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6 large scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced (include some green tops)

1 cup coarsely chopped Italian parsley

2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 large whole bay leaves, preferably fresh

Two 8-ounce bottles clam juice

One 8-ounce can tomato sauce

1 cup water

1 cup dry white or red wine

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

½ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

1/8 teaspoon ground hot red pepper (cayenne), or to taste

2½ pounds redfish, red snapper, or catfish fillets (see Note at left)

1½ cups converted rice, cooked by package directions

1. Put the bacon drippings in a large, heavy kettle over moderate heat and mix in the onion, bell pepper, celery, and scallions. Reduce the heat to low and cook uncovered, stirring now and then, for about 20 minutes or until the vegetables are very soft.

2. Stir in the parsley, garlic, and bay leaves and cook uncovered for 10 minutes or until the garlic is golden but not brown.

3. Mix in all remaining ingredients except for the fish and rice, bring to a boil, then adjust the heat so the mixture bubbles gently. Cover and cook for 1 hour or until the flavors mellow. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Taste for salt, black pepper, and cayenne, and adjust as needed.

4. Lay the fish on top of the kettle mixture, cover, and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or just until the fish almost flakes at the touch of a fork.

5. To serve, divide the rice among eight large heated soup bowls, lay the fish on top, again dividing the total amount evenly, then ladle in the kettle liquid.

FROGMORE STEW

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

I’d heard of Frogmore Stew for years but didn’t taste it until I made it myself. I picked the recipe up a few years ago while in the South Carolina Lowcountry on article assignment for More magazine. My subject: Suzanne Williamson of Beaufort, who with husband, Peter Pollak, had just restored a small Palladian manor built when George Washington was president. When I asked Suzanne if she was familiar with Frogmore Stew, she nodded. “It comes from Lady Island just over the bridge.” Others, among them John Martin Taylor, respected Lowcountry culinary historian and author of Hoppin’ John’s Lowcountry Cooking, insist that Frogmore Stew originated on St. Helena Island. I drove the length of Lady Island as well as adjoining St. Helena Island but found no Frogmore, although my map clearly showed it. Turns out it’s only undergone a name change; Frogmore is now St. Helena. Frogmore not only had once been an important crossroads linking the Sea Island plantations and Beaufort but also had been headquarters for a bustling terrapin and caviar business. According to Full Moon, High Tide, a cookbook published by the Beaufort Academy, it took its name from “an ancestral English country estate.” Whatever the origin of Frogmore, the namesake stew remains a Lowcountry staple. More shrimp and sausage boil than stew, it’s bubbled up in outdoor cauldrons and served on plank-and-sawhorse tables spread with newspapers. There are many versions, some of them gussied up with potatoes, bell peppers, and tomatoes. But the simplest suits me best. This one is downsized for home kitchens.

4 quarts (1 gallon) cold water

4 medium yellow onions, quartered lengthwise

2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning or crab boil

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, or to taste

1 pound kielbasa, dry-cured chorizo, or other spicy link sausage, cut into 1-inch chunks

6 medium ears sweet corn, shucked, stripped of silks, and cut into 2-inch chunks

3 pounds medium-large shrimp in the shell (about 20 per pound)

One 12-ounce can lager beer

1. Pour the water into a 4-gallon Dutch oven or stockpot. Add the onions, Old Bay seasoning, salt, and pepper flakes and bring to a boil over high heat.

2. Add the sausage and boil uncovered for 5 minutes; add the corn and boil 5 minutes more. Finally, add the shrimp and the beer. Adjust the heat so the liquid bubbles gently, and boil uncovered for about 5 minutes or just until the shrimp turn bright pink. Taste for red pepper and