Stores with good fish catch

The Lenten tradition of meatless meals and the warm-weather appeal of eating lighter makes fish popular fare as the seasons change.

Spring also brings Passover seder dinners with gefilte fish, which ambitious home cooks make using fresh-ground whitefish, pike, and carp.

But buying fish is often a challenge. It was true in my days as a chef, but it is even more perplexing as a home cook without the great wholesale sources available to the restaurant trade.

For a fine kettle of the freshest fish at the best price, make friends with a dedicated fishmonger at a market that moves a lot of fish. Finding a good fish market with knowledgeable staff is the first step. In the last few weeks, I've been making the rounds of markets and have found some surprising results, including a great fish market at the Dreshertown Shop 'n Bag and fantastic selections at Korean supermarkets.

"A good market is a market that moves a lot of product so that it's always fresh," declares Samuel D'Angelo, owner of Ippolito's, a third-generation market in South Philadelphia owned by the same family that operates Samuels & Son Seafood, one of the city's most respected wholesalers. "It all goes back to the fishmonger, not the person who buys the fish, but the one who is behind the counter," he said. "If they don't know what they're doing, they're not going to be able to sell something that the consumer is not familiar with."

Head to Ippolito's if you're in the market for "jumbo jimmies" (large male blue crabs) in addition to a full line of fresh seafood. Ippolito's sells dry (or natural) scallops at about $14 per pound as well as less expensive wet (chemically treated with a preservative) at $9 per pound. Ippolito's customers come there for shad, branzino, fresh calamari, and, once the season starts in late spring, lots and lots of hard-shell crabs.

"Most Americans eat a very limited variety of fish," says D'Angelo. (Catfish, tilapia and farmed salmon are America's biggest sellers, with pollock used by fast-food chains.) "When I was growing up, mackerel, bluefish, porgy, butterfish, and sardines were staples for us. Herring is unbelievable both for flavor and its nutritional benefits. I'd like to see Americans expand their seafood repertoires to some of these underutilized species."

For one of the largest area retail selections of seafood, visit Assi Lotte Plaza in North Wales, where an enormous assortment of fish fills 40 feet of case. Look for everything from monkfish to halibut, giant fresh carp to black sea bass, skate wings to bluefish, lobsters at only $7.99 per pound (this week), whole tilapia, and tobiko (flying fish) roe, but note that some fish have been frozen and defrosted (and labeled as such).

Three tanks contain live lobsters, eels (in season), and tautog (blackfish). For the more adventurous, every kind of squid and octopus imaginable along with conch and tobiko roe are all for sale at this busy market frequented by Koreans, Chinese, Indians, and others who flock there for its great selection and fair prices.

While the four area Korean H-Marts don't have quite as large a selection as Assi Lotte, their Elkins Park store is my local source for red snapper, small hard-shell clams perfect for steaming, ultra-fresh sushi-quality fluke (summer flounder), beautiful black sea bass for roasting whole, monkfish for sauteing, and my favorite: small, delicate bluefish.

For great service at the fish counter, I recommend George's Shop 'n Bag in Dreshertown, where fish man Jay Silver still grinds the carp and whitefish for gefilte fish. "I'll clean it out, clean all the bones out, clean the heads, take the eyes out, and scale. I do all of that, so you have all the bones and put it in a little separate bag to make the jelly," says Silver. That's service.

At George's, Silver and Frank Tornetta, the dedicated longtime fish men, welcome demanding and inquisitive customers who buy from their small (only 12 feet of case), carefully selected department. They'll order in whole fish such as pompano and fresh sardines. At Christmastime, they stock the case with live eels, fresh calamari, and bacala (salt cod), served by many Italians on Christmas Eve.

At the moment, chopped clams are on sale: "They're fresh with no preservatives, so it's a matter of minutes to prepare spaghetti with clams."

They also carry Ocean Garden shrimp (a top name from Mexico), which contains no preservatives, and they won't sell shrimp from Thailand, because of concerns about chemicals. They carry fresh tilapia from Costa Rica, after taste-testing three brands, "because often that fish is bland and dusty-tasting."

Another market that prides itself on customer service is Groben's in Mount Airy.

"It starts by knowing the customer's name when they come, knowing what they want before they even ask," says Erik Hooks, who co-owns the shop with Bob Coleman. "The person who buys by price alone is a totally different customer. If they want quality, they come to us . . . they trust us."

Hooks says his customers are diverse. "Many of our African American customers buy our porgy, whiting, and croaker, basically panfish for frying."

Soft-shell crabs are also a big seller, which they also wholesale to restaurants. They avoid frozen and defrosted fish, instead waiting for the fresh fish to come into season. They also prepare fish in the store, any way that the customer wants. "We'll even cook it for them at our take-out side," says Hooks.

In Jersey, there's Sea-Lect Seafood, in Maple Shade, a combination fresh retail seafood market with a small dining area and lots of ready-to-cook seafood, open since 1972.

The present owner, George Gladden, starting working in the store at age 13, and five years ago he and his wife bought the business from the founder.

"We strive to carry the freshest seafood available and avoid anything with added chemicals and preservatives. Right now we have local dry day-boat scallops from New Jersey. Our shrimp are all wild, either Mexican brown or domestic pink shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico, and we don't sell any farmed shrimp," he said.

In season, they carry live blue crabs and domestic blue crab meat from North Carolina and Texas along with local mako shark, swordfish, and black sea bass.

"We tend to carry more of the basic old-fashioned items, as our customers aren't looking for the exotic. But we do try to expand people's horizons with barramundi and branzino," both farm-raised. They also carry Prince Edward Island farmed mussels, Long Island bluepoint oysters, and live Maine lobsters.

George's Dreshertown Shop 'n Bag

Dreshertown Shopping Plaza
1650 Limekiln Pike
Dresher 19025
215-628-8055

Ippolito's Seafood

1300 Dickinson St.
Philadelphia 19148
215-389-8906

Groben's Seafood Mount Airy

6833 Germantown Ave.
Philadelphia 19119
215-843-4717

Assi Lotte Plaza

1222 Welsh Rd.
North Wales 19454
215-631-9400

H-Mart Cherry Hill

1720 Route 70 E.
Cherry Hill 08003
856-489-4611

H-Mart Elkins Park

7320 Old York Rd.
Elkins Park 19027
215-782-1801

H-Mart Levittown

1138 Bristol Oxford Valley Rd.
Levittown 19057
215-949-1003

H-Mart Upper Darby

7050 Terminal Square
Upper Darby 19082
610-734-1001

Sea-Lect Seafood

300 W. Main St.
Maple Shade 08052-2420
856-779-8711

Makes 6 servings

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4 dozen small clams

3 tablespoons chopped garlic

1/2 pound Spanish or Mexican chorizo sausage, peeled and diced or crumbled

1/2 pound smoked ham, diced

1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup dry white vermouth

2 cups diced fresh tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

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1. Scrub the clams using an abrasive scouring pad, then soak for 30 minutes in cold salted water with a couple of tablespoons of cornmeal added. Remove clams from water, taking care to leave any sand undisturbed, and discard water.

2. In a heavy pot with a lid, saute the garlic, chorizo, ham, and hot pepper flakes in olive oil. Pour in the vermouth and quickly bring to a boil. Add the clams, tomato, and cilantro, cover, and steam, shaking occasionally, until the clams open. Serve immediately with plenty of crusty bread.

Per serving: 431 calories, 30 grams protein, 8 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams sugar, 27 grams fat, 86 milligrams cholesterol, 1,12 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber.EndText

Makes 6 servings

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1 large onion

1 green pepper

1 bunch scallions, trimmed

1/4 cup olive oil and extra for brushing

1 cup roasted red peppers, jarred or fresh

1 (28-ounce) can chopped plum tomatoes

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, optional

1/4 cup lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

2 pounds mahimahi fillet, cut into 6 portions (substitute swordfish or tuna)

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1. Preheat the broiler.

2. Peel the onion and cut into thick wedges. Brush onion, green pepper, and scallions with olive oil, then arrange in a lightly oiled broiler pan. Broil 10 minutes, turning once or twice or until the vegetables are lightly charred.

3. Cool, then trim and seed the pepper, and trim off the root ends of the onions and scallions. Slice the scallions, dice the onion and the pepper, and combine with the remaining ingredients.

4. Place the sauce mixture in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Simmer 10 minutes, or until thickened, and keep warm.

5. Meanwhile, season the fish with salt and pepper and brush lightly with olive oil. Arrange the fish fillets flesh-side up in a lightly oiled broiler pan and broil about 8 minutes or until the fish is opaque.

6. Arrange the fish on serving plates and spoon the sauce over it. Serve with rice or steamed potatoes.

Per serving: 275 calories, 29 grams protein, 16 grams carbohydrates, 7 grams sugar, 10 grams fat, 110 milligrams cholesterol, 658 milligrams sodium, 2 grams dietary fiber.EndText

Makes 6 servings

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2 pounds fresh cranberry beans, shelled (2 to 3 cups)

1/2 small onion, peeled but whole

1/2 head garlic, outer skin removed and 1 inch cut off the top end

2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 pounds fresh cod fillet, skin-on preferred, cut into 6 portions (substitute tilapia or salmon)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups diced fresh tomatoes

1 bunch arugula, trimmed, washed, and cut into 1-inch strips

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1. Combine the cranberry beans with 3 cups cold water, onion, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and salt in a medium pot. Bring to a boil, skimming off any white foam. Reduce heat and simmer slowly 30 to 40 minutes or until the beans are quite tender but still whole. Leave beans in their cooking liquid to cool and reserve.

2. Season the cod on both sides with salt and pepper and reserve. In a heavy-bottomed skillet, heat the oil until shimmering. Place the fish skin-side down in the skillet. Cook over high heat 3 to 4 minutes until skin has a good brown crust, then carefully turn over and cook 3 to 4 minutes longer, or until the fish flakes. Remove the fish from the pan and keep warm.

3. Pour off the excess oil and add the tomatoes and cranberry beans along with about 1 cup of the bean cooking juices. Bring to a boil and cook together 5 minutes, or until thickened. Add the arugula, toss to wilt, and then spoon the mixture onto 6 serving plates. Top each portion with a piece of cod and serve immediately.

Per serving: 425 calories, 44 grams protein, 48 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams sugar, 7 grams fat, 65 milligrams cholesterol, 95 milligrams sodium, 18 grams dietary fiber.EndText