Collegeville resident and syndicated food writer Kathy Hunt has a new cookbook, Fish Market, that takes the mystery out of choosing, preparing and cooking the creatures of the sea. The pescetarian cookbook, which debuts May 31, combines her love of cooking and writing with excellent, tasty results.
With catchy names, like “A Bevy of Bivalves” and “A Collection of Crustaceans,” Fish Market caters to even the most novice of cooks with organization and clarity. The cookbook is further segmented into types of fish, like “Small, Savory, Oily Fish” or “Mild, White-Fleshed Fish.” The last chapter of Fish Market is all fish-friendly sides. With this type of design, Fish Market takes the guesswork out of preparing seafood-based meals.
“I give different flavor and food affinities about what will go well with certain fishes,” said Kathy. She also discusses eco ratings and sustainability issues, providing an excellent overview for anyone interested in learning more about adding healthy, nutrient-rich seafood into their diet.
I recently caught up with Kathy at Wegmans in Collegeville, where she hand-picked sea scallops and wild-caught King Salmon fillets. From there, we returned to her farmhouse where she prepared two of the delicious dishes found in Fish Market and shared some of her cooking secrets.
In her sunny kitchen, Kathy seasoned the salmon with a mixture from her Seven Spice Salmon recipe. The recipe calls for fennel seeds, star anise, onion powder, red peppercorns, sea salt, cumin, paprika and nutmeg. While the salmon marinated, Kathy prepared the starter dish and we chatted about how she got hooked on seafood.
“When I was 14 years old, my dad had a massive heart attack while at a high-school game and that totally changed my family’s diet. We went from eating steak and pork to eating fish. My mother did not care for cooking, so our fish meals were just awful, and I heard people say how great fish was.” Although her mother was adamant that Kathy shouldn’t learn how to cook, Kathy took to the kitchen as an act of rebellion.
About 15 years ago, she became a full-fledged pescetarian, cutting out meat and consuming only fish and vegetarian foods. Her husband gave up red meat also, though he still eats chicken. “Food has been a passion of mine. Fortunately, this [cookbook] combines my love of writing and my love of food.”
For a starter dish, Kathy created her Vietnamese scallop boat salad, which was inspired by her husband’s stepfather. She pointed out how some scallops were nearly white while others were more of a pink hue. “Scallops range in color and they are fine—usually its the female scallop that is the rose color.” She likes to use a small amount of olive oil for grilling, and explained how easy scallops are to cook. “They take four to seven minutes. Scallops only need to be turned once—once they’ve lost their opaqueness they are good to go.”
For the salad, she used “a little fish sauce in the dressing; lemon grass, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and the scallops themselves.” She carefully set red and yellow peppers up like Lincoln Logs on the greens. “We’ll just kind of layer them on a bed of peppers that will be little rafts floating in our salad of seas.”
The finished dish was colorful and made for a refreshing starter. Scallops are one of those dishes people tend to overlook for home cooking, but Kathy’s recipe was simple, healthy and tasty. The three meaty scallops were cooked to perfection; browned on the outside, but with that buttery taste that floats on the tongue.
Paging through the book, I was surprised to see recipes for ceviche, a seafood served cold after marinating in citrus juices, a method which intimidates most home cooks.
“Ceviche is actually one of the easier things to do,” Kathy explained. “It’s really getting enough citrus and making sure the fish is covered with citrus—lemon or lime juice. I prefer using fresh juice instead of bottled.” She explained the process takes about 24 hours. “Just one day—if you start at 8 at night, by 6 p.m. the next day it is ready.”
After the salmon marinated in the seven spices for nearly half an hour, Kathy fired up her stove’s grill top. “The key is a well-oiled pan that’s almost smoking hot—you want the fish cooking in it, not soaking it in.” She notes fish should be cooked to 135-137 degrees on the inside. “Use a good thermometer,” she recommends. “If it flakes when probed, that is a good indication it is finished.” The salmon grilled for approximately 12 minutes, filling the kitchen with a sumptuous aroma. Beautifully prepared, Kathy served the salmon with a side of greens. The spices, particularly the star anise and fennel, stood out, complementing the flakey rich taste of the salmon.
Since sustainability is a buzzword kicked around a lot these days, I asked Kathy to explain it in layman’s terms. “Fish that hasn’t been overfished to the point of near extinction as cod once was. Fish that is farmed in a way that is not harming the environment.” Kathy noted that sustainability isn’t a black and white concept, and she acknowledged, “the issues surrounding fishing and fish farming are constantly changing.” She uses a free iPhone app called Seafood Watch to search for ocean-friendly seafood while shopping.
“Small oily fish and mackerel are pretty sustainable and are really good for you. Salmon is a tough one. She points to the plate I’ve half eaten, “this is wild caught and is considered an eco-bought fish.”
What’s her favorite type of fish? “I love catfish. It is the most sustainable, has a nice flavor profile and is good whether it is deep fried or grilled.” She also occasionally enjoys halibut, but notes it has been overfished. For fish out on the grill, she recommends mackerel, tuna and even sardines.
As we head into the summer season, Fish Market is a refreshing new cookbook for those interested in expanding their repertoire of summer dishes to include fish and shellfish in a ecological and sustainable way.
- On Friday, May 31, Kathy will be signing books at Towne Book Center and Cafe at a Book Launch Party at 7 p.m. Towne Book Center is located at 220 Plaza Drive, Collegeville, Pa.
- On Friday, June 14, Kathy will be doing a seafood demo at Williams-Sonoma in King of Prussia, Pa. from Noon to 4 p.m.
- On Saturday, June 15, Kathy will be appearing at Hipster Home in Chestnut Hill, Pa. from 2 to 5 p.m. for a tasting and signing.
Check out all Kathy’s Fish Market events here or click to pre-order from Amazon.
Photo credits: Jim Breslin.
