woods, like apple or cherry.  So, we chose apple wood. When it came to the liquid bowl (that is, the bowl that is between the meat and the coals), we used a combination of apple juice and water, along with some keffir lime leaves.  The leaves were inspired by the ingredients in the rub.   The basting sauce also was very simple: just some apple juice.  We began the basting after the meat had been in the smoker for two hours.

In the end, the turkey turned out perfect.  The turkey thighs were delicious, with the rub providing an interesting array of flavors.  As for the turkey breast, the use of the brine ensured that the breast meat did not dry out during the cooking process and remained juicy with a lot of moisture notwithstanding the hours of smoking.   This barbecue project worked out so well that I have since smoked some more turkey thighs using the same brine and rub process.  The results were the same: delicious, flavorful and juicy turkey, which did not need any sauce.

SAVAGE BOLEKS' SMOKED TURKEY

A Chef Bolek Collaboration

Serves Many

Ingredients (for the Brine):

16 cups of water

1/2 cup of salt

Ingredients (for the Spice Rub):

3 tablespoons of ground cardamom

3 tablespoons of ground ginger

2 tablespoons of ground turmeric

2 tablespoons of ground coriander

1 tablespoon of ground allspice

3 tablespoons of ground black pepper

2 tablespoons of ground cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon of ground cloves

3 tablespoons of ground fenugreek

Ingredients (for the turkey):

8 pounds of turkey (1 four pound breast and 4 pounds of thighs)

Kaffir lime leaves

2 cups of apple juice

Chunks of apple wood

Directions:

1.  Brine the turkey.  Add the water to a large pot.  Add the salt and stir until it dissolves.  Add the turkey breast and thighs.  Allow the meat to brine for one hour.  After an hour has passed, remove the meat, rinse well, and dry thoroughly.

2.  Prepare the rub for the turkey.   Add all of the ingredients for the rub in a small bowl.  Apply the rub to all surfaces of the turkey. 

3.  Prepare the smoker.  Get a fire going for the smoker.  Once the coals are ready, add the liquid bowl, which should be filled with water and kaffir lime leaves.  Add the grates.

4.  Smoke the turkey.  If you have two levels, place the breast on the lower level with the skin side up.  Place the thighs on the higher level with the skin side up.  Smoke until the white meat reaches 160 degrees Fahreneheit and the dark meat reaches 170 degrees Fahrenheit.  It will take approximately one half hour for every pound of meat.  After about two hours, baste the turkey with some apple juice.  Once the meat reaches the desired temperature, wrap the meat in foil and allow it to sit for at least 15 minutes but preferably 30 minutes.  During that time, the meat should cook another 5 to 10 degrees and be ready for slicing or pulling.  Serve immediately.

ENJOY!

Grilled Apricots, Burrata and Arugula Salad

Recently, I had the honor and privilege of cooking a multiple course dinner for my parents.  I wanted to prepare a three course meal focused upon the grill.  The three courses were a salad, an appetizer and a main course.  Moreover, I decided that I would strive to obtain all of the ingredients from the West Side Market in Cleveland, Ohio.  The combination of really fresh ingredients, the grill, and the opportunity to cook for my parents motivated me to create a great dining experience.

For the salad, I decided to go with a fruit that is in season ... apricots.  I found a recipe that combined grilled apricots with some of my favorite ingredients, such as burrata cheese and arugula.  The recipe also called for the use of radicchio, which, unlike the apricots, was not in season.  (Radicchio is a late winter, early spring vegetable, while apricots are an early summer fruit.) Given it was out of season, I had to get the radicchio from a local grocery store.  Finally, the recipe calls for the use of "country ham."  I omitted that ingredient from the salad because my beautiful Angel does not like to eat ham.  However, if you want to include it, use about 1/3 to 1/2 of a pound of prosciutto or iberico ham, rather than "country ham."  Personally, I would use prosciutto, because the use of arugula, burrata and radicchio (along with the balsamic vinegar) clearly suggests an Italian influence to this dish.

Overall, this dish is very delicious.  The grilling of the apricots softened them just a little, contributing a sweetness that, with the balsamic vinegar, offsets the tartness of the radicchio and the pepper of the arugula.  The burrata cheese added a luxuriousness to the dish that helped to elevate the dish.

Finally, I want to thank my beautiful Angel, Clare, who helped with the preparation of this dish while I frantically worked on the other course.  Together, we make a great cooking team!

GRILLED APRICOTS, BURRATA AND ARUGULA SALAD

Recipe adapted from Food & Wine

Serves 8

Ingredients:

1 1/4 pounds apricots, halved and pitted
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
1 1/2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
1 small head radicchio, cored and thinly sliced
5 ounces baby arugula
1/2 pound of burrata cheese, shredded or cubed
1 tablespoon, aged balsamic vinegar
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces shaved country ham or proscuitto

Directions:
1.  Grill the apricots.  Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. Brush the apricots with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over high heat, cut sides down, just until lightly charred, 5 minutes. Let cool.

2.  Make the salad.  In a bowl, whisk the lemon juice with the 1/4 cup of oil and season with salt and pepper. Gently toss in the apricots, radicchio and arugula. Transfer to a platter and top with the burrata, ham and vinegar. Serve immediately. 

ENJOY!

Green Beans with Toasted Almonds and Lemon

Every other year, Clare and I spend Thanksgiving with her parents.  Clare's parents, Frank and Geri, have a tradition of spending the holiday with some longtime family friends.  All of these families consider themselves to be extensions of one another, creating one big family for the holiday.  

Both Frank and I love to cook; and, when it comes to preparing the Thanksgiving meal, we are both more than willing to do our part.  This year, the hosts had not only a gargantuan turkey (over twenty pounds if I recall correctly), but bags of fresh green beans. I will readily admit that I am not a fan of green beans. I usually steer clear of them whenever ordering at restaurants and I do not use the ingredient very often in my own cooking.  However, we needed a vegetable for the dinner, and, the green beans were that vegetable.  

What happened next is a collaboration between Frank and myself.  We decided to blanch the green beans to keep their color, and, just before the meal was ready, we would saute the beans in a little butter, add some toasted almonds and parsley.  We would finish the side dish with some lemon juice to add some acidity and lightness to the dish. The end result was a green bean dish that even I liked.  

GREEN BEANS WITH TOASTED ALMONDS AND LEMON

A Chef Bolek Collaboration with Frank Savage

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1/2 pound of green beans, washed and trimmed

1/4 to 1/3 cup of slivered almonds, toasted

2 tablespoons of unsalted butter

1 teaspoon of parsley flakes
Pinch of crushed red pepper

1/4 lemon, juiced

Salt, to taste

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

1.  Blanche the green beans.  Bring a pot of water with a teaspoon of salt to a rapid boil.  Add the green beans to the pot and cook for two to four minutes, depending upon the size of the beans.  Prepare a bowl full of ice water.  After the beans have cooked, remove them from the boiling water and place them into the ice bath.  Drain the beans and set them aside.

2.  Toast the almonds.  Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spread the almonds on a sheet pan.  Place the sheet pan in the oven.  Toast the almonds until they begin to turn brown.  Remove from the oven. 

3.  Saute the green beans.  Heat the butter in a sauce pan over medium high heat.  Add the beans and saute for about three minutes until they are warmed through.  Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.  Sprinkle the almonds, the crushed red pepper and the parsley flakes.  Finish with lemon juice.  Serve immediately.

ENJOY!

Savage Boleks' Steelhead Sliders

Followers of this blog may recall that my beautiful Angel provided a guest blog post about the Salmon Burgers that she made.  When we were preparing for our Super Bowl party, I decided that we should make slider versions of those amazing burgers.  We went to a local warehouse store, looking for pounds of sustainable salmon.  (This is a challenge, which is best left for another day.)  We looked at the salmon there, but we were not impressed with the fillets.  There were discolorations and imperfections that, as someone who has cooked a lot of fish and seafood, left me very uneasy. The store also had fillets of  Steelhead.   Those fillets looked a lot better, so we bought a couple to make our sliders. 

Steelhead are sometimes referred to as salmon; however, they  are not salmon.  Steelhead are rainbow trout that share a lot in common with salmon.  Born in freshwater, the steelhead migrate to the oceans to grow and mature.  Once they are ready to reproduce, they return up the rivers to where they were born.  The one significant difference is that, while salmon die after reproducing, steelhead usually continue to live and reproduce.  This makes steelhead more sustainable, because they are able to reproduce up to several times before they die.  Today, most steelhead are farmed like Atlantic Salmon and conservation watchdogs, like the Monterrey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch, list steelhead as a "best choice."  

This recipe follows Clare's salmon burger recipe very closely.  We served the burgers with a choice of dill yogurt or ancho guacamole condiments.   These are great sliders, which can also be made with actual salmon (whether sockeye, coho or king salmon).

SAVAGE BOLEKS' STEELHEAD SLIDERS

A Chef Bolek Collaboration with Clare Bolek

Serves 12-18

Ingredients:
2 pounds of fresh steelhead fillets
3/4 cup cilantro, chopped

2 tablespoons of prepared mustard

1 medium Vidalia onion, diced
1 cup of dried mushrooms, ground into powder

3 cups Panko bread crumbs

2 beaten eggs

3 cloves garlic, diced finely

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 tablespoon of olive oil

Salt, to taste

Ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup of Greek yogurt or guacamole
1 tablespoon of fresh dill (if you use yogurt)

Directions:

1.  Prepare the salmon mixture.  Cutting the salmon into even pieces.  Place the salmon pieces in a food processor and process until the salmon is broken up.  Add the salmon to a bowl and add the onion, garlic, cilantro, paprika and lemon juice.  Mix thoroughly and then add the Panko bread crumbs, eggs and olive oil. Continue to mix thoroughly.

2.  Make the slider patties.  Make patties by taking a handful of the salmon mixture.  You should get about a dozen patties.  Place the patties on a sheet of wax paper.  Once all of the patties are formed, place them in the freezer for about one half of an hour.

3.  Cook the patties.   Let the burgers cook for about three to four minutes and then flip them.  Continue to cook the burgers for about three more.  Remove the burgers from the heat.

Serve the salmon sliders on toasted or grilled buns.  You can use whatever toppings you like, such as lettuce, tomato, red onion or ... guacamole.  If you use yogurt, chop the dill very finely and mix it into the yogurt.  Spoon a little yogurt onto the bottom of the bun and place the slider on top.

PAIRING THIS RECIPE

When one thinks of salmon, especially in the Pacific Northwest, the thoughts turn to Pinot Noir.  Oregon has many great Pinot Noir wines (some of which I have reviewed on this blog).  A couple of suggestions include the following:

Privé Vineyard -- Le Nord (2008)

100% Pinot Noir

Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA

Flavors of cherries and spice

Sokol Blosser -- Estate Cuvee Pinot Noir (2006)

100% Pinot Noir

Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA

Flavors of dark berries and mocha

If you would like to pair these sliders with a beer, an American Pale Ale or a regular Pale Ale would pair well.  These beers have a moderate hop flavor that should not be too piney, bitter or resinous.  I would advise against an India Pale Ale, which would probably be too bitter for this dish.

ENJOY!

Sauteed Sheepshead, Savage Boleks Style

During a recent vacation, I went fishing with my beautiful Angel, Clare, and her parents in Orange Beach, Alabama.  We chartered a boat to fish along the shoreline in the Gulf of Mexico. We were looking for bull redfish, but we did not find any. Instead, we encountered Sheepshead, or Archosargus Probatocephalus.  The Sheepshead -- also known as Convict Fish and Bait Stealer -- lives up to its names. The Sheepshead will only go after shellfish.   We lost many a live shrimp bait to the Sheepshead, whose slight bite can go unnoticed by a distracted person.  Once we caught the bait-stealer, it revealed itself as revealed as a fish with a broad body with wide grey-black stripes on a white or off-white background, reminiscent of traditional prison garb.

Perhaps the most interesting feature of the Sheepshead is its teeth.  The fish has sheep-like incisors, which stick out a little like buck teeth.  The Sheepshead uses these teeth to eat, well, almost anything.  Small Sheepshead may eat plants.  As the fish grows, its diet changes to mollusks, such as clams, mussels and oysters, and small crabs.  Sheepshead may also eat other, small fish, such as croakers and anchovies.  The Sheepshead are found throughout the Gulf, usually hanging around rock jetties, piers, pilings and formations on the sea floor, where it can easily find its food. 

Both Clare and her dad, Frank, managed to catch a Sheephead during our fishing trip.  The fish were good examples of the Convict Fish, with their broad black stripes.  Once we got to shore, we had the fish cleaned and filleted.  As I watched our guide at work, I saw that the fish had a large, boney heads, and thick backbones.  Each Sheepshead fish produced two decent sized fillets and, moreover, a head and backbone that were very good for making stock.

With our dinner in hand, our thoughts turned to how we should prepare the Sheepshead. Both Frank and I agreed that it should be a simple saute, with salt, black pepper and a drizzle of lemon.  This would allow everyone to taste the fish.  We also decided that we would have a simple sauce for the fish.  The sauce would be made with a little white wine and some more stock.  We made the stock by using the heads and bones of the Sheepshead, along with the basics -- an onion, celery and carrots -- and some herbs (such as bay leaves and thyme).   

The final element came, indirectly, from the guide.  As he cleaned our fish, the guide noted that the fish had recently feasted on oysters, which were still in their stomachs.  With this information, we decided that we would add oysters to the sauce for the fish. This would allow the sauce to add an oyster flavor to the fish.

The end result was a delicious dish, although the sauce ended up being a little more like a jus.  The reason was two fold.  First, I wanted to maintain some liquid in the sauce to better cook the oysters.  Second, I did not want to add a lot of butter because I was trying to keep the dish as light as possible.  To get a thicker sauce, I would probably cook down the sauce more than I did.  In any event, the sauce accomplished its goal, which was to impart the flavor of oysters into the fish.

SAUTEED SHEEPSHEAD, SAVAGE BOLEKS STYLE

A Chef Bolek Collaboration with Frank Savage

Serves 4

Ingredients (for the Sheephead Stock):
Backbones and/or heads from 2 Sheepshead fish
Any other fish bones, fish heads, shrimp shells, etc.
1 onion
1 carrot
2-4 stalks of celery
2 bay leaves
15 cups of water
8 sprigs of fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon of salt
Ground pepper, to taste

Ingredients (for the Sheepshead fish):
Four fillets from 2 Sheepshead fish
1 pint of oysters, reserve the liqueur
2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Juice from 1 lemon
1 tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
2 tablespoons of white wine
3 cups of Sheepshead stock
Ground pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste

Directions:

1.  Make the Sheepshead stock.  Add the fish bones and/or fish heads, as well as any other bones, heads or shrimp shells, in a pot.  Add the water and raise the heat to high.  Bring the water to a boil and reduce to a simmer.  Let the water simmer for at least one hour.  Strain the stock, reserving the bones and the head.   Pick out the meat from the backbone and the head, setting that meat aside for later.  Take three cups of the stock and pour it into a smaller pot.  Bring the stock in the smaller pot to a boil and reduce by at least half, if not more.  You can use any remaining stock for other purposes, such as boiling shrimp, or you can freeze the stock for use in the future.

2.  Prepare the fish.  Grind salt and pepper over both sides.  Sprinkle the lemon juice over the fillets. 

3.  Saute the fish.  Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a saute pan over medium high heat.  Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the fish fillets.  Make sure not to overcrowd the pan and do the fillets in batches if necessary.  Saute the fish for about two to four minutes on each side (depending upon the size and thickness of the fillet) until the fish is opaque, but before it begins to break apart.  

4.  Prepare the sauce.  After the fish fillets have been sauteed, add the wine to deglaze the pan and cook until the alcohol has evaporated, about one to two minutes.  Add two cups of stock and the oyster liqueur.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Whisk the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, into the the sauce.  Reduce the sauce further until it reaches the desired consistency.  Salt and pepper to taste.

5.  Add the oysters and bits of Sheepshead meat.  Add the oysters and the Sheepshead meat to the sauce.  Turn off the heat.  Cook the oysters using the heat of the sauce until the edges of the oysters begin to curl and the oysters begin to turn opaque, about two to three minutes.  Flip the oysters and continue to cook them for about two to three minutes.  Turn back on the heat to a low setting if it takes a little longer to cook the oysters.  Remove the pan from the heat once the oysters have just turned opaque.

6.  Plate the fish.  Plate the fillet, spoon oysters over the fish or around the fish.  Spoon additional sauce over the fish and oysters.  Garnish with whole thyme leaves.  Serve immediately.

PAIRING THIS DISH

The key ingredients to this dish -- Sheepshead, Sheepshead stock, oysters, oyster liqueur -- all call for a pairing with white wine.  The question is whether the wine should be a lighter, fruitier wine or a more smooth, fuller-bodied wine.  In the end, I think the latter is probably better for this dish, because they can add a little sweetness, but also some richness.  If a smooth, richer white is chosen, make sure that the wine has not been aged in oak barrels.  Here are a couple of suggestions:   

L'Ecole No. 41 -- Columbia Valley Sémillon (2009). 
87% Sémillon, 13% Sauvignon Blanc.
Walla Walla, Washington, USA
Pear and apple tastes, with citrusy tartness.

Victor Hugo Vineyards -- Viognier (2009).
100% Viognier
Paso Robles AVA, California, USA
Melon and honey tastes, crisp with lighter body. 

ENJOY!

If you would like more information about Sheepshead, check out Rod N' Reel or the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. 

Coriander Sesame Bluefish

While perusing the selection at Southern Maryland Seafood, I saw that they had some really nice, fresh bluefish fillets. The bluefish, Pomatomus Saltatrix, is a game fish found around the world.   In the United States, bluefish migrate up and down the east coast, moving north in the spring and returning south in the fall.  Bluefish can live for up to twelve years and grow to about forty inches long, although the bluefish in the Chesapeake Bay (where I live) usually only reach about twelve inches in length. They are closely related to jacks, pompanos and roosterfish.

Bluefish are truly an interesting species of fish.  The most striking feature of this fish is its razor-like teeth.  Those teeth are often the bane of fishermen, as the bluefish have the ability to strike and steal the bait.  Those teeth also tear into herring, mackerel, anchovies, striped bass and shad, which are part of the bluefish's diet. Indeed, bluefish will strike at most anything, even at things that it would normally not eat, including humans.  The voracious nature of the bluefish, as well as its teeth, have earned the fish the nickname of "marine piranha."  

Personally, I really like to cook with bluefish.  This recipe is a collaboration between myself and Clare's father, Frank.  After purchasing a good sized fillet, we pondered over how to prepare the fish.  Frank suggested that we use Asian flavors, such as sesame oil.  I thought that was a great idea and, together, we made a wet and dry rub incorporating a variety of Asian flavors to use on the fish.  This recipe is excellent and it is definitely one that I will make again.

CORIANDER SESAME BLUEFISH

A Chef Bolek Collaboration with Frank Savage
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

2 pounds of bluefish fillet, cut into four steaks

1 tablespoon of ground coriander

1 tablespoon of ground onion

1 teaspoon of ground garlic

2 teaspoons of ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon of Sambal Oelek

2 tablespoons of canola oil

2 teaspoons of sesame oil

2 teaspoons of soy sauce

1 teaspoon of ground sea salt

2 tablespoons of sesame seeds

Directions:

1.  Marinate the fish. Mix all of the dry ingredients (coriander, onion, garlic, black pepper, salt) together.  Mix all of the wet ingredients together.  Baste the bluefish steaks with the wet ingredients and then sprinkle the steaks with a good amount of the dry ingredients.  Let the fish stand for ten to fifteen minutes.

2.  Roast the fish.  Heat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the steaks in the oven to cook for fifteen minutes.  Turn on the broiler and finish the fish for about five minutes under the broiler.  

3.  Toast the sesame seeds.  After about ten minutes, heat the sesame seeds in a dry skill on medium high heat.  Toast the seeds.  

4.  Finish the dish.  Remove the fish from the heat.  Sprinkle some of the toasted sesame seeds over the steaks.  Serve immediately.

ENJOY!

Smoked Mullet Spread

Striped mullet fish, or Mugil Cephalus, can be found along the coastlines around the world.   In the United States, various species of mullet (such as white mullet and striped mullet) are most prevalent in the Gulf of Mexico and the North Atlantic.  The biggest fisheries in the U.S. can be found in Louisiana, east of the Mississippi River, and in southwest Florida. 

Mullet school in large populations, and fishermen use cast nets, strike nets or beach seines, fishermen are able to harvest the fish in a manner that results in little bycatch.  These fishing methods have led some, like the Monterrey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch, to rate Striped Mullet as not only a sustainable option, but a "best choice."  Cooks often use the oily flesh of the mullet, as well as the roe, in dishes.  The mullet also has an economic importance because, when not being incorporated into local dishes, fishermen use the mullet as bait to catch larger species of fish, such as billfish.

Mullet are rather intriguing fish themselves. Although the most noticeable feature of the mullet is its relatively large eyes, it is the rounded head, inconspicuous teeth and thin lips are more noteworthy.  The teeth and the lips are a gateway to a stomach that has a gizzard like structure.  I say all of this because the teeth and lips are perfect for a fish with a diet that consists of zooplankton, dead plant matter and detritus.  Striped mullets will feed along the top layer of sediment, sucking it in, along with micro-algae and detritrus, using the gravel it consumes in its gizzard to digest its food.

During a recent trip to Eastern Market with Clare's parents, we came across whole Striped Mullets at Southern Maryland Seafood.  While we were principally there to buy some sockeye salmon for smoking, we decided we would experiment with a mullet as well.  We purchased a mullet, which averages between two or three pounds, and were on our way.    

When it came to smoking, I only had three woods available: mesquite, hickory or apple.  Mesquite and hickory would not work with this fish (or, for that matter, any fish).  This left the apple wood.  I had purchased the apple wood when I made the Big Bob Gibson's Eight Time World Championship Pork Shoulder for the Savage Boleks' Second Annual BBQ.  I decided to use apple juice in the liquid bowl to help add a sweetness to the oily flesh of the mullet. 

Clare's father did some research on the Internet and came across some recipes for a smoked mullet spread.  The recipes could be broken down into two categories.  First, there are recipes that call for the use of cream cheese.  Second, there are recipes that are based upon sour cream.  We decided to go with the first category, cream cheese.  We added some fresh herbs, such as chives and tarragon, along with a healthy number of splashes of Tabasco sauce.

SMOKED MULLET SPREAD

A Chef Bolek Collaboration with Frank Savage

Serves many

Ingredients (for the Brine):
1 fresh whole mullet (about 2 pounds), cleaned and gutted
     with head and backbone removed
4 cups water
3/4 cup of Kosher Salt
1/2 cup of light brown sugar

Ingredients (for the Spread):
8 ounces of cream cheese
1/4 cup diced onion
1 tablespoon of fresh chives, chopped finely
1 tablespoon of fresh tarragon, chopped finely
Salt, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon of Tabasco 
 

Directions:

1.   Brine the mullet.  Combine the water, salt and brown sugar to create the brine.  Add the mullet to the brine and allow the fish to rest for about forty-five minutes. After forty-five minutes, remove the fish and set it out to air-dry.  

2.  Prepare the smoker.  Start the fire in the smoker.  Once the fire is set, add some pieces of apple wood to start the smoke.   the smoker is ready when the temperature is between 200 and 225 degrees Fahrenheit.

3.  Smoke the mullet.  Add the mullet and smoke it for about one hour.  The internal temperature should reach about 140 degrees Fahrenheit and the meat of the fish should be easy to flake. 

4.  Create the spread.  Remove the fish. Using a fork, pull the flesh off of the skin.  Once you have removed all of the flesh, break it into small pieces.  Combine the fish, cream cheese, tarragon, chives, Tabasco, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.

This is a great recipe.  The mullet contributes to this dish, not by adding a heavy smoke flavor to the cream cheese, but by adding texture.  The one thing I would note as a word of caution is to be conservative in the use of tarragon, because it has a strong flavor that could overshadow the fish if too much is added.

ENJOY!

For more about Striped Mullet, check out the Florida Museum of Natural History.