Sole survivor After a childhood spent avoiding fish on Friday, a finicky eater learns to savor seafood

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As an Irish-Danish-German girl in a predominantly French town, I always felt a little different from my peers. Tourtiere and cretons weren’t a staple at my family Christmas parties, and my friends didn’t quite get the whole corned beef and cabbage thing, either.

When we all went to the beach, my buddies slathered on baby oil and browned up like buttered toast. I put zinc on my nose and SPF 15 everywhere else and still looked like boiled lobster. When I got into trouble, my parents didn’t talk about me in French to determine my punishment. I knew right away whether I was grounded – and I usually was.

We were worlds apart, my friends and I. But there was one place where all that disappeared: church. We were all Catholic. Well, let me take that back. I had one Jewish friend, two Greek Orthodox friends (they were related), one Methodist friend and one nonpracticing Protestant friend.

This lack of diversity was not a good thing. Especially during Lent.

I could lie and say I was a young progressive. But the truth of my childhood dilemma had far more selfish origins: Come Fridays, there was nowhere to run to, baby. Nowhere to hide. Even if I tried to escape the sole train at home, there was not a table in town where fish wasn’t on the menu.

My father was, and still is, one heck of a cook. But at the time, I didn’t appreciate swordfish or pan-fried haddock – meals that would make my friends green with envy. But I did love the shrimp scampi, and that may have been my saving grace.

Sure, I may have had to endure every child’s least favorite meal: fish. But the alternatives to my parents’ cooking were way worse. I’m sorry, but none of my 12-year-old sins warranted the penance of salmon and egg pot pie or Tuna Helper. Not even the coveting of my best friend’s jelly bracelet collection or my burning desire to smooch the married Jon Bon Jovi.

It took me a while to mature into a true seafood lover. Now that I’m old enough to call the shots and make the meals, I’ve followed Dad’s lead and added a few favorites of my own. My shrimp scampi has enough garlic to make Emeril wary, and I serve up salmon and haddock with a fervor that borders on the religious.

I’ll admit I’m not quite as pious as I used to be, and if I serve up fish on Friday, it’s a coincidence, not a conscious decision. I figure I eat enough of it during the rest of the year to make up for the lapse. But I have decided to observe one Lenten tradition.

This year, I’m giving up swordfish.

Simply Elegant Crab Salad

Makes 4 servings.

1 8-ounce tub fresh Maine crabmeat

1 small bag spring mix greens, washed and drained

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives, plus 1 teaspoon chopped chives for garnish

Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Lemon Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

Mix together crab, mayonnaise, chives, salt and pepper. Chill. Toss spring mix with lemon vinaigrette and divide among four plates. Divide crab among plates and garnish with fresh chives.

Lemon Vinaigrette

Juice of 1 lemon

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 large garlic clove, mashed into a paste (see cook’s note)

Salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small jar and shake until well combined.

Cook’s note: To mash garlic, first peel and mince. Then, sprinkle coarse salt on minced garlic and pulverize with the back of a heavy knife.

Maine Shrimp Scampi

Makes 4 servings.

1 pound Maine shrimp, shelled

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1-2 tablespoons butter

5 large garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced

Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus 1/2 lemon, cut into quarters

8 ounces linguine, prepared according to directions

Combine oil, butter and garlic in a large skillet over low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is golden but not brown. Add parsley, lemon juice and shrimp and flash-fry (just until pink – this will take a matter of seconds) turn the shrimp immediately and turn off the heat (Note: Maine shrimp are small and cook very quickly). Add cooked pasta to the pan. Toss until all noodles are covered with sauce and serve in shallow pasta bowls. Garnish with lemon slices and sprinkle with coarse salt, to taste.

Cook’s note: This seems like a lot of oil, but it’s necessary. Adjust garlic amount to your taste. I find that the garlic loses some of its punch in the cooking process.

Fish and Chips, Belgian-style

Makes 4 servings.

1 pound haddock filet, cut into 4 pieces

1 egg

2 cups breadcrumbs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon dried parsley

1/4 cup olive oil or vegetable oil

Tartar sauce (recipe follows)

French fries (recipe follows)

Rinse fish in cold water and pat dry. Mix crumbs, salt and pepper and parsley and spread out on a plate. Scramble egg and dip fish in egg, then dredge in crumbs. Repeat for each piece of fish.

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy pan. Very carefully fling a drop of water into the pan and step back. If the oil starts to spatter, it’s ready. Drop fish in oil and cook until browned, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook another 3 minutes, or until fish is completely opaque inside.

Drain on newspaper or paper towels and serve immediately with tartar sauce and French fries.

Cook’s note: I usually serve this with homemade coleslaw, but cabbage tastes like cardboard this time of year. If you dare make your own slaw, be sure to season it more than usual.

Tartar Sauce

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons dill pickle relish

1 teaspoon dill

Mix ingredients and chill.

Belgian-Style French Fries

Makes 4 servings.

5 or 6 medium-size potatoes, scrubbed and dried

Salt

Pepper

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.

With a sharp knife or mandoline, cut potatoes into shoestrings. Heat fryer to 350 degrees F. Fill fryer basket halfway with potatoes, and when oil is hot, dip potatoes into oil for 30 seconds. Remove potatoes from oil and let cool for 5 minutes. Refry potatoes until golden brown, which can take anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes. Drain in newspaper or paper towels, season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper and move first batch to preheated oven. Repeat until all potatoes are fried.

Cook’s note: You’ll need a deep fryer for this, and you’re going to have to fry in batches. Recipe adapted from “Joy of Cooking” by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer-Becker and Ethan Becker.

Salmon Cakes with Cucumber-Dill Cream

Makes 4 servings.

2 salmon steaks, cooked, boned and flaked

4 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 celery stalks, minced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 cups bread crumbs.

Cucumber-Dill Cream (recipe follows)

1/4 cup olive oil or vegetable oil

Mix together first eight ingredients in a large bowl. Spread crumbs on a large plate and drop fish mixture by 1/4 cupfuls into crumbs. Roll and form into cakes (they’ll be a little loose. That’s OK).

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy pan. Very carefully fling a drop of water into the pan and step back. If the oil starts to spatter, it’s ready. Drop salmon cakes into oil, four at a time, and cook until browned on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Serve immediately with Cucumber-Dill Cream.

Recipe adapted from “Joy of Cooking” by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer-Becker and Ethan Becker.

Cucumber-Dill Cream

1 16-ounce container sour cream

1/2 European cucumber, diced, skin left on

2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Salt and pepper, to taste

Combine ingredients in a small bowl and refrigerate at least 1 hour. If using dried dill, cut the amount in half. Season to taste.

Flounder Fillets with Spinach-Parmesan Stuffing

Makes 4 servings.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 garlic clove, very thinly sliced

3/4 pound spinach, stems removed, well-washed

Salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

8 fillets of flounder or sole (1 to 11/2 pounds)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3/4 cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup bread crumbs

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook about 10 seconds. Add spinach in batches and cook, stirring frequently, until spinach just starts to wilt, about 5 minutes per batch. Season with salt and pepper. Place the spinach on a plate and drain by squeezing with another plate (or use paper towels). Discard liquid and finely chop the spinach.

Lay a fillet of fish on a plate and sprinkle very lightly with salt and pepper. Place 2 tablespoons spinach on top of fillet, then sprinkle with 11/2 teaspoon cheese. Roll up fillet, working from the thinner end, and place in a roasting pan, seam side down. Repeat with the remaining fish, spinach and cheese.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. and place oven rack in the middle of the oven.

Pour 1/2 cup white wine over the fish and bake 12 minutes. Remove from oven and preheat broiler. If the pan is dry, add the remaining 1/4 cup wine to the bottom of the pan. Add butter to the wine in the bottom of the pan and broil the fish for 2 minute. Remove from the oven and sprinkle each fish roll with breadcrumbs. Spoon a tablespoon full of liquid on the bottom of the pan over crumbs on fish rolls and broil for another 3 to 4 minutes, until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Adapted from “Stonewall Kitchen Harvest.”

Lobster Thermidor

Makes 2 servings.

1 live lobster, about 11/2 pounds

3/4 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon flour

1 tablespoon brandy

1/4 cup milk

3 tablespoons heavy cream

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 lemon

Salt and white pepper, to taste

Grated Parmesan cheese

Fresh parsley to garnish

Bring large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Put the lobster into the pan head first and cook for 8 to 10 minutes.

Cut the lobster in half lengthwise and discard the dark sac behind the eyes. Then devein. Remove the meat from the shell, reserving the coral and tomalley, then rinse the shell and pat dry. Cut the meat into bite-size pieces. Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, until slightly golden. Pour in the brandy and milk, whisking vigorously until smooth, then whisk in the cream and the mustard.

Push the lobster coral and tomalley through a sieve into the sauce and whisk to blend. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until thickened. Season with salt and pepper and squeeze in the juice of 1/4 lemon.

Preheat the broiler. Arrange the lobster shells in a gratin dish or shallow flameproof baking dish.

Stir the lobster meat into the sauce and divide the mixture evenly between the shells. Sprinkle lightly with Parmesan and broil until golden. Serve garnished with parsley.

Adapted from “French: Delicious Classic Cuisine Made Easy” by Carole Clements and Elizabeth Wolf-Cohen (Hermes House).