May 7, 2013
Roasted Mustard Mackerel with Fennel
Longtime readers may remember the post I wrote about sustainable seafood a few years ago. The issue is still very much at the forefront of my mind, I carry around the pocket seafood guide issued in French by the WWF (check this list for your local equivalent), and I generally eat little fish -- meaning both "not a lot of it" and "not very big ones".
I'm not perfect, and although my conscience tells me I should give it up, we still go out for s...
"Roasted Mustard Mackerel with Fennel" continues »
January 22, 2013
Smoked Herring and Potato Salad
Harengs pommes à l'huile -- literally, herring and potatoes with oil -- is a great classic among French hors-d'oeuvres, one that you'll still find on brasserie and traditional (or neo-traditional) bistro menus.
{I'll take this opportunity to mention this formidable project from the New York Public Library Labs: What's on the menu? is a digitized collection of restaurant menus dating back to the 1850's, and harengs pommes à l'huile appears in q...
"Smoked Herring and Potato Salad" continues »
December 6, 2011
Spaghetti with Crushed Sardine and Tomato Sauce
In ELLE à table, a French cooking magazine I contribute to, one of the longest-running sections is one called La Cuisine du placard (literally, cuisine from the cabinet or cupboard) that presents a picture of common pantry items, and offers recipes that make use of those, requiring as little fresh shopping as possible.
I consider myself a fresh ingredient cook, chiefly inspired by seasonal produce and market stalls, yet I get a special kind of...
"Spaghetti with Crushed Sardine and Tomato Sauce" continues »
October 21, 2008
Champagne and Saffron Mussels (or Not)
After posting a few thoughts on sustainable seafood and how each of us can make a difference, it grew apparent that one proactive way food bloggers can help, beyond spreading the word and trying to make responsible choices themselves, is to offer recipes featuring those varieties of fish or shellfish that are more eco-friendly.
This happens to be the very premise of Teach a Man to Fish, an event created by Boston writer Jacqueline Church to ra...
"Champagne and Saffron Mussels (or Not)" continues »
December 28, 2005
Tartelettes de Saint-Jacques à la Mangue
[Scallop Mango Tartlet]
What do you mean, you're still trying to recover from the Christmas celebrations? Come on, New Year's Eve is just around the corner, time to hit the ground running and plan for it!
If you intend to host a little dinner party but are still scratching your head about the menu, stop it: it's bad for your scalp, and my latest piece on NPR's website has a first course suggestion for you, offering a recipe for these delicat...
"Tartelettes de Saint-Jacques à la Mangue" continues »
April 28, 2005
A Lunch in the Life
On a Saturday morning, you go to the pool for your weekly swim. As you come out, limbs pleasantly weary and hair still wet, you reflect that it would be nice to buy a baguette for lunch. So, instead of making a right and walking directly home -- you are fortunate enough to live just a block from a clean and quiet swimming-pool -- you go left and make a detour by the boulangerie to buy a warm and crusty Renaissance baguette (their signature trad...
"A Lunch in the Life" continues »
April 27, 2005
Parmentier de Hareng Fumé aux Brocolis
[Smoked Herring and Broccoli Parmentier]
In France, we get pretty much the same télé-réalité shows as everywhere else in the Western world -- yet another perk of globalization -- but I don't often watch them, as I find most either really boring or really painful to watch.
However, I have somehow let myself get sucked into the current show called La Nouvelle Star -- the French rendition of American Idol -- in which successive selections lead ...
"Parmentier de Hareng Fumé aux Brocolis" continues »
December 2, 2004
Coquilles St-Jacques, Ouvertes Maison
[Scallops, Home-Opened]
Perk-to-being-friends-with-a-chef #326 : he will teach you how to open scallops!
This in turn allows you to jump the line at the fish stall, because the people in front of you need to have their scallops opened and cleaned (ha!), but you ask politely if you can just buy yours and go. And you know it's just a figment of your imagination, but you like to think that they, as the fish guy, look at you in awe and think "wo...
"Coquilles St-Jacques, Ouvertes Maison" continues »
November 30, 2004
Tarte à l'Artichaut et au Thon Fumé
[Artichoke and Smoked Tuna Tart]
...and here is the tart I made with Pascale's pâte brisée!
Slices of artichoke hearts and strips of smoked tuna, on a bed of roquette leaves and a smooth layer of mascarpone cheese. The artichoke's tender sweetness, hand in hand with the salty strength of the tuna -- I cannot recommend the pairing enough.
I found the smoked tuna in the smoked salmon aisle at my grocery store ("oh wow, smoked tuna!", she exc...
"Tarte à l'Artichaut et au Thon Fumé" continues »
October 12, 2004
Toast de Foie de Lotte
[Monkfish Liver on Toast]
I had purchased a can of foie de lotte at the Salon Saveurs last spring, and it had been quietly sitting in our kitchen cabinet ever since, waiting for its turn to get a little attention. We finally opened it for a quick and easy lunch recently, spreading the chunks of liver on freshly toasted bread -- just like we used to when I was a child and foie de morue (cod liver) on toasts was an occasional Saturday lunch trea...
"Toast de Foie de Lotte" continues »
June 20, 2004
Brochettes de Poissons Tropicaux à la Nectarine, Chutney Assorti (IMBB5)
[Tropical Fish and Nectarine Skewers, Matching Chutney]
Yay, it's IMBB time again! Today is the 5th edition of Is My Blog Burning?, the collaborative food blogging event in which food bloggers all over the world unite, and cook something in line with a theme. IMBB is our dear Alberto's brain child, and this fantastic, fun and friendly event has already brought us batches and batches of soup, tartine, cake and rice recipes. This time around, ho...
"Brochettes de Poissons Tropicaux à la Nectarine, Chutney Assorti (IMBB5)" continues »
June 8, 2004
Cabillaud aux Fèves, Airelles et Pistaches
[Codfish with Fava Beans, Cranberries and Pistachios]
This is the main dish I served on Saturday night, when our friends came to dinner. The idea for this sort of came to me out of thin air : I was leafing through cookbooks but nothing was really calling my name, when all of a sudden I had visions of fish, baked, with colorful little veggies. This materialized into codfish fillets, baked on a bed of green onions and sprinkled with fava beans, ...
"Cabillaud aux Fèves, Airelles et Pistaches" continues »
March 18, 2004
Dorades à l'Orange et au Fenouil
[Orange Fennel Sea Bream]
We have officially elected the Poissonnerie Bleue on the rue des Martyrs as the best fishmonger in our area. Their wide selection of fish and shellfish is very fresh and reasonably priced, the staff is kind, and they are very generous with their advice and tips, which is a surefire way to win me over.
As I walked by the other day, I decided on a whim to get whole fishes to roast in the oven (is my life exciting or wh...
"Dorades à l'Orange et au Fenouil" continues »
January 3, 2004
Terrine de Rougets
[Goatfish Terrine]
Every once in a while I get cooking cravings - the sudden desire to tackle a new sort of dish or technique. About six months ago, I decided I really needed to try and make terrines. I promptly bought myself a little recipe book, simply called "Terrines", by Catherine Quévremont. It contains thirty easy and tempting recipes of meat, fish or vegetable terrines, and even a couple of dessert terrines.
I then embarked upon the ...
"Terrine de Rougets" continues »
October 29, 2003
Salmon & Leek Quiche
Picard Surgelés is a French chain store, the concept of which finds no equivalent in the US (to my knowledge) : it only sells frozen goods. This may not sound very appealing to the foodiest foodies among you, but their products are surprisingly good and high-quality, much like I remember the frozen section at Trader Joe's, in which I loved to wander till my fingers grew numb. Their selection is pretty wide : from unseasonned veggies, fruits, me...
"Salmon & Leek Quiche" continues »