Ingredients Seafood Fish Striped Bass Grilled Striped Bass with Indian-Spiced Tomato Salad 3.0 (145) Add your rating & review As chef and founder of Bombay Canteen and O Pedro in Mumbai and Tabla in New York, among other restaurants, Floyd Cardoz was considered one of the world's most influential chefs. He was an avid fisherman, and this summery grilled bass with ginger-spiced tomato salad was a favorite of his. By Floyd Cardoz Floyd Cardoz F&W Star Chef » See All F&W Chef Superstars Long-known for his spectacularly creative Indian cooking at Tabla, Floyd Cardoz is now the chef at New York City’s North End Grill. He tells F&W how to pick a perfect holiday food gift and more. What’s your favorite holiday food gift? I love giving something that’s a little more practical, like brandied or bourbon cherries, spice mixes, things that people are going to use, that won’t sit on a shelf. Or alcohol that people are going to drink. So if someone likes Scotch, make sure to give them a Scotch gift, not a liqueur they’d never want. For spice mixes I do rubs, like mustard and coriander and pepper. I keep the packaging simple: I just put it in a bag and give a recipe. I also like to give a bacon-of-the-month subscription, because who doesn’t love bacon? What’s your favorite holiday cocktail? I love Champagne with something—a little tinted liqueur, or something light, like pomegranate seeds, they look nice and festive. A tamarind margarita also goes down very easily. I make that year-round, because people love it so much. I put in tamarind paste, triple sec or Cointreau, a good tequila, and a splash of orange juice and fresh lime juice. Can you share a great entertaining tip? As soon as people come in, have food ready to go. It could be as simple as a terrine or platter of charcuterie, anything so it’s easy to eat and can sit out for a while without going bad. What are 3 don’t-miss places to visit in New York City? If I have guests coming to the city, I always take them down Fifth Avenue to see the lights and the window displays, particularly the Lord & Taylor showroom windows. In Midtown, Fifth Avenue has such a festive, happy, it’s-Christmas feeling to it. If my guests have kids, I always take them to FAO Schwarz. It’s a madhouse, but it’s also something you’ve got to do if you come to New York. I always love going to the Union Square Greenmarket at the holidays. They have the wreaths, the dried flowers and all the foods that you want to serve, everything you associate with the season. What’s the one dish you’re most known for? At the holidays, for my family every year I make a Goan pork stew called sorpatel, with steamed rice cakes called sanna, which my mom and my grandmother and great-grandmother used to always have at Christmas. The stew is made from pork belly with a little bit of liver, vinegar, chiles and a lot of garlic, clove and cinnamon. The meat is smoked and fried and stewed. It takes three days. It’s not easy but it’s absolutely delicious. The steamed rice cakes are slightly fermented—you soak the rice overnight, then grind the rice, then let it sit open overnight so it kind of ferments, then you add a little fresh coconut so it has a slight sweetness. It’s not as sour as a sourdough, but it has a slight sourness to it. What’s your favorite cookbook of all time? I don’t read too many cookbooks, but there is one book that I absolutely love, called 50 Great Curries of India, by Camellia Panjabi. The 50 curries are just so different, but so authentic, too. She gave me a copy maybe 10 or 15 years ago. I just respect her tremendously, and I’ve been suggesting it to everybody ever since. What’s one technique everyone should know? Basting meat. I use a spoon, not a basting bulb. It helps give the meat the flavors of whatever you’re cooking it with, like garlic or rosemary. And it helps give the meat color. I generally suggest people baste as many times as they possibly can. Even if you’re just cooking a steak, I’d say baste it every 4 to 5 minutes if you can. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on May 30, 2017 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Chef Floyd Cardoz of Indian hotspot Paowalla in New York City is an avid fisherman. This summery grilled bass with ginger-spiced tomato salad is the ideal way to showcase a beautiful piece of fish and the season's absolute best produce. We aspire to make this for a delicious weeknight dinner. Photo: © Antonis Achilleos Total Time: 30 mins Yield: 4 Ingredients 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns 1 tablespoon coriander seeds 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 cup chopped basil 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 medium shallot, minced 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger 1/2 teaspoon sugar 2 pounds assorted heirloom tomatoes, cut into 1-inch dice Salt 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary Four 6-ounce wild striped bass fillets, with skin Freshly ground pepper Directions In a small skillet, toast the peppercorns and coriander seeds over moderately high heat until fragrant, 30 seconds. Transfer to a spice grinder and let cool completely. Grind the peppercorns and coriander to a powder. In a large bowl, combine 1/4 cup of the olive oil with the ground spices, basil, vinegar, shallot, ginger and sugar. Add the tomatoes and toss to coat with the dressing. Season the tomatoes with salt. Light a grill or heat a grill pan. In a shallow baking dish, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil with the rosemary. Season the bass with salt and pepper and coat the fillets with the rosemary oil. Grill the bass over moderately high heat, skin side down, until nicely charred and crisp on the bottom, 3 minutes. Turn the bass and cook until just opaque in the center, 3 minutes longer. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the tomatoes to plates. Set the bass fillets on the tomato salad. Spoon the tomato dressing over and around the fish and serve. Suggested Pairing Robust rosé from Spain. Rate it Print