On The Fridge

-- Marcia Kramer

SO MANY QUESTIONS . . . {vbar}A Further Conversation From Our Weekly Online Chat

Germantown: I loved the snapper recipe [Red Snapper With Potatoes and Black Olives, Food, June 21], but I am not too sure I can fillet a whole fish. Will this be any less terrific if I use fillets? Will I need to adjust the cooking time? Or am I just being a big baby -- can you talk me through the filleting process?

Stephanie Witt Sedgwick: You don't have to be a big baby, Germantown -- boning a cooked fish is a snap. You just peel away the skin and use a spatula or large serving fork to remove the cooked fish from above the bones. Then pull the bones up and away from the fish gently. The bottom fillet will still be on the plate.

As for substituting fillets, this particular recipe is not a great candidate for a redo. The cooking time would have to be halved. The potatoes would neither cook through nor absorb the fish juices in a shortened time. Though you could lay the fillets on top of the rosemary, that same short cooking time would hurt the end product.

SHOPPING CART {vbar}New & Noteworthy

? For the latest in museum fashion, the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery, which reopens Saturday, asked New York designer and Target icon Isaac Mizrahi to create a functional garment for the conservation staff. But the Mizrahi apron ($85) could also be a special gift for someone who likes to grill. Cut from fine blue denim, it has deep, angled pockets for tools and brushes, or perhaps a potholder. Satin fabric on the back of the ties can be draped to show the name of the Lunder Conservation Center, a new part of the museum complex where visitors can watch conservators care for national treasures. The apron is available in the museum store at Eighth and F streets NW, 202-633-5450.

? Adagio Teas has improved the bottled-tea field with Anteadote , a line of four unsweetened flavors with no preservatives: White Pai Mu Tan, Black Yunnan and Chun Hao grade Jasmine are new; Green Dragonwell has been an award-winning flavor for Adagio since it was introduced two years ago. 16.9-ounce bottles, about $2 each, at Perk Up Coffee House, 829 S. Washington St., Alexandria (703-838-2812) and at Juice Zone, 1990 K St. NW (202-223-9663), or order by bottle and by the case online at http://www.adagio.com .

? Color Full notecards by Madison Park Greetings are graced with appropriate hues and sentiments about our fondest flavors ("If life gives you some lemons, make some kind of fruity juice" -- Conan O'Brien). $15 for a box of 16, available at the Papery, 4852 Bethesda Ave., Bethesda, 240-497-1420, or order online from a list of retailers at http://www.madisonparkgreetings.com http://.

OUCH {vbar}Lemon Grass

For the average home cook, the skyrocketing price of lemon grass might not be a problem. But Thai chefs are feeling the pinch.

"It's gotten worse every month since April," says Sak Pollert, owner of the restaurant Rice in Northwest Washington's Logan Circle/Shaw neighborhood and Simply Home on U Street NW. "I told my chefs that if the price doesn't come down soon, we're going to buy a farm and grow it ourselves."