A suitable replacement

All photos by Kun Kim

It's almost September and sadly, I have yet to go to the beach this year. Not that this summer has been that conducive for lounging by the shore. Too much rain and, prior to this week, not very hot. It's only been in the past few weeks that we've experienced the mid-August heat of NYC summers that I've grown to know and hate - between the humidity, the stench and the stagnant air, summer in NYC is incredibly oppressive (nothing embodies this more than the subway...Eric nicknamed the 57th St. N/R stop "the hellmouth" because the heat radiates out of the station before you even walk down the stairs). But still, the only water I've seen this summer is the Hudson River.

To make me feel a little better about my lack of beach vacations, Jason and I picked Jaws as our August Reel Tasty Brooklyn movie. I saw Jaws for the first time only six years ago and never before have I jumped so much during a movie. And given how terrified I was (and not-so-secretly still am) of seaweed, it was probably for the best that I didn't watch this in junior high. The thought of a 25-foot great white is frightening even now (I went snorkeling in Key West with my friend who was pointing out nurse sharks and nearly had heart failure). Had I seen Jaws as a kid, I probably would have avoided the ocean for the rest of my life. Despite the PG rating and the general lack of gore (relative to movies today), Jaws is definitely on my top 5 scariest movies list (the other four are, in no particular order: The Silence of the Lambs, the original Halloween, Hitchcock's Psycho and Showgirls).

Fortunately, the night of our fourth Reel Tasty event was anything but scary. Sunny, clear and beautiful, it was the perfect evening to watch Roy Schneider, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw go fishing. And with all of the fabulous produce at the farmer's market right now, the food was fresh and bright - including the mako shark ceviche (of course!).


The rest of the menu included:

Snacks

• The London Bar mix (marcona almonds, olives, dry Italian sausage, and manchego cheese)
• Homemade beet chips

Appetizers

• Cantaloupe soup with crispy prosciutto and basil
• Mako shark ceviche in corn tortilla cups
• Grilled cuban corn

Entree

• Watermelon-kirby cucumber salad
• Heirloom tomato and peach salad
• Cold rigatoni pesto
• Apricot-glazed pork chops with grilled fresh apricots and caramelized onions

Dessert

• Flourless chocolate cake with creme anglaise, fresh raspberry sauce and whipped cream
• Strawberry ice cream

Midway through the movie, we served up some parmesan-spiced popcorn. And as the guests were leaving, they took home my version of David Lebovitz's chocolate-covered peanut caramel cups.

Nothing scary about that. And dare I say, even better than a day on the beach.

And no anti-shark cage necessary.

Mako Shark Ceviche
The fish in this recipe is flexible - I used to make this with cobia (that Eric caught in the Keys on his annual fishing trip), but we decided to use shark in honor of the movie's main character. But any firm-fleshed white fish would work in this dish.

3/4 pound firm white fish cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
Juice of 3 lemons and 4 limes (or enough to cover fish)
2 scallions - thinly sliced
1/4 cup red pepper in small dice
1 jalapeno - finely diced
1/4 small red onion - thinly sliced lengthwise
1 granny smith apple in small dice
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Extra lime slices for serving
Tortilla chips for serving

Mix fish, lime zest and citrus juices in a glass bowl. Cover and allow to sit refrigerator for 45 minutes to 1 hour (the fish is "cooked" when it turns opaque). Drain thoroughly.

Place fish back in bowl and add the next six ingredients. Stir to combine. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

To serve, squeeze a little fresh lime juice over ceviche. Use tortillas to eat.

Serves 6 as appetizer.