Mike Urban - The New England Seafood Markets Cookbook: Recipes from the Best Lobster Pounds, Clam Shacks, and Fishmongers

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Copyright 2016 by Mike Urban

All rights reserved

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To Sylvia, Elaine, and Carl

Richie Taylor, Wulfs Fish Market, Brookline, Massachusetts

First and foremost, Id like to give my heartfelt thanks to the numerous seafood market owners and workers who took time out of their busy days (especially during summer) to take me into their shops, show me their operations, and most important, share their favorite recipes and stories for inclusion in this book. Ive made many new friends along the way, and Ive learned a lot, for which Im very grateful.

Id also like to thank the crew at Countryman PressSenior Editor Dan Crissman, Editorial Director Ann Treistman, and Publicist Devorah Backmanfor their patience and support as I cruised up and down the New England seaboard, gathering information and recipes and photographing the seafood and the markets during the research and writing of this book. I cherish my relationship with Countryman, which published two of my previous books on the lobster shacks and the diners of New England.

Finally, I thank my wife, Ellen, who kept things running smoothly at home while I was away (in addition to her full-time job as managing editor of the Globe Pequot Press) and whose support and encouragement keep me going on these seemingly endless book projects from one year to the next. Je taime!

Mike Urban

New England has a long, colorful history of harvesting the bounty of the nearby sea. The fish and shellfish from New Englands bays, estuaries, sounds, and gulfs play a major role in what is considered to be one of the regions authentic cuisines. New England seafood is prized locally, throughout the region, around the country, and throughout the worldthink chowder, lobster rolls, codfish cakes, shad, haddock, and fried clams. From the once endless bounty of the almighty cod to the wildly popular and currently plentiful stocks of Maine lobster, theres much to celebrate in the way of New England seafood.

This book contains some 150 recipes from more than forty of New Englands finest independently owned and operated seafood markets. Most of the markets are simple family operations, and many have been in business for decades. The retailers rely on their customers, who are passionate about locally harvested seafood and who in turn count on their local fishmongers to deliver the freshest fish available. Customers also turn to fish market owners for guidance on how to prepare all sorts of tasty, innovative dishes that are steeped in tradition, as well as for recipes that represent more contemporary tastes and trends in seafood cookery.

The recipes contained herein include many that New Englands seafood market owners recommend to their customersas well as some that come from the owners home kitchens. Theres a lot of love in these recipes, and it shines through in many different waysfrom the unique ingredients needed to prepare them to the fun, sometimes ingenious methods of cooking called upon to create authentic New England seafood cuisine.

The book is organized by types of dishes (soups and chowders, starters, salads, pasta dishes, grilled seafood, stews and casseroles, and more) and by types of seafood (lobster, swordfish, salmon, tuna, cod, haddock, shrimp, and clams), so there is plenty to explore on this culinary journey through the region. Theres a special chapter at the end entitled New England Exotica, which contains unusual dishes, mostly indigenous and unique to the region, as well as some other recipes that are further afield in terms of their seafood ingredients and cultural heritages.

Have fun perusing these pages and trying out these recipes, which come from people who truly live, breathe, and love New England seafood every day of their lives. Theres plenty to learn and to enjoy on this journey through one of the richest seafood cultures in the world.

Flanders Fish Market, East Lyme, Connecticut

Clam chowder in Connecticut and Rhode Island is often the clear-broth varietyunencumbered by thick, rich cream and lightly seasoned in a variety of ways. The clear-broth versions allow the pure clam flavor to take center stage in what many consider a more representative version of the New England staple. This simple version from an excellent seafood market in southeastern Connecticut substitutes olive oil for the usual salt pork, making for a healthier, more clam-infused broth.

2 large Spanish onions, peeled and diced

cup olive oil

12 quahog clams, shucked, with clam meat and juice set aside

2 cups chopped ocean clams (fresh is best, but canned will do)

3 russet potatoes, peeled and cut to medium dice

2 quarts clam juice (low sodium is best)

4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into large chunks

Coarse salt and fresh-ground black pepper

Fresh or dried parsley

Oyster crackers

In a heavy-bottomed stockpot, saut the onions in the olive oil over medium heat until theyre translucent, about 3 minutes. While the onions cook, chop the quahog clams to a rough mince. Add the quahogs and ocean clams to the onions and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring continuously to combine. Add the potatoes to the clams, stir to combine, and allow the mixture to cook for 3 to 5 minutes.

Add all the clam juice and stir well to blend the ingredients evenly. Increase the heat to medium high and bring the chowder just to a boil. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium low, and allow the chowder to simmer for 45 to 60 minutes. Stir occasionally, until the potatoes are tender enough to fall apart and thicken the chowder a bit.