Nothing says Cape Cod like scrod and sea scallops for an entree. Flaky white scrod is excellent for rolling and stuffing. Sea scallops make the stuffing moist like the ocean air of a Cape Cod morning. The Newburg Sauce tastes good on just about anything, but for some reason it seems to tastes better on a cool spring night east of the Bourne Bridge.

If you are wondering what scrod is, Webster’s Dictionary defines it as “a young fish (as a cod or haddock)”. Scrod in restaurants is indeed just young cod. There is a small difference in the quality of the meat in the immature fish. I’m sure a sophisticated palate could probably make the distinction, based mostly on texture. The truth to buying scrod is to make sure that it is fresh. When scrod is frozen, the flakiness of the fish tends to form more ice crystals within the layers. This sometimes can make the frozen fish taste synthetic, so always try to buy it fresh.

This recipe is courtesy of Jay Coburn the former Owner and Executive Chef of restaurant Chester in Provincetown. Jay will soon be opening Chester at Home a gourmet catering firm that will create small dinner parties and intimate events. Find out more at www.chesterrestaurant.com. Jay says that this dish is great for a dinner party because it can be prepared in advance, held and then quickly completed just before service. (See tip in the recipe).  

The secret to this dish is the delicious stock. You can make a simple version by boiling the lobster bodies in water to cover for 20 minutes, but Jay’s version is much better. We prepared the lobsters by boiling them but at the restaurant they kill the lobsters first and then steam the bodies, claws and tails separately. Our approach works but the restaurant way yields more flavorful meat although we know that many home cooks are uncomfortable doing it that way. Either way keep the meat a little under done so it doesn’t over cook when heated in the risotto.

These chocolates are simple to make and simply delicious. The key, as always, is to use top-notch ingredients.

An elegant and creative dish, it highlights farm fresh eggs--so do make the effort to seek them out. You can try Kelley’s Katch Tennessee Paddle Fish Caviar, which can be purchased over the Internet, but we used inexpensive whitefish caviar from the supermarket and the results were still mighty tasty.  

This dish is emblematic of the delicious and creative flavor combinations that Joe Dunn at The Island Merchant devises.  It takes a little time to caramelize the onions, but it’s worth it as they are magical with the goat cheese.  If you don’t have Cognac to marinate the peaches, you can use whatever is on hand (rum or port would be good) or omit it altogether.

Summer is the season when we move the bulk of our cooking out of the kitchen and onto the grill, and when vegetables, salads, and fruits move from the sidelines to the center of our plates. Keep in mind that fruit doesn’t have to be relegated to dessert; it makes a lovely savory companion to fish and meats when grilled with olive oil and sprinkled with herbs or used  in a fresh salsa as follows. The recipe is courtesy of Elsa Sampou, who offered us a batch to go with the striped bass her husband Andre caught and was kind enough to share with us. The sweet fresh fruit offsets the rich taste of the wild bass and it would also be delicious made with local peaches, although it was awfully good made with supermarket mangos. 

If possible, grill over lump hardwood charcoal as it imparts a nice smoky note to the fish, but a gas grill or even an oven at 350 degrees works just fine.