BYLINES BY SCOTT
WHAT & WHERE CHEF BEN SARGENT EATS OUT EAST
Ben Sargent shares his advice for fishing and entertaining in the Hamptons—plus, read on for our web-exclusive content about the chef’s life out East.
What’s on your menu this summer? I’m making a lot of taiyaki. It’s my riff on a lobster roll or seafood roll, but I’m using a type of Japanese waffle iron to make these delicious little fish-shaped buns around my seafood. [My taiyaki has] all the classic stuff of a New England seafood roll, but I’m upgrading from my Pepperidge Farm hot dog roll.
RELATED: Get the full recipe for Ben Sargent’s world-famous lobster roll >>
Most-used ingredient: I’m one of those New England freaks who actually likes bluefish over striper. I make a ton of good stuff with the fish everyone hates.
Favorite fishing spot: Unfortunately, the fishing spot at the lighthouse is also sometimes the best surfing spot. That can get interesting.
This summer’s cocktail: The Orange-Gina. This is my after-surf fave. It’s made with Orangina, fresh mint, and vodka.
Favorite ingredient: Old Bay.
Go-to kitchen tool: I use a “cheap” knife for everything. When you fillet fish, it’s the only way to go. You sharpen and hone the thing so often that $20 is right where you want to be. You end up using it for everything— scaling, stirring, opening bottles, opening plastic, cutting veggies, and smashing garlic. Really, it’s silly to take a fancy knife along with you for summer fishing, grilling, and campouts. I know a lot of chefs and fish mongers who swear by Dexter knives: Get a medium-size one without a lot of flex.
Best surf spot: I like to surf the lighthouse when the swell direction is right and it starts to get big!
Best beach: I’m still a fan of Ditch Plains, but only after August—and in the middle of winter.
In your spare time: I often ride my motorcycle out there with a board and fishing rods. Tooling around the back roads is really fun.
Favorite places to eat: My list is huge…. but that little fish farm with all the ducks and geese walking around [The Fish Farm in Amagansett] still makes the only good lobster roll out East. Sorry! Try to convince me otherwise…. but I have done my research.
WEB EXCLUSIVE
Read on for more from our interview with Sargent.
His best summer memory: Surfing during one of the hurricanes with my buddies Ziggy and Jamie. It was huge and for some reason we decided to paddle out on longboards. You don’t do that often in a hurricane, but taking off on those bombs with your best buddies and riding all the way into the beach… still one of the best days of my life. I can actually remember one of the waves I took off on and seeing my friends climbing up the face of that wave hooting at me as I made the drop.
Who’s at his table: “The table” is usually my buddy’s van or the back of my truck with a mattress and a cap on it. It’s very cozy but it works great. The table is just a piece of plywood and any of my friends who either live out there or have made the drive out—Ziggy, Rich, Ivan, Jay, Tye, Potter, Chad. You name it.
What’s on the table: I wish I could give you something a little more gourmet, but the honest truth is some paper plates and the fish we caught that evening, plastic utensils, and if we have salt, mayo, olive oil, a little Old Bay, and tin foil. We are ahead of the game. With bluefish, I just gut and scale the fish, wrap it up with some onions and greens, and throw it on the grill. It’s the best way ever to do a bluefish.
His summer soundtrack: I pulled out a record of old Hawaiian tunes. I’m stuck on this song “Let’s Put Out the Lights and Go to Sleep” [by] Rudy Vallée. It’s a bit strange because it talks about spanking your child… but that was 1932.
Read the Article at Hamptons-Magazine.com HERE.
