IN THE KITCHEN

What to make when a day at the beach or a stroll along the Monterey Bay leaves you hungry

BY CAROLINE CHAMBERS AND MARTIN HOELLRIGL PHOTOGRAPHY BY CAROLINE CHAMBERS AND CHRIS SCHMAUCH

We all love cheap and cheerful seafood eaten with your feet in the sand, but what if the occasion or your taste buds call for something a little more sophisticated? Stretch your cooking skills with these flavorful seafood-based recipes.

Fresh Corn Grits

Courtesy Caroline Chambers Grits are a staple at breakfast, lunch and dinner in my home state of North Carolina. If you’re not familiar, grits are dried corn that has been ground up, then soaked and cooked until it blooms into a creamy porridge. I cut out the drying process with these fresh corn grits—grab the freshest corn you can find at the farmers’ market and grate it on the largest hole of your box grater. Over heat, the natural starches and sugars in the corn turn it into the most wonderful bowl of fresh corn “grits” you’ve ever had. They make a delicious side dish for any summer meal, especially when served with Cajun Butter Shrimp and Red Peppers for a fun spin on the classic southern meal, Shrimp ’n Grits.

8 ears corn on the cob, husked 1/3 cup whole milk or almond milk Kosher salt Black pepper 2 tablespoons butter, cubed (optional)

There are two ways to make fresh corn grits. To make them using a food processor: Cut the kernels off of the corn on the cob and place in a food processor with 1 tablespoon of the milk. Pulse 5 to 10 times until wellground. Transfer to a large skillet or saucepan.

I prefer the box grater method! To make the grits using a box grater: Grate the corn, using the largest hole on a box grater, directly into a large skillet or saucepan.

Place the skillet over low heat and stir in milk, salt and a pinch of black pepper. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until very thick. Stir in cubed butter, and season to taste with additional salt and pepper. At this point we have not added a lot of salt and pepper, so corn will still be very sweet. If you want it to be more savory, add more salt.

If at any point the grits become too thick, just stir in a couple tablespoons of milk. Serves 4.

Variations: Fresh thyme would be great in here for more savory grits; add 1 tablespoon sugar for a creamed corn vibe; try adding about ¼ teaspoon garlic powder to grits; add Cheddar for super cheesy grits; add Parmesan for subtly cheesy grits.

Cajun Butter Shrimp with Red Peppers

1 pound (21 to 25 count) peeled, deveined shrimp or 1 pound large scallops (not bay scallops) 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning ½ teaspoon kosher salt 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 large red bell pepper, sliced 1⁄8-inch thick and 1½-inches long Kernels from 1 ear of corn (about ¾ cup kernels) 4 scallions, thinly sliced 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (optional) 1 tablespoon honey (optional: If you don’t use butter only use 1 teaspoon honey) Zest and juice from ½ lemon 3 cloves garlic, grated

Toss shrimp with Cajun seasoning and salt. Set aside to marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes, or refrigerate covered for up to 24 hours.

Warm 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over mediumhigh heat. Add sliced bell pepper and cook for several minutes. Add the corn kernels and salt and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes, until softened. Stir in green onions (reserving a bit for garnish), then scoot everything to one side of the skillet. If cooking scallops, transfer the pepper mixture to a holding bowl and use the entire skillet to cook them.

Position skillet so that the empty side of the skillet is over the highest heat, and the part with the peppers is as far off the heat as possible.

Warm the remaining 1 tablespoon oil on the empty side of the skillet.

Dry the shrimp really well with a clean paper towel, then add them in a single layer (as much as possible) and cook for about a minute per side, until pink.

Stir in unsalted butter, honey, lemon zest, lemon juice and grated garlic. Cook for about 1 minute, until everything is combined and saucy! Serve immediately. Serves 4

Carmel Valley resident Caroline Chambers grew up in North Carolina, where she was raised on the robust flavors of the South. She has owned and operated a farm-to-table catering company in San Diego and has worked as a recipe developer and stylist for publications and brands including The New York Times, Robert Mondavi Wine, the Food Network and MagicChef. Her cookbook, Just Married (Chronicle Books), was published in October 2018.

Grilled Branzino with Confit of Garden Vegetables and Mushrooms

Courtesy Martin Hoellrigl, Capitola Garden Feast Classically trained Austria-born chef Martin Hoellrigl has lived in California long enough that growing and eating vegetables fresh from his garden has become a way of life. His grilling technique helps make sure softer fish, like branzino and rockfish, don’t fall apart when cooking. His fine dining trick for braising vegetables and mushrooms in olive oil makes them irresistible.

Freshly caught whole branzino or rockfish (or 2 pounds fish fillets) ½ cup olive oil 3 tablespoons lemon juice 1 lemon, cut in half crosswise Herbs (thyme, rosemary, parsley or any herb you like)

Salt Pepper

Fillet the fish or have your fishmonger do it. Make sure all the bones are plucked or pull them out with tweezers. Season fillets with salt, pepper and herbs, then marinate in olive oil and lemon juice for at least two hours or overnight—to help fillets firm up.

Preheat oven to 200° F and turn grill on high until it reaches its maximum temperature.

Place fish fillets on the grill and immediately turn grill off, allowing fish to cook on one side only. Allow fish to cool without moving. At the same time the fish is cooking, place lemon halves face down on the grill, because the juice of a grilled lemon tastes better.

Place fish fillets in an ovenproof dish with grill marks facing up and set aside.

For the vegetable confit

Cauliflower shoots Broccolini Baby kale leaves Black trumpet mushrooms Lion’s mane mushrooms Oyster mushrooms Truffle (optional) Lemon juice 3 cups olive oil 1 tablespoon salt Pepper

To prepare the vegetables, slice or break into uniform-sized pieces. Add salt to olive oil and heat in a pot on the stovetop until about 160° F. Add vegetables and mushrooms to the salted oil and place in preheated oven at 200° F for about 20 minutes, to slowly braise, not fry.

When vegetables are soft, remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice, flaky sea salt, cracked black pepper and, if desired, slivers of truffle marinated in a little cooking oil.

Oil can be saved and used over and over again to cook more vegetables, gaining additional flavor each time it is used.

Just before serving, put fish in oven for a few minutes to heat through and finish cooking. Serve surrounded by vegetables and grilled lemon halves. Garnish with edible flowers. Serves 4.

Chef Martin Hoellrigl has cooked for celebrities and presidents in Paris, Vienna and Southern California. He has lived in the Monterey Bay area for the past eight years and runs Capitola Garden Feast—a catering and special events company. A former winegrower in the Santa Cruz Mountains, he has a deep understanding and appreciation for the horticultural possibilities, weather and terroir of our area.

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