I don’t quite “get” St. Patrick’s Day. I have had this conversation with several people the past few days. Irish Americans are not Irish. They did not live through famine or need snakes chased off their land. (That’s what St. Patrick did, right?). You don’t see me celebrating Bastille Day.
But, as Americans, we celebrate. Offices are adorned with corny “Erin Go Bragh” signs and shamrock garland adorns every CVS. People diligently wear their green sweaters and ridiculous leprechaun hats sit perched atop heads that are ashamed to be attached to their owners.
Yet, despite my trepidations, I half heartedly take part in St. Patty’s celebrations (minus the unflattering outfits–green is not my best color): the food and booze. I eagerly await Shamrock Fest this weekend, though my liver trembles in fear (and maybe I will get to hear some of that music the kids are listening to). Irish Lebowski’s family recipe for soda bread awaits in my queue, ready for it’s annual appearance. I have flipped through numerous cookbooks and website, combing through the St. Patrick’s Day recipes.
Martha Stewart tells me this recipe is Irish, so I believe her. I always though fish and chips was more of a British thing, but who am I to question? Irish or English, I love fish and chips. This recipe was easy, tasty and actually fairly healthy. The oven baked fries were crisp and delicious (I did cut them a bit thinner than suggested) and the fish had a crispy, satisfying coat. My fish fell apart a bit, but it is due to my cast iron skillet, not the recipe itself. (Also, anyone with any helpful suggestions on how to get a good season on my pan gets a kiss on the mouth. I keep trying and never get it right…) I made a home made tarter sauce as I had the ingredients on hand; ain’t no shame in buying some, though. You can see if you looked closely at the picture that everything is doused in malt vinegar. This was a perfect, classic way to enhance a perfect meal.
I still don’t get St. Patrick’s day, but I can get behind this.
Tarragon Tarter Sauce
Lemmonex Original
2 tablespoons mayo (I used fat free)
1/2 tablespoon chopped capers
1 tablespoon finely diced pickle
1/2 tablespoon fresh tarragon
Squirt lemon juice
Salt and Pepper
Combine and chill.
Baked Fish and Chips
Adapted from Martha Stewart
2 large russet potatoes (about 1 pound), scrubbed
Four 6-ounce Chilean sea bass or cod fillets (about 1 inch thick), skin removed
FOR THE SEASONING
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Pinch Corn Starch
FOR THE COATING
1/3 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Pinch Corn Starch
FOR THE GARNISH
Lemon wedges
Malt vinegar
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven.
2. Cut potatoes lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick strips. Rinse well in a large bowl of cold water, and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Transfer to a large baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil, and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper; toss well. Arrange strips in an even layer on the sheet. Bake on lower rack until golden and crisp, about 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, place fish fillets in a large bowl. Add buttermilk, and gently turn fish to coat. In another shallow bowl, combine cornmeal, paprika, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Add fillets to cornmeal one at a time, turning to completely coat. Transfer to a plate while repeating with remaining fillets.
4. Heat a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. (Can use non-stick fry pan.) Add remaining tablespoon of oil; swirl to coat. Add fillets, being careful not to overcrowd pan. Cook until nicely crusted, about 1 minute; turn over with a spatula. Place skillet in top third of oven, and cook until firm but beginning to flake when pressed in the center, about 8 minutes. Transfer to plates, and serve with potatoes. Serve lemon wedges and malt vinegar on the side.
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{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
Have you ever been to Eammons? It’s in Alexandria and I swear it’s the best fish and chips I’m ever had. Amazing.
Ummm no offense to yoru fish and chips of course, but some of us are less skilled in the kitchen and end up burning fish when we try to fry it and our whole house smells like burnt fish.
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Cast Iron Seasoning:
Coat with Crisco and back upside down at 350 for 1 hour. Have pan underneath to catch runoff. Allow pan to cool in oven after the 1 hour.
I am sure you did this already but it is all I have for you! Good luck and cast iron is the ONLY way to make good cornbread.
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You should probably repeat Former Alpha’s steps a couple of times. The more often you do it, the better it works. And make sure after you use it,you clean it while it’s still warm, dry it COMPLETELY, and rub some crisco or vegetable oil on it before you put it away.
My grandmother has a a 50 year old cast iron skillet that is perfectly smooth inside and completely nonstick. It makes the best pancakes/fried chicken/cornbread ever.
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Belmontmedina: Ding ding ding..we have a winner. The best way is to cook all that I grew up with in that skillet. Fried chicken, fat back to simmer with the green beans and don’t leave out the country fried steak.
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Jo: You can do it…I am here to help. Just don’t crank the heat too high…this is how it burns.
FA: You wanted a kiss is all. i see right through you.
belmontmedina: I guess I do have to keep on repeating. I have done it several times and it is always a sticky mess.
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If you don’t want us striving for the prize, don’t make it so irresistible!! I admit…10 feet wide and one inch deep.
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FA, just out of curiosity, what does 10 feet wide and one inch deep mean?
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Shallow or easy to see through.
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Does anyone else find it strange that the food offered at Shamrock Fest is about as far from “Irish” food as one can get? We’re talking Chic-fil-a burgers, falafel wraps, pizza slices, and Polish sausage sandwiches.
Ya think they could at least have a little stand selling Irish soda bread or something.
p.s. Carbon Leaf is the best band in this year’s line up, in my humble opinion.
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Respectfullly,
St. Patrick brought Catholicism to the Irish, supposedly using a shamrock to show the Trinity, thus it being such a symbol. A side story was that he drove all the snakes out of Ireland. Green is because there are 40 shades of green in Ireland.
There are supposed something like 30 million Americans who have roots to Ireland; there are only about 4 million Irish proper.
Bastille Day and St. Patrick’s Day don’t really compare (origin-wisey). Perhaps Dec 6th, Ireland’s Independence from Britain, would be closer.
True, most people just use St. Patrick’s as a drinking holiday, thus the Catholic church wanting to move the day this year so that it didn’t land on Holy Week. That obviously never happened. Some people however do feel pride for being of Irish origin, just as African-Americans feel proud of their African lineage, Chinese-Americans celebrate Chinese New Year, and German-Americans celebrate Oktoberfest. Thats why it can be “gotten.” I never lived through a famine or civil war or any of that, but I’m not celebrating that I did… you could say its a tip of the hat to those they did. And yes, Ireland does make a huge deal out of the holiday, Dublin puts on a 5 day festival. I was there last year and it was a blast.
Personally, I see Shamrockfest as definitely a “buy-in” into the whole St. Patricks Day as a drinking holiday. I’ll be at the bar watching Ireland kick UK’s ass in 6 nations rugby.
Your fish and chips looks amazing. You should try Curry Chips. Its pretty Irish and consists of fries doused in a brown curry sauce. Really good.
And pardon for the diatribe. Thought I’d chime in with some thoughts / background from one who actually has thought the whole celebration through (Ireland is one of my favorite places in the world).
Slainte!
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Anon: Thanks for asking so I don’t have to. You read my mind.
hjb: I do like festival food so I am not gonna hate, but I see your point. I will be sure to check out Carbon Leaf…glad someone is in the know.
cobiashi: Thanks–I definitely did not know some of this. Also, half of what I say on here is tongue in cheek–hope you didn’t think I was hatin’ on the Irish.I have been to Ireland and I liked it a lot…and curry chips! Must try.
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My favorite Irish meal: Shepherd’s Pie. Serve me up one of those with a tall Guinness, please. Thank you.
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Lemmonex – no worries. I didn’t think you were hating, perhaps just hating on the poseurs.
my friend always though it’d be a kick to try and sell irish tshirts that say “poseur” in irish gaelic.
and carbon leaf is definitely the one band to see, besides maybe scythian. the cover bands I’d say are a no-go because its not like they are going to play anything with a tinge of traditional irish music in them.
and i blabber about ireland a lot, so pardon my ramblings. i don’t know how my friends let it slide all the time.
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-Last year, I made Guinness beef and (you guessed it) potatoes.
-Way to not jump all over whoever claimed that some place other than Ye Olde makes decent fish & chips, Lemmonex.
-What cobiashi said, basically … as someone who’s not incredibly well versed on Irish history (but knows a little …) or culture (but plays caid, or Gaelic football), I still enjoy celebrating or at least acknowledging my Irish heritage on St. Patty’s Day. And, after a few Guinness/Jameson’s rounds, I do get a rising urge to hit people who’re wearing orange here in the States …
-Being a redhead on this day is great. When I was in middle school, my Dad took me to a bar in Newport for St. P’s and literally had to remove me to keep the old drunk Irishmen from giving me beer. Nowadays, if I’m lucky (on those few holidays when I’m single), the “kiss me, I’m Irish” thing goes a long way.
-Like cob. said, Sláinte!
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I always bake the soda bread this time of year, but you have inspired me to make fish n chips. Never thought to do it myself without deep frying, but baked looks just as yummy!
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rothko: you know, i kind of have been contemplating a shepard’s pie with colcannon. is that weird?
cobiashi: glad we see eye to eye…and not gonna lie…I kinda like cover bands.
B: Jo has not known the wonder that is Ye Olde English, so I cannot hold her to such high standards. But you are right–it is the best ever.
ch: it is totally doable. let me know how it turns out if you try it.
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Attached is the URL for Chef Cathal Armstrong’s beer battered cod recipe…
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/battered-cod
Enjoy
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A question about your cast iron . . . you’re not washing it with soap, are you? If so, that’s probably your problem. Just a stiff brush and hot water, followed immediately by drying over high heat on the stove top, followed by application of some oil with a paper towel (I use olive oil because I buy it bulk and it’s sitting next to my stove . . . and it’s not sticky like some oils are) is all it takes for me. My cast iron skillet rockz!
Re St. Patrick’s Day . . . I’ve had the “Irish Americans aren’t Irish” conversation with many friends in the past. While it’s true that Irish Americans like myself aren’t “Irish,” there’s undoubtedly a cultural difference where I grew up between Irish Americans, Italian Americans, Polish Americans, African Americans, etc. And it’s this distinct “Irish American” identity that my family has always celebrated . . . with its roots in true/native Irish identity. To be certain, Irish Americans certainly have more in common with other Americans than we do with Irish folks, but Irish Americans have more in common with other Irish Americans than we do with other Americans. Again, it’s this identity that my family has always embraced and celebrated. I’m Irish American to the core . . . whatever that means . . . admitedly, it’s often just an excuse for my passionate boozing!
Finally, regarding the snakes and St. Patrick, it’s a metaphor for St. Patrick driving the Pagans out of Ireland. Before the arrival of Catholicism, Ireland had perhaps the most advanced organized Pagan religion on the planet. I myself am a nature-lover who was born on the Winter Solstice . . . and I embrace my Pagan Irish roots . . . so I resent this driving of the snakes out of Ireland business!
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DKlaus: Thanks!
FRM: No, no soap. I think I just need to reseason it again. I do like the olive oil idea (I use vegetable)–kisses for you on Sunday! As far as Irish Americans, I do understand that element. Where I grew up, we were all french canadian and there certainly is a bond.
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I just received this list via email entitled “What it means to be Irish” . . . and I can’t resist posting it here. I also can’t resist adding one, which I’ll number “26″: You have an uncle that sends you email like this!
1) You will never play professional basketball.
2) You swear very well.
3) At least one of your cousins is a fireman, cop, bar owner, funeral home owner, or holds political office.
4) You think you sing very well.
5) You have no idea how to make a long story short!
6) There isn’t a big difference between you losing your temper or killing someone…
7) Much of your childhood meals were boiled.
8 ) You have never hit your head on a ceiling.
9) You spent a good po rtion of your childhood kneeling in prayer.
10) You’re strangely poetic after a few beers.
11) You are, therefore, poetic a lot.
12) You will be punched for no good reason…a lot.
13) Some punches directed at you are from legacies of past generations.
14) Many of your sisters and/or cousins are named Mary, Catherine or Eileen… and there is at least one member of your family with the full name of Mary Catherine Eileen.
15) Someone in your family is incredibly cheap. It is more than likely you.
16) You may not know the words, but that doesn’t stop you from singing.
17) You can’t wait for the other guy to stop talking before you start talking.
18) You’re not nearly as funny as you think you are…but what you lack in talent, you make up for in frequency.
19) There was not a huge difference between your last Wake and your last keg party.
20) You are, or know someone, named Murph.
21) If you don’t know Murph then you know Mac. If you don’t know Murph or Mac then you know Sully. Then you probably know Sully McMurphy.
22) You are genetically incapable of keeping a secret.
23) You have Irish Alzheimer’s… your forget everything but the grudges!
24) “Irish Stew” is a euphemism for “boiled leftovers.”
25) All of your losses are alcohol related (loss of virginity, loss of drivers license, loss of money, loss of job, loss of significant other, loss of teeth from punch…) but it never stops you from drinking.
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