For the Crab:
½ lb Dungeness crab meat
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon sesame oil (or olive oil if you don’t have sesame)
1 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

Mix together the crab, ginger, sesame oil, lime juice, and rice wine vinegar in a small bowl and keep cold until ready for use.

For the Rolls:
12 rice paper rolls
½ peach, sliced in thin strips
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, de-seeded, and julienned
1 carrot, peeled and julienned
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and cut in thin strips
1 cucumber, peeled and cut in thin strips
1 handful fresh cilantro
a few sprigs of mint or shiso leaves
¼ cup toasted cashews or peanuts, crumbled

The idea here is to have all of the vegetables and peach cut in the same way, so they can line up together inside the roll. Try to get them all to be about 5 inches long, and cut in thin strips. Place the peach, red pepper, carrot, avocado, and cucumber side by side on one long plate (as in an assembly line). Have the herbs rinsed and ready on another plate, as well as a third small dish with the toasted nuts.

Dip the rice paper rolls 1 or 2 at a time in a bowl with hot water. Remove them one at a time, and place on a cloth towel. Spread out so it is the full circle, and dab with the cloth to dry off any excess moisture. They should be slightly damp, but sticky.
Place one piece of peach and each vegetable in the center of the circle. Top with a few pieces of herbs, the crab, and finally the nuts. Bring up the bottom flap to cover the bottom of the veggies, fold over the top, and then roll in each side to seal.
Repeat with the remaining rolls and serve with the dipping sauce.

Makes 12 rolls.

This Recipe comes from Kerry Saretsky of the blog French Revolution.

6 carrots, cut into sticks
1 orange bell pepper, cut into sticks
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into sticks
1 red bell pepper, cut into sticks
4 bone-in, skin-on salmon steaks, totaling about 2 1⁄4 pounds in weight
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1/3 cup olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
1 tablespoon paprika
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1⁄4 cup roughly chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 preserved lemon, chopped (use two if you really want to enhance this flavor)
1⁄4 cup dry white wine

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil, and salt it. Place the carrot sticks into the water to blanch. After 2 minutes, add the peppers. 2 minutes later (4 minutes will have passed since you added the carrots), drain the vegetables, and set aside.

2. Season the salmon steaks on both sides with salt and pepper. In a large bowl, combine 1/3 cup olive oil with the paprika. Toss the salmon in the seasoned oil to coat.

3. Now that you are rid of the vegetable blanching water, you can use the same pot—preferably wide, with high sides. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and set the pot over medium heat. Add the carrots and peppers back in, along with half the garlic, parsley, and preserved lemon. Season with salt and pepper, and toss. Add the white wine.

4. Nest the salmon steaks down into the vegetables, and pour the remaining paprika oil over the steaks in the pot. Top the steaks with the remaining garlic, parsley, and preserved lemon.

5. Lower the heat to low, cover the pot, and allow to simmer for 30 minutes, basting occasionally, and rotating the vegetables around the pot.

6. Serve with warm baguette.

This is the most authentic Conch Fritter recipe you will find. Keep in mind that these were made in Miami during their growing season. Feel free to substitute the peppers and herbs for more seasonal ingredients according to where you live. You can also use scallops, clams, and fish instead of conch.

4-5 conchs, about 1 ½ - 2 lbs, ground or chopped into small pieces
½ green bell pepper, small dice
½ red bell pepper, small dice
½ yellow bell pepper, small dice
½ white onion, small dice
1 celery rib, finely sliced
1 teaspoon jalapeño chile, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon dried thyme
3 cups all purpose flour
Salt (Jamaican seasoned salt is best)
Water
Vegetable Oil

Mix together the peppers, onion, celery, chile, and herbs in a small bowl.
Sift together the flour with a good teaspoon or so of the seasoned salt. Add the conch to the flour and make sure it has all been coated, then stir in the vegetable mixture.
Add in enough water to make a batter that is thick and viscous, but not too dry. You can always adjust by adding more flour or water.
Heat up about 2 inches of vegetable oil in a skillet. Test the batter by frying a small amount in the oil. The oil should immediately sizzle around it.
You want to cook the fritters at an even pace, so that they cook through on the inside, and brown on the outside. You do not want to have a dark brown exterior, and raw interior.
Drain the fritters on some paper towel and serve with the dipping sauce.
Makes about 30 fritters.

Dipping Sauce:
Mix together equal parts Mayonnaise and Ketchup. You can add a bit of Barbeque Sauce if you prefer.

South Beach Fish Sandwich

South Beach is definitely the land of sandwiches. Not only are they on every menu, but there are plenty of small sandwich joints that specialize in them. Because there is a heavy Middle Eastern influence around here, I thought I would make a healthy fish sandwich bringing in some of the fresh flavors of the Mediterranean. You can find fresh fish daily on the Rickenbacker Causeway that leads to Key Biscayne. Ask them to filet the snapper for you on the spot, so that all you have to do is pop it in the oven when you return home. The tahini sauce is full of different herbs- the more the merrier.

4 pita breads (whole wheat or white)
1 medium mutton, red, or yellowtail snapper, filleted
4 tablespoons tahini herb sauce per sandwich (recipe follows)
1 medium tomato, medium dice
¼ cup Kalamata olives, small dice
½ Kirby cucumber, medium dice
1 medium eggplant (optional)

If you want to include the roasted eggplant in your sandwich, begin by slicing it into very thin rounds. Bake on a lightly oiled baking sheet at 375°F for 20 minutes, or until soft and cooked through.
Line a baking tray with olive oil and place fish filets skin side down. Season well the filets with salt and pepper and bake for 20 minutes at 400°F, or until cooked through.
Remove from oven, turn off heat, and slip pita breads in the oven to toast in the residual heat. Place 2 slices of roast eggplant followed by half a filet in each toasted pita. Top with about 1 tablespoon tahini sauce per filet and some of the diced tomato, cucumber, and olives.
Makes 4 sandwiches. If you are only making this for two people, just use 1 filet of fish and 2 pitas.

Tahini-Herb Sauce
Small handful of each: dill, cilantro, parsley, mint
1 clove garlic
1 cup tahini
3 lemons, juiced
Olive oil
Water
Salt

In a food processor, start grinding up the garlic, followed by the herbs. Add the tahini, a couple tablespoons of olive oil, and continue to blend. Add the lemon juice, and enough water to loosen up the mixture. Adjust the taste with the salt.