Catches Of The Day

Homemade seafood dishes are always tricky to make. They can come out too oily or too dry. The meat is sometimes too tender and can turn to mush thanks to the wrong recipe. Luckily yesterday's New York Times Dining section helps with this situation. The two sections, City Kitchen and A Good Appetite tackle a crab salad and roasted fish. Thanks to these two gems, seafood novices can create perfect and delicious dishes.

Dave Tanis conquers crab salad in his City Kitchen column. Crab salad, is one of those throwbacks to Mid Century American cooking where it was made with huge dollops of mayo and lemon.It was then served on a bland leaf of iceberg lettuce with either a tomato or lemon wedge as decoration. Mr. Tanis updates it for the 21st Century. He first starts with Dungeness crab, perfect because it is the season for them on their native California coast. Instead of the traditional mayonnaise he starts with a double boiled dressing ,made with cream , egg yolks and lemon juice. He then adds olive oil and Dijon mustard for more flavor. This goes over a  salad of fresh lump crab along with the nontraditional Belgian endive, chicory , radicchio and arugula. The salad  is a perfect Sunday brunch dish or a Saturday luncheon with the girls one.

The next is from Melissa Clark, In her  A Good Appetite  column, she tackles roasted sea bass. She adds a spicy and fiery twist with lime salsa verde. Ms. Clark does offer very good advice on picking a good fish.Look it in the eye .If the eyes are cloudy and sunken, don't buy it .If they're clear and bright, it means the fish is a fresh catch and perfect for cooking. Also, although this sounds clicheish, the smell, is another important  factor  in purchasing it. Newly caught does not have an odor.There should be some kind of one however it should  be clean and saline smelling  and not fishy. Another good tip she offers is having the fishmonger lop off  the head if you or your guests are squeamish about dinner staring up at you. Each fish should weigh up to one and a half pounds as well. A  fish such as a sea bass should be roasted at 450 degrees for fifteen minutes tops.don;t over cook, because it'll result in a platter of dried. splintered meat.

Fish dishes are not difficult. In fact , they are easy to prepare and cook. Don't be afraid to try them and miss out on some truly delicious dining.