May 07, 2012

sea bass and the sea

I wanted Zach to write this post, to wax poetic about fish, to convey how these scaly, slippery creatures captivate his imagination and his tastebuds. He loves fish - as pets and as dinner - and he often jokes (too seriously for my liking) about working on a commercial fishing boat. Once he's conquered the open ocean he wants to spend his days wading in a stream fly-fishing, with a grill a few steps away so he can throw his catch directly on to the fire and enjoy the fresh, flakey white fish while tying on the next fly. 

Initially he wanted the grill in the stream, but I reminded him that, 1) fire and water aren't the best of friends and, 2) it probably isn't allowed. I also reminded him that he doesn't know how to fly-fish, and that it's actually much harder than it looks. And that yes, I know Brad Pitt made it look easy (and incredibly sexy) in A River Runs Through It, but settling to that mesmerizing flick-of-the-wrist rhythm is likely more maddening that it is mediative for a beginner. 

I know I shouldn't crush his dreams, but when it comes to fish, I tend to be a bit of a dream crusher. They make me nervous, the scales, the beady slippery eyes, and the tiny translucent bones. I think it all stems from my hatred of tuna fish. Tuna fish has been my numero uno least favorite food for as long as I can remember. The thought of the slimy grey fish packed into a tiny tin can gives me the heebie jeebies. I have the heebie jeebies just typing this. I don't live by many hard and fast food rules, but I do believe that you shouldn't eat something if it smells bad, which in my book extends to tuna fish, hardboiled eggs, and stinky cheese, all of which leave me gulping for air at the nearest open window. 
Until recently I never made fish at home. I was too scared that the entire apartment would smell like fish for days. But Zach's love for fish and his persistent plea that we eat it for dinner eventually pushed me to the market where I bought salmon with the skin. I smeared it with herbs dotted it with butter and roasted it until just cooked through. We ate the salmon along side lemon risotto and roasted tomatoes and I swear salmon has never tasted so good. The blend of delicious fresh ingredients and the satisfaction of having conquered the unknown at home made for a particularly tasty meal. And best of all, the kitchen didn't smell, not one bit. Since then we have been eating salmon at least once a week, covered in herbs and yogurt, or herbs and mustard, or wrapped in parchment paper packages, or simply resting on a bed of basil with olive oil drizzled on top. 

Salmon was the first step, a baby step. I was happy to stick to salmon, but Zach had other plans, plans that involved a head, eyes, a tail, a spine, and gills. I panicked and made promises about maybe Friday, or perhaps next week, or next month. But then Zach got lucky and whole sea bass was on the menu at our cooking class in Italy. When Zach saw the fish waiting in a pan with tomatoes, potatoes and olives, he himself starting glistening like a sleeve of fish scales. The fish was excellent, wonderfully light and flakey, and cooked in the perfect company of juice sweet cherry tomatoes, soft comforting potatoes, and slightly bitter black olives. 
Half the fun of a cooking class is taking the lessons home. Inevitably you forget something (we forgot the wine) but the meal is memorable none the less, both because it is delicious and because you can reminiscence about where you were when you ate it/made it for the first time.

// Roasted Whole Sea Bass with Tomatoes, Potatoes, and Olives //

serves 4
* we learned in our class that a 1kg fish takes 30 mins at 350ºF // 180ºC
** our pan was clearly a bit too small, but we just made sure the body was in the pan with the head and tail peaking of the edge

1kg // 2.2lbs whole wild Sea bass
500g // 1lb cherry tomatoes
500g // 1lb fingerling potatoes
200g // 4 oz pitted olives (whatever color you like best)
a dash of white wine
a few healthy glugs of olive oil
vegetable broth

Preheat the oven to 350ºF/180ºC

Peal the potatoes. Place the potatoes in a pot and pour in water until they are just covered. Bring to a boil and let the potatoes cook until you can easily insert a fork into their center (timing will depend on size of potatoes). Once cooked, drain the potatoes and let rest until cool enough to peal. Peal, discarding the skins, and chop into slices

Chop the cherry tomatoes into four equal segments. In a large bowl combine the tomatoes with the chopped potatoes and olives. Pour in a few glugs of olive oil, enough so the vegetables are coated. Sprinkle in a couple pinches of salt and a few twists of fresh pepper from a grinder. Mix so everything is evenly coated. 

Now it's time for the fish. Ideally your fish monger cleaned the guts out for you, if not you will have to undertake this yourself (something along these lines). Place the clean fish in a pan. Spoon in the tomato-potato-olive mixture, as much as will comfortably fit. Pour in a dash of white wine over the vegetables and follow with the vegetable broth, so that the liquid comes just a fingertip up the side of the pan. 

Place in the oven and cook for about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and gently peel the skin off the fish, leaving the flakey filets underneath. Try to remove the filets without removing too many bones along with it. Serve with tomatoes-potatoes-olives. 
Paired here with the fish pictures are some of my favorite sea shots from our trip. It was amazing how quickly the color of the sky and sea would change. Funny enough it the weather has been somewhat similar and dramatic here in Zürich, from sunny one minute to rainy the next to thunderstorms and back to sunny. I was heading out for a run yesterday afternoon and I saw the clouds rumbling in and I knew I better turn around before getting drenched. 
I don't want to give you the impression that I was totally calm cool and collected about cooking our beautiful wild sea bass. I totally wasn't. I think I must have uttered a gazillion panicked  'what if.." questions in between taking photos and peering over Zach's shoulder. I was extra nervous that our fish which was too big for the pan would bubbly and goop over the sides and leave a stinky fish puddle in the bottom of the oven. (A makeshift aluminum catch-all on the rack underneath solved that problem). Generally Zach was Mr. Calm-Cool-&-Collected and just proceeded as we had been instructed during the class while I flapped around like a fish out of water. He assembled the ingredients, skinned the fish, and gently removed the tender filets. It's good to know that we each have our roles, he can handle whole fish and the grill, and I'll do everything else. 

Despite my flailing about, the fish was wonderful, perfectly cooked and lightly flavored. It's not a fishy fish, but rather a mild white fish. We ate it on the balcony, a wonderful start to a season of dinners outside. 
So back to my asking Zach to write this post. He was totally on board, ready to type and make his grand debut on House to Haus, but then Saturday slipped away and all the sudden it was Sunday and he left, headed back to the Adriatic for work, but this time to the other side. He is in Dubrovnik right now, and just sent me this picture (below) from his hotel room... 
...hmpf, a room with a view if I ever saw one. I think I'm going to have to start tagging along on his business trips. I'll just hang ocean side while he goes to meetings. I hope he's getting his fill of fresh Adriatic fish...

19 comments:

  1. Oh this is too funny, my boyfriend is the exact same way. My first reaction after reading the title and looking at that second photo was, "ooh I just have to show this post to Waylon." He loves, loves, loves fish as well, and was even thinking of working on a fishing boat up in Alaska for the summer (no, no!). I love eating fish too, but cooking it? I'm a bit intimidated, and I only have ever cooked filets of fish like salmon or cod or halibut. I know a roasted whole fish would practically make my boyfriend die with happiness though and you've given me enough confidence to try it out, I think. It really does look beautiful, nestled in with those tomatoes and olives.

    And oh gosh what a beautiful post, pictures-wise! Too bad we didn't get to hear Zach wax poetically about fish (haha!) but I think I'm jealous of his business trip more than anything else right now. I would most definitely tag along on his next business trip if I were you!

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    1. haha! love love love that Waylon and Zach are in the same boat, literally, just as long as that boat isn't outfitted with fishing nets and doesn't set sail for the Bearing straight. (I've tried to make it very clear that that is not an option). Also glad to hear that I'm not the only one intimidated by fish. Really it's so simple - just throw in a pan and cook - but there is something about the head, and the skin that you need to peal off and the bones. I hope you do try it! Invite friends over, it's kind of a fun kitchen project and I'm guessing there are others out there who are intimidated by fish so it can be a fish appreciation dinner.

      Maybe Zach and I will conquer another fish fish. Roasted in a salt shell is next on Zach's list. I'll have him write about that one.

      With my luck the next business trip will be to Siberia, no thank you!

      So glad you like the pictures, they are some of my favorites from the trip, especially that first one.

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  2. Well done Zach! I cook fish often, but ask my fishmonger to do all the work for me, so cleaning fish is a skill I really want to learn someday. I guess we all have things that freak us out, I think it's great that you went outside your comfort zone and tried something new. The meal looks amazing.

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    1. Jess, you are totally right....getting outside of your comfort zone is one of the little joys of cooking, besides if it doesn't work out, then it doesn't work and there is always pizza! After cooking this fish I think I'd like to take a course on fish and fish cleaning and perhaps even fly-fishing!

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  3. That looks delicious-fresh and salty. My favorite combination. I get nervous too to cook a whole fish, but you inspired me! Who ate the eye? You should have snuck it into Zach's potatoes when he wasn't looking mwaha. Love the recipe, love the pictures, love your words. You are such a beautiful writer, weaving your recipes into beautiful narratives.

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    1. keeerrrry!!! sick! we left the eyeballs right where they belong, in the fishy head. Note to self : don't eat fish with kerry because she will most certainly "punk" me. Zach was tempted to try the cheek but didn't really know where to start. Apparently it's good. Remember when you dissected that beach creature in Canada,? thanks for commenting!!! miss you!

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  4. Hahaha, love the convo between you two (Ker and Tal). I may have just gagged at Ker's suggestion BUT this dish looks INCREDIBLE! Perfect, in fact. xoxo

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    1. crembie, maybe you want to eat the eye? We can save it for you...or Ker can sneak it into your potatoes...gotta keep an eye on that kerbear, she's a sneaky one! When can we have a big dinner party with all of *us* ? siiiiiigh. xoxo! ALSO so jealous that you and ker and pete had a meeting in nyc! ox

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  6. Talley, I love the photos of the rocky outcroppings and the sea. The fish also looks wonderful. It sounds like you learned a ton in your cooking classes in Italy! I haven't thought seriously about taking a cooking class for a long time, but this makes me want to look into it.

    About fish eyes and cheeks: I rarely ever make fish at home, but there is a really cool place on the South Side in Chicago--a smoke shack on the side of the road that sells amazing smoked shrimp and fish--and a man behind the counter once offered me a freshly smoked salmon head to try out. The cheek was amazing--super fatty and flavourful. The eye wasn't really my thing, but my grandmother loves fish eyes.

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    1. Okay, wow, so people really do eat the eye? Or at least grandmothers eat the eye - seems like a grandmother type thing to do actually, fish eyes and lard biscuits. Next time we will definitely have to be more adventurous and try the cheek. Zach was curious about it but a bit shy about how to go about it.

      I'd definitely recommend a cooking class, even if it is just a few hours, it's always nice to learn new things and it is an especially fun "couple" activity. Zach is now, and will be forever since i hate it, the pasta dough kneader - if that's all we got out of the class then it was money well spent :)

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  7. Gorgeous post as always, Talley. Your writing and photography is wonderful. I, too, am frightened by the whole fish... but perhaps this post will inspire me to give it a whirl. Seriously, how can it possibly all cook right and what about the yuckiness inside that I prefer the fishmonger to handle? I think I'll leave that to Rob...

    Have you been to Dubrovnik? We *loved* it there. Definitely tag along with Zach next time.

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    1. It seems like we need to send our husbands out on a fishing catching and cooking expedition! We can stay home and make pies and cakes and potato salad and the boys can go rip the guts out of fish, sounds good to me!

      I haven't been to Dubrovnik yet, but it is definitely on the list...the list that gets longer every second it seems.

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  8. The fish, of course, looks wonderful. But I have to say, I'm most captivated by those images of the sea. I lived on a boat for four months, so those open ocean shots really grab a part of my heart. Gorgeous.

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    1. On a boat for 4 months!?! Wow! Where? That is incredible. I went on a backpacking trip in Wyoming (with Darcy, who commented above) for a month and I thought that was a long time. I'm guessing it was a semester at sea? How incredible. I'm so glad you like the sea photos, they are some of my favorites! I'm thinking of printing them big and hanging a few in our office because I desperately miss living near the ocean. The Lake is great, but there is nothing like the ocean - soak it in while you can before you move to Denver.

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  9. This might be my favorite post thus far! That fish looks incredibly delcious — perfectly cooked, light and flaky, yum! I think Ben and Zach could hang out. Ben LOVES fish and LOVES fishing and has similar dreams of working on commercial fishing boats. I am going to try this method. I don't think fish can taste any better than when its cooked whole. Thanks for sharing your cooking school wisdom. You're givin us pearls here!

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    1. So are you on board with the ladies making pie at home while the husbands trapse around in a stream or two (see my reply to Darcy). These boys and their fish is just a bit too much for me, especially the desire to work on a commercial fishing boat. I think we need to set them down in front of "Deadliest Catch" for a marathon viewing until they get it out of their systems.

      I really do like this way of cooking fish, especially since it is so easy. Next I want to try the whole fish encrusted in salt...and when I say "I" I really mean "Zach is begging me" - hehe

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  10. Commenting again - totally in support of this plan that means the boys fish and clean said fish. Rob worked on a commercial fishing boat in the Florida keys for a summer so he knows what he is doing!

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  11. Beautiful images, the fish looks delicious!

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