Seafood

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from chef Neil Perry's book Rockpool. Neil also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page. For your convenience, we've converted the measures — with as much accuracy as possible — from Australian to American. For those who have metric equipment and wish to follow Neil's recipe to the milliliter, we've included the original measures too. This dish is a blend of both Asian and Western techniques and flavours, and has been refined over a period of time. My objective was to end up with a layering of textures and flavours that built up from firm and sweet to soft and creamy. If there is one thing Eastern cooking has taught me, it is the balance and interplay of flavours from strong to subtle. This recipe also uses extra-virgin olive oil alongside tamarind, soy sauce and palm sugar to achieve a full-flavoured dressing that melds all parts of the composite salad together. When cooking Thai and Chinese food it is imperative not to use olive oil as it masks the authentic flavours, but once you understand the balance of these flavours you can start to blend with sympathy, and to create dishes that are in harmony with both their roots. The key to this salad is the same as for any composite salad; all the parts must be of the highest quality. The mangoes should be ripe but not overly sweet and soft. The chicken cannot be compromised, it must be fresh to achieve the right texture. Ensure that all the ingredients are at room temperature. It is ideal if all the preparation is done on the same day, but if that's impossible make sure you take everything out of the fridge well beforehand.

Puntarelle (a Catalonian chicory) with anchovy dressing is a classic Roman dish. We have substituted celery for the puntarelle because the latter is not widely available in this country*. Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 1 3/4 hr

There is this great bustling taverna in one of the northern Athenian suburbs near where we live, and this is the house special, so much so that the chef refused to give me a recipe for it. So, I deconstructed it myself only to re-create it pretty much intact. The tomatoes, cream, and ouzo make a great sauce. You could easily make a quantity and serve it over pasta. It would look and taste good with squid-ink linguine.

This combination has now become a bit of a classic, but Steve has put his signature on it with the mint oil. You must use the oil on the same day it's made or the mint will discolour.

This dish is a perfect example of Villaran Novoandina ("New Andean") style of cooking. Ingredients native to Peru, such as escolar, aji, and tropical fruit, are combined in whimsical, creative ways. The presentation is very contemporary, yet the bright, satisfying contrast of crisp fish, sweet fruit, and spicy sauce is true to Peruvian flavors.

Osso buco is a traditional Italian dish of veal shanks simmered in a pungent tomato sauce and topped with gremolata. Ming Tsai's clever version is made with fish.

The <epi:recipelink id="102741">sautéed mushrooms epi:recipelinkawould make a great side dish for this fish, along with steamed green beans or broccoli.</epi:recipelinka></epi:recipelink>

"I recently ventured to Brooklyn Heights, where I had a sensational meal at Henry's End," says Mariana Field Hoppin of New York, New York. "The shrimp with basil-garlic butter was out of this world. Could you obtain the recipe?"

A delicious alternative to gefilte fish. Have the fishmonger fillet the whitefish.

Catalan chicory, or puntarelle, is the green of choice for this salad dressing, although Belgian endive can also he substituted. Arugula and most other full-flavored salad greens also pair well with the dressing. As regards anchovies, whole ones packed in suit are more work to cook with but taste best; bottled anchovies are a good second choice; canned (and therefore hidden from inspection) are the last decent option. Anchovy paste is made from leftovers and not really worth buying. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

The somen noodles called for in this recipe are a very thin Japanese wheat noodle. They are available in the Asian section of many supermarkets, at Southeast Asian markets and at specialty foods stores.

For hearty appetites allow 1 pound of filet for each guest. Be sure to get whole, not sliced, filet. Ask the butcher to lard the filets for you, or if you have a larding needle you can do it yourself.

For more information about making pâte à choux, see If the Choux Fits...Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 1 hr

Cioppino is San Francisco's answer to bouillabaisse and, like that famous Provencal seafood soup, is made with a variety of the freshest fish possible. In San Francisco the mixture included Dungeness crab, which adds a unique flavor, but any regional crab will do. If crab is not available, substitute another shellfish. No clams? Try mussels. The point is to treat the following recipe as a guide and use whatever looks best in the market the day you make the soup.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 30 min

Over the Fourth of July weekend in 1924, a group of unexpected guests arrived at Caesar’s Palace restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico. Running low on food, the owner, Caesar Cardini, threw together a salad with ingredients he had on hand. He made a thick dressing with a coddled egg, garlic-flavored oil, lemon juice, grated cheese and Worcestershire, which added a taste of anchovy. This dip has all the flavors of that first Caesar salad, and romaine lettuce and fresh veggies are nice “dippers.”