Fish

You won’t want to go back to traditional mayonnaise-based tuna salad after experiencing the fresh crispness of this citrusy version.

Flavors of the Mediterranean are blended in this simple, easy-to-love salad. Serve it as is or on lettuce.

The lemon and dill vinaigrette is a wonderful complement to the flavors of this salad.

Can’t find Old Bay Rub? Try this recipe using Old Bay Seasoning (the 30% less sodium variety, if possible) instead of the rub, which has less salt, and a hint of sugar. Just be aware that using Old Bay Seasoning—even the less-sodium variety—will increase the sodium in this dish. When you’re selecting your salmon, always try to buy the thickest fillets possible (fillets closer to the head of the fish, not the tail). The tail is constantly whipping around, “working out,” so the meat there tends to be less tender. I try to use wild salmon as much as possible because it’s more natural and because it’s lower in fat and calories. But that’s often cost-prohibitive, since it’s a lot more rare. It’s also tougher to find in some parts of the country. Either wild-caught or farm-raised salmon is fine for this recipe, but using farm-raised adds 1.5 grams of fat and 12 calories per ounce.

Wooden grill planks are becoming easier and easier to find these days. Stores like Target, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Wal-Mart, and K-Mart all carry them. If you can’t find them in a store, they are available for purchase online at amazon.com. Just be sure to pay attention to the type of wood the plank is made from—different varieties of wood give the food a different flavor. And make sure you read the instructions enclosed with the planks for proper cleaning and care.

I recently ate dinner at the home of a couple who are producers-turned-friends, Barry and Jen. They work in food TV, so they’re all about great-tasting food. When I showed up, they were making a huge pan of caramelized onions that looked unbelievably good. They were serving them with almost everything that night, which I was happy about because I love onions. I have to admit I was surprised when I saw them piling the onions on grilled salmon. It was not a combination I’d ever considered. But because when in Rome you’re supposed to do as the Romans do, I dug in. It was delicious! I came home and figured out how to make caramelized onions that didn’t need a lot of fat or hands-on time. This dish is now a favorite among many I’ve served. Although salmon is high in fat, it’s good-for-you fat when eaten in moderation. Wild salmon has 12 fewer calories and 1.5 grams less fat per ounce than farm-raised, so I always try to buy that. But it is more expensive and tougher to find. So if you choose farm-raised, it will add 47 calories and 5 grams of fat per serving to this dish.

Tandoori is actually a cooking method, not an ingredient. In traditional Indian cuisine, the term describes a marinated meat cooked over an intense fire in a tandoor—a clay oven containing a hot fire. But we now commonly associate it with a type of marinade. Today, you can find tandoori paste in most grocery stores. It has intense flavor (which I love). By mixing it with yogurt, you cut some of the sodium and make a great simple marinade for fish, chicken, and many other meats.

I’ve encountered many people who are shocked that I eat real pork bacon, being that I’ve kept off fifty-five pounds for close to twenty years. Others are shocked that I include it in my cookbooks. The interesting thing to realize is that center-cut bacon—real pork bacon that’s 35 to 40 percent leaner than other pork bacon—is often as lean as most turkey bacon, yet it tastes like real bacon because it is. The flavor is much stronger than turkey bacon and doesn’t have that turkey aftertaste many brands of turkey bacon do. When buying fish, I often opt for frozen individually wrapped fillets. They’re usually fresher than those I find at the fish counter, and I buy them when they go on sale so I can always have some handy in my freezer.

One of my all-time favorite dishes to order at sushi bars is albacore or yellowtail sashimi with ponzu—a citrus-based soy sauce—and jalapeño (though they sometimes add way too much sesame oil for my taste). The name changes from menu to menu, but no matter the title, I absolutely love it. Here’s an at-home version that’s a cinch to throw together and super-nutritious. It’s perfect for you or to impress your sushi-loving guests. Though you might be tempted to omit the salt, I wouldn’t recommend it. This is actually a great dish for exotic sea salt. A light sprinkle can add real depth to the dish.

I worked on a teen weight-loss show by the producers of The Biggest Loser that took place at a camp in Wisconsin. The night I arrived, I was talking to one of the producers about food, of course. He mentioned his ex-wife used to make tuna with hummus instead of mayo and serve it on bagels. He said that she suggested it to a restaurant and they started serving it. When I told him I was going to borrow the idea he said I had to credit his ex-wife—only he never mentioned her name. Though I created this myself, Matt’s ex-wife deserves the credit for the general concept . . . whoever and wherever she is.

This is a great spicy, low-carb snack when served with vegetables such as celery sticks and endive. It’s also great served with baked tortilla chips or low-fat whole-grain crackers. Until recently, canned tuna was most commonly available in 6-ounce cans. But lately, a lot of products have decreased in size—from cereals to ice cream to peanut butter, which now often has a bubble in the bottom of the jar to make it look as big as it once was—even though the prices have not gone down. Be wary of this when you determine how many calories you’re consuming. The numbers on this dish are based on the 5-ounce can, not a 6-ounce one—which, by the way, generally contains only 3 1/2 ounces of tuna (the rest is liquid).

It’s important, when making this sandwich, that you have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go before cooking the tuna—you don’t want the tuna sitting after it’s cooked. When selecting tuna for this dish, be sure to get tuna that is undoubtedly sushi or sashimi grade. Cutting corners and using any fresh tuna is not an option on this one. Also, make sure the tuna is bright red all over. If the edges are just a bit murky or even the slightest shade of brown, don’t buy it. If it’s fresh, it will be bright red throughout.

I use wild-caught salmon when possible because it’s lower in fat than farm-raised. That said, it is more expensive and harder to find in many areas of the country, especially if you’re buying it fresh. But you can always check the freezer section, where it is more commonly found. If you do end up using farm-raised salmon, add about 12 calories and 1.5 grams of fat per ounce over wild-caught.

Pat: This is our take on a po’ boy, one of the defining sandwiches of the South. We take a hot, crispy cornmeal crusted catfish fillet and slather it with a piquant (easy to make) sweet pickle mayo, then toss some tart pickles, seasoned tomatoes, and shredded lettuce onto a hoagie roll. This is a meal that’s more than a sandwich—it’s a masterpiece!

Pat: The sweet, tangy flavor of barbecued catfish is an itch that needs to be scratched fairly often in the Neely house. Like Tony, I usually prepare too much, but leftovers make great sandwiches the next day (especially on grilled white rolls). Be sure to serve this fish with a generous dollop of homemade tartar sauce, our Sweet and Spicy Slaw (page 90), and warm buttermilk biscuits on the side.

Gina: It’s happening to all of us: we’re getting older. That’s the bad news. The good news is that there are foods we can eat that have indisputable heath benefits, and salmon is one of them. That wouldn’t excite me nearly as much if the fish wasn’t so sweet and delicious. Pat and I were on board with salmon from the get-go, but trying to introduce it to our girls was a challenge. I thought if I added just a hint of sweetness I could ease it on them. So I created this sweet and spicy sauce using mustard and brown sugar. Score one for Mom! The sauce caramelizes under the broiler, and the resulting glaze is a perfect complement to the rich-tasting salmon. If you didn’t already know it, I am the baby sister in my family, in every sense of the word. My older sisters think it’s ironic when I cook for them, because they all spoiled me so much when I was growing up (now Pat continues that tradition, and it all works for me). My big sister Tanya—she’s the more athletic one, who’s always telling me to hold my stomach in and keep my back straight—actually viewed me differently once I made this dish. We like to splurge on wild salmon, because it’s the absolute best for you, and the flavor is as sweet as candy.

Gina: This is an idea that Pat and I hatched when we were thinking of other ways to use our Neely’s Barbecue Seasoning. We were already sprinkling it over various meats, and I was using it to season catfish. So, one evening when I was having a cocktail (which is when I am most creative), I thought, why not combine the barbecue seasoning with butter?!? I checked with Pat, and he thought it was a great idea, and, voilà, barbecue butter was born. You know, some of our best dishes have come from just messing around, so you might want to do what we do and let yourself go in the kitchen! During warm weather, when we don’t have the time (or the desire) to stand over a hot stove, few meals are as enticing as a piece of grilled fish like halibut, tuna, or salmon alongside grilled spears of asparagus slathered with this lively butter. The addictive butter (flavored with fresh herbs, scallions, and orange zest) is also incredibly versatile. Try it tossed with pasta and grilled shrimp, or melted over a seared steak. Boiled creamy new potatoes or steamed rice is a great accompaniment to this simple, satisfying meal. Barbecue butter will keep in the fridge for 4 or 5 days.

The point of a fritto misto is to enjoy the flavors and textures of a variety of fish. You can vary the roster of fish according to what is in the market and increase or decrease the amount according to the number of guests you’re cooking for.

The traditional zuppa di pesce that you most likely encountered in Italian-American restaurants was based on garlic and tomato sauce, which was simmered along with assorted fish to make a savory dish. Sometimes the sauce was used to dress pasta, and the shellfish and fin fish would be enjoyed as a second course. This version is more in a brodetto style, lighter and clearer than the traditional version, with saffron as a flavoring ingredient. This kind of preparation can be found with slight variations along the entire coast of Italy from Liguria to the Adriatic coast to the heel, Puglia, and the island of Sicily. I have given you the recipe with fish fillets, although traditionally zuppa di pesce is made with slices of whole fish with bones and skin intact. But it is tricky to eat that way, even though the flavor is more complex.

In Italy, this dish would be prepared with rombo (turbot), but flounder is certainly an excellent substitute. Flounder is a flakier fish and will cook quicker, so either cut the potatoes into slightly thinner wedges, or boil them a minute or two longer. The flounder you choose for this dish should be a thick one. The dark skin is removed while the white is left on the bottom so the fish does not fall apart when it is being served.