Even though Aux Delices des Bois left Tribeca, Thierry and I still love Zutto, the sushi bar that was near our warehouse. It dates back to when Tribeca's cast-iron canopies cast their shadows on silent streets at night.

　　Its metal loading dock held two tables, the precursor to the neighborhood's current profusion of loading-dock cafes. One evening the sushi chef, Albert Tse, made us this special dish, using a fish from each of the seven seas. Kind of like a Japanese version of the ancient French dish Coquilles St-Jacques, it combines fin fish and aromatic oyster mushrooms with the scallops and sharpens the flavor with rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, and seaweed. If scallop shells aren't handy, use any ovenproof baking dish.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 8

　　12 ounces mixed seafood, such as firm fish fillets (salmon, kingfish, or halibut), fish steaks (tuna or swordfish), sea scallops, and peeled and deveined shrimp, skin, bones, and shells removed

　　4 ounces oyster mushrooms, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch dice

　　2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar or other mild white wine vinegar

　　2 1/4 teaspoons mushroom soy sauce or good-quality soy sauce

　　2 1/4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

　　4 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise

　　1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

　　

Step 1

1. Cut the seafood into 1/4-inch dice. (If the seafood is very fresh, this can be done up to 1 day in advance and refrigerated).

　　

Step 2

2. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

　　

Step 3

3. Add the mushrooms to the seafood and toss to mix well. Combine the mayonnaise, vinegar, soy sauce, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Set aside about 3 tablespoons of the mayonnaise mixture and toss the rest with the seafood mixture, using a slotted spoon to thoroughly combine.

　　

Step 4

4. Divide the mixture among 8 large scallop shells or 4-inch shallow gratin dishes. Top each with 1 teaspoonful of the reserved mayonnaise mixture. (The seafood may be prepared to this point up to 1 day in advance. Refrigerate, wrapped in plastic.) Bake until a fork inserted in the center comes out warm, about 12 minutes.

　　

Step 5

5. Sprinkle chives over the top and serve warm.

　　The Mushroom Lover's Mushroom Cookbook & Primer

　　Workman