Get Cookin': Move over, fish and chips

You’re in a beach town, any coastal fishing village, maybe a riverside resort. You head for the shack that hawks the best fish east of the Mississippi, west of the Rockies, this side of the Mason-Dixon line.

You slide into the fake red leather booth and scan the menu for something grilled. Maybe a boiled potato and some sliced, undressed tomatoes on the side. You push the butter away and hope they have some decent mineral water. A platter goes by, the Cap’n’s Special. Deep-fried fish, fried potatoes, and maybe fried onion rings on the side. Cole slaw and tartar sauce, everything front-loaded with mayonnaise and grease. Something dark and dangerous within you begins to cave. “What the heck,” you say. “I’m on vacation.” With justifiable guilt you mumble, “I’ll have one of those,” and pray no one you know is watching.

Back home you’ve got sand in your shoes and a fried-fish jones to hide. Well hold on. Here’s a menu you can share with your friends.

Menu

Double Corn Cornbread

Oven-Fried Fish with Tartar Sauce

Tropical Cashew Slaw

Correct Cornbread

Always serve cornbread hot from the oven because it dries out quickly. Also, even though this recipe calls for a small amount of flour, sift it after measuring because even a tablespoon can contain lumps. You can substitute oil for the butter if you wish, but you will have heavier bread.

Double Corn Cornbread
If anyone tries to sell you the “authentic” cornbread recipe, hold on to your wallet because that’s just a bunch of corn pone. This American icon has been around since the first Thanksgiving. The Pilgrims reported watching the Indians prepare corn, “by boyling them all to pieces or boyling them untill they bee soft...eyther by themselves or mixtly together [into] loaves...of dowishe bread.” I would say the recipe is open to interpretation. So mix yourself a batch of this simple version that has a touch of sweetness sometimes frowned upon by southern cooks, and corn kernels to help keep it moist.

A Word About Cooking Cornbread

If at all possible, always bake cornbread in cast iron, whether you use a skillet, muffin pan, or decorative mold. The heat conduction properties ensure a crisp crust, tender crumb, and even cooking. Glass baking dishes make the poorest showing, but if that is all you have, reduce the heat to 375 degrees and check frequently after the first 18 minutes to make sure the bottom doesn’t burn. Some cooks like to heat the skillet before pouring in the batter for a crunchier crust. You can use this recipe for muffins, but reduce the baking time to 15–18 minutes. I love to bake cornbread in decorative iron molds for a simple way to dress up dinner. I have an assortment of star shapes, hearts, and corn fingers, my only true kitchen “collection.”

1 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 egg equivalents
1 cup 1% milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup corn kernels

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

In a mixing bowl sift together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Blend thoroughly with a whisk.

In a second small bowl, whisk together the egg equivalents, milk and butter and add to the dry ingredients. Using a wide spatula to avoid overmixing (which toughens the bread), scrape the spatula along the bottom of the bowl, pull the batter up to the top and fold over. Repeat until half blended. Fold in the corn and blend thoroughly but not excessively.

Coat a 10-inch cast iron skillet (measured across the top) liberally with vegetable spray. Pour the batter into the skillet and spread evenly to the edges. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until lightly golden and the center is firm and the tip of a knife or the tine of a long-handled fork inserted in the center comes out clean with no uncooked batter clinging to it.

(6 Servings)

Oven-Fried Fish with Tartar Sauce
Think of breading fish as a contact sport. Getting down and dirty is half the fun. However, if you don’t like to play with your food, you can minimize messy fingers by putting the flour and breadcrumb mixtures in separate paper or plastic bags. Add the fish and shake lightly. This recipe eliminates most of the oil needed for fried fish, but it is essential to spray the pan and both sides of the breaded fish as directed to prevent the breading from drying out. You will end up with a crisp coating and moist, succulent fish, perfectly complemented by the tangy tartar sauce.

1 cup breadcrumbs
1 small shallot
1/2 cup fresh parsley
1 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne, more if desired
1 strip lemon rind, 1 inch by 2 inches
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup liquid egg substitute, mixed with 3 tablespoons nonfat milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 pound flounder, sole, or other firm white fish fillets
Non-stick vegetable spray

Note: Always add a little salt to the flour to season the fish and not merely the coating.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F

Place the breadcrumbs, shallots, parsley, thyme, garlic powder, cayenne, lemon rind, and a pinch of salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor or blender and process until finely mixed.

Line up 3 shallow dishes. In one, blend the flour, salt, and pepper to taste. In the second, blend the egg-and-milk mixture and add the breadcrumb mixture to the third. The idea is to coat with flour to give the liquid something to cling to, and the liquid holds the flavorful breading.

Dip fish first into the flour, coating both sides and shaking off the excess. Then dip into the egg mixture and finally into the breadcrumbs, shaking off the excess each time. Prepare all the fish before you begin cooking. This may be done several hours ahead if covered and refrigerated.

Coat a heavy skillet with a thin film of vegetable spray and heat until a few drops of water dances on the surface. You may need 2 skillets to hold all the fish. Don’t allow the pieces to overlap. Coat one side of the fish with a thin film of vegetable spray and place sprayed side down in the hot pan. Cook for 1 minute over medium-high heat. Coat the uncooked side with a thin film of vegetable spray. Turn the fish and place in the oven for 3 to 5 minutes or until golden and just beginning to flake. Do not overcook. Serve immediately with the tartar sauce.

(Serves 8)

Tartar Sauce
Why the French long ago named this piquant sauce Tartare after the Mongol Tatar tribe has never been adequately explained to me. But that they did, as well as the famous raw Beef Tartare. What the two have in common is a host of finely minced, piquant ingredients, which is perhaps what the other side looked like after the Tatars got through with them. Stateside, we mix half bottled mayo and half pickle relish together and call it tartar sauce. Today’s version elevates this classic sauce a bit, restoring some of its French glamour. For a true original, you must make your own mayonnaise. But with the addition of flavorful condiments, bottled reduced-fat mayo works just fine. Prepare it hours ahead if you like to allow the sauce to mellow before serving. By the way, use your food processor to chop the pickles.

1/2 cup nonfat or low-fat mayonnaise
1/2 cup nonfat or low-fat plain yogurt
2 tablespoons finely minced parsley
1 tablespoon minced shallot
2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish or sweet gherkins, finely chopped
2 tablespoons sour or dill pickle, finely minced
1 tablespoon capers, drained
1 teaspoon fresh marjoram, minced, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon sweet mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

Blend all the ingredients in a serving bowl, season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill until serving time.

(Serves 8)

Tropical Cashew Slaw

Health Notes

With all the news about the benefits of cruciferous veggies—the heavy-hitting cancer fighters such as broccoli, kale, and brussels sprouts—few doubt that cabbage is good for you. The new news, though, is that while brief cooking seems to amplify the healthful effects of most vegetables the same is not true for cabbage. Way to go, says anyone who has ever had to open all the windows after overcooking cabbage. And bring on that healthy slaw.

What’s so special about cole slaw? Shred some cabbage, dump in some mayo and don’t serve it to company, right? Well, think again. Fruity, light, and crunchy, this recipe invites embellishment. Add a touch of mint or fresh cilantro in place of some of the parsley, some shredded red pepper or red cabbage for more color, grapes or raisins if you like instead of blood oranges. Toss in cooked shrimp or chicken breast and you have a main course summer salad. This one’s a keeper.

Note: If you don’t have fresh blood oranges on hand or they are out of season, use canned Mandarin oranges.

1 1/4 pounds cabbage
1/3 pound carrots
3 green onions
4 ounces jicama, julienned, optional
8 ounces canned, crushed pineapple, drained but save juice
2 blood oranges, peeled and segmented, or tangerines, Clementines, or navel oranges
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup fat-free sour cream
1/4 cup fat-free or low-fat mayonnaise
2 ounces cashew nuts, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Healthy Pantry

Typically, the push for more fruits and vegetables in the diet brings to mind fresh—not frozen or canned—produce. But don’t shortchange packaged goods. While they don’t quite measure up flavorwise, they work in a pinch and make a respectable showing when it comes to providing nutrients and fiber. Make sure you check all labels and avoid products with added fat or excessive sugar. Choose unsauced vegetables and fruits packed in juice or water.

Shred the cabbage, carrots, and onions by hand or in a food processor. Toss thoroughly in a serving bowl with the pineapple and orange—and jicama, if you’re using it.

In a large measuring cup, blend the juice, sour cream, and mayonnaise until smooth. Pour into the slaw mixture and blend thoroughly, trying not to tear the orange segments. Gently fold in the nuts. Season to taste with salt and pepper and chill thoroughly before serving.

(Serves 6)