Tuna Travels from Montauk to JBJ Soul Kitchen

Knowing where food is sourced is just as important as the final prepraed dish. One selection on the main course for my guest chef menu at JBJ Soul Kitchen was the 'fresh catch' of the day, which I prepared with local sourced tuna, the pride fish from my hometown on Long Island. As a chef it's always a Team effort, working with farmers and producers for the best of the season. For the fish course, master fisherman Doug Oakland of Oakland’s Restaurant in Hampton Bays stepped up. I was ensured there would be a tuna in "under 12." Note, the best tuna is caught 30-70 miles offshore Montauk LI. No easy task, but with Doug at the reel it was a guarantee. With a perfect 175-pound yellowfin tuna dressed for my guest chef farm & sea to-table menu, we traveled from Eastern Long Island to our friends and neighbors at Soul Kitchen in Red Bank, NJ. Thank you Doug, mission accomplished! With the support of Doug and many others we were able to serve a healthy menu of love for our neighbors to the west. PS. I kept the recipe simple, and let the flavor of your tuna shine!

The Oakland family, Doug, Christian and Doug Jr

The Oakland family, Doug, Christian and Doug Jr with a 223lb big eye tuna, a little bigger then the 175 pound yellowfin tuna Oaklands Restaurant donated for my guest chef JBJ Soul Kitchen Sunday Supper menu.

If there was ever a fish perfect for the fire, tuna fits the grill. Anyone who has tried to turn a delicate fish fillet only to find it stuck to the grate will appreciate the firm flesh of a tuna steak. Fresh tuna is ideal for bold flavors, but you don’t want to overpower the taste of the tuna. Start with fresh fish that has springy flesh and no fishy odor. Use caution, overcooking it will quickly make it dry. Sardinia is an island off the coast of Italy where fishing is a way of life. When the tuna is running, most families have tuna for dinner many nights in a row. The tuna in this recipe is quickly grilled for only a few minutes on each side, but you can cook it to your liking. 

Tuna Sardinian Style

Makes 4 servings  
chefgeorgehirsch.com | From Adventures in Grilling cookbook

Four 5 ounce tuna steaks

4 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Fresh ground black pepper

Pre heat grill to high. 

Brush the tuna with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil, place it on a hot grill, and sear for two minutes on each side. Remove the tuna, set it aside, and keep it warm. Use caution, overcooking it will quickly make it dry. Top with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and caponata. Serve with Mousseline Potatoes.

A caponata is a staple in southern Italy. My version uses all farm fresh veggies in place of canned tomatoes. Make today and refrigerate at least a couple of days to bring out all the flavor of the fresh vegetables.

Chef George Hirsch's Garden Caponata

Caponata

Makes 2 cups

chefgeorgehirsch.com | From George Hirsch Living it UP cookbook and TV Series

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 cups eggplant, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup onion, chopped

8 cloves Caramelized Garlic

12 plum tomatoes, split in half, deseeded and chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1/4 cup green olives, chopped

2 Tablespoons Balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon pure cane sugar

1 teaspoon each: dried basil, oregano, thyme

1 teaspoon hot sauce

1 Tablespoon capers

1 Tablespoon pine nuts, toasted

1 Tablespoon fresh basil, tear leaves into small pieces

Fresh ground black pepper and sea salt to taste

Preheat a large nonstick saucepan.  Add the olive oil, eggplant, onion, garlic, tomatoes, and bell pepper. Cook until light brown.  Add the vinegar, sugar, olives, dried basil, oregano, thyme and hot sauce. Cook for 15 minutes. Add pepper and sea salt to taste. Serve warm, room temperature 

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Inspiration of Summer Dreams

Labor Day does not put an end to my summer, as an East End September is celebrated for it’s bounty of the farms and water. I've shared a window of inspiration of a few summer dishes I prepared on the land and water this past summer. I hope you keep the spirit of summer alive!

Chef George Hirsch Summer Seafood

Not your mother’s fish sticks: L - R

Mini Grilled Shrimp Rolls, a snack while fishing Montauk waters with friends 

Portuguese Clams, shared with friends for a mid-summer BBQ gathering

Lobster Cocktail, magazine photo shoot  

Mussels Provençal, at home for quiet mid-week snack

Seared Tuna with Cuke Squash Slaw, benefit 11 course wine dinner Chef George signature cruise   

Herb Crusted Blowfish, starter course for a celebration seafood dinner kicking off summer 

Happy dreams! 

Montauk, Never Tired

Each time I visit Montauk, my neighborhood to the east it feels as though I've jetted miles away. Here's the reward of a recent fishing trip that brought in one of my favorite tasting fish, black sea bass. Having filmed fishing segments for George Hirsch Lifestyle in Montauk and other regions, I've found the secret to catching loads of fish, don't film..the fish are shy! 

Montauk Montauk LighthouseGeorge's Grilled Black Sea Bass

Over the years I've written and featured many types of seafood in my cookbooks and on my shows. The number one tip for great tasting fish, Know Your Fisherman. Maybe not personnaly, but know where your seafood is being sourced from. And, please be responsible and make sure you are cooking sustainable seafood. Use this guide to find ocean-friendly alternatives to seafood on the Seafood Watch  “Avoid” list.  

Wampum

A mere bag of shells - Ralph Kramden from "The Honeymooners"

As Europeans settled in the Americas, they quickly became aware of the importance of wampum to the Native Americans. While the Natives did not use it as form of currency or money, the people within the New England colonies began to use shells as a medium of exchange. Soon, they were trading with the natives of New England and New York using wampum. At that time, the rate in New York was eight white or four black wampum equaling one stuiver coin, until 1673. The basis for their value was an exchange for pelts from the Native Americans. As Native Americans became reluctant to exchange pelts for the shells, the shells lost their value. 

As for today's chowder lovers, getting your hands on a really good clam chowder recipe, priceless.

I created this recipe and it's been featured on my TV show as one of the best chowders from our local Native American's of the Shinnecock Nation. It's a pure-n-simple recipe, not fussy; without the typically added tomatoes, cream, celery, and corn. Unlike most chowders, which call for chopping the clams, this version uses them whole. Enjoy!

Shinnecock Clam Chowder

Makes 6-8 servings | From Grilling with Chef George Hirsch Cookbook

1/4 pound salt pork, chopped fine

2 large sweet onions, diced small

4 medium all purpose potatoes, peeled and diced

4 cups fish broth 

2 dozen chowder clams or quahogs, well scrubbed

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

Salt and pepper, to taste

Cook the salt pork in a 1 gallon soup pot until it gives up all it's fat. Add the onion and cook until it begins to turn light brown. Add the potato and stock and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Add the clams and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the shells open.  Stir in the parsley and stir in the salt and pepper.

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Making the Best Fish and Chips

Buying food and reading labels can be a dizzying task. One can't help but be overrun with questions like - Is this good for me and my family? Is it safe to eat? Where did this come from? Is this sustainable? Reading labels can work most of the time, but what if there’s no label, as with fish? You would think if a fish has been around since the beginning of time and spawned billions of eggs - there wouldn’t be any problem, right? But not so fast, too much of anything can be harmful, even cod. 

Here's a solution - Seafood Watch, provided by the same folks who operate the Monterey Bay Aquarium; which by the way is a fantastic experience to visit in itself. I’ve had the occasion to visit for both leisure and as a keynote speaker and celebrity chef a few years back to kick off the Monterey Food & Wine Classic. 

Pardon me while I digress, I will get right back to cod...While I have you in Monterey, I want to mention a one degree of separation between John Steinbeck’s Cannery Row (the gritty side of life in this seaside post depression novel) and lovely Monterey. One of my friend’s families was the basis of a character in Steinbeck's tome. It is also that same good friend, Bert Cutino from the famed Tortilla Flat neighborhood on Canary Row who owns the famed Sardine Factory, a must stop when in town. 

Now, back to the cod. With it’s mild flavor, low fat content and a dense, flaky white flesh, it's no wonder cod is one of the most common fish used for fish & chips along with haddock and plaice. But, did you know it is currently at risk from over fishing in UK, Canada and other Atlantic waters? So be in the know with Seafood Watch. Use this guide to find ocean-friendly alternatives to seafood on the Seafood Watch “Avoid” list. It’s a good thing to use discretion and follow their lead so in the future when we are calling all cods, there are still some around.

Best Choices: Cobia (US farmed), Cod- Pacific (trap, hook-and-line, longline from AK)

Good Alternatives: Cod- Atlantic (Northeast Arctic and Iceland), Cod- Pacific (U.S. trawl)

Avoid: Cod: Atlantic, Iceland and Northeast Arctic (trawled),  and Pacific (imported)

The carbonation in the beer makes the batter exceptionally airy and produces a crispy coating. Malt vinegar is a British favorite on fish and chips.

George Hirsch Beer Batter Cod

George's Beer Batter Cod
Recipe by George Hirsch, Know Your Fire Cookbook, Putnam 1997 

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 eggs
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 cup beer, a strong full flavored Stout or IPA
vegetable oil for frying
2 pounds cod fillet, cut into serving pieces
Malt vinegar for serving

Combine 1 cup of the flour, sugar, baking powder and black pepper in a medium bowl. Stir in the eggs and hot sauce. Slowly pour in the beer, stirring constantly, until the foam subsides and the batter is smooth. Let the batter rest for 15 to 20 minutes.

Heat 2 to 3 inches of oil to 370 degrees F. in a deep sauce pan or deep-fat fryer.

Dredge the the cod in the remaining 1/4 cup flour, shaking off any excess, and dip into the batter.

Carefully slip the pieces into the hot fat and cook until brown on both sides, turning once. Drain on paper towels. Serve with french fries and malt vinegar.