Bet you didn’t know that chefs must keep the fish tag that comes on shellfish for 90 days. I didn’t know either, until I attended the fish class by Brent Beavers at the Village at Skyline, where he had been executive chef.Why is keeping the fish tag important? Because if someone gets sick from eating shellfish, like clams, mussels and oysters, the health department can use the information on the tag to trace where the shellfish came from and investigate the condition of the waters there.Beavers pointed out that not all chefs keep the tag.“As a customer having shellfish, you should always ask if the chef has kept the fish tag,” he said. “It’s a good precaution just in case. I had a customer who thought they had gotten sick from some clams at my restaurant. But I had the fish tag, which proved they had not gotten sick from the clams they had eaten at my place. He had gotten sick from clams he had eaten someplace else.”The whole fish-tag discussion came about when Beavers demonstrated his recipe for Spicy Ginger Clams, one of two dishes he prepared for the class. Before he did the clam dish, he had talked to us about the care and handling of fish. His tips included:• If possible, buy fish that’s in season. Beavers’ favorite place to buy fresh fish is Whole Foods Markets.• If fish smells like ammonia, toss it.• Keep fish recipes simple.• Keep fish cold.• Not all frozen fish is bad or a lesser product.• Make sure shellfish are alive when you cook them.The first dish he prepared for us was Tuna Pastrami. The pastrami-seasoning mix made for a delicious, spicy coating for the tuna.“Tuna of this quality should be only seared on the outside and left rare in the middle,” he said. “I’d say the inside will be slightly chilled. As a chef, if someone orders a tuna steak well-done, I’d rather give them a can of tuna. Overcooking tuna is a crime.”The cool tip he gave us for the clam dish was how to make ginger water. He placed about 8 ounces of rough-cut, unpeeled, fresh gingerroot into a food processor with ½ cup water. After whirring the processor a few minutes, he drained the ginger in cheesecloth. He ended up with about 2 cups of ginger water. It’s great in the clam dish, but could be used to spice up cocktails or other beverages.Here are the simple, delicious recipes:

TUNA PASTRAMI—Yield: 6 servings1/8 cup each coarse black  pepper, paprika, brown sugar, and red chile flakes1/4 cup kosher salt1 tablespoon each ground coriander and mustard seeds1 pound sushi-grade tuna, cut into 6 (3/4-inch) slices2 tablespoons olive oilProcedure:1. Mix first 7 ingredients. Coat tuna with spice mixture and let stand 15 minutes.2. Heat oil in saucepan. Sear tuna 1 minute per side.

SPICY GINGER CLAMS—Yield: 4 servings3 pounds Manila clams1 tablespoon minced garlic1/2 cup each ginger water and white wine1/4 pound clarified butter, divided1 tablespoon each Sriracha hot sauce and honeyProcedure:1. Rinse fresh clams in cold water 5 minutes. Combine garlic, ginger water and wine; set aside.2. Heat half the butter in a deep sauté pan. Add clams with ginger-wine mixture. Cover and steam clams until they open.3. Add hot sauce, honey and remaining butter.

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