By Kimberly Cooper // Photos by Tony Lewis, Jr.
Rod ‘N’ Reel Restaurant
br4165 Mears Avenue, Chesapeake Beach
br1-877-RODNREEL
chesapeakebeachresortspa.com
brbrThe Rod ‘N’ Reel Restaurant, located at the Chesapeake BeachbrResort and Spa, is no stranger to seafood. Open since 1946, thebrrestaurant favors local and sustainable product—using top qualitybrcrab, fish, and seafood on their menu. Executive chef Joseph Miserobrshares his thoughts on fresh, local ingredients and gives us the secretbrto his tasty Crab Cappellini.
What sort of culinary trends have you seen recently?
brAre there any that you feature at your restaurant?
brbrSustainability and a solid local purchasing program are the mostbrimportant trends that any restaurant can do for their clientele, localbreconomy, and our environment. We at the Rod ‘N’ Reel Restaurantbrare proud to say that we follow both of these practices in everybrway possible. Another great program that we have partneredbrourselves with is the Oyster Recovery Project, through the OysterbrRecovery Program. This program takes discarded oyster and clambrshells and uses them to create new oyster beds in our ChesapeakebrBay and waterways, which allow for the repopulation of our localbroyster. As a byproduct of this process, the increased adult oysterbrpopulation will help clean up our bay by filtering and cleaning upbrto 50 gallons of water per day—gobbling up algae, and removingbrdirt and nitrogen pollution. That’s good news for the health of thebrChesapeake Bay and for us.*
How often do you change the menu at Rod ‘N’ Reel?
brWe normally will update the menu twice a year.
brbrHow did this dish originate?
brYears ago, my wife and I were in Cape May, N.J., for a weekendbrvacation. After a long walk around the town, we came to a smallbrcafé and had a simple dish of Pizza Margherita. The refreshingbrsummer ingredients were so outstanding that I tried to come upbrwith a way of incorporating all these flavors into a summer pastabrdish that would be attractive to our local clientele. The thoughtbrwas to add crabmeat. But not just any crab, it had to be the best,brMaryland jumbo lump crabmeat. This simple addition took thisbrdish to a new level making it one of our best-selling specials ever.
What is your favorite ingredient?
brFor me, my favorite ingredient is basil. The smell takes me back tobrmy childhood where basil grew at our back door and you could notbrhelp but smell it as you passed down the walkway.
What wine or drink pairs best with this dish?
brFor a wine, I would definitely recommend a crisp Pinot Grigio.
What is the most important step when cooking it?
brThe most important step in this dish is not to overcook thebringredients. This is a quick sauce created in minutes not hours likebrtraditional pasta sauce. By quickly sautéing the ingredients you willbrkeep the freshness, lightness, and the taste of summer alive in yourbrpasta dish.
brbr*Information sourced from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation website
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Crab Cappellini
brRecipe by Chef Joseph F. Misero III
brServings: 4
brPrep Time: 20 Minutes
For the dish you will need:
brbr2 large ripe beefsteak tomatoes peeled andbrseeded (tomato concasse)
br4 cloves of garlic sliced thin
brLarge bunch of Basil cut into chiffonnade
br1 pound uncooked angel hair pasta
br1 pound Crabmeat
br6 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
brSalt and Black Pepper to taste
Directions
brbrTo make the tomato concasse, bring a small pot of water to boil,brcore the stem and slice an “X” on the flesh side of the tomato. Then,brimmerse the tomato into the boiling water for 1–2 minutes or untilbrthe skin of the tomato just begins to peel. Shock the tomato in icebrwater to stop the tomato from cooking further. The skins of thebrtomato should simply rub right off. Once the tomatoes are skinned,brslice through the tomato horizontally at the midline and gentlybrsqueeze the juice and seeds from the tomato. Cut the halves into largebrdice and set aside.
brbrTo make the dish, bring water to boil and begin to cook thebrCappellini to al dente and strain. Meanwhile, heat a sauté pan onbrmedium high heat and add the olive oil and sliced garlic. Cook thebrgarlic until just lightly toasted, and then add the tomato concasse.brSeason with salt and pepper. Simmer the tomatoes briefly to warmbrthem through and add the crabmeat and basil. Add the Cappellini tobrthe sauce and toss, incorporating the sauce throughout the pasta,brand serve.
