Small Bites

Over the summer, I started in on a Fish Mandate. I’m pretty good at making chicken, steak and pork, but I want to learn to cook fish better at home. So far I’ve grilled tuna, steamed grouper and pan-fried cod.

I loved the tuna and the grouper. The cod wasn’t so successful, but my main problem is not with my cookng skills: it’s with the merchandise. I simply don’t have a good fish shop near me. So with this post, I asked readers to help me find one I wouldn’t mind traveling for.

Mount Kisco Seafood is definitely up at the top of the list. I went there a few weeks ago, the same day I hit La Tulipe for amazing pastries, ice cream and cookies. Mt. Kisco Seafood used to be further down the street, but it moved to its new digs last year. The new shop (at 477 Lexington Ave. 914-241-3113) has plenty of room to display dry goods like sauces and rubs:

And there’s a nice variety of sauces and soups in the refrigerator case:

And a small selection of good-looking produce:

Along the back wall, there’s a case for cheeses, including
Lisa Schwartz’s amazing goat cheese from Rainbeau Ridge.

It’s great that you can pick up the makings for a meal on the fly, but we’re here for the fish, aren’t we?

Above, Salmon — filets and steaks, and sword. Below, scrod.

Below, bluefish and artic char:

Barramundi, a fish from Australia.

The boys at work:

What’s great about Mount Kisco Seafood is the tips you can get from the guys behind the counter, especially owner Joe DiMauro. I told Joe I wanted one piece of fish for my husband to cook tonight (I had plans to go out without him), and something that would hold for us for the next night. He chose scrod for my husband and barramundi for a night in the fridge. Then he even suggested how to make the barramundi: “A little spicy rub on the outside and grill it,” he said. Very good advice. It was a great dinner.

Next time you’re in, tell Joe I said so.

To see Fish Report No. 1: C&M in Pomona, click here.

Where should I go next?

Photo Caption: img_4867.jpg