Published in Chester County Town and Country Living Summer 2008

To me, nothing says summer like the sound of seafood sizzling on the grill. Whether I have procured Maryland crabs from a hand line, trout courtesy of friends’ summer fishing trips, or snapper from the local market, I know that I have a quick, healthful meal ahead of me. A good piece requires only a splash of olive oil, a burst of heat, and a dash of salt, lemon and pepper to make it a delectable dish.

In spite of the simplicity of preparing seafood I was once wary of serving it at home. One too many bad restaurant experiences coupled with an unfamiliarity of how to select and clean it left me daunted. The more that I read about this topic, the more I realized I had to get over my fears of selecting and cleaning. Low in cholesterol, lower in fat than red or even skinless, white chicken meat, and rich in cardiovascular health-enhancing omega-3 fatty acids, fish seemed the wisest source of animal protein.

Add the diversity of flavors and ease of cooking to these healthful properties and I knew that I had to include seafood on my dinner menu. After chatting with my local fishmonger and experimenting in the kitchen, I eventually overcame my ignorance and concerns. Seafood became not only a staple but also the highlight of home cooked meals.

A trip to Hill’s Quality Seafood Market at 3605 West Chester Pike in Newtown Square dispensed with any remaining quandaries that I had about working with fish. Housed in an eye-catching former diner, this clean, bright shop remains the most recognizable of Hill’s four stores. The oldest, in Media, has been in business since 1975. Hill’s also has markets in Exton and Kennett Square. Recipient of numerous “best of” accolades, Hill’s Seafood won the title of “Best of the Main Line seafood” in the July 2007 issue of “Main Line Today” magazine.

Newtown Square manager Brian Murray and James Abraham, manager of the Exton branch, assure me that I am not alone in my short-lived fear of seafood. “Every person has a fish horror story so they become afraid to try it at home,” says James, who started working at Hill’s when he was 14.

I have gotten over the bad meal scenario. My lingering concerns deal with how to tell fresh seafood from old and whether or not I should purchase farmed fish.

“At Hill’s a manager’s job is to ensure freshness,” says Brian, adding that Hill’s receives deliveries six days a week.

James agrees. “It’s all about ordering and not over-ordering. You don’t want fish to be lying around for weeks.”

To determine the freshness of a whole fish, Brian states that the eyes should be clear and bright, not cloudy or sunken. The gills should look red, not faded or brown. The skin should appear shiny and the flesh firm. Fresh fillets will seem lustrous with white, pink or off-white flesh. Whether whole, steaks or fillets, the fish should not smell, says Brian, who began working at Hill’s while in college and has been there for 13 years.

With fresh mollusks or bivalves such as oysters, clams and mussels, the shells should be shut when raw. If you find one with an open shell, tap it and see if it closes. If it doesn’t, discard it.

Uncooked shrimp should feel firm and smell fresh. If they give off an ammonia scent, don’t buy them. Likewise, if the shrimp look dull or have dark spots around their heads, skip them and choose something else for dinner.

Scallops, however, are a contrary bunch. Even when fresh, they possess a fishy odor. So much for the old sniff test.

Coloring is not a good indicator, either. Male scallops are opaque. Yet, female scallops are pink or orange in color. The latter’s appearance periodically turns off novice buyers who think that the scallops have spoiled, Brian says.

When attempting to establish a scallop’s vigor, New York Times food writer Mark Bittman advises shoppers to steer clear of browning ones. The fresher the scallop, the more translucent it will be. Those sitting in pools of liquid should also be avoided. Buy your scallops from a trusted source and, if possible, purchase dry pack sea scallops. These untreated, natural scallops are available at Hill’s.

While Hill’s primarily offers wild seafood, between 20 and 25 percent of the fish in the gleaming, well-stocked cases has been farmed. Signs indicate whether the item is wild or farmed and, in the case of overseas imports, if it was previously frozen. The markets’ farmed, or aquaculture, offerings include tilapia, catfish, rainbow trout from the Poconos, and North Atlantic salmon. These aquaculture fish have a milder taste than their wild brethren. They are also less expensive to buy.

“There are a lot of misconceptions about farmed fish. People think that different fish are being farmed together in the same spot or that the color is added, literally sprayed onto the fish,” James says.

Hill’s managers can trace the fish all the way back to its source and ensure that it comes from a safe, secure environment. As for the issue of coloring, “the farmed salmon are not dyed. They are fed beta carotene, which naturally alters or brightens the color of the flesh,” Brian says.

When perusing the seafood counters, I have to consider whether I crave a whole fish, steaks or fillets. I also must decide whether I want someone else to de-bone and fillet the fish for me. Most customers have their fish filleted at the store, Brian says.

Having attempted to fillet a trout, I can see why the majority opt for a professional’s touch. Filleting takes more time and effort than unwrapping the fish and plopping it into a pan. Plus, I may not make the cleanest cuts, remove all the pin bones, or end up with the proper amount of meat. Fillets vary from six to eight ounces in size. Steaks, which still have the bone in, run between 8 to 10 ounces.

“Comparing a fillet to a steak is like comparing apples to oranges,” James says. “The fillet is cut off the center bone. Steak is cut through the center and the bone will still be there.”

Brian adds, “Some fish, like trout, are so small it doesn’t make sense to do a steak.”

Of the three versions, James prefers a whole fish. One advantage over fillets and steaks is that the bones of a whole fish will keep the flesh moister. They also will hold flakier fish together while cooking.

If I do chose to take home a whole fish and fillet it myself, I won’t have to invest in special tools. I can use whatever knife I have on hand. Were I to splash out and acquire a boning knife, I should choose the thinnest blade possible and one with some pliability, Brian says. For removing the bones, tweezers or needle nose pliers work just fine.

Hill’s website provides detailed steps on how to fillet different types of fish. Consult www.hillsseafood.com for instructions.

Unlike with filleting, I will need a special knife with the proper blade size and rigidity to shuck oysters and clams. Hill’s carries both types of knives for $6.98. Most kitchen shops sell them for $10 to $15.

Hand protection is the other essential tool for shucking. Although many cookware stores promote wire mesh gloves, a pair of leather work gloves will suffice.

To shuck an oyster, insert the oyster knife into the hinge, which is located at the narrowest point of the shell. Wiggle the knife back and forth until the hinge breaks. Slide the blade between the two shells and twist to open them. Once open, run the blade along the top shell’s interior to sever the ligament then slide the blade underneath the oyster meat to free it from the bottom shell. Raw oysters are best when served fresh so wait until mealtime to shuck them.

For clams, work the blade of a clam knife into the seam between the two shells. Twist the blade slightly to pry apart the shells. After the clam is opened, follow the same steps as used with oysters to remove the meat.

Whatever I buy and however it gets cleaned and prepped, I must consider how best to transport and store my seafood. When acquiring large quantities, customers should consider bringing along a cooler, Brian says. The staff at Hill’s will pack the fish on ice. When procuring smaller amounts, shoppers receive a plastic bag of ice along with the wrapped piece(s) of fish.

Back at home, if I don’t use my purchase right away, I should cover it in waxed paper followed by brown paper. Wrapped in this manner, fresh fish will keep between three to five days in the refrigerator. Placed in a zip-lock, plastic bag or an airtight container, fattier fish such as salmon, striped bass and swordfish will last in the freezer for as long as three months. Thinner fish, such as baby flounder, will need to be used sooner.

With all this wonderful seafood on hand my next dilemma is how to cook it. Grilling remains the most popular summertime method for shellfish, whole fish, steaks and fillets. With the exception of a few skinless or flatfish fillets, such as flounder and sole, most seafood performs nicely on a grill.

Steaks of tuna, swordfish and other meaty fish as well as fillets of grouper, monkfish and those with skins intact work especially well. They maintain their shape, do not dry out quickly, and rarely stick to the hot grill. If sticking is a concern, a fish basket or sheet of aluminum foil placed on top of the grill can be used.

Hill’s Quality Seafood customers grill a plethora of summer fare, including such mollusks as topneck clams and Kumamoto and Beau Soleil oysters and such shellfish as shrimp, crabs and lobsters. They additionally cook up such seasonal offerings as Alaskan wild salmon, yellowfin tuna, halibut, swordfish and Hawaiian opah. In abundance from April to August opah possesses tuna’s consistency and swordfish’s moisture, Brian says.

“The popularity of a fish depends upon locality,” James says. “Land-locked people ask for lake fish. Perch and walleye.”

Before starting to cook, both advise preheating the grill on high. While the grill is warming, season the fish with salt and pepper or a dry rub and then lightly oil both sides with olive oil. Be careful not to use too much oil as it can drip onto the coals and cause the fire to flare.

Place the fish on the grill – skin side down if using this type – and leave it there for one to two minutes to sear the flesh and lock in the moisture. Overall cooking time will depend upon the type of fish and its thickness. Fillets run about a half-inch thick while steaks fall between two and three inches. They require approximately four to six minutes per side. A finished fish will have lost its translucence and have an internal temperature of between 130 to 137 degrees Fahrenheit on a probe thermometer.

When working with such bivalves as clams or oysters, Brian and James suggest laying a sheet of aluminum foil on the rack and resting the shellfish on top of it. Grill them on high for about five minutes. Once the shells have popped open, they are ready to serve. Just splash some fresh lemon juice or Tabasco sauce on top of the meat and dig in.

If unadorned clams and oysters don’t sound exotic enough for your summer soiree, James suggests topping them with barbecue sauce, bacon and a dollop of sour cream, making clams casino or the New Orleans’ classic Oysters Rockefeller, or having Hill’s prepare oysters on the half shell. Wonderful recipes for oysters can be found in MFK Fisher’s slender but seminal book “Consider the Oyster” and Joan Reardon’s “Oysters.” Other good sources for clam, oyster and seafood recipes are Rick Stein’s “Complete Seafood,” James Peterson’s “Fish and Shellfish,” and Mark Bittman’s “Fish.”

Regarding recipes, James and Brian have one basic rule. “With seafood the simpler the preparation, the better the result. Too many contrasting flavors and you’ll end up losing the flavor of the fish,” James says.

An uncomplicated way to enliven a fillet or steak is to macerate it in teriyaki sauce, a citrus and herb marinade, or one of the commercial marinades carried at Hill’s. Steeping times will vary according to taste. Brian marinates his fish for a few hours while James allows for 15 to 30 minutes of seasoning.

On sultry summer days when I don’t have the time or energy even to marinate, I can rely upon Hill’s for ready-made meals. The stores create and sell a variety of dishes including shrimp salad, cucumber salad, and shrimp cocktail.

If I am up to turning on the stove, I can choose from such oven-ready entrees as salmon rolls stuffed with crab imperial, deviled clams, stuffed flounder, and jumbo lump crab cakes. Comprised of jumbo lump crab meat with no fillers, these crab cakes are a hot seller and possibly the markets’ signature item, the two say.

The stores additionally carry custom-made party trays featuring such items as crab meat, cocktail claws, and cooked shrimp. With live tanks on the premises they also kill, cook and split lobsters for their clients. All that is required is an hour’s notice. Talk about making mealtime easy.

And during busy summer months isn’t that what we all desire, effortless and pleasing meals? With seafood, particularly Hill’s Quality Seafood, dinner will invariably be a simple yet delicious affair.