For this particular preparation, rather than braising the belly (commonly done in an Asian style), I chose to roast mine. I started with a strong spice rub and an ~8 hour

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Like chicken parmesan, this is simple and delicious. The fish has a nice, crisp, tasty crust with a tender, flaky inside. The sauce, despite its modest appearance, has a creamy, round, full flavor that just explodes with that delicious, nutty, roasted garlic flavor. Unfortunately, your breath won’t help you make any friends in the short-term, but everyone should go on a garlic bender once in a while, right?

• 1.25 lb red grouper
• Sauce
  • olive oil
  • 1 head of garlic
  • 1 small shallot
  • 3/4 cup white wine
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • salt
  • pepper
• knob of butter
• 1 cup bread crumbs (I used stale baguette)
• 1-2 Tbsp onion powder
• 2 tsp granulated garlic
• ground chipotle
• ground cayenne
• salt
• pepper
• 2 eggs

Begin

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I really enjoyed this–the fish was tender, moist, meaty, and fresh while the batter was zesty, spicy, crunchy, and just…well, really damn good! I used a good bit of coarse cornmeal so that the end result would have a really solid grit and crunch about it while the spices have a distinctly Creole flare about them. Underneath all of this is another major player in the beer batter: the beer! I chose to go with an IPA (India Pale Ale) as I love the hoppy, strong character

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This was absolutely delicious and very well suited to July 4th weekend (or any summer weekend) kind of grilling/barbecuing occasion. The effort is pretty minimal and the results are very flavorful. If you were to taste the sauce alone without the chicken, it will taste a little unbalanced as far as a barbecue sauce goes (in my opinion–it leans most heavily towards sweet and spicy), but when combined with the chicken as a glaze after being flavored with the brine and smoked with the spice rub, you get that full four-way flavor experience that is good barbecue (sweet, savory, spicy, smokey).

The chicken was crusty, sticky, smoky, tangy,

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Combining my new regional food interest with my newfound obsession with braising, this stew just made a lot of sense. Plus, this was an exciting opportunity for me to crack open the jar of preserved lemons that I had started so long ago–finally, after all of the suspense, I could discover what all the fuss was about. And you know what? They really are unlike anything else. Clearly lemons in appearance and flavor, but stronger, sweeter, and all grown up. Given how easy they are to make and how versatile they seem to be, I’d encourage everyone to start preserving a jar right away. The

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