Hi Reader,

By the Wednesday after the Fourth, the idea of another heavy dinner just does not appeal. You have grilled. You have eaten ribs. The body wants something lighter and quicker, and it wants it without much fuss.
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That is fish weather.
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A fillet of salmon, a pile of shrimp, a whole fish if you are feeling it: most of these are on the plate faster than the grilled food and leave you feeling like you ate well rather than ate a lot.
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The trouble is that seafood is the thing home cooks are most nervous about. Cooking it midweek without standing guard over the pan comes down to a few habits.

Cooking Fish Without Fear

• Dry the fish before it touches heat. Pat it bone dry with a towel. Wet fish steams and sticks; dry fish browns and releases clean.
• Undercook by a hair and let it carry. Fish keeps cooking after it leaves the heat. Pull it just before you think it is ready and it finishes right.
• Hot pan, then the fish, then leave it be. The urge to move it is the enemy. It releases on its own when the crust forms.
• Acid at the end, not the start. A squeeze of lemon after cooking brightens; lemon during cooking just turns the surface dull.
• Keep the sides cold and simple. Let the fish be the warm thing on the plate. A fillet, a whole fish, or a pile of shrimp, and dinner is lighter than anything you grilled last weekend.

WHAT'S INSIDE...

• ​Steamed Lobster With Drawn Butter​
• ​Maple Smoked Grilled Salmon​
• ​Salt-Baked Red Snapper​
• ​Oysters Rockefeller With Bacon​
• ​Low-Carb Fish Tacos With Cucumber Salsa​
• ​Bayou Fried Shrimp​
• ​Crab Cakes With Ritz Crackers​
• ​Whole Roasted Branzino With Lemon & Shaved Fennel Salad​

​Steamed Lobster With Drawn Butter​

Steamed lobster with drawn butter--with its sweet, succulent tail, slurpy claws, and chunky knuckles--is one of summer's greatest hits. What sets this apart is the herbaceousness of both the steaming liquid and the butter.

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​Maple Smoked Grilled Salmon​

A combination of sweet maple syrup and maple wood give this easy grilled salmon its sweet, smoky flavor.

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​Salt-Baked Red Snapper​

This salt-baked red snapper uses an easy method of encasing a whole fish in a salt crust and then baking it to ensure moist, tender fish every time. Here's how to cook it.

​☞ ​Try this recipe​

​Oysters Rockefeller With Bacon​

Oysters Rockefeller with bacon is made with a mix of herbs and smoky bacon and buttery bread crumbs. The best variation I've had. And so easy.

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​Low-Carb Fish Tacos With Cucumber Salsa​

Juicy cod bites are breaded in a mixture of almond flour and seasonings, then pan-fried to crispy perfection! After that, simply assemble your tacos and enjoy.

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​Bayou Fried Shrimp​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.83 from 17 votes

The best Cajun fried shrimp. That's what this is. Go on. Try it for yourself and see. It's easy, authentic, and Cajun through and through.

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​Crab Cakes With Ritz Crackers​

Here is exactly how to make the best crab cakes ever!

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​Whole Roasted Branzino With Lemon & Shaved Fennel Salad​

This whole roasted branzino with lemon and shaved fennel salad tossed in white wine vinaigrette is an easy, healthy meal that's on the table in just 40 minutes.

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