Chef shares passion for fish with lucky diners

Alfonso De Anda didn't set out to be CEO and president of the Fish Market restaurants, but fate changed his path.

He was a 19-year-old automotive engineering student in Guadalajara, Mexico, when a family crisis forced him to take a job busing tables at the original Fish Market in Palo Alto.

Before long, he was in the kitchen cooking, creating recipes and concocting staff recipe books. In just three months he was promoted to kitchen manager.

Soon after, his dedication and talent caught the attention of co- founder Fred Duckett, who made De Anda manager of a new Fish Market restaurant in Del Mar.

That was 23 years ago. Since then, De Anda has helped open six more Fish Market restaurants (one in Phoenix and five in California, including one at the Irvine Spectrum). He served as general manager at every location.

De Anda's passion for fresh fish has played a big part in his success. The restaurants have built their reputation by providing the freshest, highest-quality seafood. They print their menus twice daily to keep up with new fish deliveries. De Anda says they use "100 percent the best fish," much of which is provided by their own fishery in South San Francisco.

Since 1982, two commercial fishing boats also have provided fish from local waters, and The Fish Market has a share in an oyster farm in the cool waters of Puget Sound.

Another founding partner, Dean Betts, developed this recipe for steamed oysters topped with a luscious ginger-scented sauce. The combination of sweet and sour ingredients in the Asian-style sauce teams beautifully with the briny oysters. The dish can be cooked in a steamer on top of the stove or covered and baked in the oven. Either way, it takes only four to five minutes to cook the oysters.

Q. With whom would you most like to "do lunch"?

A: Howard Hughes. He was an inspiration to the automobile and aircraft industries. He gave explicit attention to detail.

Q: What's your favorite dish to make at home?

A: Fish on the barbecue, using mesquite.

Q: What culinary gadget could you not cook without?

A: My barbecue kit. It's like a suitcase that has a long-handled spatula, tongs, wire brush and fork. It looks impressive when I bring it out. My kids gave it to me for Christmas.

Q: What three ingredients could you not cook without?

A: Fish, garlic and mesquite.

Q: When it comes to eating, what's your guilty pleasure?

A: Milk chocolate. I love rocky road ice cream and See's rocky road candy.

Q: What's your favorite restaurant?

A: Ruth's Chris Steak House.

Q: What one cooking tip would you offer to readers to make their time in the kitchen easier?

A: Get your skillet, griddle or whatever you are cooking on as hot as you can get it, then sear your meat or fish.

Q: What's the biggest mistake you ever made while cooking?

A: Covering the taste of fish with a sauce. If you cook it properly, it has all the flavor inside that you need.

OYSTERS WITH GINGER STEAMING SAUCE Yield: 1 serving, plus sauce for about 40 oysters

3/4 cup soybean paste (see cook's notes) 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (see cook's notes) Pinch dried red chile flakes 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, roughly chopped 1/4 cup each fresh lemon juice and sugar 1/4 cup Asian fish sauce (see cook's notes) 1/ 4 cup soy sauce Dry white wine Rock salt 6 fresh oysters on the half shell 18 small julienne strips fresh gingerroot 18 fermented black beans, rinsed in colander with cold water, drained (see cook's notes) Optional garnish: small slivers of green onion

Cook's notes: Soybean paste, sometimes labeled bean sauce or bean paste in Asian markets, is sold in small glass jars. Bean sauce or bean paste may contain garlic; if so, omit minced garlic from recipe. Fish sauce is sold in Asian markets and some supermarkets with large Asian specialty sections; it's labeled nam pla in Thailand and nuoc mam or nuoc nam in Vietnam. Fermented black beans are sold in Asian markets.

Procedure:

1. Make steaming sauce: In food processor fitted with metal blade, process soybean paste, garlic, red chile flakes, cilantro, lemon juice, sugar, fish sauce and soy sauce. Sauce should have the consistency of a vinaigrette salad dressing; if necessary, add enough white wine to attain proper consistency; keep sauce steaming hot.

2. If using oven, preheat to 400 degrees. Line roasting pan with rock salt. If using steamer, make 1/2-inch-deep bed of rock salt on heatproof plate. Arrange oysters on rock salt, pushing them down a little into salt to stabilize them. Add about 1/2 teaspoon of steaming sauce, 3 strips ginger and 3 beans to each oyster.

3. If steaming, place plate in steamer and cover with lid; steam over water for about 4 minutes. If using oven, cover roasting pan with aluminum foil and bake for 5 minutes. Garnish each oyster with a sliver of green onion. Serve.

Nutritional data per serving with sauce:

Calories: 233 (48 percent from fat); 15.4 g fat (sat 1.1 g); protein 12.5 g; carbohydrates 10 g; cholesterol 93 mg; sodium 220 mg; calcium 76 mg.

Source: Adapted from "The Fish Market Cookbook," by Dean Betts ($30 at the restaurants)

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