No. 5: A few favorite things

My favorite meal of the year, a reliable tool, great conversations and a versatile dip

I know there are plenty of folks who love Thanksgiving at least as much as I do–the holiday that’s all about the meal, gathering around the table, the tradition of making time to just be together. With family, with friends…sometimes with extended-family and extended-friends. For the cooks in the group, it’s an excuse for a particular degree of culinary frenzy that can be exhilarating. It’s a day I look forward to with particular anticipation. Having a late-November birthday means occasionally mine falls on Thanksgiving and that’s never bothered me one bit. The holiday’s still central: just put a candle in the pumpkin pie,  a party hat on the turkey, and I'm good.

The meal can certainly prove stressful to some, with which I can sympathize. One way to help temper that stress (at least the cooking-inspired stress) is to dial down the expectation of doing all the cooking. Asking friends and family to contribute to the meal allows them to feel part of the communal sharing spirit of the holiday. And consider scaling back the menu items a bit. Though the holiday is often defined by too much food on the table and requisite leftovers, guests will surely be just as happy, and just as satisfied, with one or two fewer items. Lastly, take advantage of short-cuts: pies and dinner rolls from the store, dress up packaged stuffing mix with some fresh herbs, pick up an interesting cranberry relish or chutney at the store instead of making one from scratch.

In the last couple of weeks, I’ve done some of the above myself. This year’s schedule isn’t allowing me the luxury of spending huge chunks of this week in the kitchen prepping for the big day. Family and friends are bringing various dishes, adding to the feast. I scaled back my menu plan, holding off on the salmon pirog mentioned in the last issue, flagging it to perhaps be on our Christmas Day menu instead.

As for the shortcuts, seafood to the rescue for at least part of that: one fabulous option for the snacky time before sitting down to dinner is an array of canned and smoked seafoods. One friend’s bringing smoked salmon with all the fixings. I’ll be opening a couple cans of smoked mussels that we can nibble on. And a can of chopped clams will be going into the dip to be served with chips, crackers, and vegetables. (I’m turning the smoked oyster dip from Shellfish into clam dip, you’ll see the original recipe below. Unless I’m recipe testing, I have a hard time following even my own recipes exactly the same way every time.)

For readers who will be celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow, I hope you have (or had, realizing it may be post-holiday when you’re seeing this) a really delightful day of great food and great time spent with your near-and-dears. I’m off now to set this year’s table.

In the Kitchen: An indispensable spatula

For most standard cooking needs, seafood doesn’t require much in the way of specialty equipment. It’s one among many things on the “reasons to love cooking seafood” list, in my book. One exception is an oyster knife, made specifically for that task and no, I don’t think a flathead screwdriver is a great alternative. I’ll go on about oyster knives another time, and will touch on other favorite tools and equipment that are ideal for seafood-cooking tasks.

Today, I’m starting with one of the simpler items: a fish spatula. This is one of three I own, a tool I reach for frequently, even when not cooking seafood. Compared to other flipping spatulas I have, this type is longer, thinner, and more flexible, which I find makes it more versatile. I grab one for lifting sauteed vegetables out of the skillet for serving and scooping portions of baked gratin out of the dish. And it’s certainly the ideal utensil for turning pieces of fish when pan-frying.

One particular advantage of this design is how well the spatula slips between the flesh and skin of a cooked fillet, so you don’t have to fuss with skinning it before cooking and can serve the fish skinless. The skin also helps keep the flesh moist while cooking. (I mentioned that technique relative to trout fillets in the last newsletter.) This spatula is long enough to generally be able to handle a trout fillet for easy transfer to a plate. Likewise for other small fillets or fillet pieces. For larger fillets it’s the same approach, but I come at it from either end of the fillet with one spatula in each hand. That’s a reason I’m happy to have a trio of this handy tool.

Odds and Ends: Seafoody Conversations

One of the best things about teaching classes and doing various cookbook-related events is getting to chat about this favorite topic of mine with a wide range of folks. Particularly because this phase of a book project follows the stretch of many months holed up at home, bouncing between the computer and the kitchen, in something of a bubble while deeply engrossed in the book’s content. One can come to feel a bit of a hermit. All the later opportunities to get out and engage with folks after the writing and editing work is done, that’s a delight.

And at such gatherings I almost always end up having great conversations about all kinds of things related to seafood. Over the summer there was a woman at one event who told me of her family’s gathering at a cabin on Hood Canal each summer, when they hold a seafood cook-off which apparently they take quite seriously. One of my books was to be among the prizes this year. I’ve had avid crabbers tell me about their favorite bait, another person shared memories of Christmas oyster stew that only grandma could make quite right (according to his grandma). Another time I was simply picking up my rental car at SFO and the person helping me asked what brought me to town. I said I was going up to Hog Island Oysters on Tomales Bay to do a bit of research (I squeezed that trip in just before Oysters was due). Without skipping a beat, nor a word from me, he said “You know how I like to cook oysters? Just put them right on the grill and cook them until they pop open. Some Tabasco sauce. That’s it.” You never know when you’re going to cross paths with a connoisseur.

The event I signed books at this past weekend was no exception. I don’t have a big pitch to draw in passers-by, but when they cast a glance toward the book covers, I’ll nudge by asking if they like seafood. Some just shrug and keep walking. Others—like a charming couple on Saturday that answered with “yes, yes we do!”—light up and seem more than ready to chat about seafood. They moved to a city an hour-plus north of Seattle a year ago, coming from Alabama. It was fun to hear how much they’ve enjoyed getting to know our seafood up in the Northwest. I smiled and nodded emphatically when they asked if I knew of their favorite place to get oysters in Seattle, The Walrus and the Carpenter (not only one of the best in Seattle, but among best in the country—great to hear they’d found that spot.) They hadn’t yet taken a trip to nearby oysters farms where you can indulge in their products on site, so I urged them to put Hama Hama Oyster Saloon and Taylor Shellfish’s Samish Bay Oyster Bar on their list for some weekend jaunts.

I’ve come to realize that a simple question of “do you like seafood?”—whether I’m standing behind a pile of cookbooks ready to sign, or getting to know someone I’ve just met—can launch any number of wonderful and interesting conversations. I love hearing people’s perspectives, experience, and enthusiasm relative to whatever their favorite seafoods are. And yes, there does seem to be something about oysters that sparks the most such conversations to date for me!

Recipe Box: Smoked Oyster Dip

This may be a little too last-minute as a Thanksgiving menu contribution, even for those who aren’t big planners-ahead for party cooking. Just in case you’re looking for a quick-to-make snack to add to the mix for Thanksgiving, this is one option. Of course, it’ll be great for other holiday gatherings around the corner, as addition to a weekend brunch spread, among treats for your next cocktail party, or any other time a quick and delicious snack is in order.

The particular beauty of this recipe is how quickly it is to make. And you may have many of the ingredients on hand, just a few fresh items to procure. Chop a couple ingredients, stir things all together, and you’re done.  I’ve always got some version of smoked oysters on hand, whether the classic old-school tins (which I loved digging into as a kid) or smoked oysters from small producers (which are making my nostalgia for those more ubiquitous smoked oysters fade a touch). This is essentially a “fill-in-the-blank” dip. We’ll be nibbling on a variation Thursday, using chopped clams in place of oysters. Other smoked seafoods can be used, such as smoked mussels or hot-smoked salmon. Crabmeat or chopped bay shrimp would be good too. Chips, crackers, raw vegetables–serve whatever your vehicle of choice for enjoying the dip. We’re splurging this Thanksgiving and offering all three.

Makes about 2 cups

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
3 to 4 ounces smoked oysters, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup finely chopped green onion, white and green parts
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
A few dashes Tabasco sauce or other hot sauce
Thick-cut potato chips, pita chips, or crackers, for serving

In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese and sour cream and stir with a rubber spatula until well blended and smooth. If the cream cheese wasn’t thoroughly softened and still shows some lumps, let it sit for a bit longer to fully soften. 

Add the smoked oysters, green onion, lemon zest, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and Tabasco. Stir gently to mix well, then taste for seasoning, adding more salt to taste. Transfer the dip to a serving bowl, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve, preferably at least 2 hours.

Among book samples from an event when Shellfish first came out. Always a crowd-pleaser!