The Winslow Boy and Seafood Bake with Salad

Barrister:  "That is a very pretty brown hat. It doesn't suit    your profession."Sister:  I'm not a militant, I don't go around breaking windows or pouring acid down post boxes."
Barrister:  "Very inappropriate in such a hat!"

This conversation took place between a barrister and the sister of the boy he was defending in the movie 'The Winslow Boy'.  The sister was a suffragette.

What would be appropriate in such a hat?  Not fancy enough for a garden party but not a gardening hat either.  Maybe in her day a hat to wear while doing the daily shopping, gathering ingredients for the day's dinner.  

My favorite food purveyors are within walking distance from my house.  It is a good stretch of the legs but not so far that it prohibits carrying a bag of groceries home.  I can visit a butcher who sells all humanely raised meat, a fish-monger with the freshest offerings and a veggie market that rivals the farmers market.

I wear a hat when I walk to these shops.  It is not a fancy hat but not a gardening hat either.  Yesterday's walk resulted in seafood and veggies for one of my favorite dinners, seafood bake and salad.

Seafood Bake

serves 2 people

8 fingerling potatoes
2 small rock cod fillets
1/2 lb. shrimp, cleaned and de-veined, save the shells for stock
1 lb. mussels, cleaned
1/2 fennel bulb, sliced thin
1 stalk celery, sliced thin
1 cup white wine
1 cup shrimp broth
juice of a lemon
pinch of saffron
sea salt
olive oil
butter
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Boil the potatoes until tender and drain.  When cool enough to handle, cut in half and place cut side up on a plate.  While still warm drizzle with olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and sprinkle with 1/2 the parsley and the sea salt.  Set aside.

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Check the cod fillets for bones and lay in the bottom of a buttered baking dish just big enough to fit them. Place the shrimp in one layer over the fish fillets.  Put in the fridge while you make the sauce.  Boil the shrimp shells in 1 1/4 cups water for about 10 minutes, strain and reserve 1 cup for the sauce.

For the sauce, sauté the fennel and celery in a little butter and olive oil until slightly caramelized.  De-glaze with the white wine, add the shrimp stock and simmer for 10 minutes until the flavor deepens. Skim off any foam that forms. Add the lemon juice and saffron. Simmer 5 more minutes.  Taste for seasoning. It will need a little salt but be careful, the mussels will add their salty liquor to the dish. Add the mussels in a final layer over the cod and shrimp.  Pour the sauce over the seafood and bake in the hot oven for 25 minutes.  It is done when the shrimp are cooked and the mussels are open.  Serve with a squeeze of lemon, sprinkle of parsley, and the potato garnish.

It is a striking dish and so tasty.  Serve a simple salad of butter lettuce and a quick buttermilk dressing.  Whisk together 1/4 cup buttermilk, juice of 1/2 a lemon, a pinch of sea salt and toss with the lettuce.  

To see the latest collection of Zazu & Violets' hats, please visit our on-line Etsy shop.