Second City Cupboard

I've been dying for some fresh seafood lately. Anything but that frozen, farmed junk from my local grocery store that I've been eating lately. I've been craving some in Chicago since I came back from visiting my family on the Gulf Coast about six weeks ago. I know we're a long way from a big, salty body of water, but I knew there was some way to get what I needed in Chicago. A little bit of research and asking around led me to one place: The Fishguy Market (4423 N. Elston).

The first thing I noticed when I walked in was the smell -- or lack of it. The whole shop smelled like the ocean, not fishy at all. Immediately I was greeted by a smiling fishmonger, Greg, who was proud to talk about what he was selling. I asked what was fresh, and he said, "The octopus was swimming off the coast of Greece yesterday." Octopus isn't usually my thing, but I felt like trying something new. Since I've never cooked it before, I asked for his advice. He told me to heavily salt a pot of water, "so it tastes like the sea," bring it to a boil. He said I should boil the octopus for a minute, then throw it on the grill. I took home 2 cleaned little octopi called polpi ($8.95/lb). He also suggested the Kingfish ($13.95/lb), which was brought in fresh that morning from the Outer Banks, so I got a fillet big enough for two.

The Fishguy has more than just fresh, raw fish. My husband, Alex, is a huge fan of smoked anything, so went home with 1/2 a pound of smoked salmon. Our fishmonger tells us that he smoked it himself on their Weber grill with charcoal and hickory. Definitely more appropriate on a cracker than on a bagel, Fishguy's smoked salmon has a rich, woody flavor. I usually don't like smoked salmon at all, but I have to say that this stuff is pretty amazing.

We also went home with a pair of delicious lobster rolls ($30). Alex developed a deep and lasting love for lobster rolls when we lived in New York City, and it's not something you see on menus in Chicago. You have to order them a day ahead, because the lobster is cooked and butchered fresh that day. The lobster salad was mixed and the sandwiches assembled right in front of us. We tore into them as soon as we got home, and they were delicious. The roll was lightly sweet, the lobster was tender and tasty, and the little leaves of lettuce provided a nice crunch.

When it was time to cook the fresh seafood, I decided to use a cedar plank we had laying around. While the plank was soaking in the sink, I started boiling my pot of salted water for the polpi and preparing my green beans. Alex fired up the grill and threw some gigantic russet potatoes straight on it; I love the crispy skin on the outside of a grilled potato. I boiled the polpi as instructed, watching the little tentacles curl up and wondering what I was in store for. I then made a marinade of spices, olive oil, and lemon juice, placed the polpi in a bowl with the marinade, and enjoyed a Sierra Nevada while they sat in the fridge.

After the plank had been soaking for 45 minutes or so, we placed the kingfish fillet on it, drizzled the fish with some olive oil and spices, and put it on the grill. About halfway through cooking, the plank briefly caught on fire; as it turns out, you really can't shave 15 minutes off the recommended one-hour soak. Oh well. It almost brought me to tears to ruin a beautiful piece of fish, but what the accidental fire created was a delicious, lightly charred crust. I can't say that I recommend starting a fire, but it was a good accident.

Once the fish was a couple of minutes from finished, we pulled the octopus out of the fridge and grilled it for 2-3 minutes on each side. We pulled the seafood and potatoes off the grill and paired it with my almost-world-famous Bacon-y Green Beans. Once the octopus was on a plate, I began to doubt my adventurous choice. It was delicious! It wasn't nearly as chewy as I thought it would be, and it held the flavors of the marinade so well. The fish was fresh, tender, juicy, flaky, and flavorful all at once. Combined with the green beans and loaded grilled potatoes, it was a hearty and healthy meal.

Grilled Polpi

* 2 polpi, or small octopi
* Sea salt
* 1/2 lemon
* 1/2 tsp Cavender's Greek Seasoning
* Olive oil

Fill a large pot with water and salt with 3 or more tablespoons of salt, until it tastes like ocean water. Bring it to a boil. Boil the octopus for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the salt water and place in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil until just coated; add lemon juice and Greek seasoning and toss to coat. Place the bowl in the refrigerator and let it marinate for 45 minutes. Grill on a hot grill for 2-3 minutes per side.

Herb-crusted Cedar Kingfish

* 1 cedar plank
* 1 fillet Kingfish, almost 1 lb., skin on
* Olive oil
* 2 tbsp fresh rosemary
* 2 tbsp fresh thyme
* Sea salt
* Ground black pepper

Soak the cedar plank for one hour or more. Rub the fish fillet with olive oil. When the plank is good and wet put the fillet on it, skin-side down. Sprinkle rosemary and thyme over the fillet, and season with salt and pepper. Grill over a hot grill, covered, for 15 minutes, or until fish begins to flake with a fork.

Bacon-y Green Beans

* 1 lb. fresh green beans, washed and trimmed
* 3 c. chicken broth
* 5 cloves smashed garlic
* 2 strips bacon, cut into bite-sized pieces

Place green beans, bacon, garlic, and chicken broth in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil for 5 minutes.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes or until beans are tender.