I knew there would be crab cakes, but everything else was pretty much thrown together minutes before we sat down.

It was a greenmarket day, and therefore a fish day at our place, but I didn’t really need anything other than seafood, and I remembered that I had some really terrific frozen crab cakes that were made at home by Delores Karlin, the wife of the fisherman, Phil, whose stand would be there that Monday. I resolved to try to buy more the next week.

Early in the evening I decided that the labneh that I had also picked up in Union Square on an earlier market day, would make a great base for a sympathetic savory accompaniment to the crab cakes I would be serving on a bed of tomato salsa [that is, a mostly tomato salsa].

I tweeted that evening that the fact our “more or less middle eastern dinner” included crab narrowed down its cultural antecedents, since observant jews and at least most Shia Muslims avoid shellfish, or at least crab.  But I think it’s safe to say, at the very least, this dinner might not look too out of place on some Lebanese or Greek tables.

Both labneh topping and the salsa ‘bottoming’ each ended up with a few unorthodox ingredients.

• two crab cakes from PE & DD Seafood (crab, egg, flour, red & green peppers, garlic, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, milk, celery, and parsley), defrosted earlier in the day, heated with a drizzle of olive oil inside a heavy oval enameled cast iron pan, 3 to 4 minutes to each side, served on a salsa composed of one large chopped green heirloom tomato from Eckerton Hill Farm, some small raw chopped sweet Badger Flame beets from Norwich Meadows Farm (they’re the bits that appear to be carrots in the picture), a little finely-chopped aji dulce pepper, olive oil, sea salt, freshly-ground black pepper, crab cakes and salsa garnished with micro red amaranth
• a serving of plain water buffalo milk labneh from Riverine Ranch, leaving a shallow depression to receive a bit of a very good Sicilian olive oil, from Agricento, Azienda Agricola Mandranova (made exclusively with Nocellara olives), a bit of a dry seasoning called L’ekama from Ron & Leetal Arazi’s New York Shuk, finely sliced segment of red scallion from Berried Treasures Farm, the chopped stem of a baby purple romaine lettuce stem from from Echo Creek Farm, found in the Saturday Chelsea Farmers Market, garnished with chopped lovage from Keith’s Farm and arranged with the last leaves from that same lettuce stem, which were dressed with Maldon salt, freshly-ground black pepper, drops of juice from a Whole Foods Market lemon, and a bit of the same Sicilian olive oil
• Damascus Bakery flax and chia pita bread from the Chelsea Foragers Market, heated in the cast iron pan used for the crab cakes
• the wine was a Washington (Columbia Valley) white, Dave Harvey Columbia Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2017, from Naked Wines
• the music was the album, ‘Alexander Goehr: Symmetry Disorders Reach’

Could this actually be ‘seafood’? We eat a lot of fish, but last night’s entrée didn’t fall into that slot, unless we’re thinking of a position adopted, ounce, twice, or more, by the very clever prelates of the Roman church (cf. duck breast, grilled heirloom tomato, wilted lacinato, garlic).

A few notes about the cooking itself:

1. I think we both agreed that it was one of the simplest and most delicious presentations of a duck dinner, ever, and we love duck, a lot. And juicy; everything was juicy.
2. This time around the flame under the pan in which the breast was cooked was set higher than I had intended, but it doesn’t seem to matter how carbonized the layer of fat is, it never tastes burnt or bitter.
3. The rest of the dinner was very much about peppers: Both of the kinds used in the side dish were really, really good.
4. I didn’t need a garnish in either the duck or the peppers but I had this beautiful little container of red micro ‘greens’ that weren’t going to last forever, and I thought a few of them would perk up the plate visually; I’d say they did.

• one 16-ounce duck breast from Hudson River Duck Farm, the fatty side scored in tight cross hatching with a very sharp knife, the entire breast then rubbed, top and bottom, with a mixture of sea salt, freshly-ground black pepper, and a little turbinado sugar, then left standing, first inside the refrigerator and later on the counter for about 45 minutes  altogether, pan-fried, fatty side down first, in a scant amount of olive oil inside a small oval enameled cast iron pan over medium heat (ideally) for a total of about 9 minutes, turning once, draining the oil after the first few minutes (the fat to be strained and used in cooking at another time, if desired), removed when medium rare, cutting crosswise into 2 portions and checking that the center was of the right doneness, which means definitely no more than medium rare, and maybe even a bit less, left to sit for several minutes before it was finished with a drizzle of juice of an organic lemon from Whole Foods Market, sprinkled with a bit of chopped young and very fresh and fragrant rosemary from Lani’s Farm and a little Portuguese house olive oil from Whole Foods Market, finished on the plates garnished with micro mustard greens from Windfall Farms

The meal was about peppers as much as it was about that delicious winged amphibian.

• enough olive oil to cover its bottom poured into a large sturdy seasoned steel skillet above a high flame, adding, just before the oil was ready to smoke, skin side down and not crowding, one basket (11 ounces) of some very sweet ‘Yummy’ peppers (that’s actually their varietal name) from Central Valley Farm, cut into halves, the few seeds and membranes removed, the peppers sprinkled with salt, a heavy weight (here a slightly-smaller foil-covered cast iron skillet) placed on top of them for 30 seconds or so, removed, the peppers moved around with tongs to blister them evenly, and once well blistered, flipped or arranged skin side up, the weighted pan added again for another 30 seconds to a minute, until the peppers were just about cooked, but not too limp, and then 2 small red Aji Dulce peppers (they’re beautifully spicy, but not at all hot) from Eckerton Hill Farm, were added and moved around until softened, followed by stirring in the equivalent of 4 average size whole basil leaves from a Massachusetts Full Bloom Market Garden live plant (a Whole Foods Market purchase), and less than a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, the peppers arranged on the plate across from the duck, and a small treasure of micro red amaranth from Two Guys from Woodbridge arranged just above it
• slices of that terrific, I’d say now iconic, miche of She Wolf Bakery, for the appreciation of both the plate juices and one of the best breads I’ve ever had
• the wine was a California (Alexander Valley) red, DRG Daryl Groom Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley 2016, from Naked Wines
• the music was the album, ‘Ingram Marshall: September Canons’

Summer perch.

Last night I decided it might actually be a thing. I think what did for me it were the luscious ripe heirloom tomatoes I chose as the only accompaniment for this wonderful fish.

• nine small (less than 2 ounces each) beautiful orange/red-skinned ocean perch fillets from Danielle Bickleman at American Seafood Company’s stand at Saturday’s Chelsea’s Down to Earth Farmers Market on 23rd Street, rinsed, and dried, both sides brushed with 2 tablespoons of olive oil mixed with a total of little more than one teaspoon, combined, of a chopped Rocambole garlic from Keith’s Farm and the white section of one thinly-sliced scallion from Lani’s Farm, the fish seasoned, also on both sides, with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, placed inside an enameled cast iron pan and broiled, skin side up, 4 or 5 inches from the flames, for 4 or 5 minutes, or until the skin had become crisp and the fish cooked through, finished on the plates with a sauce that had already been prepared by gently heating 2 salted anchovies from Buon Italia, rinsed and filleted, and part of one aji dulce pepper (NOTE: I don’t think the pepper, an innovation of mine this time around, really added anything) in a bit of olive oil inside a small antique enameled cast iron porringer over a very low flame for about 3 minutes, or until the anchovies had fallen apart, and then kept warm, the perch garnished with micro chervil from Two Guys from Woodbridge and organic lemon wedges from Whole Foods Market served on the side

• two large very ripe red heirloom tomatoes from Campo Rosso Farm (the ones on the right above), sliced 1/4″ thick, slid into a medium size copper skillet in which some olive oil had been heating and softening some thickly-sliced sections of a bulbous fresh shallot from Tamarack Hollow Farm, allowed to warm and also soften just a bit, seasoend with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, a number of leaves torn from an almost local  basil plant (Full Bloom Market Garden, Whatley, Massachusetts, from Whole Foods Market), still proudly flourishing in its rich Connecticut River valley soil, mixed in with the tomatoes, carefully arranged on the plates, some of the juices reserved for another day, and sprinkled with a pinch or so of dried fenugreek from Bombay Emerald Chutney Company (that had also been purchased at the Saturday Chelsea Farmers Market),
• slices of a very satisfying rich organic multigrain baguette from Bread Alone
• the wine was a California (Central Coast) rosé, Yian Lu Central Coast Rose 2017, from Naked Wines
• the music was Haydn’s 1777 opera, ‘Il mondo della Luna’, a wonderful opera which we’ve probably heard all the way through half a dozen times, in a great, classic performance with Antal Dorati directing the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne and the soloists Arleen Auger, Edith Mathis, Frederica von Stade, Lucia Valentini Terrani, Luigi Alva, et al.

There was neither a cheese course nor a sweet, but there was ein Schlückchen Schnaps. After the table had been cleared, we decided to remain sitting through the end of the opera. We each poured ourselves a little bit of a superb Oregon eau de vie.  It was Clear Creek Distillery’s Douglas Fir Brandy, inspired by the Alsatian, Eau de Vie de Bourgeons de Sapin [clear brandy of fir buds]. A 2009 New York Times piece, ‘The Pursuit and Pleasures of the Pure Spirit‘, provides the context for the inspiration and production of the distillery’s founder, Steve McCarthy.

I had never cooked soft shell crab before, or, if I had, I no longer remember having done so, and it would have to have been decades ago.

I’m pretty happy about my first outing (or, as it may be, my second).

I spotted a bucket of live blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) in my Friday fish stand in the Union Square Greenmarket. They were waving at me. I just had to bring them home, especially since it was the first time I had ever seen them in that market.

My first concern, since they were quite alive, was, how to clean them. The internet came to my rescue once again; Marylander Stacey Williamson’s short video is the best description I found; it’s charming, perfectly clear, and reassuring.

For actual cooking guidance, I found the input from both Mark Bittman and Melissa Clark very useful, and I ended up going with the simplest version described by each.

• four very much alive 4 or 5-ounce eastern Long Island soft shell crabs from Anton, Paul Mendelsohn’s son, at Paul’s Pura Vida Seafood station at the Union Square Greenmarket, cleaned as described above, but without removing the ‘mustard’, or digestive system (because it tastes wonderful!), rinsed in running water and dried very thoroughly (so they don’t ‘steam’ and so to encourage crispness, since I had decided not to use a batter of any kind), brought to room temperature, sautéed on both sides (bottom first) over a medium-high flame in a quarter inch of olive oil inside a 13-inch seasoned cast iron pan (I wasn’t timing myself, but maybe for about 3 minutes altogether? Anyway, Clark writes, “As soon as they turn from gray-brown to rust and white, the texture goes from soft to taut and they are ready.”), removed and arranged on the 2 plates, sprinkled with freshly-chopped lovage, from Chris at Keith’s Farm in the Greenmarket and, although I forgot to do so this time, some freshly ground black pepper (I don’t remember adding salt at any time during the cooking process, but then my memory is sometimes unreliable), and drizzled with juice of an organic lemon from Whole Foods Market

• seven ounces of haricots verts from Berried Treasures Farm, stems removed, but otherwise left whole, blanched, drained and dried in the same pan over medium heat, shaking, then set aside in a bowl until the flame was turned on under the pan in which the crab would be sautéed, at which time the beans were reheated in a little oil inside a heavy medium size vintage well-seasoned cast iron pan, finished with sea salt, freshly-ground black pepper, and mixed with dill buds from Willow Wisp Farm

• six small red plum heirloom tomatoes from Eckerton Hill Farm, halved, their surfaces dried, the cut sides placed on top of a mix of sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper spread across a plate, pan-grilled inside an enameled cast iron pan for a few minutes, turned and grilled for a slightly shorter time, removed, drizzled with a little olive oil and sprinkled with choppe summer savory from Stokes Farm, and arranged on the plates
• the wine was a California (Central Coast/Santa Ynez Valley) white, Rick Boyer Santa Ynez Valley Dry White Blend 2017, from Naked Wines
• the music was the incredibly brilliant Igor Stravinsky/W. H. Auden/Chester Kallman collaboration, the 1951 opera, ‘The Rake’s Progress’, in a 1999 recording,John Eliot Gardiner, directing the London Symphony Orchestra and the Monteverdi Choir, with Bryn Terfel, Ian Bostridge, Anne Sofie von Otter, and Deborah York

It’s was a gorgeous bowl of pasta, and as tasty as it looked. The original recipe is from Sara Jenkins.

• two tablespoons of homemade bread crumbs heated in a small amount of olive oil inside a small vintage seasoned cast iron pan over medium heat until golden brown, set aside, the florets of a medium head of a Romanesco broccoli from Norwich Meadows Farm sautéed over high heat in a tablespoon of butter and half a tablespoon of olive oil inside a large, high-sided vintage copper pot until slightly crisp and lightly browned, then 3 tablespoons of pitted Gaeta olives (originated in Lazio) from Buon Italia, half a tablespoon of rinsed Sicilian salted capers, a smashed half clove of Keith’s Farm heirloom Rocambole Calabrian garlic, and a rinsed and filleted salted Sicilian anchovy were stirred into the pot until the acciuga had broken up, before 8 ounces of a Neapolitan maccheroncini, here, Setaro Torre Annunziata penne rigatoni, cooked al dente, were mixed in, followed by about half a cup of reserved pasta cooking water, the pasta stirred until the liquid had emulsified, seasoned to taste with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, arranged in shallow bowls, a bit of olive oil drizzled around the edges, and sprinkled with some of the bread crumbs
• the wine was a California (Monterey/Santa Lucia Highlands) rosé, 99 Barrels Derek Rohlffs Santa Lucia Highlands Rose 2017, from Naked Wines
• the music was the album, ‘Roberto Gerhard 7′: Harpsichord Concerto; Nonet; Concerto for Piano and Strings’