Swordfish-like Steak with Crispy Capers by Alison Roman

I made this dish — well, actually my brother mostly made this dish — using a .4 lb. swordfish steak, which we split between 6 people. I’m at the point where I’ve eaten more seafood in one year than I have in my entire lifetime, so I was not about to buy 16 oz. of swordfish. 

Swordfish itself is rather dense, on the drier side, and dons a distinctly fishy taste. It’s not a personal favorite. Neither is it a favorite of my family members, who generally stay away from anything fishy and stick to the occasional salmon filet once or twice a year. (We’re from coastal Orange County and we still don’t have a pallet for seafood!) But somehow, each family member enjoyed their bite of this fish. I think, because it was dominated by salty, buttery, and briny flavors. The fishiness hit last. 

The assembly is rather simple. Season the swordfish with salt and pepper, and sear it in a skillet until golden brown on each side. Then add butter, a smashed garlic clove, an anchovy, and chopped capers. Let the butter melt, then use it to baste the fish, scooping it up and over the steak for several minutes. The whole process takes about 12 minutes. 

The fish was like a salty umami bomb. I’d recommend forgoing the anchovy in this case. It seemed to be what put the fish over the edge in the salt category. Everyone enjoyed their one bite, remarking that that was all they needed to enjoy the fish. 

215 recipes cooked, 10 to go.

Littleneck Clams with Green Garlic and Leftover Wine by Alison Roman

I started this project as a complete clam novice: how to cook them, how to eat them, the fact that there are different kinds of clams — I hadn't the slightest idea. I remember feeling very intimidated by the task of ordering them at the grocery seafood counter. Even more intimidating was the thought of cooking them. And then, after just one attempt, I realized that clams are perhaps the most foolproof seafood I could ever cook. 

As long as you’ve scrubbed their shells (they tend to have gunk stuck to the outside that will come off with a little handling under cold, running water), placed them in a hot pot with a lid and a bit of liquid to create steam, and can physically shake a pot back and forth a few times, clams are a piece of cake. (Cake is better than clams, tbh, but let’s not get into semantics.) 

The parsley butter took more work than the clams in this recipe. I already had my food processor on the counter from making green romesco for Alison’s four-bean salad, so I opted to use it for smashing the butter, parsley and garlic clove together. Some people have asked how I decided when to make certain recipes. One answer is laziness. “You mean I don’t have to dig out my food processor and clean it a second time?”

Once my clams were cleaned and ready, I started by sizzling a finely grated garlic clove in some olive oil in my Dutch oven. After it released its fragrance, I poured in some leftover Sav Blanc (and yes, this was like 6-day old wine from the fridge that honestly tasted just fine for this purpose.) Once the wine had reduced, I placed the clams in the pot and fit the lid so they could steam. I made just a half recipe, which reduced the wine needed to just two Tbsp. But even that little bit of wine was enough to cook the clams and infuse them with plenty of flavor. Once opened, the clams were ready for dollops of parsley butter. It took some coaxing to get the globs to land into each open shell. 

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Pro tip: when removing hot clams from a pot, don’t be foolish. Wear an oven mitt or use tongs. You will burn your fingers otherwise. Just ask my thumb and forefinger. 

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The remaining melted butter and clam juice provide a nice warming liquid for the can of cannelini beans added at the end. I served it all with lemon wedges and sourdough bread, along with a lemony kale salad. 

Jordan didn’t love this dish — he said it was too salty, which must have come from the clams themselves because I added very little salt myself. I felt that there was a bitterness to the dish, a sort of soft sourness that’s hard to describe otherwise. Maybe the wine was too far gone? Maybe this needed something creamy to balance the bitter? I think I’ll stick with Alison’s other clam recipes in the future, particularly her Clams and Cod in Heavy Cream (minus the cod - just the clams) and her Clam Pasta with Chorizo and Walnuts. 

214 recipes cooked, 11 to go.

Shrimp in the Shells with Lots of Garlic and Probably Too Much Butter by Alison Roman

Of all of Alison’s shrimp recipes, this one was easily my favorite. I’ve never met a combination of sliced garlic, tomato paste, and butter that I didn’t like. Even one covering shrimp. 

And that’s just it, really. I sauteed several garlic cloves and two tablespoons of tomato paste in olive oil, and yes, probably too much butter. Red pepper flakes add a touch of heat as the shelled shrimp hit the skillet. Four minutes later, they were cooked through and ready to eat. I squeezed half a lemon over the steaming shrimp. I stood at the stove and peeled away one of the shells before obediently dragging the shrimp through the hot butter and garlic still sizzling in the pan. It was delightful. I ate several more, and left the rest for Jordan. 

This recipe confirmed two things for me. One, even if a recipe does not call for deveined shrimp, I will still devein them. I have to draw the line somewhere. And two, I sometimes like shrimp. But only when they’re piping hot and doused with other strong flavors. Cold shrimp? Forget it..

205 recipes cooked, 20 to go.

Brown Butter-Buttermilk Cake by Alison Roman

Growing up as the daughter of a pastor, I spent the majority of my Sunday’s at church. When I wasn’t attending the service, I could be found running around the property playing hide-and-seek with my siblings and other pastors’ kids, volunteering in the nursery, or scoping out the visitor’s table where a pink box of donuts sat. Every Sunday morning, my dad picked up a box of donuts from the local shop, Donut Star, and brought them to the visitor’s table. After the final service ended and congregants had gone home, my siblings and I had first dibs on the leftover donuts. Our great reward. 

Emily always picked the apple fritters larger than her face, Scotty liked Long Johns, preferably covered with chocolate, and I had eyes for old fashioneds. Their dense cakiness with only a touch of sugary glaze are the stuff dreams are made of. Not to mention their shape – I loved to break off each petal of the flower, taking my time, before finally enjoying the inner ring. 

Why am I telling you about church donuts? Because this cake recipe is the closest thing I’ve ever made to an old-fashioned donut. Alison makes this comparison in her recipe notes and she couldn’t be more spot on. 

blurry, but you get the idea. the cake really holds its structure

This recipe alone tells me that Alison used to work at Milk Bar in New York. If you’ve ever had a Milk Bar Birthday Truffle, you know how rich, compact, (and addictive) their cakes are. This browned butter-buttermilk cake is also incredibly rich and dense. It relies on the frosting glaze to provide most of the sweetness. The cake itself is like eating a doughy version of butter. Heavenly, but also taxing on the stomach if you know what I mean. One piece of cake is all I can handle in a day. 

The baking process is rather simple, and doesn’t require a mixer. It’s a simple whisk dry ingredients, then wet ingredients, then combine them without overmixing. The wet ingredients list includes a melted and browned stick of butter, in addition to a full cup of buttermilk. The frosting also contains buttermilk and more browned butter, mixed with a cup of powdered sugar. All in all, there’s just a lot of butter. 

see what I mean??

A few quick notes about my cake. For some reason, the texture of my cake looked kind of lumpy. I noticed as I poured the batter into the cake pan that it didn’t ooze and spread like a normal batter. I had to push it out to fill the pan with a spatula. I hoped that the lumps would melt and soften in the oven, but they maintained their structure. I can’t quite tell why this happened. Did I not mix the batter enough? I thought I did? I’m not an experienced baker, so I don’t have many ideas beyond that. Regardless of the lumps, they didn’t seem to negatively affect the cake’s flavor and soft, dense texture. Also note that the frosting comes together, and hardens, very quickly, so be ready to pour it over the cake as soon as it forms. And don’t forget to sprinkle flaky sea salt over the top! 

194 recipes cooked, 31 to go.

Whole-Wheat Pasta with Brown-Buttered Mushrooms, Buckwheat, and Egg Yolk by Alison Roman

I don’t have a whole lot to say about this recipe. Pasta with buttery mushrooms and parmesan is a nice, mildly flavored dinner. It’s filling, pairs well with red wine, and makes for nice leftovers. Egg yolk adds a creamy element, balanced by the nutty flavor of buckwheat groats (Alison’s mark on this classic recipe). Gluten free noodles work just as well here. 

In lieu of a full essay, here’s a haiku: 

Sometimes I don’t have 

Much to say about cheesy 

Rigatoni pasta

193 recipes cooked, 32 to go.