Roughy

Captain Jerry's Seafood isn't much to look at. A modest storefront squeezed in next to a pizza joint in a tiny shopping center in Perry Hall, Captain Jerry's is the kind of place you might think twice about before venturing into it for seafood. However, on a recent visit, we were generally pleased with this no-nonsense, reasonably priced carryout. Captain Jerry's sells plenty of steamed and live crabs, but we decided to stick to the fairly extensive menu of other seafood items. (By the way, everything on the menu is seafood, except for a few side orders.

Sometimes the big chain restaurants -- the ones with the loud commercials on television and the paste-on-a-smile themes -- remind of a gaudy cubic zirconium ring. They're so bright, with their oversized portions, colorful menus and "Hi, I'm Suzy" service, but they're not the real thing. And then there's Brewers Hill, a small, imperfect diamond among local restaurants. It is a real Baltimore restaurant, not part of a chain, and in its own way it s just right. Given the choice between a giant fake hunk of glitter and a small diamond, I think most of us would choose the diamond.

Embracing the flavors of the Mediterranean, this recipe spans many countries with vibrant colorful vegetables crowning a fresh filet of fish. Thyme, a fragrant and abundant herb, proliferates in that region and enhances this robust dish. Credit must be given to Steve Raichlen's new book, "High Flavor, Low Fat", for inspiring us to adopt recipes such as this one that yield the most satisfying tastes while paring fat.Couscous is a minute, pebbly grain used frequently in the Mediterranean, and perfectly complements the fish and vegetables.

Captain Jerry's Seafood isn't much to look at. A modest storefront squeezed in next to a pizza joint in a tiny shopping center in Perry Hall, Captain Jerry's is the kind of place you might think twice about before venturing into it for seafood. However, on a recent visit, we were generally pleased with this no-nonsense, reasonably priced carryout. Captain Jerry's sells plenty of steamed and live crabs, but we decided to stick to the fairly extensive menu of other seafood items. (By the way, everything on the menu is seafood, except for a few side orders.

Fish have constituencies. Take cod, for instance. Bodybuilders love cod.They eat it by the plateful because they think it will help them display their muscles. It seems that when you are building your body, you want to eat food like cod, with a lot of protein but not much sodium. Sodium retains water, and the retained water sort of "clouds" your skin and blurs the best possible view of major muscles. And so, among the muscle-popping crowd, cod is a favorite fish.This insight came from Charles W. Parks Jr., manager of the Southern Seafood store in Dundalk.

CONSIDER A TALE of two fish. First, the orange roughy, known to most of us by its frozen or thawed filets in the local seafood market. Fished from the frigid, black depths (up to 2,500 feet) off New Zealand and Australia, the roughy takes a century or more to reach 3 pounds and 16 inches. It takes 30 years just to reach reproductive age. At the opposite end of the spectrum is the mahi mahi, featured at fine restaurants and also known as dorado or dolphin fish (not the mammalian dolphin)

AS FAR AS surf-and-turf places go, 152 Seafood Restaurant in Fallston is better than average. The comprehensive menu offers the things you'd expect to find in such a place. Just about everything we tried - from sides to appetizers to entrees - tasted good. Service was solicitous. The overall look was relaxing and extremely neat, albeit unimaginative. All those things aside, I'd return here because of the wonderful sense of control you get. You pick the kind of fish you want (including flounder, salmon, tuna, rockfish, swordfish and orange roughy)

Orange roughy with red pepper sauceMakes 4 servings.1 large, sweet red bell pepper, cored and cut into 8 pieces1 1/2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar1 teaspoon hot red pepper sauce1 tablespoon sugar1 small clove garlic, peeled2 teaspoons cornstarchPinch of salt1 pound orange roughy filletsFish stock, clam juice, chicken broth or skim milk (for poaching fish)In a food processor or blender, combine bell pepper, vinegar, hot pepper sauce, sugar, garlic, cornstarch and salt. Puree until soupy. Transfer to a microwave-safe bowl, cover and cook on high (100 percent)

When we drew up to the gravel parking lot of Crew's Quarters, which was filled with pickup trucks, my friends looked at me in astonishment. I had told them we were going to a Spanish restaurant in Essex. The rambling structure with the "Crab House" sign on it did not look promising.But the chef, Jose Villanueva, is Spanish; and while there is something for everyone on the menu, including steamed crabs in season, his forte is food like shrimp in garlic sauce and paella.If Crew's Quarters doesn't look like a Spanish restaurant from the parking lot, it looks even less like one once you're inside the dining room.

If Capt. Nick ever ventured from the Maine restaurant bearing his name to landlocked Laurel, he'd feel right at home at the Bay N Surf restaurant.The two establishments have a lot in common: U.S. 1, for starters, which runs past both front doors on its way from the Canadian border to the Florida Keys.Then there's the kitsch nautical decor, the paper place mats, the helpful help and the fish prepared the way June and Ward Cleaver would like it.No, you won't find cutting-edge cuisine at Capt.

CONSIDER A TALE of two fish. First, the orange roughy, known to most of us by its frozen or thawed filets in the local seafood market. Fished from the frigid, black depths (up to 2,500 feet) off New Zealand and Australia, the roughy takes a century or more to reach 3 pounds and 16 inches. It takes 30 years just to reach reproductive age. At the opposite end of the spectrum is the mahi mahi, featured at fine restaurants and also known as dorado or dolphin fish (not the mammalian dolphin)

AS FAR AS surf-and-turf places go, 152 Seafood Restaurant in Fallston is better than average. The comprehensive menu offers the things you'd expect to find in such a place. Just about everything we tried - from sides to appetizers to entrees - tasted good. Service was solicitous. The overall look was relaxing and extremely neat, albeit unimaginative. All those things aside, I'd return here because of the wonderful sense of control you get. You pick the kind of fish you want (including flounder, salmon, tuna, rockfish, swordfish and orange roughy)

When Enrique Ribadeneira opened the Latin Palace last winter, a restaurant was just part of the total package, which in-cluded a private club, game rooms, live music, salsa dancing and a tapas bar.The huge space had been a theater, a polka place and a cooking school at one time or another. Ribadeneira turned it into a Caribbean beach, as best he could in the middle of the city. The space is filled with live palms and graceful seaside murals painted by Maryland Institute, College of Art students.

We're going where? said my daughter when I told her the restaurant of the week would be the Turf Inn. She has no appreciation of nice, old-fashioned eateries. She prefers places like the Fusion Cappuccino Cafe, where you can get sweetbreads and tofu in a sun-dried cranberry sauce, and the background music of choice is Eagle Eye Cherry.The dining room will be brown, she said. The whole boring history of the restaurant will be printed on the back of the menu, she said. Everything will have thick gravy, the salad dressings will come out of a bottle, and there won't be any fresh vegetables, she said.

If Capt. Nick ever ventured from the Maine restaurant bearing his name to landlocked Laurel, he'd feel right at home at the Bay N Surf restaurant.The two establishments have a lot in common: U.S. 1, for starters, which runs past both front doors on its way from the Canadian border to the Florida Keys.Then there's the kitsch nautical decor, the paper place mats, the helpful help and the fish prepared the way June and Ward Cleaver would like it.No, you won't find cutting-edge cuisine at Capt.

When we drew up to the gravel parking lot of Crew's Quarters, which was filled with pickup trucks, my friends looked at me in astonishment. I had told them we were going to a Spanish restaurant in Essex. The rambling structure with the "Crab House" sign on it did not look promising.But the chef, Jose Villanueva, is Spanish; and while there is something for everyone on the menu, including steamed crabs in season, his forte is food like shrimp in garlic sauce and paella.If Crew's Quarters doesn't look like a Spanish restaurant from the parking lot, it looks even less like one once you're inside the dining room.

FISHERMAN'S PRIDE RESTAURANTTerlyn Square, 15 Churchville Road, Bel Air.Hours: Closed Mondays. 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.Tuesdays to Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridaysand Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays.(410) 893-3200.If a summer diet of hot dogs and hamburgers is starting to pale, then try this seafood restaurant and carryout.Check out the seafood counter inside the door of Fisherman's Pride for an array of fresh seafood, including crab meat and shrimp, as well as several kinds of fish.

The hot news in food this year comes from the steamy climate of South Florida, where young chefs have put together something they call New World cuisine -- a cooking style that relies on native Florida ingredients infused with seasoning from their Caribbean neighbors.Key West fish with cilantro-ginger sauce, the main course of this Fastlane Feast, is inspired by the thinking of innovative chefs like Norman Van Aken of "a Mano" restaurant in Miami Beach and Mark Militello of Mark's Place in North Miami.

Fish have constituencies. Take cod, for instance. Bodybuilders love cod.They eat it by the plateful because they think it will help them display their muscles. It seems that when you are building your body, you want to eat food like cod, with a lot of protein but not much sodium. Sodium retains water, and the retained water sort of "clouds" your skin and blurs the best possible view of major muscles. And so, among the muscle-popping crowd, cod is a favorite fish.This insight came from Charles W. Parks Jr., manager of the Southern Seafood store in Dundalk.

Embracing the flavors of the Mediterranean, this recipe spans many countries with vibrant colorful vegetables crowning a fresh filet of fish. Thyme, a fragrant and abundant herb, proliferates in that region and enhances this robust dish. Credit must be given to Steve Raichlen's new book, "High Flavor, Low Fat", for inspiring us to adopt recipes such as this one that yield the most satisfying tastes while paring fat.Couscous is a minute, pebbly grain used frequently in the Mediterranean, and perfectly complements the fish and vegetables.