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By Root 933 0

into Chesapeake Bay in 1607, was awed by the schools of striped bass. After settling at Jamestown, he noted, “The Basse is an excellent Fish, both fresh and salte…There are such multitudes that I have seene stopped close in the river adjoining to my house with a sande at one tyde so many as will loade a ship of 100 tonnes.” To Bankers (those living on the Atlantic’s southern barrier islands), a striped bass is better known as a rock or rockfish. In his Encyclopedia of Fish Cookery, A. J. McClane writes, “The striped bass is an anadromous fish like the salmon, a saltwater inhabitant dependent upon fresh water rivers for its reproduction.” He goes on to say that the striped bass is especially common between Cape Cod and South Carolina. On North Carolina’s Outer Banks, the most popular way to prepare rock is in a muddle—what New Englanders would call a chowder. It’s a humble dish beloved by fishermen, who sometimes boil it up right on the beach. Rock Muddle is so closely associated with the North Carolina coast that The North Carolina Guide, first published during the Great Depression by the WPA and now updated, includes it in its section on Food and Drink. “Fish muddles,” the Guide begins, “are popular in the coastal plain, particularly when the rock are running in the Roanoke. A muddle,” it continues, “is a stew made of various kinds of fish seasoned with fried fat meat, onions, potatoes, and pepper. At least it starts off that way.” Needless to add, recipes vary significantly. Some call for tomatoes, others don’t. Some begin by rendering salt pork, others by “trying out” bacon. Newer recipes are often spiked with ketchup and/or Worcestershire sauce, but I prefer this old-fashioned muddle devoid of heavy seasoning.

4 ounces slab bacon or salt pork, cut into ¼-inch dice

1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped

3 medium-size all-purpose potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice

4 cups water (about)

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

½ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

4 pounds rockfish (striped bass), dressed, skinned, and cut into 1½-to 2-inch chunks

1. Fry the bacon in a large nonreactive kettle over moderate heat for 12 to 15 minutes or until all drippings cook out and only browned bits remain. Scoop the bacon to paper toweling and reserve.

2. Add the onion to the drippings, raise the heat to moderately high, and cook, stirring often, for about 10 minutes or until limp and touched with brown. Add the potatoes, water, salt, and pepper; bring to a boil, then adjust the heat so the liquid bubbles gently. Cover and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until the potatoes are nearly tender.

3. Add the fish, cover, and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the fish almost flakes at the touch of a fork; it will break apart as it cooks. If the mixture seems thick, thin with a little additional water. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust as needed.

4. Ladle into heated soup bowls, scatter a little of the reserved bacon over each portion, and serve with soda crackers, biscuits, or corn bread.

REDFISH COURT BOUILLON

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

To classically trained chefs, a court bouillon is an aromatic broth used to cook fish, shellfish, assorted meats, and vegetables. My copy of The New Larousse Gastronomique offers nineteen different recipes for court bouillon but none remotely similar to the redfish court bouillon so popular in Mississippi and Louisiana. The recipe here is fairly typical although I’ve halved the amount of bacon drippings. Cajuns, particularly fond of court bouillon, cook it half the day to intensify the flavors. I’ve shortened the time and I still find this version plenty flavorful. Note: If you use catfish, make sure that they are home-grown; so many of the catfish now coming to market are from South Vietnam’s polluted Mekong Delta. If redfish, red snapper, and catfish are all unavailable, try tilapia. It works well here.

3 tablespoons bacon drippings or vegetable oil

1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped

1 large green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and coarsely chopped

2 large celery ribs, trimmed and coarsely