A great cool salad, especially wonderful if you use fresh horseradish. (If you never have, buy just a small piece of the root, which looks like a tree root; peel and grate it, being careful not to get any of its juices in your eyes.) You can prepare the fish and dressing ahead of time and toss together immediately before serving.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　Salt and black pepper to taste

　　1 1/2 pounds white fish fillets, like red snapper, cod, or halibut, skinned, boned, and cut into 2-inch chunks

　　3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

　　One 2-ounce piece fresh horseradish, peeled and grated, or 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish or wasabi paste, or to taste

　　1/4 cup mayonnaise, preferably homemade (page 602)

　　2 teaspoons sugar

　　1 cucumber, peeled and diced

　　1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

　　2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill leaves

　　

Step 1

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil, then adjust the heat so the water bubbles gently. Add the fish pieces and cook for about 5 minutes, or until a skewer or thin-bladed knife pierces them easily. Do not overcook. Drain and sprinkle with half the lemon juice.

　　

Step 2

Whisk the remaining lemon juice with the horseradish, mayonnaise, sugar, salt, and pepper.When you’re ready to serve—the salad is good warm, cold, or at room temperature—gently toss the dressing with the fish and cucumber, top with parsley and dill, and serve.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.