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1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

4 rockfish fillets, 5 to 6 ounces each (rockfish will usually be labeled “rock cod” in the grocery store; see Part 6 for alternatives)

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 egg, beaten

¼ cup rice bran oil or canola oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Season both sides of the fish fillets generously with salt and pepper. Put the flour, egg, and the breadcrumb mixture in separate shallow bowls. Dredge each fillet in flour and tap off the excess. Then dip in the beaten egg and let the excess run off. Finally coat it with breadcrumbs, making sure the surface is completely coated. Set the fillets aside on a plate.

Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, and drizzle the oil into it. Add the butter, and wait until it melts. Without overcrowding, fry the fillets in the skillet until they’re golden, 2 to 3 minutes on the first side. Flip the fillets over and cook until the other side is golden as well, another 2 minutes. Place the fish on a plate lined with paper towels.

Serve the fish and chips immediately, with the tartar sauce on the side.

Photographs by Sara Remington

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Creamless Chowder with Clams and Mussels

Anybody can use cream to make a rich chowder—Monterey’s wharf is full of the stick-to-your-stomach, served-in-a-bread-bowl variety. That’s fine on a cold, stormy day, but we prefer this healthier version that’s thickened with a puréed vegetable base instead. The key ingredient to any chowder is the fish stock. For us this is an easy preparation because the guys at the Wharf practically give away the whitefish bones. To ensure that your fishmonger will put some aside for you, call to order them early in the day (that’s when they butcher most of their fish) and pick them up later that afternoon. Serve the chowder with toasted slices of sourdough bread.

* * *

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE CREAMLESS BASE:

½ leek

2 tablespoons rice bran oil or canola oil

1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped

½ fennel bulb, roughly chopped

1 russet potato, peeled and cubed

½ cup roughly chopped white button mushrooms

1 celery stalk, roughly chopped

4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

5 cups fish stock (recipe follows)

FOR THE CHOWDER:

2 ounces pancetta, cut into small dice

4 tablespoons rice bran oil or canola oil

1 small yellow onion, finely chopped

1 small carrot, finely chopped

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

20 Manila clams, scrubbed

20 mussels, scrubbed and debearded

1 cup dry white wine

Serves 6

Start with the base: Cut off the dark green end of the leek, leaving behind its white bulb and the beginnings of its green stem. Slice it into thin half-moons, and thoroughly wash them in a bowl of cold water. Drain off the water, wash them again, and drain.

Heat a large pot over medium-low heat and drizzle the oil into it. Add the leeks, onions, fennel, potatoes, mushrooms, celery, and garlic. Season lightly with salt and pepper, and sweat the vegetables until they are soft but have no color, about 30 minutes. Add the fish stock and simmer for 25 minutes.

Reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid (to adjust the consistency of the base if necessary). Purée the remaining base mixture in a blender until smooth. If it is too thick, add some of the reserved cooking liquid. Set it aside—this is your creamless base.

Start the chowder by cooking the pancetta in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat until the fat starts to melt and the pancetta is crisp and golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the pancetta from the pan with a slotted spoon, and put it on a plate lined with paper towels. Place the pan back on the stove, add 2 tablespoons of the oil to the fat released by the pancetta, and sauté the onions, carrots, and celery over medium-low heat until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Set the cooked vegetables aside.

Heat a pot that is large enough to hold all the shellfish over high heat, and drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons oil into it. Add