Fish

Sea bass are generally found swimming in the tanks of Chinatown fish markets. They are usually small because the fishmongers also sell to restaurants, which typically like to steam the larger fish. Steaming, as I have noted, is the preferred way for cooking whole live fish. But if you are unable to find a live fish, fresh flounder, sole, or red snapper will do nicely for this recipe.

Just a couple of chopped anchovy fillets deepen the flavor of this simple starter.

The Original: Any old canned tuna mixed with cream of something (chicken, celery, mushroom) soup. Our Version: Oil-packed albacore in a roux-thickened sauce flavored with leeks, dill, and Gruyère. Our one old-school concession? A crunchy, crushed-potato-chip topping.

Briny olives and sweet golden raisins work in tandem to bring balance to this simple, delicious one-pan fish dinner.

Tartines are essentially French open-face sandwiches. In this nibble, crunchy toasts are topped with roasted Spanish piquillo peppers and rich, savory sardines. A few drops of spicy sriracha sauce give this sophisticated starter a bit of heat.

A flavorful dish from the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Massachusetts.

Don't have 60 minutes to roast a root vegetable? Try cooking yams in a microwave for about five minutes on each side and you'll have yams that are soft and ready to mash—fast.

Gremolata is an Italian garnish traditionally made with finely chopped parsley, garlic, and lemon zest. Clementines add intriguing flavor, and the green gremolata looks beautiful against the white fish.

To crack coriander, place in a resealable plastic bag and tap with a mallet. Hoisin adds sweetness to this healthy dish. It can be found in the Asian foods section of many supermarkets and at Asian markets.

I met twelve-year-old Frank Liranzo when I was teaching a kids' cooking class at the YMCA's environmental camp in Huguenot, New York. The kids learned how to tap trees to make maple syrup, a process I'd read about but never seen in action. Frank was one of the campers, and he got to experience firsthand the old art of making maple syrup. "You put tubes into the trees so the sap flows out," he says. "When it first comes out of the tree, it tastes like sugary water. Then we went to the sugar shack where we saw the sap boiled down until it tasted like syrup." At the camp, I made this Maple-Glazed Tuna with Pear-Potato Salad for the kids. "I thought it would taste really sugary, but it didn't," Frank told me. "First I tasted the fish, then a hint of mustard, and then an aftertaste of the maple syrup." I love how the syrup adds sweetness and a beautiful caramelized crust to the meaty tuna steaks, while the sweetness of the pears in the accompanying potato salad balances nicely with the glazed tuna.

Traditional chowders all start off with a hearty soup base of onions and potatoes, and that makes a good soup just by itself. To this fragrant base you then add chunks of fish, or clams, or corn, or whatever else seems appropriate. (Note: You may leave out the pork and substitute another tablespoon of butter for sautéing the onions.)

This light fish entrée gets a flavor boost from a citrus glaze made from fresh lemon juice, orange juice, and fresh ginger. For stronger, more acidic flavor, add lemon zest and additional juice. Make sure to use a high-quality 100 percent orange juice that is freshly squeezed (not from concentrate).

While visiting Lima, Peru, food editor and stylist Paul Grimes, who developed this recipe, ate a dish called "hot ceviche."Inspired by the playful concept, he tried something similar in the test kitchen.

Fermented black beans should be in everyone's pantry—they complement just about any protein and they can be turned into a sauce in no time at all. They are actually small black soy beans preserved in salt. You have to soak them to eliminate some of that salt, but then they are good to go. This sauce would go great not only with salmon, but on top of chicken, shrimp, tofu, or stir-fried vegetables. Serve with Butter-steamed Broccoli with Soy and Simple Boiled Rice.

The gefilte fish in Joseph Wechsberg's mouthwatering description is unfortunately a dish of the past. Today, most people buy frozen or bottled brands. Good cooks, however, insist on preparing the homemade variety for Friday night and the holidays. My late mother-in-law, Peshka Gerson, made it twice a year, at Passover and Rosh Hashanah. She used her mother's recipe, handed down orally, from Zamosc, Poland. Her only concession to modernity was making individual patties rather than stuffing the filling back into the skin as described by Wechsberg. In addition, her filling was less elaborate. Years ago, when I asked Peshka for her recipe, two of her sisters-in-law were present. They all agreed that the rule of thumb is one pound of fat fish to one pound of thin. They also preferred the Polish custom of adding a little sugar. (Lithuanians say sugar is added to freshen already unfresh fish. Needless to say, Lithuanians do not add sugar to their gefilte fish.) Peshka, Chuma, and Rushka disagreed, however, on the seasonings. Chuma insisted on more salt, and Rushka explained that a little almond extract would do the trick. They both took me aside, promising to show me the "real" way to make gefilte fish. I have used their two suggestions as variations on Peshka's basic recipe. Make your fish Lithuanian or Polish, with sugar or without, but just remember—it's the carrots and horseradish that really count! I have been making this recipe since the mid-1970s. The only difference is that I cook the fish for twenty minutes. My mother-in-law cooked it for two hours!

This mild wild fish replete with omega-3 fatty acids combines the tastes of trout and salmon; it is available in the winter when wild salmon is still a month away. Slow-roasting a fish high in fat keeps it moist and flavorful.