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There were\u00a04 at dinner again. The first course repeated the one\u00a0served\u00a0the\u00a0last time, with a tweak from tradition in the\u00a0insalata Caprese<\/em>\u00a0tomato choices.<\/p>\n Also as with that meal, there would be\u00a03 courses, and I was again determined to make the main course something that could be prepared easily enough\u00a0for me to be a part of the conversation even before<\/em> we sat down.<\/p>\n When I need to cook enough for 4 people, many fish\u00a0entr\u00e9es (and seafood was virtually a given, especially\u00a0since it was summer) take up\u00a0an area larger than the surface of any of my pans. The\u00a0best solution\u00a0is to pick a fairly thick fish, like tuna or swordfish, or…<\/p>\n Once I\u00a0spotted the beautiful bucket of striped bass (‘striper’)<\/a>\u00a0nestled in a tub of ice at the fishmonger’s stall that afternoon, I knew I had half of my\u00a0main course picked out.<\/p>\n This great, most American of fish had\u00a0threatened to\u00a0disappear from our waters only 30 years ago, but was rescued by the heroic efforts of many good people, mostly fishers, during what some call the ‘Striper Wars’<\/a>.<\/p>\n This is the view I had of the bass at the fishmonger’s\u00a0(the clarity of the image is slightly obscured by the scratched plexiglas hinged lid of the tub).<\/p>\n As in the week before, I picked the vegetable for its simplicity, and especially for the fact that it could be prepared ahead of time (in the end however I didn’t actually do it in advance). Also, Barry loves Tuscan kale.<\/p>\n We started, as usual, with breadsticks and a ‘sparkling’, this time a very nice French un<\/em>-champagne.<\/p>\n The antipasto\u00a0was an insalata Caprese<\/em><\/a>\u00a0[see image at the top], which always takes longer to assemble than I expect it to, but it’s worth it every time, since I only venture it when the ingredients are the best and freshest.<\/p>\n The main course plates looked simple, and everything actually was pretty simple.<\/p>\n If there was any complexity in the preparation of the bass, it was only the number of herbs I tossed on top. I knew ahead of time what I was going to do, cobbling it up on my own, with the intention of letting the fish itself be the star. The oven timing was unknown territory however; in the end I used the ‘insert sharp knife in center’ and ‘bounce finger on top’ tests.<\/p>\n Yes, there was an oven involved. I try to avoid turning it on in warm weather, but it would mean less stress, and last night it was pretty mild; there was\u00a0even a breeze, and we sat at the table in the gallery dining table, away from the kitchen.<\/p>\n The addition of homemade breadcrumbs was an impulse, and it is certainly optional. I was probably thinking I’d like the aesthetic, and the protection that\u00a0such a coating might offer.\u00a0Whatever.<\/p>\n This is the bass on the kitchen counter..<\/p>\n ..and\u00a0this is the pan as it was about to be placed in the oven, but before the breadcrumbs.<\/p>\n The vegetable served with the fish was one of our favorite greens, and it couldn’t be\u00a0less complicated to prepare.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The dessert was berries and cream, ice cream<\/em>.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/food.hoggardwagner.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/striped_bass_in_bucket.jpg\")
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