Seafood salad moves beyond the mayonnaise
Seafood salad is cosmopolitan these days, according to Roger Berkowitz, owner and chief executive officer of Legal Sea Foods. Sure, mayonnaise-drenched lobster or crab is an oldie-but-goodie that can still be jazzed up, but seafood now steps out with international grains, such as bulgur and couscous, as well as fresh herbs, vinaigrettes, and curry. It's just a matter of preparing and dressing the seafood, and Berkowitz has some tips, as do his corporate chef Rich Vellante and Jasper White's Summer Shack executive chef Bryan Flagg.
No matter what flavors Berkowitz uses for his seafood salads, fish is usually poached. Place a meat rack in a pan that is filled with salted water to just above the rack. Heat the water, add the fish, and cook at a gentle boil for about 10 minutes per pound. Undercook the fish slightly, remove from the heat, and cool in the poaching liquid.
Other ingredients can be added to the water to impart flavor, including: fish broth made from fish bones boiled down in water; garlic, salt and pepper; wine and a few carrots; lemon zest, salt and pepper; celery, fresh herb stems and a lemon wedge.
Fish also can be seasoned directly. Rub soy sauce on salmon before poaching, or sprinkle garlic on the flesh of any fish, which will "pick up the flavor of anything you add," said Berkowitz, who is also co-author with Jane Doerfer of "The New Legal Sea Foods Cookbook" (Broadway Books). Clams and mussels can be steamed in a half-cup of white wine, or other liquid, per pound. Stir several times and cook until the shells open.
Poach shrimp in a mixture of wine, bay leaves, lemon, and peppercorns that have been simmered together. Add the shrimp, cover with liquid, and simmer about five minutes until shells turn pink.
Grill seafood after it has been marinated in vinaigrette.
Use smoked mussels or salmon, instead of fresh, to add flavor.
Pair fish with garlic, cilantro, or cayenne pepper.
Salmon goes well with dill, or herbs that have small, light leaves, such as chervil, tarragon, chives, parsley, and cilantro
Salt is often enough for truly fresh seafood. "When you get really fresh seafood, you don't need to cover it up with sauces," said Berkowitz.
For the salad part of the equation, start with a basic salad or a Greek salad topped with lobster salad (the old-fashioned mayonnaise kind) or poached fish.
Vellante recommends starting with couscous or orzo, flavored with olive oil, vinegar, or lemon. Add tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, grilled or sauted zucchini or summer squash, and fresh herbs, such as basil. Finally, fold in shrimp, scallops, or crab.
At Jasper White's Summer Shack, Flagg makes a cold poached salmon plate with assorted summer salads, which vary depending on what local farms have. Serve on bib lettuce and watercress, and pair the salmon with a side of mayonnaise mixed with a tiny bit of water, a drop of olive oil, fresh squeezed lemon juice, salt and pepper, and chives, parsley, tarragon or chervil.
For salads, Flagg recommends: tomatoes tossed with extra virgin olive oil and sea salt; blanched green or wax beans with a light vinaigrette; blanched sugar snap peas or green beans with butter and fresh mint; leeks grilled with balsamic vinegar; corn, removed from the cob, toasted on high heat with salt and pepper; leftover corn mixed with red onion, red pepper, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, and olive oil; leftover potatoes, grilled for flavor, or tossed with scallions or red onion, lemon juice, and olive oil, salt, and pepper.
