Read Mark Bittman's Quick and Easy Recipes from the New York Times Online
Authors: Mark Bittman
1.
Start a grill or preheat the broiler; the rack should be 4 to 6 inches from the heat source. Cut the bread lengthwise into quarters. Grill or broil the bread, watching carefully and turning as each side browns and chars slightly; total time will be about 5 minutes.
2.
While the bread cools, mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, shallot, garlic (if using), and tomatoes in a large bowl. Mash the tomatoes with the back of a fork to release all of their juices. Season with salt
and pepper to taste. Cut the bread into ½- to 1-inch cubes (no larger) and toss it with the dressing.
3.
Let the bread sit for 20 to 30 minutes, tossing occasionally and tasting a piece every now and then. The salad is at its peak when the bread is fairly soft but some edges remain crisp, but you can serve it before or after it reaches that state. When it’s ready, stir in the herb and serve.
VARIATIONS
Bread Salad Served with Seafood
If you’re serving the salad alongside seafood, consider adding ¼ cup chopped olives, 1 tablespoon capers, and/or 2 minced anchovy fillets (or a little less of each) to the salad.
Bread Salad with Shrimp or Chicken
Grill or broil some shrimp or skinless, boneless chicken alongside the bread (you don’t need as much as you would if you were serving the shrimp or chicken apart from the salad), then add the chunks to the salad.
Bread Salad with Tuna
Add a goodly amount of tuna (only the Italian kind, packed in olive oil, please) to the mix.
FENNEL-STEAMED MUSSELS, PROVENCE STYLE
SHRIMP IN MOROCCAN-STYLE TOMATO SAUCE
STEAMED SHRIMP WITH LEMONGRASS-COCONUT SAUCE
STIR-FRIED LEEKS WITH GINGER AND SHRIMP
CURRIED SCALLOPS WITH TOMATOES
ROASTED BAY SCALLOPS WITH BROWN BUTTER AND SHALLOTS
BROILED OR GRILLED SOFTSHELL CRABS
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
TIME: 30 MINUTES
IN A CAFÉ
in southern France about thirty years ago, I sat in a bistro and timidly prepared to order salade Niçoise. Just then, a huge bowl of steaming, powerfully fragrant mussels was delivered to a man sitting at the table next to me, and I boldly changed my order. The hot mussels were essentially tossed with fennel and fennel seeds, which I could see, but the licorice bouquet and indeed flavor were far stronger than that combination alone could provide. Later, I realized that there was a secret ingredient: an anise liqueur, either Pernod or Ricard. The combination is alluring.
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1 fennel bulb (about 1 pound), trimmed and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
½ cup Pernod or Ricard or 4 whole star anise
1 cup chopped tomatoes, fresh or drained canned (optional)
1 fresh tarragon sprig (optional)
At least 4 pounds large mussels, well washed and debearded
1.
Put the oil in a large pot over medium heat; a minute later, add the garlic, fennel, fennel seeds, liqueur, and tomatoes and tarragon if you’re using them. Bring to a boil, cook for about a minute, add the mussels, cover the pot, and turn the heat to high.
2.
Cook, shaking the pot occasionally, until the mussels open, 5 to 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the mussels and fennel to a serving bowl, then strain any liquid over them and serve.
VARIATIONS
There are many, many herbs, spices, vegetables, and other seasonings that can lend a licorice flavor, including anise seeds or ground anise; five-spice powder; ouzo or raki, the anise-scented liqueurs of the eastern Mediterranean; and tarragon, chervil, even basil—especially Thai basil. (You could probably throw in a few pieces of Good&Plenty while you’re at it.)
Or you can go super-minimal and make plain steamed mussels. The procedure is the same, but omit all ingredients except mussels, oil, and garlic. Shake the pot a couple of times while cooking. These are great with a little melted butter (laced with minced garlic if you like) drizzled over them and a big loaf of crusty bread.
MUSSELS
EVERY YEAR,
we see more and more cultivated mussels, most often from Prince Edward Island, which is fast becoming the mussel farming capital of North America. These are easy to clean (almost clean enough to eat without washing, but still worth a quick going over), with very few rejects and plump meat. Wild mussels are far tastier but harder to clean.
When cleaning mussels, discard any with broken shells. If the mussels have beards—the hairy vegetative growth that is attached to the shell—trim them off. Those mussels that remain closed after the majority have been steamed open can be pried open with a knife (a butter knife works fine) at the table.
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
TIME: 30 MINUTES
MOST STEAMED MUSSEL
preparations contain parsley, garlic, and white wine, with the occasional addition of tomatoes and herbs. There are, however, other directions to take with no additional effort. Generally, there are two easy changes to make: First, use distinctive Asian seasonings like ginger, soy, or curry powder. And second, omit the cooking liquid. By relying only on the mussels’ natural juices, you can add fewer seasonings (and less of each) and still produce a flavorful sauce that is less watery than most. I always serve Asian-style mussels with a bowl of rice on the side.
2 tablespoons peanut or corn oil
¼ cup roughly chopped scallion
1 tablespoon roughly chopped peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, lightly smashed
4 pounds mussels, well washed and debearded
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1.
Put the oil in a saucepan large enough to hold all the mussels and turn the heat to medium. A minute later, add the scallion, ginger, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 1 minute.
2.
Add the mussels, turn the heat to high, and cover the pot. Cook, shaking the pot occasionally, until they all (or nearly all) open, about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat.
3.
Scoop the mussels into a serving bowl. Add the soy sauce to the liquid, then pass it through a fine strainer (or a coarse one lined with cheesecloth). Pour the liquid over the mussels and serve.
VARIATIONS
Curried Steamed Mussels
Substitute butter for the oil. Substitute shallot for the scallion and omit the ginger and garlic. When the shallot is soft, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon curry powder and cook, stirring, for another 30 seconds. Cook and finish as directed, substituting the juice of 1 lime for the soy sauce.
Thai Steamed Mussels
Use peanut oil. Add 1 lemongrass stalk, roughly chopped; 1 small dried hot red chile; and 2 lime leaves to the scallion, ginger, and garlic. Substitute nam pla (fish sauce) for the soy sauce.
Steamed Clams with Soy
Most mussel recipes will work for steamers, which are also known as
soft-shell clams.
But steamers must be rinsed after shucking to remove all traces of sand, and you don’t want to dilute these delicious broths by dipping clams into them one after the other. The solution is to substitute littlenecks—small hardshell clams, the kind served on the half shell and used for pasta with clam sauce—for the mussels. These contain no sand at all, but because their shells are heavier, use 1½ to 2 pounds of littlenecks to replace each pound of mussels. Proceed exactly as directed.
MAKES 2 SERVINGS
TIME: 30 MINUTES
MANY YEARS AGO
in Barcelona, I saw mussels and clams cooked
a la plancha—
on a thick slab of hot metal much like the griddles used by short-order cooks. The technique is common in Spain, indeed throughout the Mediterranean. Though the mollusks are usually served unadorned, they’re filled with their own flavors as well as a certain smokiness contributed by their juices, which burn on the hot surface. This smokiness sometimes makes people think that mussels cooked this way are cooked over wood, but that is not the case, nor is it necessary. It’s best to serve the mussels in the same skillet in which they cooked. To eat, remove a mussel from the shell and dredge it on the dried juices of the pan.
About 1½ pounds mussels, washed and debearded
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1.
Heat a large cast-iron or heavy steel skillet over high heat for about 5 minutes, or until a few drops of water dance across the surface. Add the mussels to the skillet in one layer (your pan may fit more or less than 1½ pounds; use only as many as will fit comfortably or use 2 pans).
2.
Cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the mussels begin to open. The mussels are done when they’re all open and their juices have run out and evaporated in the hot pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve immediately, in the pan.
VARIATIONS
Black Skillet Clams or Oysters
This dish can be made with hardshell clams—littlenecks, cherrystones, or quahogs—or with oysters. (Softshell clams, or steamers, are too sandy for this treatment.) Be sure to wash the shells of any of these mollusks very well and discard any whose shells are open or cracked. As with the mussels, they are done when their shells open.
To add a slightly different flavor:
• When the mussels begin to open, add 4 cloves of crushed, peeled garlic to the pan, shaking the pan as directed.
• Gently melt 4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter in a small saucepan. (If you like, add Tabasco or other hot sauce to taste, along with the juice of a lemon.) Serve it alongside the pan of mussels. To eat, remove a mussel from its shell, dip into the butter, then rub up some of the dried juices from the bottom of the skillet.
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
TIME: 1 HOUR, LARGELY UNATTENDED
CRAB HAS THE
best texture and among the best flavor of all of the crustaceans, and the best crab cakes are those that showcase the crab most fully. So getting the most out of crab cakes often means putting the least into them. When you start loading crab cakes up with white bread, corn, curry, and complicated sauces, you might be making them different, but you’re not making them better. I usually serve my crab cakes with nothing more than lemon wedges, but
tartar sauce and aïoli
are both excellent choices if you choose to make a condiment.
1 pound fresh lump crabmeat
1 egg
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons flour, plus flour for dredging
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil or neutral oil, like corn or grapeseed
Lemon wedges
1.
Gently combine the crab, egg, mustard if you’re using it, salt and pepper to taste, and 2 tablespoons flour. Cover and put in the freezer for 5 minutes. Shape the mixture into 4 patties. Line a plate with plastic wrap and put the crab cakes on it. Cover with more plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes (or up to a day if you like) or freeze for 15 minutes.
2.
Put the flour for dredging in a bowl. Put the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, gently dredge one of the crab cakes in the flour. Gently tap off the excess flour and add the crab cake to the pan; repeat with the remaining crab cakes, then turn the heat to medium-high.
3.
Cook, rotating the cakes in the pan as necessary to brown the first side, 5 to 8 minutes. Turn and brown the other side, which will take slightly less time. Serve hot with lemon wedges.
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
TIME: 15 TO 20 MINUTES
YOU CAN BUY
peeled shrimp, but shrimp poached in their shells have more flavor (as do shrimp poached in salt; the water should taste salty). If you’re going to peel the shrimp yourself, as I recommend, it pays to buy larger shrimp and cut down on the work. Go for those in the range of 30 to 40 per pound (sometimes labeled
U-40
as in “under 40”), or even larger if the cost is not prohibitive.
To subtly improve the flavor of the shrimp, add other seasonings to the poaching liquid—the easiest thing is to grab a handful of pickling mix, which usually contains peppercorns, allspice, bay leaf, and coriander and dill seeds. Throw in a couple of cloves of garlic or a piece of onion if you like.