One fantastic aspect of living in New Haven was that we were only a short drive from the best Stop & Shop seafood counter in the entire state. Moving here doesn’t mean my access to the sea has been cut-off, but now I have about 100 routes to the ocean and I have no idea which to take.
Trying to avoid the nearly omnipresent NYC mark-up, I’m always on the lookout for a way to get what I want without them knowing what they’re selling is highly desirable. I’ve located a few fish markets near me, but last weekend I placed a safe bet, even at the cost of my shopping savvy.
A trip to Whole Foods is always a delightful excursion. They have a great selection and even a few deals to boot (article on awesome Jersey zucchini forthcoming). The sea counter was lovely and expansive, but the fishies available were quite costly. Nearly ready to pass them by, my loving wife saw a secondary counter laden with fresh shrimp, oysters and–lucky for me–sardines. I have been waiting to get my grubby mitts on fresh sardines since I bought my first Mediterranean cookbook for $8 at Barnes and Noble years and years ago. The super-helpful monger suggested a simple marinade of parsley, olive oil and garlic followed by a spin around the grill. It was love at first sight between me and the little lovelies. The rest is history. Or at least, was dinner.
Lacking a patio, grill, etc., I used my trusty grill pan for the first time in this fair city to take the sardines to task. They did well, although I should have removed the excess marinade before they hit the heat. I wanted to cook some extra flavor, but it ended up making the entire apartment smokey and fish-ilicious. And yes, that day I got conclusive proof that the new smoke detectors work perfectly (and they talk!). Until next time, intrepid food fans. Cook on!
The Manhattan [food] Project 
Oh boy, that looks so good!