It’s video time again at Chew on That! This time we’re showing you how to fillet a fish (yes it is spelled with two Ls)! If you’ve ever wondered how the grocery stores strip those whole fish down to gorgeous fillets for your cooking convenience, then this video is for you!

Jorge Ledezma of Whole Foods was kind enough to demonstrate the process from scaling to avoiding those poisonous fins of the yellowtail snapper! So turn up your volume and watch away - it’ll be fun. I even get a fish scale in my hair!

Special thanks to Meg Bowman of Whole Foods for all of her help. And thanks again to Jorge who is not only fantastic at filleting fish, but also plays in an awesome band called Alla. They’re releasing a CD called Es Tiempo in May of 2008 so check it out (you can listen to their music here).

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Don’t tell R, but I fell in love last night. While having dinner at a Louisiana-style Bluegrass restaurant in Highland Park, I met a dish called sassafras. Even the name sounds enchanting, doesn’t it? Say it with me: sassafras. I actually would have completely overlooked the seemingly unremarkable title of “Tilapia Sassafras” on the menu had my mom not mentioned its excellence.

The complete description of the dish was this: “Pecan Coated Tilapia Flash-Fried, Topped with A Wild Mushroom Sassafras Sauce, Grilled Shrimp and served With White Rice And Green Beans.” The dish came on a wide, oval platter featuring pieces of the pecan-coated tilapia crispy and brown from the frying, with a brown sassafras sauce pooling around the edges. On the other side of the plate was a large pile of green beans glistening with butter and garlic, a mound of white rice already soaking up the surrounding sauces and a skewer of Cajun-spiced shrimp.

The dish was phenomenal. The fish was crispy on the outside, but flaky on the inside and the mushroom sassafras sauce was creamy without being too heavy. Its flavor was unlike any mushroom sauce I’d ever tasted where the mushroom flavor was clearly present, but not over-powering. I would have licked the platter had we not been in public.

This mystery ingredient that caused my taste buds to dance? My beloved sassafras. Technically, sassafras is a plant with a capacity for a great many things. Its scent can be used for aromatherapy candles and its oil makes an excellent insect repellent. But when its leaves are dried and ground, it becomes filé powder, a spice commonly used in Cajun cooking. Genius.

When I got home from dinner, I searched anxiously for a recipe, but found none. I would LOVE to recreate this sauce, but would certainly need a recipe. Any southern cooks out there who are willing to share??? Submit them to the site and I promise to make it and share the results!

-Max, already plotting where to find filé powder for other Cajun recipes

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I returned to New York on Saturday evening with a certain restlessness and a hankering for the Village. Despite the higher prices of food in the area, J* and I made our way to the lower east side. We missed the last showing of Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind at the almost too-cool-for-school KGB, so wandered over to a restaurant nearby called Candela, Candela. The joint is an interesting mixture of Cuban and Italian cuisine. The signs surrounding the outdoor seating enticed us in with “Cucina, Mojito Bar.” Although I don’t often digress from a cold beer in the summer, I do love me an occasional mojito with plenty of fresh mint, lime, and hopefully a strip of sugar cane (oh, and rum of course).

Despite the price ($16!), I was very excited about the three kinds of ceviche on the menu. Ceviche, a kind of fresh seafood salad marinated in lime juice and served cold without cooking, is the perfect food to enjoy outside on a warm, summer night. I’ve had ceviche with fish, shrimp, squid, scallops, and, probably my favorite, conch pulled right out of the shell in front of me (in the Bahamas). Thinking that we could split the dish and forgo anything else, we ordered the spicy, mixed seafood ceviche with lime at Candela, Candela.

Perhaps I am not accustomed to the Cuban variety, but I did not care for this ceviche. We were served a variety of seafood (shrimp, squid, and mussels??) in a large glass bowl, but the seafood was quite whole, instead of being chopped up (I was told this was Cuban variety). Nonetheless, I couldn’t taste any lime or any other seasonings. It basically tasted like a bowl of fishy seafood (with flavors not altogether pleasant to meld). Now, fresh seafood is great, but not when I want ceviche. I want something a bit more liquid, with lots of lime, tomato, avocado, and whatnot. I want to scoop it up with plantains or tortilla chips.

With my experience eating in Mexico, I know now how strongly I prefer the Mexican ceviche.

Shrimp Ceviche Tostada

Directions

Squeeze limes into large bowl. Cut shrimp in approximately 4 pieces each. Place shrimp and onions in lime juice, cover and let marinate in refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Remove shrimp mixture from refrigerator and add tomatoes, jalapeno, cilantro and salt to taste. To serve, drain lime juice from ceviche. Next, spread guacamole on top of tostada and top with ceviche. Garnish with cilantro and hot sauce.

Yield: 4 servings (2 tostadas per person)

Photo compliments of flickr, Andrea F Lee

Popularity: 4% [?]

I’m a big fan of fish, especially in the summer. And although it doesn’t feel like summer in Chicago right now with constant rain and chilly temps, I needed a lighter meal and a break from the barbecue last night. Usually, I default to salmon when I want to make fish, just because it’s so easy, but I got a bit more adventurous last night and brought home walleye pike. A quick pan fry in butter and the sweet, flavorful fish was ready to go.

I know a lot of people are hesitant to make fish on their stovetop for fear of the house smelling “fishy,” but walleye pike is so light and un-fishy, it really wasn’t an issue. Then again, I come from a family that smokes kippers on New Year’s day, so fishiness is not really a main concern.

But last night’s dinner was anything but fishy. I chopped up pecans in the Cuisinart until they were fine, but not pasty, and put them in a shallow dish. Then I dipped the fish in milk, then the pecans and then stuck them in the pan. In 15 minutes they were golden-brown and ready to eat. Walleye pike is an excellent fish to cook because it is so flavorful to begin with, it doesn’t need much help. It will always make you look good. The pecans added just enough texture to offset the flaky fish for the perfect combo.

Pecan-Crusted Walleye Pike

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