We are please to introduce Betsy Dorfman as our newest contributor to the Foodista blog. You can see her regular blog here.

TUGBERT is our 26-foot Nordic Tug recreational trawler, berthed in Marina del Rey, California, otherwise known as the watery part of Los Angeles. We have been enjoying a warm October and there is no better fair weather dinner in our opinion than fish cooked over a grill on a boat. Everything tastes better, for starters, and the propane fueled grills, which you will see everywhere clamped to boat railings, are actually serious cookers, which heat quickly and do a grand job on fish.

Of course the fish has to be fresh. For that we head south to Alamitos Bay (near Long Beach) to the Sunday Farmer’s Market, well worth the investment in gas. Prices are cheaper than the chef-infested markets of Santa Monica and nowhere else has J & P West Coast Seafood. From the side of a chuck wagon style truck this gentleman improbably dispenses some of the freshest fish in the area week after week at, not low, but fair prices for the quality. The white sea bass ran us about $20 per pound, but this is a cut, which is all edible with no waste.

First we cut the sea bass into similar portions of like thickness. Next we generally brush with olive oil before applying a rub. Even though the white sea bass has a high oil content on its own, the oil disperses the rub evenly and helps it adhere rather than scrape off on the grill. Flush from a recent visit to World Spice in Seattle, we had variety of choices but soon settled on a an old favorite – Calico fish rub. This is a blend of sumac, Chinese chilies, whole black sesame seeds, red sea salt, and dill. It adds nice reddish color (that’s the sumac) to a plain white fish like the sea bass, and there is no need for salt or pepper. With the green dill weed the effect before cooking is Christmas on a plate! Grill and eat, couldn’t be simpler. You may encounter some bones but these are typically large and readily identified. This is a mild fish with a creamy finish similar to scallop or crab.

For the side dish we cheated and precooked the potatoes in the microwave to shorten the cook time on the boat. We cut the mostly cooked peeled potatoes into convenient chunks, combined with raw onion and a large shallot, drizzled with Meyer lemon olive oil, dotted with sea salt and pepper and wrapped in foil. Placed on the back side of the grill in its packet the potatoes finished cooking in ten minutes or so, roughly the same time it took to grill the fish. Times will vary widely depending upon the thickness of the fish, whether it is cold or room temperature, and the setting or flame on your grill.

White Sea Bass a la Tugbert

Side dishes:
Foil wrapped potatoes, onions and shallots
Large helping of sunset

Grilled white sea bass
1 lb fish steak or fillet cut into three equal portions (serves 2-3)
2 tsps olive oil
Rub of your choice, or salt & pepper – about 1 tablespoon
Brush olive oil on all sides and surfaces of fish coat with rub
Foil wrapped potatoes
One medium potato per person, microwave whole until fork inserts rather easily — prick potatoes several times with a fork prior to microwaving to avoid explosions!
Peel potatoes, and cut into 2″ cubes
One medium onion, peeled and sliced
One large shallot, peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon Meyer lemon infused olive oil, any flavored olive oil, or plain oil of good quality
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Toss all together and place on oiled square of aluminum foil. Top with a second piece of foil of equal size, seal and crimp edges.

This same dinner could be made on land, but we recommend buying a boat for maximum flavor.

Ron and Betsy and TUGBERT

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I’m not talking Rice-A-Roni here, the San Francisco treat I’m referring to is IT’S-IT Ice Cream. When I was a kid we’d often pass the IT’S-IT factory perched on the edge of Highway 101 near the San Francisco airport. I would beg my parents to stop, but alas, it never happened. I still threaten to stop…perhaps some things are best left as a mystery. So, to satiate my desires I hop into the nearest Draeger’s and pick up a box.

The Original IT’S-IT Ice Cream Treat, once named the official food of San Francisco, started in 1928 and has since become a legend. The recipe has never changed; a scoop of vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two oatmeal cookies then dunked in dark chocolate.

I don’t care how old you are, you’re never too old to beg for one of these.

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When I was a child we’d often visit my maternal grandparents in Sonoma, California. One of my favorite things to do, when I wasn’t roaming the back forty on one of my grandpa’s horses, was to go down to Vella Cheese Company and get a bag of fresh cheese curd. If memory serves correctly they only had it on specific days. And I was there at the door, money in hand, ready for my “squeaky cheese,” as we called it.
If you’ve never had cheese curd let me tell you about this little treat. It’s the fresh, young random-shaped curd from cheddar cheese before it’s processed into blocks to age. Cheddar cheese usually ages from at least 60 days to many years. Curd, on the other hand, needs to be eaten fresh and unrefrigerated (within about 12 hours) otherwise it turns dry and salty. You know good, fresh curd when it squeaks between your teeth.

Unfortunately, Vella’s doesn’t sell cheese curd anymore. I have begged them over the years, to no avail (insert soft weeping here). But, their other cheeses are simply divine in their own right. I still go there every time I’m in Sonoma, money in hand.

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