49
COOK LIKE THE FISH LADY
Marlene Hieronymus is passionate about taking the intimidation away
from cooking our fresh, local seafood. “It’s fast, healthy and easier than you
think!” she says. Here are a couple of recipes from her cookbook, “The Fish
SCALLOP CEVICHE
INGREDIENTS
1 lb. fresh scallops
1 cup fresh lime juice
1 cup diced avocado
½ cup minced red onion
½ cup finely chopped seeded tomato
¼ cup cilantro
2 Tbsp minced jalapeno
½ tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne
¼ tsp cumin
PREPARATION
Pat the scallops dry and place in a glass bowl.
Cover with the lime juice and marinate in the
refrigerator until opaque, about 3 hours. Place
the seafood in a clean bowl and reserve the
lime juice. Add the remaining ingredients, gently
stirring to mix. Add reserved lime juice to taste.
Refrigerate for 6 hours and serve chilled in a tall
martini or cocktail glass.
*to marinate the scallops faster, cut into 4 parts
if they are sea scallops
CHERRY TOMATO SALAD
(serve grouper over this or on the side)
INGREDIENTS
1 pint cherry tomatoes,
halved lengthwise
¼ cup diced red onion
1 tsp lemon zest
2 Tbsp chopped
parsley
2 Tbsp white wine
vinegar
Salt and freshly
ground black pepper
LEMON & HERB
CRUSTED GROUPER
INGREDIENTS
4 tsp chopped fresh dill
4 tsp chopped fresh parsley
leaves
4 tsp chopped fresh chervil
leaves
2 tsp cracked black pepper
4 (6-ounce) grouper fillets,
skinned
1 ½ tsp salt
4 tsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
4 cups cleaned fresh arugula
leaves
4 Tbsp olive oil
PREPARATION
In shallow bowl combine the
lemon zest, dill, parsley, cher-vil
and black pepper. Season
the fish with 1 ¼ tsp. of salt, then
lightly brush 1 side of each piece
with 1 tsp. of Dijon mustard. Firmly
press the mustard-coated side
of each fillet into the lemon-herb
mixture. In a skillet, preferably
non-stick, heat the vegetable
oil. Place the fillets, coated side
down, into the hot oil. Cook until
the crust turns golden, 3 to 3 ½
minutes. Flip and continue to
cook until the fish flakes easily, 3
minutes.
In a medium bowl toss the
arugula with 2 tablespoons of
olive oil and season with the
remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt.
Divide between 4 plates and
place one of the fillets onto each
mound of arugula. Top with
cherry tomato salad and finish
with a drizzle of the remaining
olive oil and serve immediately.
PREPARATION
In a medium bowl,
combine cherry toma-toes,
red onion, lemon
zest, and parsley.
Toss well. Add vine-gar
and olive oil and
season with salt and
black pepper. Serve
with lemon and herb
crusted grouper.
www.wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com WBM
The combination of
a first-class restaurant
with a celebrity chef and
the explosion of the film
industry in Wilmington led
to many celebrity encoun-ters
— Tom Cruise, Nicolas
Cage, Paul Newman.
“And Robert Duvall,” she
says. “He and Laura Dern
and Diane Ladd would
come in three times a week.”
Initially, Duvall, in
town to film “Rambling
Rose,” was almost turned
away. The restaurant was
closed to host a Pink
Ladies luncheon when
two men dressed in black
knocked on the door.
“I said, ‘We’re closed for
lunch, I’ve got 88 ladies
in here. But you can come
in and see a menu to see if
you want to come back for
dinner,’” she says. “I told
him he looked so familiar.
He said I’m Robert Duvall.
I said you were in ‘Days
of Thunder.’ I sat him at
the bar and made him two
plates of soft-shell crabs.”
The movie business led
to another business for
Hieronymus Brothers. The
restaurant was in demand
for wrap parties, so they
started a catering sideline
in 1984.
These days, Marlene calls
herself semi-retired. They
sold the restaurant post
9/11. There’s an occasional
appearance for her on local
television to prepare a dish
or at an event to sign copies
of her cookbook, appropri-ately
titled “The Fish Lady.”
She has plenty of time
to read autobiographies,
and to reflect on her own
pioneering story.