dispatch no. 5: late summer
fried fish sandwiches | tomatoes: part II | saffron in the pantry | peaches n' cream
heat wave cravings ! fried fish sandwiches !
stories and thoughts
With the earth around me parched and dusty, the long August days in a neverending scorch mode, the sweat on my face needing endless mopping, why in the world do i choose to go into my tiny stifling cottage kitchen to fry up fish?!?
(photo: @taylor.ahearn)
No one is demanding or even suggesting i do so, it is my own singular craving that i am determined to satisfy, heat wave be damned. however, trust me, no one is complaining so long as they don’t have to join me in the kitchen for the frying part ;-).
(photo: @taylor.ahearn)
What is it about long hot summer days that make me (i know, of course, not just me) yearn for fried clams in a greasy parchment bag alongside a tiny paper cup of tartar sauce made with pickle relish and a matching cup filled with standard-issue (yum!) creamy cole slaw; of Baja batter-fried fish tacos with zingy cabbage slaw, smoky chipotle crema and a crunch of pickled red onion; of a piping hot crispy fried white fish sandwich on a warm soft white bun, a melty slice of cheese and that tangy tartar sauce again?
The fried clam association and the beginning of my hankering for Fried-Fish-On-A-Hot-Day can easily be traced to my long-time love affair with The Quarterdeck, the walk-up clam bar window of my golden childhood Augusts on the Vineyard and to this very day right around the corner from the Chappy Ferry in Edgartown.
So if that clam bar was my initial introduction, then what sealed the deal and kept the romance going were the too-hot-to-cook (in my stepmother’s opinion) summer evenings that led us to the McDonald’s closest to my suburban Illinois hometown. the inspiration for the fried fish sandwich of my dreams can be directly linked to my early teenage (nerdy) self’s predilection for the Filet-O-Fish sandwich. cruising down Highway 41 towards the Golden Arches with a packed station wagon (i know! another one!!) of ‘tween and teen siblings, step-siblings and friends, the anticipation of biting into that pillowy + steaming + crispy + melting + oozing little disc of perfection was almost too much to bear. BUT i was willing to wait just a few minutes longer after placing my very specific order that contained a special request — ! EXTRA TARTAR SAUCE ! — knowing that it would ensure that every. single. time. my Filet-O-Fish would be made fresh-to-order and would arrive piping deliciously hot. oh, and positively dripping with tartar sauce ;-).
My (food) memory is pretty good, but to this day i do not remember how or when i first tasted and fell in love with the Filet-O-Fish sandwich. after all, this is when everyone around me was devoted to the Big Mac or the Quarter Pounder With Cheese. but, mind you, this is coming from a child who unabashedly ordered Pink Grapefruit Ice (!) from the Baskin & Robbins 31 Flavors in town, when the other kids wanted Chocolate Chip or Rocky Road, so there you go. i also do not recall how i happily discovered (or was told) that my special order would result in the pinnacle version — hotter! crispier! drippier! — of my beloved Filet O’ Fish.
In any case, fast-forwarding to this particularly stifling Summer of 2022, decades after my last visit to a McDonald’s in Illinois or anywhere, has found me, right on cue, craving that very same Filet-O-Fish-ish sensation.
So, with some impeccable, glistening locally-caught flounder filets, breaded and pan-fried to a crispy perfection (if i do say so), topped with thin-sliced mild cheddar, the perfect brioche bun, and the dreamiest homemade tartar sauce (aka sauce remoulade), i was in full satisfaction mode, as one is when one’s craving matches the end result.
PHOEBE‘S PHILET O‘PHISH
( with extra tartar sauce ;-)
i know that frying anything can be intimidating, but i promise: you got this! i recommend you make it while the weather is still brutally hot and you are sweating profusely! ;-)
tomato euphoria !!!
tomatoes every single day until the season is over
(because i told you there would be a Tomatoes, Part II !)
With access to positively unreal artisanal bread here on the island, new beautiful garlic and an unparalleled crop of flawless rainbow-hued heirloom tomatoes (um, thank you drought) at virtually every farm stand and the farmer’s market right now, there has been no end to the parade of tomato sandwiches +/or tartines in the house cottage — and as of this writing, there is (thankfully) no end in sight!
PERFECT TOMATO TARTINE
slice a large platter of perfectly ripe heirloom tomatoes, sprinkle with Maldon (or your fave flaky melty) sea salt, drizzle with olive oil
and toast or grill some realllllllyyyyy good slices of bread…