Pickled Shrimp-and-Field Pea Lettuce Wraps
F&W Editor in Chief Hunter Lewis uses a broth spiked with Old Bay Seasoning, fennel seeds, and red pepper to flavor field peas and shrimp before giving them a quick soak in a lemon-sherry vinaigrette. "I love shrimp boils and earthy field peas," he says. "So why not combine them in a snappy, succulent, and refreshing salad?"
Extra-Crispy Fried Fish
Adam Evans, of Automatic Seafood and Oysters in Birmingham, Alabama, serves up this perfectly tender and delightfully crispy fried fish that never seems to lose its crunch, even in takeaway containers. His secret is in the dredge. Gluten-free tapioca flour and rice flour team up with effervescent club soda in this light batter that becomes exceptionally crispy-and stays that way up to an hour after cooking. Delicious on its own, this fish also makes great sandwiches and tacos.
Eat This Crispy Whole Fried Fish All By Yourself
Pescado frito was Karla T. Vasquez’s favorite dish growing up in El Salvador. Now it can be yours.
Spice-Roasted Halibut with Herbs and Tahini Salad
Chef Reem Assil's custom khalta hara blend from the spice company Burlap & Barrel includes toasted coriander, cumin, chile, and black lime. Those spices infuse halibut with layered, mild heat; sliced serrano, cilantro, and parsley add a fresh finish. The special blend from Burlap & Barrel is worth seeking out. Their direct-trade model means farmers are able to pocket more revenue, and it results in better-tasting, higher-quality spices for home cooks and chefs.
Sardine Pupu
Sardine pupu is a simple, prototypically Filipino treat: Splashes of shoyu and vinegar essentially qualify it as adobo, while a crucial glug of lemon oil on top adds complexity. My favorite part is the raw onions, which I rinse under ice water, a technique that softens their bite and brings out the sweetness. This is a primo snack, or add two scoops of rice and you’ve got a meal. My recipe for the lemon oil and chile pepper water can be halved or quartered if you’d like, but they have endless uses if you want to store the extra in the fridge. If the lemon oil and chile pepper water are already made, the dish comes together in about 10 minutes.
Cioppino with Fennel and Saffron
An abundance of seafood and three types of fennel (bulb, seed, and pollen) infuse Boudet's version of this San Francisco fish stew with remarkable flavor, while Calabrian chile paste and crushed red pepper add a subtle layer of heat. Because the West Coast is famous for their Dungeness crab, a large orange crab with meaty claws, it makes a dramatic showing in this seafood-packed dish. Dungeness crab are available fresh from November through June, but this dish can be made any time since many fish markets have cooked and frozen crabs available year round.
