dear cooks,

Everyone knows about the health benefits of eating a Mediterranean-style diet. But equally defining of the cuisine is its richness of color, flavor, and aroma. The food of the Mediterranean region—including Italy, Spain, Turkey, Greece and North Africa—isn't just good for you; it tastes incredibly good, too. Its trademark fresh, seasonal ingredients—traditional grains, vegetables, olive oil, seafood and a little meat and dairy spiked with the fragrant chiles of the area—make it irresistibly delicious. In Mediterranean Hot and Spicy, the authentic recipes are also easy to prepare and include zesty salads, spreads, sauces, one-pot dishes, and desserts. These dishes that are cooked in the kitchens of homes and unpretentious restaurants in all the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea can now be cooked in yours as well.

Taste the comforting and nostalgic flavors of the south, with Screen Doors and Sweet Tea, which won the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA) 2009 Book Award in the Cookbook category!

about the book

Gifted chef and storyteller Martha Hall Foose invites you into her kitchen to share recipes that bring alive the landscape, people, and traditions that make Southern cuisine an American favorite.

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Grilled Whole Fish in Chile, Garlic, and Mint Sauce

Makes 2 servings

In Jaffa, the picturesque old city next to Tel Aviv, Margaret Tayar has a famous seafood restaurant specializing in Moroccan cuisine prepared in her distinctive way. Her food—highly spiced and fragrant—is delicious. She is known for her fish couscous and for her simple and delicious spicy grilled fish. This recipe is my adaptation of Margaret's fresh and zesty salsa that dresses the charcoal-grilled bream. Serve with steamed potatoes, zuchini, and carrots.

• 2 to 4 fresh green chiles, minced, to taste
• 1 or 2 garlic cloves, minced, to taste
• 1 teaspoon dried mint, crumbled, or 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
• 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, to taste
• 4 to 5 tablespoons fruity extra-virgin olive oil, to taste
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 whole sea bream, porgy, or gray mullet (about 1½ pounds) or any other head-on fish, suitable for grilling, cleaned
• ½ cup finely diced, peeled, and seeded ripe fresh tomato, drained
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Mix together the chiles, garlic, mint, lemon juice, and olive oil in a bowl. Add a little salt and mix thoroughly, then taste and adjust the seasonings. The sauce should be hot. Let stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours. Light a charcoal grill or preheat the broiler. Salt the fish inside and out and place on a well-oiled grill about 5 inches from the heat. Broil or grill, turning once, until firm and almost done, about 15 minutes total. Remove from the heat and cover with aluminum foil. Let stand for 5 minutes. Mix the sauce with the chopped tomato. Serve the fish with the sauce on one side or cut the fish open, remove the central bone, and transfer the fillets to a heatproof platter. Pour half the sauce over the fish, sprinkle with some pepper, and place under a very hot broiler for a few seconds before serving, sprinkled with parsley. Pass the rest of the sauce separately.

happy cooking!