Down at East Hampton's Three Mile Harbor, already mentioned about 100 times in S.D. posts about clams and oysters and the like, I've long eyed the lush clumps of Salicornia. This stalky succulent thrives in the salt marshes at water's edge, and now, at long last, I've been turned onto a great new recipe … [Read more...]
CLAM CHOWDER: BUTTONWOODS RHODE ISLAND RECIPE
Button what? This recipe for Clam Chowder is my Dad's specialty, one he's honed and perfected since his days as a wee lad at his family's summer cottage in the historic summer colony of Buttonwoods, Rhode Island. Note: In Buttonwoods, the cottages are cottages, as opposed to the "Cottages" (i.e. palaces) of nearby Newport. At … [Read more...]
Miso Butter Clams
Until recently all baked clam recipes I was familiar with were pretty much variations on a theme -- butter, breadcrumbs, some sort of swine, herbs from the fine family of Italian flavors. Nothing wrong with that. Until... this recipe for Miso Butter Clams entered my life. The Blue Ribbon restaurants in NYC … [Read more...]
FRIED OYSTERS
Spectacular treats need not always be complicated. This recipe for Fried Oysters is simplicity itself. You can (and I have) purchase oysters already shucked in refrigerated containers. But fresh from the sea and opened moments before a brief swim in a hell's cauldron of boiling oil, the results soar miles above what … [Read more...]
OYSTERS A LA HARRIMAN
A recipe with oysters, lobster bisque, soft shell crabs and white truffles? No, not Diamond Jim Brady. Ready? Andy Warhol! How and when? In 1959 Andy partnered with decorator pal Suzy Frankfort for the Wild Raspberries cookbook. Only 34 copies were made; no publisher picked it up. Happily the Warhol Foundation re-issued copies in '97. Illustrations by the artist, recipes … [Read more...]
BEACH PLUM JELLY: ORIGINAL GOURMET RECIPE
Our annual beach plum expedition traditionally happens on or close to Labor Day. However, this summer the weather and the other unknown variables that influence beach plums conspired for an early, abundant harvest. Seems that beach plum cultivation has proven difficult, they're temperamental and unreliable. Which, of course, … [Read more...]
FRIED BABY BLUEFISH
I don't know Italian so while I'd like to title this post Bambino Bluefish Fritti, Fried Baby Bluefish is a safer route. Our original goal was to make the tiny, crispy whitebait you can snack on the at the Italian sea side (or more close to home, restaurants like Felidia). Flash fried whole, they're like little … [Read more...]
BONACKER CHOWDER
Just like gardeners carefully combing the pebbles in Japanese rock gardens, the slow, meditative raking in the shallow bottoms East Hampton's bays creates a satisfying Zen-like serenity. And you get the bonus of the tastiest clams imaginable for recipes like this Bonacker Chowder. As much as I enjoy a morning's labor collecting … [Read more...]
SHRIMP AND SCALLOPS WITH MAYONNAISE VERTE
Now that summer is really, truly here, I find fish dishes highly appealing, like this recipe for shrimp and scallops with green mayonnaise. Don't get me wrong, we enjoy fish year-round, but out on the east end of Long Island come June all things aquatic take over the collective consciousness. I get the rod and reel out a couple of times each … [Read more...]
OYSTERS ROCKEFELLER AND CLAMS CASINO
With "Rockefeller" and "Casino" in the names of these two classics, I was going to go with a cutesy title for this post like Millionaires on the Half Shell, but that was a bit too twee, even for me. And these time honored classics really don't need any further gussying up. Oysters Rockefeller or Clams Casino served on their own are … [Read more...]