Hungry?
Well have I got recipes – and the books they came from – for you!
The picture above is “Fish In Crazy Water” and is from this terrific memoir, written by Chef David Shalleck with Erol Munuz. The book is Shalleck’s account of being a private Chef on a luxury yacht for a summer!
Now, let’s head to the Mediterranean for a delicious summer dish!
The Simple Yet Delicious “Fish In Crazy Water” Recipe!
This is an easy dish to prepare, but it presents beautifully and tastes even better!
A bit of fun trivia: according to the New York Times, some think “crazy” refers to the broth’s spiciness, while others think the name comes from the fact that Provencal fishermen made the dish with seawater!
Here are your ingredients:
Skinless Halibut or Sea Bass fillets
Sea salt
Black Pepper
5 large Garlic cloves
2 tbl olive oil
1-3/4 pound ripe Tomatoes, seeded and diced
White wine – to splash in the pan and drink while cooking!
Italian Parsley
Smash your garlic with a flat knife and cook in the olive oil…as they release their flavor, salt and pepper your halibut on both sides and add the fish to the pan, making sure there is olive oil under it…
I used Halibut, which is nice and meaty, and takes a few minutes longer to cook, which allows your crazy water to form, because after 5 minutes you add your chopped tomatoes to the pan:
The fish will continue to cook as the tomatoes begin to melt – I turned it over and also tossed some chopped parsley in as well, and I also added a cup of wine – because I wanted a bit more sauce for my dish…
As the fish poaches in the wine and tomatoes, sip a glass of wine – you have time! You see, those tomatoes continue to melt down, and I moved the fish around to ensure it didn’t stick, and did a soft stir of the tomatoes as well…after 15 minutes the fish is done!
Lay some sauce and tomatoes on the bottom of your plate and lay the fish on top, with some fresh parsley as well…that’s it!
It’s an easy, delicious dish with a terrific name!
Next up is a delicious “soon to be summer” dish from our good friend Patrica Wells!
We were inspired not by one of her many great cookbooks, but by her terrific memoir of her life in France with her husband Walter!
We met Patricia and her husband years ago while attending her cooking class – at her home in Provence….this is us with Patricia and the stove Julia Child gave her!
I have so many of her cookbooks, but once I went for a terrific recipe with tuna and a classic sauce made from fresh vegetables.This dish is light, fresh and very flavorful as well!
“Thon a L’Ail Arrantzaleak, Sauce Piperade” is grilled Tuna in a piperade sauce – and of course, the day I had scheduled to prepare it there was no fresh tuna available!
However, no worry as swordfish was a perfect substitute. Let’s get cooking!
Ingredients for the main course:
I lb tuna steak – or swordfish!
Peanut or olive oil
Black pepper
20 large garlic cloves
I tbl. Red wine vinegar
For the Sauce Piperade:
2 small, mildly hot green chiles
6 tbl. Extra-virgin olive oil
2 lbs. Tomatoes, peeled, cored, seeded and chopped
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
3 large bell pepper, cored, halved, seed and cut lengthwise into thin slices
3 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
First, let’s make the Piperade:
Cut the tops of the chiles, slice in half lengthwise and remove all seeds – then cut chiles into very thin strips
In a large skillet, heat 2 tbl. of the oil over medium heat, add tomatoes and simmer uncovered for ten minutes
In a medium skillet, heat 2 tbl of oil then add the onions and cook until light golden, about 10 minutes
In another medium skillet, heat 2 tbl. of the oil and cook the chiles and bell peppers until soft and tender, about 10 minutes…yes, I had three pans going at once – take a look!
This was actually fun – do you really need to cook them separately? I always listen to the Chef!
Add the onions and peppers to the tomato mix…stir in the raw minced garlic and season with salt and pepper…cook uncovered over low heat for one hour, stirring occasionally…it looks beautiful when done…
This Piperade can be taken off the heat as you prepare the Tuna / Swordfish
Lightly brush both sides of your fish with olive oil, and season generously with pepper
Broil on a grill (or you can pan sear as I did) until fish begins to turn opaque, about five minutes per side
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 tbl. of oil then add garlic and stir them so they are coated with the oil, then saute until light golden, about 4-5 minutes
This smells as good as it looks:
Add the red wine vinegar to deglaze the pan.
Sprinkle the tuna /swordfish with salt, put on a warmed platter and pour the garlic sauce over the fish
You finish the dish by adding the Piperade to the top of the fish or serve it on the side…I served my fish on top of fettucine, as the garlic sauce worked well on it!
This was delicious, the garlic sauce giving a richness to the dish – and the piperade is zesty with a slight spicy bite to it – and the leftover can be used for any kind of meat or fish as well. The entire cookbook is filled with classic French dishes that are fun and mostly easy to prepare – the also present very well for guests!
As I said, I was lucky to attend a week of cooking adventures with my wife Alex – held at the Provencal home of Patricia Wells and her husband Walter. That’s her showing me how to toss a salad, while fellow attendee Wendy diced up herbs…I just mugged to the camera! Oh, and about the apron: I mis-read their request for the name on it and gave them my whole name!
And here is Alex as she harvested fresh eggplant from Patricia’s garden!
It was a memorable week, exploring the flavors of the south of France – joining ten other cooks to make fun lunches and dinners for a week in the south of France!
I also had the great fortune to cook on a stove owned by Julia Child – which she gave to Wells!
You can see our entire Provencal cooking adventure with Patric but clicking here:
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Categories: Bite Eat Swallow, Bite! Eat! Repeat!, Books / Media, Chef memoirs, Cookbooks, Eat This!, Fine Dining, Food Travel, Food Writing, Recipes, Travel, Wacky Food, World's Wildest Food
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