For this meal, I use a jar of red Thai chili paste, which you can get at all major grocery stores, though Asian groceries have a better selection. I also use regular coconut milk. You could, I guess, use light coconut milk, but it isn’t as delicious and is more of a broth than a sauce. Fresh ginger brings a kick, fish sauce adds salt and funk, shallots give the poaching liquid depth and lime brings brightness. If you happen to have a line on lime leaves, which you can get at some Asian groceries, you could throw in a couple in lieu of zest. Thai basil is also a specialty grocery item, but you can use regular basil and do fine. I use 2 teaspoons of curry paste for mild to medium heat, but some of the elders in my family think it verges on too spicy, so adjust accordingly.

The real beauty of this dish comes when you plate the halibut up with crunchy peanuts, herbs and chili crisp. A version of chili crisp can be found on the table at Thai and Vietnamese restaurants. It’s sold in a little jar at most large grocery stores and there are many varieties at Asian groceries like Midtown New Sagaya. It’s also called “garlic chili crunch oil” or “chili crunch.” Usually, it’s made with oil, red chilis and crispy shallots, though ingredients vary and some versions include nuts or sesame seeds. It is totally worth an extra trip to have it in your pantry. I use it all the time to spice up fried eggs or smear on salmon before I grill it.

Thai-style white fish curry

Serves 4 or 5

Ingredients:

About 1 1/2 pounds halibut or cod, portioned into four to five servings, skin removed

Salt and pepper

2 large or four small shallots, minced

1 tablespoon neutral oil like avocado or canola

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1 13.5-ounce can regular coconut milk

2 teaspoons red curry paste (use less if you are sensitive to spice and more if you like the heat)

1 teaspoon fish sauce

2 teaspoons brown sugar

Zest of one lime

1/4 to 1/2 cup water or chicken stock, optional

1/4 cup Thai or regular basil, julienned

Rice, enough for four servings, Thai jasmine or Calrose

For garnish:

Chopped cilantro, chopped basil, lime wedges, chopped peanuts, chili crisp

Method: Start the rice, cooking it according to package directions. Pat fish dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add shallots and saute until transparent and soft. Add ginger, saute until fragrant. Add coconut milk. Stir in curry paste until well combined, add fish sauce, brown sugar and lime zest, bring to a gentle bubble. Slide the fish into the curry. The liquid should come at least halfway up the fish portions. If it doesn’t, add water or stock and return to a gentle simmer. Cook 3 to 4 minutes and then turn the fish over, cook an additional 3 to 4 minutes or until the fish is almost cooked through, turn one more time. Remove from heat. Stir in basil. Allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes. The fish should continue to cook. Serve with rice and extra sauce. Garnish with herbs, lime wedges, chopped peanuts and chili crisp.

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These days the McD’s menu board advertises that the sandwich is made of Alaska-caught pollock, which is harvested in the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska. Though pollock is among the most common fish Americans encounter — it’s used to make fish sticks, patties and surimi, among other things — it isn’t very easy to find it unprocessed in grocery stores. Instead of pollock, I’ve been using Alaska or Pacific cod, which is available in most freezer sections or at fish counters. It’s important to use Alaska/Pacific cod and not other types of cod, because you need a relatively thin filet so it cooks through when you fry it. You can also use halibut, so long as your portions are not more than about an inch thick.

A note on fish-counter cod filets — they are sometimes very skinny, as in quite long, but not wide enough to cover a bun. In that case, you can make a sandwich with two thin portions, side by side. As for tartar — the internet is full of recipes for homemade tartar using lemon, mustard, mayo and relish — it’s easy to whip up your own or use your favorite store-bought version. If you aren’t a tartar fan, plain mayo or mayo with a little hot sauce swirled in works too. And, if you are not an American cheese fan, swap in some cheddar. A pound of cod, depending on its shape, is certainly enough for four sandwiches, and can sometimes make enough for five. If the filets are extra thin, you can stack them on the bun.

Fried Alaska cod “filet-o-fish” sandwiches

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1/2 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 eggs

1 cup breadcrumbs, panko or regular or a mix

1 pound, or roughly two filets, Alaska cod

1 1/2 cup vegetable oil

2/3 cup tartar sauce, homemade or store-bought

4 squishy white burger buns, warmed

4 pieces American cheese

4 sandwich sized pieces of butter lettuce, washed and dried

Method: Make your breading station. With a fork, whisk the salt into the flour and then pour the flour mixture on a plate big enough for one piece of fish. Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat them. Pour the breadcrumbs on to a small plate. Prepare a “landing spot” for the breaded fish on a parchment-lined cutting board. Line up the flour plate, the egg bowl, the breadcrumb plate and the landing spot. Now, bread the fish. Dredge each portion of the fish in the flour and salt. Dunk in the egg. Roll in breadcrumbs until well covered. Set aside. Once the fish is breaded, place the oil in a medium deep frying pan or cast iron skillet on the stove on a medium flame and allow it to heat up. Test the oil temperature by dropping a few breadcrumbs in. When it’s time to fry the crumbs should begin to sizzle and bubble immediately. Cook the breaded fish in the hot oil, working in batches, 2-3 minutes a side, until each side is a rich golden brown. Move to a paper towel-covered sheet pan or cutting board, immediately lay a piece of cheese on top of each hot piece of fish. If the pieces are skinny and you plan to use two for a sandwich, group them and cover the group with cheese. Tent loosely with foil. Assemble the sandwich. Spread tartar on the insides of the top and bottom buns. Layer cheese-covered fish, a piece of butter lettuce and the top bun. Enjoy immediately.

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Traditional fish pie—like many dishes in England—is made very simply, with white fish like pollock and sometimes smoked fish like haddock, a simple cream sauce, boiled egg, and parsley. Stein has a number of pie recipes, including one topped with mashed potato and made with heavy cream that’s pretty great. I was drawn to his simple “quick fish pie” recipe from his book, Simple Suppers. Made with store-bought puff pastry on top, it’s both beautiful and fast to pull together for a dinner party. If you can’t find puff pastry, you can substitute a store-bought or homemade pie crust.

What I liked about this recipe most was the smoky, rich sauce. Stein used smoked haddock to flavor the pie and started the sauce by poaching the haddock in milk to steep in that smoky flavor. I adapted the recipe to fish that’s easy for Alaskans to get their hands on and used a very salty, smoky salmon strip instead, which worked great. You could also use regular smoked salmon or, if you have it, a little smoked black cod. Stein uses boiled eggs in his pies, which I skipped due to the pickiness of my young pie eaters, but I did add peas, because they say “fish pie” to me.

British-style fish pie

Serves 6 – 8

Ingredients:

Butter for the pan

2½ cups whole milk

½ large white onion

4 cloves

1 bay leaf

1¾ pounds white fish, like halibut or cod

3 ounces smoked salmon strips, skins cut off, or 3 ounces smoked salmon, skin removed

1 cup frozen peas

2 egg yolks

2 tablespoons cornstarch

3 ounces sharp English Cheddar, grated

⅓ cup chopped parsley

2 teaspoons white wine or vermouth

Pinch of nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

1 8-ounce sheet store-bought puff pastry, thawed

1 tablespoon of milk to glaze

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400° F. In a 4- to 6-quart pot, place the milk, the onion studded with the cloves, the bay leaf, white fish, and smoked salmon. Bring the milk to a bubble, turn it down to a simmer, and allow the fish to poach for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Using a slotted spoon, scoop out the fish and the other solids. Discard the onion and bay leaf. Crumble the fish and arrange it inside a buttered 9-inch pie pan. Sprinkle the frozen peas on top. Set aside. Whisk the yolks and cornstarch in a small bowl. Whisking constantly, ladle some of the warm milk into the egg mixture. Then scrape that mixture back into the pan full of poaching liquid and return to medium heat.

Add wine or vermouth, allow mixture to boil gently for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. The sauce should thicken to a warm pudding texture. Add cheese, parsley, and nutmeg. Stir until cheese is melted, remove from the heat, taste, adjust salt and pepper. Pour over the fish in the pie pan. Roll out the puff pastry sheet so that it is at least an inch larger than the pan on all sides. Carefully place it on top of the pie, tuck it under the lip of the pan, press the edges with a fork, and trim excess. Prick the top a few times to let out the steam. Brush it with milk. Place the pie on a sheet pan to catch any overflow, and slide into the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until it’s golden and puffed. Serve right away.

This recipe was originally published in Edible Alaska.

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