(Some of) The Adventures Behind Seafood Savvy

Many of which came thanks to Simply Seafood magazine, plus recipes for grilled halibut with arugula-raspberry butter and smoked trout potato salad

That I ended up on this path that’s had me writing about seafood for three decades can be traced in large part to a single encounter. One that could easily not have happened. One that has made me a longtime fan of serendipity.

I’d just come home to Seattle after two and a half years in France where I’d been studying and working at La Varenne cooking school. Before I headed off on that adventure, I packed up all my belongings to go into storage and quit my receptionist job, having had no strong career goals after graduating with majors in math and French.

A couple miscellanous seafoody pics from my childhood, long before I became fully enamored with seafood: Me with family friend Mrs. Speaker and the Puget Sound in the background (I may be holding an oyster, but it'd be a couple decades before I became a big fan); and Dad on a backpacking trip in the Olympic Mountains, trout and Tang for breakfast

Back home in Seattle after that time in France, now with a culinary diploma, I had no idea what I was going to do with myself. The school’s founder, Anne Willan, kindly gave me the name of someone in Seattle to meet with who might be able to offer some suggestions for me to pursue.

I showed up a bit early for my meeting with Mauny at a coffee shop in Pioneer Square. She was wrapping up another meeting and invited me to join them. The third person at the table was a local food photographer, who mentioned that she knew of a magazine in town that was looking for a food editor. (One of those times when my habit of always being early paid off!)

That magazine was Simply Seafood, which had begun publication a couple years earlier.

If it had been a magazine about cheese, or baking, or grilling, I know I’d have applied to that job too. (Who knows what newsletter I might be writing today in that alternate universe!) But it was a magazine about seafood, focused on the home cook and founded by former fishermen who also published a couple trade magazines. Though I’d never edited a magazine article, they were willing to give me a try. And I jumped in with both feet, uncertain but enthusiastic about something new to do and curious how it all might go.

It went pretty well. I learned the ropes of magazine production and became managing editor, worked with fabulous contributors, traveled a bunch, created lots of recipes, and learned SO MUCH about seafood along the way. I’ve got so many stories I could share from those six years, and surely will in later issues. A few highlights are time on Kodiak Island in Alaska during summer salmon-fishing season; joining some of our readers on a seafood-lover’s tour in Veracruz, Mexico; developing a “seafood chef of the year” annual feature; and yes, I had the extraordinary honor of doing a feature with Julia Child, which included interviewing her at her home in Cambridge, Mass. An experience I’ll share more about before long—it included showing up on her doorstep that chilly morning with a cooler of Northwest seafood under my arm.

Though the magazine folded in 1998, my curiosity about all things seafood endured, and I’ve had plenty of other adventures since: writing cookbooks and articles, cooking for family and friends at home, and exploring seafood just for the sheer delicious fun of it—wherever I may be.

from the way-back machine: grilled halibut (recipe below) in the Summer 1994 issue of Simply Seafood magazine

Grilled Halibut with Arugula Raspberry Butter

Summertime of course means articles about grilling, when you work at a food magazine. It’s one theme I never tired of addressing, there are so many interesting way to cook seafood on the grill. This is one I came up with for the Summer 1994 issue of Simply Seafood. It melds well with recent posts I’ve been making about the joys of butter with seafood. I made a point of offering alternatives if the reader couldn’t find arugula (it was 30 years ago, after all). I trust you can probably find it today, but just for variety, feel free to use basil or flat-leaf parsley instead.

4 halibut steaks or fillet pieces (1 1/2 to 2 pounds total)
Vegetable oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Arugula Raspberry Butter
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons lightly crushed fresh raspberries
2 tablespoons finely chopped arugula
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
A few grindings of black pepper

For the arugula raspberry butter, cream the softened butter in a small bowl with a fork or small spatula. Add the raspberries, arugula, salt, and pepper. Continue mixing until well blended. Spoon the butter onto a piece of waxed paper, parchment paper, or plastic wrap and form it into a snug cylinder about 1 1/2 inches wide, twisting the ends snugly. Refrigerate until needed (the butter can be prepared a few days ahead).

Preheat an outdoor grill to medium-high heat. Lightly brush the halibut with oil and season with salt and pepper. Rub a lightly oiled towel or cloth over the grill, add the halibut and cook until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the halibut and continue cooking until just opaque through the center, 3 to 4 minutes longer.

Arrange the halibut on individual plates. Unwrap the butter, cut it into 4 slices, and set one on each piece of halibut. Serve right away.

Makes 4 serving

Smoked Trout (or Smoked Salmon) and Potato Salad

This is among the recipes I created for a Cooking Light trout article years ago, originally with new potatoes in mind, though you can use other waxy, thin-skinned potatoes such as red potatoes or Yukon Gold instead. Smoked trout can be less widely available than smoked salmon, either will be great here.

1 pound small new or fingerling potatoes or larger red or yellow potatoes
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
A few grindings of black pepper
1 1/2 cups flaked smoked trout or smoked salmon (about 6 ounces)
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons minced chives
1 tablespoon minced dill

Put the potatoes in a pan of cold salted water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, 10 to 15 minutes for smaller potatoes, 18 to 22 for larger. Drain and let cool.

Stir together the sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Cut the cooled potatoes into roughly 3/4-inch pieces and add them to the bowl with smoked trout, green onions, and herbs. Toss gently to mix and serve.

Makes 4 to 6 servings