By May 2023. Spring in Memphis, and I am 64, watching the azaleas and dogwoods bloom along my neighborhood walk, the annual resurrection that makes the winter worth surviving. The smoker wakes up in spring the way the whole city wakes up — slowly, with a stretch, then fully, with purpose.
Walter Jr. came by with the grandchildren, bringing the noise and energy that grandchildren bring, the house expanding to hold them the way a good pot expands to hold a good stew. Trey at the smoker, learning, absorbing, his hands getting steadier each visit, the fire recognizing him the way fire recognizes those who are meant to tend it.
Comfort food this week: a big pot of collard greens with smoked turkey neck, simmered for three hours until the greens were dark and silky and the pot liquor was a treasure. The kitchen smelled like Mama's kitchen in the shotgun house, and I stood at the stove and stirred and thought about hands — her hands, small and strong, teaching mine everything they know about turning humble ingredients into something that feeds not just the body but the soul.
I sat in the lawn chair next to Uncle Clyde's smoker as the dark came on, and I thought about what I always think about: the chain. From Clyde to me. From me to Trey, maybe, or Jerome, or whoever comes next with the patience and the hands and the willingness to stand next to a fire at three in the morning and wait for something good to happen. The chain doesn't break. The fire doesn't stop. And I am here, 64 years old, in a lawn chair in Orange Mound, Memphis, Tennessee, watching the smoke rise, and the rising is the living, and the living is the gift.
That evening, after Trey had settled into his spot at the smoker and the collard greens had done their long, slow work on the stove, I pulled out the cast iron and laid down some blackened catfish — the kind of thing that comes together fast when you’ve already spent your patience on the greens. What you need alongside it isn’t fancy: just a good, honest tartar sauce, made from scratch, the way it’s meant to be. Mama never bought it in a jar, and neither do I.
Tartar Sauce
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 10 minutes (plus 30 minutes chilling) | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
- 1 tablespoon capers, drained and roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine the base. In a medium bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish, and chopped capers until evenly mixed.
- Add flavor. Stir in the lemon juice, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder. Mix until smooth and fully incorporated.
- Finish and season. Fold in the fresh parsley, then taste and season with salt and black pepper as needed. Adjust lemon juice or relish to your preference.
- Chill before serving. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to come together. Serve cold alongside blackened catfish, fried fish, or any fried seafood.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 105 | Protein: 0g | Fat: 11g | Carbs: 2g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 135mg