Summer seafood: Soft-Shell Crabs, fresh wild Sockeye are unbeatable in the heat

THE PERFECT LUNCH? Two Soft-Shell Crabs, sauteed in olive oil and smothered in garlic, came with roasted potatoes and a steamed vegetable medley at Seafood Gourmet, the fish market-restaurant in Maywood.

MEATY SEAFOOD? We need a new word to describe crabs with a lot of, well, crab, besides "meaty," a reference to beef or other meat.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- Summer can bring oppressive heat, but the season also offers great eating for pescetarians and other seafood lovers.

Fresh, wild Sockeye, King and Coho Salmon are widely available in markets, and Soft-Sell Crabs are on the menu at Lotus Cafe in Hackensack, Seafood Gourmet in Maywood and many other restaurants. 

IN THE CASE AND ON THE PLATE: At Seafood Gourmet, Soft-Shell Crabs are available in the market, lower left, and in the BYO dining room, where my filling lunch was $18. The fish-market restaurant is at 103 W. Pleasant Ave., Maywood. Closed Sundays. With less than 40 seats. reservations are recommended for dinner (201-843-8558).

AT LOTUS CAFE: Our dinner for 3 included bite-sized Soft-Shell Crabs with Ginger & Scallion ($22.95), above; Filet of Sole in Garlic Sauce ($17.95), Fried String Beans Szechuan Style ($11.95), Boiled Seafood Dumplings ($7.95), and Pork & Pickled Cabbage Soup for 2 ($5.95).

SALT & PEPPER: We're planning to return to Lotus Cafe to try Salt & Pepper Soft-Shell Crabs. The Chinese BYO is at 450 Hackensack Ave., in the Home Depot Shopping Center, and is open 7 days.

FRESH WILD SOCKEYE SALMON: My favorite way to eat a leftover Sockeye Salmon Fillet is right out of the refrigerator on toasted slices of Dave's Killer Bread, an organic loaf sold at Costco Wholesale in Teterboro, spread with pesto or Dijon mustard, above and photos below.

SMOKED WILD SALMON: An over-the-top Sockeye Salmon sandwich includes silken slices of Kirkland Signature Wild Alaskan Smoked Sockeye Salmon from Costco, above and below.

AMAZON PRIME DEALS: Last week, fillets of fresh, wild Sockeye Salmon from Alasaka were $13.99 a pound at Whole Foods Market in Paramus or $6 off per pound for Amazon Prime members.

STOVETOP GRILL: I preheated a stovetop  grill that straddles two burners over a medium flame, added spray oil and cooked serving pieces of Sockeye Salmon for 3 minutes skin-side down and then another 3 minutes on the other side for medium-rare. I topped them with organic Mexican-style salsa, heated separately, and fresh herbs from my garden.

Eating In + Eating Out: Victor's Healthy Kitchen on YouTube; Fattal's, Lotus Cafe

-- HACKENSACK, N.J.

By VICTOR E. SASSON

EDITOR

After I gave up meat and poultry more than 5 years ago, I had to come up with recipes for fish, eggs and pasta for the nights my wife prepared a chicken, pork, beef, lamb or goat dish.

I've described the preparation of these meatless dishes in my blogs, The Sasson Report and Do You Really Know What You're Eating?

Now, I've started to post videos on a YouTube channel called Victor's Healthy Kitchen, showing how easy it is to assemble meatless meals at home.

I cook in large quantities, using leftovers to cut down on meal-preparation times in the next several days, but all of my recipes can be adjusted for one or two people.



I am also posting videos from the stores where I shop, including Costco Wholesale, Whole Foods Market, ShopRite, Trader Joe's, H Mart and H&Y Marketplace.



I am trying to buy as much organic or non-GMO food as I can to cut down on the pesticides, chemicals and harmful antibiotics that we ingest.

My visits to the Whole Foods Market in Paramus have increased to take advantage of lower prices for organics, fish and shrimp after the merger with Amazon, and Costco seems to be adding organics every day.

ShopRite also has christened a new line of organic and non-organic food, as well as antibiotic-free poultry, called Wholesome Pantry.

On Monday, on the way home from doing an errand in Bernardsville, we stopped in Paterson to shop at Fattal's, and pick up takeout from Aleppo Restaurant, at Main and Thomas streets (falafel, muhammara, salad and bread).

During our one dinner out last week, we saw the first women servers at Lotus Cafe in Hackensack in the nearly 30 years I've been going to the Chinese restaurant.

Spinach & Cheese Pies are among the savory baked goods offered at Fattal's, a bakery, grocery, butcher shop and cafe that also sells gold jewelry at 975 Main St., Paterson, in the Middle Eastern Shopping District called South Paterson.

At Fattal's, I picked up a half-gallon of Merve Ayran Yogurt Drink flavored with mint ($5.49).

Al Shark-brand Moroccan Sardines in tomato sauce, in red boxes, are 99 cents each, compared to skinless-and-boneless sardines in soya oil for $1.69 a can.

Some of the offerings in Fattal's small cafe, below.

On the way home from Fattal's and Aleppo Restaurant on Monday afternoon, we stopped at the Aldi Supermarket on Main Street in Hackensack to take advantage of a sale on a 1-pound package of triple-washed Organic Spring Mix ($3.49), a great salad with extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

See Victor's Healthy Kitchen for a video on how to prepare organic sunny side up eggs and smoked wild salmon, which I served over leftover organic whole wheat spaghetti with sardines and anchovies.

Homemade Tuna and Sardine Salad with diced onion, sweet peppers and celery dressed in Dijon mustard, lemon juice and cumin, plus a non-fat Greek yogurt sauce with cucumber, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil called tzatziki.

We had dinner last Saturday night at Lotus Cafe in the Home Depot Shopping Center, 450 Hackensack Ave., Hackensack (201-488-7070). Our whole butterflied Striped Bass with Scallion & Ginger was enough for two with leftovers, but took 20 minutes to steam ($28.95).

A seasonal item, Sauteed Chinese Star Squash ($11.95), above, and brown rice, below, completed our delicious meal.

This hot chili pepper paste is available on request.

Eating Out: Flounder + roe at Lotus Cafe; and the manager wore shorts at Justin's II

A waiter at Lotus Cafe in Hackensack serving Beef and Tofu Chowder for 2. Below, the fresh, wild-caught whole flounder we ordered came with tiny but crunchy fish roe.

-- HACKENSACK, N.J.

By VICTOR E. SASSON

EDITOR

Long-time favorite Lotus Cafe in Hackensack accommodates a wide range of tastes in Chinese food.

Customers can order a casserole of prime beef and mushrooms simmered in X.O. sauce (made from shrimp roe, dried scallops and herbs), or just ask for their food with a "white sauce" or a "brown sauce."

The servers are just as happy bringing you an appetizer of Calamari with Salt & Pepper as they are a half-dozen Bar-B-Q Spare Ribs.

You get a pot of hot tea, small bowls of duck sauce and Chinese mustard, and crispy wonton strips to munch on while you wait for your food, but a wicked red chili paste is available on request. 

We go there for the wide variety of seafood, including steamed whole fish served in a light sauce, and covered in a tangle of shredded scallions and a sprig of cilantro.

Last Saturday night, I was delightfully surprised that our whole flounder with Scallion & Ginger came with a large sack of tiny but crunchy roe. The fish was enough for 3 ($32.95).

Our bountiful meal included soup, dumplings, and side dishes of string beans and tofu, and we took home leftovers.

At Lotus Cafe in Hackensack, my wife and mother-in-law started with Beef and Tofu Chowder for 2 ($6.95), then we all shared an appetizer of boiled Seafood Dumplings, which came with a soy dipping sauce, above (8 for  $7.95). 

Our side dishes were Fried String Beans Szechaun Style, above, and Ma Po Tofu made without minced pork, below ($11.95 each).

Lotus Cafe doesn't charge extra for brown rice.

The tablecloths and cloth napkins come out at 4:30 in the afternoon. Last Saturday, round tables were being set up for fixed-price banquet meals from a special menu available on request.

Details

Lotus Cafe, 450 Hackensack Ave., in the Home Depot Shopping Center, Hackensack; 201-488-7070.

BYO; fixed-price, multi-course meals for 4 to 12 people available on request; free delivery within 3 miles with $12 minimum.

Website: Order online 

Justin's Ristorante II

I was so eager to try the fixed-price, three-course dinner with dessert and coffee or tea for only $21.95 we opened the door to Justin's Ristorante II in Wood-Ridge precisely at 4 p.m.

Not only was the manager still in shorts and a T-shirt, but after we were seated, the waiter told us the early bird dinner isn't served on Saturdays.

So, we ordered a terrific fresh-fig appetizer, big plates of al-dente pasta and delicious seafood, and to go, Dentice alla Tarantina or red snapper fillet prepared with diced tomatoes, shiitake mushrooms, asparagus, basil and garlic in a white-wine sauce. 

We didn't have a reservation so were seated in the bigger and noisier dining room in the back, where staff members were busy setting up a long table for 20 customers, and a man I assumed was a cook talking loudly from behind us to one of the waiters.

The man in shorts reappeared in black slacks, a white shirt and a tie.

Three other tables were occupied while we were there.

There was enough pasta and seafood left over from our mid-October visit for a couple of small meals at home.

At Justin's Ristorante II in Wood-Ridge, Zuppa Di Pesce -- clams, shrimp, scallops, calamari and mussels over capellini in a pleasantly spicy Fra Diavolo sauce -- was $23.95.

My wife chose Gamberoni a Piacere or shrimp prepared any style over linguine ($22.95). The red snapper entree and salad we brought home for my mother-in-law also was $22.95.

The shrimp and scallops in my Zuppa Di Pesce were some of the biggest I've seen.

The house salad served with entrees came on a cold plate with a hard, cold wedge of tomato.

The best dish we had was one of the specials, an appetizer of fresh Black Figs topped with Pistachio-Gorgonzola Cheese in a Raspberry Vinaigrette, served with ham. The waiter described the ham as prosciutto, but my wife, who tried some of it, questioned that.

Complimentary olives and warm bread.

The front dining room at Justin's Ristorante II in Wood-Ridge.

Details

Justin's Ristorante II, 269 Hackensack St., Wood-Ridge; 201-933-4276. BYO, street parking only, closed Mondays.

Website: Justin's Ristorante II

The $21.95 price-fixed menu is served Tuesdays through Fridays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., and on Sundays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Eating Out + Eating In: Twin lobster deal, Chinese delivery, a fish medley and more

CLAWS: The Twin Lobster Special, served on Mondays and Tuesdays at Meson Madrid in Palisades Park, includes soup or salad, yellow rice and addictive house-made potato chips.

CORAL: The split tails of both of my lobsters contained the roe or eggs, also called "coral," which some consider a gourmet treat.

-- HACKENSACK, N.J.

By VICTOR E. SASSON

EDITOR

Yes. The price has gone up about 20% for one of the great lobster deals.

But the crustaceans three of us got last Tuesday night at Meson Madrid seemed bigger, and our meal included house-made potato chips loved even by people like me who never eat the over-salted ones from bags.

You also get a romaine lettuce salad or soup (Caldo gallego, made with pork), and as much yellow rice and chips as you can eat, all for $23.95, up from $19.95.

Other specials on Mondays and Tuesdays are Double Lobster Tails or Sirloin Steak with a Lobster Tail, both with all the trimmings for $21.95 each (we ordered the steak-lobster tail to go for a family member who stayed home).

A minor complaint: Lobsters are easiest to eat when the shells are hard and crack open immediately, but the kitchen at Meson Madrid pre-cooks them to handle an anticipated rush in orders for the $23.95 special, resulting in softer claw and knuckle shells that are difficult to open. 

The traditional Spanish restaurant also serves tapas, a 3-pound Certified Black Angus Steak, Filet of Sole stuffed with jumbo shrimp and many other dishes.

VIVA! A glass of delicious red wine from Bodegas Sonsierra in the Rioja region of Spain was $9.

SIDES: We asked for and received a second plate of the house-made chips.

SALAD: The salad comes with French dressing in a boat, but I could have done without the hard, bland tomato wedges.

BREAD: Meson Madrid serves bread better suited for making Cuban sandwiches, but the doughy loaf was hot and the crust crispy. You can ask for olive oil for dipping.

DETAILS: Meson Madrid Restaurant is at 343 Bergen Boulevard, Palisades Park; 201-947-1038. Open 7 days for lunch and dinner, free parking in lot. All the Monday and Tuesday specials are available at lunch or dinner.

DELIVERY FROM LOTUS CAFE: Luckily, we live within the 3-mile free delivery area of Lotus Cafe, 450 Hackensack Ave., in the Home Depot Shopping Center, Hackensack; 201-488-7070. Our order included Filet of Sole with Scallion and Ginger ($17.95), above; Chinese Broccoli sauteed with fresh garlic ($10.95), below; and Zar Jiang Mein, a dish of fat noodles in what the menu says is a "Xanadu meat sauce, Marco Polo's favorite" ($8.45).

BAKED COD MEDLEY: Fresh wild Atlantic cod from Iceland ($7.99 a pound at Costco Wholesale in Teterboro) peeking out from a coating of Asian Indian spices. I served it over a homemade tzatziki, a non-fat Greek yogurt sauce with shredded cucumbers, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and dill.

HOW TO PREPARE: Fresh spinach goes into the pan first, drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil; then serving pieces of cod, organic diced tomatoes, black olives, capers, fresh lemon juice and grated cheese. The fish is ready after 15 minutes in a pre-heated 400-degree oven, which toasted the chopped fresh mint I added to the pan last.

LEFTOVERS: I used leftover organic diced tomatoes from the cod dish in an egg-white omelet with smoked wild salmon and reduced-fat Swiss cheese, all from Costco Wholesale. I served part of the omelet with garlic smashed yams. I boiled whole peeled garlic cloves and skin-on yam sections until soft, then drained and mashed them with extra-virgin olive oil and seasonings, including cinnamon and curry powder.

TRADER JOE'S: On Thursday, I found some of my favorite items missing during a late-afternoon visit to the Paramus Trader Joe's, 404 Route 17 north, including Trader Giotto's Puttanesca Sauce. So I settled for Tomato Basil Marinara, which contains no added sugar ($1.79 for a 26-ounce jar).

NOT READY: Despite what the box says ("Ready to Eat"), my 4 pounds of Nectarines from Trader Joe's ($5.99) are still ripening on my kitchen counter two days after I brought them home. I also bought uncured hot dogs, antibiotic- and nitrate-free bacon, and sliced Black Forest Ham for sandwiches.

NATURAL SUGAR: Today, I baked 3 pounds of organic sweet potatoes from Trader Joe's ($4.49) until they were soft and the natural sugar oozed out of them on the parchment paper I place over the oven rack (I pierce them with a fork halfway through cooking). At 350 degrees, they take from 40 minutes to an hour or more, depending on the size of the sweet potato.

More food shopping: Salmon bounty, fish balls