Chris Miller knows a thing or two about fish. After all, he started his Whole Foods Market career as a chef in the fish department.So, when I spotted his name on the Chefs cooking class schedule, I made sure I got a seat. And I’m glad I did. He prepared a fish feast for us sprinkled with some great fish-cooking and -shopping tips.His No. 1 rule for buying fresh fish is to ask the fish monger if you can smell the fish.“You can be sure if they are shopping for fish they would want to smell it before they bought it,” he said.The point is that the fish should not smell fishy. That’s a sign that it may be turning.For me, the best-tasting dish he prepared was the Florida Rock Shrimp Cakes with lemon-thyme beurre blanc sauce.The flavor of the rock shrimp was outstanding, with just a slight natural sweetness.“You should always buy the rock shrimp peeled,” he said, “otherwise they are tricky to get peeled.”They are available at Whole Foods peeled and ready to chop up for the cake recipe that follows.“Beurre blanc is essentially a butter and wine sauce,” he said, “and not something you walk away from when you’re making it. It can break easily.”Another student in the class who had taken a cooking class from Miller before had this suggestion for making the sauce ahead.“After another class with you where you showed us how to make beurre blanc, I made it for a dinner party,” she said. “I made it earlier and stored it in a thermos to keep it hot. It worked great.”Miller suggests sautéing the cakes in an oven-proof skillet until the outsides are lightly browned. Then he puts the skillet in the oven to finish baking the cakes.“Because you want the cakes thoroughly cooked inside, this is the best way to cook them,” he said.His No. 1 fish-cooking rule is not to turn the fish (or cakes) more than once.“You’ll end up breaking the fish,” he said.“And don’t bunch too much in the skillet at a time. You need to have space between pieces so they cook evenly and the skillet can stay hot.”This would be a great recipe to make ahead for holiday parties.“The fish cakes can be assembled, sautéed, baked, cooled and frozen,” he said. “When you’re ready to serve them, heat them for 10 minutes in a 400-degree oven.”Visit chefscatalog.com for a complete class listing and to find more recipes.

FLORIDA ROCK SHRIMP CAKE SERVED WITH LEMON-THYME BEURRE BLANC—Yield: 4 cakes

4 ounces rock shrimp, chopped1 1/2 cups bread crumbs, divided1/4 cup mayonnaise1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard3 tablespoons chopped green onion2 tablespoons minced garlic2 tablespoons minced shallots1/2 cup white wine1/2 pound softened butter, cubed1 lemon2 tablespoons minced thymeProcedure:1. For cakes, combine chopped shrimp, 1/2 cup bread crumbs, mayonnaise, cajun seasoning, mustard and green onion. Form into cakes and roll in remaining bread crumbs.2. For Lemon-Thyme Beurre Blanc Sauce, add garlic and shallots to small saucepan. Sauté, then de-glaze with wine, reducing to about 1/8 cup. Reduce heat to low and start adding butter slowly. Halfway through butter additions, add lemon and thyme.

Source: Chris Miller, assistant store team leader for Whole Foods Markets

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