This seasonal menu says spring has sprung

The secret to this dish is that the zucchini be sliced as thin as possible (a plastic Japanese mandoline does a nice job) so that the squash takes up the flavor of the lemon and herbs.

Shingle the zucchini slices in a single overlapping layer on a platter. Dust with salt and pepper, then drizzle with a 3-count of olive oil and the lemon juice. Sprinkle with the herbs. Now scatter the leek over. Put that in the fridge for about 10 minutes to give the flavors a chance to get into the zucchini. Then garnish with the ricotta cheese and mint leaves.

Grilled Branzino With Fennel and Tangerines
(Serves 4; preparation time: 45 minutes plus 1 hour to marinate.)

4 whole branzino (about 1 pound each), filleted to yield 8 small fillets; or 4 larger fillets (6 to 8 ounces) of whatever fish you’d like (salmon, striped bass, snapper)
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
3 tangerines
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 fennel bulbs, trimmed and thinly sliced, fronds reserved for garnish
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Branzino is a fish that I used to eat only abroad; now I see it in fish markets all over the place. It’s a Mediterranean sea bass. When it’s grilled, it has a soft, delicate oceany flavor, and the skin gets very crisp. It’s also loaded with omega-3 oil. I think it’s my new favorite fish. I paired its flavors with crisp, raw fennel and citrus. When you taste this recipe, it’s undeniably summer.

Put the fillets in a baking dish large enough to hold them in a single layer. Put the fennel seeds and peppercorns on a cutting board and whack with the bottom of a heavy pan to crack them; sprinkle the cracked spices over the fish. Remove a strip of zest from one of the tangerines with a zester or microplane and add it to the dish. Pour 1/2 cup of olive oil over the fish and let it all marinate for 1 hour.

Cut off the top and bottom ends of the tangerines so that they stand upright. Then use a knife to cut off the peels in long strips, including as much of the bitter white pith as possible. Cut between the membranes to free the sections; remove the seeds and set the sections aside in a medium bowl. Discard the membranes.

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