Reading Bryan Caswell’s blog, Whole Fish, is like looking at a diagram of his seafood-besotted brain. Some posts reflect the young Houston chef’s nerdy, academic side: “Golden Tilefish are from the Malacanthidae family.” Others reveal his carnal appetite for marine life: “I am (almost) embarrassed to admit how turned on I was by these little beauties.” (This was regarding baby Gulf Coast squid.) Still others make him seem almost like an action figure, as in this post about reeling in a “big-ass Cobia”: “It was on! A rush of adrenaline blasted through my veins as this 40-plus pound monster manhandled me from port to starboard.”

The snapshots help explain what motivates the 37-year-old, as well as what keeps him grounded during a career that has taken off like a big-ass cobia. In the past three years, he has opened four restaurants, including his flagship, Reef; been chosen as one of the country’s top rising-star chefs by Food & Wine magazine; and made it to the finals of the James Beard national culinary competition. He has also been selected as a contestant in a high-profile Food Network series, the precise name of which I am forbidden to disclose.

I went to see him recently at Reef, a restaurant that, I’m not embarrassed to say, has turned me on since 2007, when I first sampled its crispy-skin snapper with sweet-and-sour chard. From day one, Caswell’s goal at Reef has been to showcase local seafood (the only exotic species served is Scottish salmon). A parallel mission has been to explore the global cuisine of Houston, where he has lived since the age of two. “People ask me what kind of food I do,” he said, “and sometimes I’ll tell them it’s ‘Houston cuisine.’ If I have a North African or a Thai-style dish on my menu, it probably started with something I ate right here in the city.”

What stitches the diverse influences together is a classic culinary education, which began with a diploma from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, and continued with prestigious stops in Barcelona, New York City, Hong Kong, Bangkok, and the Bahamas. In 2004 famed restaurateur Jean-Georges Vongerichten tapped Caswell to open a fine-dining restaurant, named Bank, at the new Hotel Icon, in Houston. Three years later, Caswell and Bank’s general manager, Bill Floyd, left to launch Reef.

Flooded with light through immense plate glass windows and with a wave-textured wall on one side, Reef feels a bit like an aquarium. Caswell has other places to check on (Italian restaurant Stella Sola and two locations of burger joint Little Bigs) and a new concept in the works (“Texan but not steaks”), but this is his home base. “I spend ninety percent of my time at Reef and always will,” he said. His daily drill is tweaking the menu and keeping an eye out for new fish. Since April 20, it has also included monitoring the BP oil spill. “The damage is heartbreaking,” he says, even though the parts of the Gulf that Reef’s fish come from have not been affected so far. He constantly reassures customers that the restaurant’s seafood is safe, and he also feels a strong obligation to support local fisherman and shrimpers: “They need our help more than ever.”

When we asked Caswell to come up with some recipes for a summer seafood cookout, he responded with a collection as international as Houston itself: oysters with a Vietnamese-style dipping sauce, spicy shrimp with a sriracha citrus rémoulade, and smoky redfish with a ginger-spiked slaw. Served together, with an ice-cold Shiner or a bottle of Texas wine, the dishes make a perfect backyard picnic. Even better, the various parts can be interchanged to suit your individual taste. Best of all, they’re easy, so even the cook will have time to enjoy the fun.

Grilled Oysters With Vietnamese-Style Dipping Sauce

Oysters
18 to 24 large oysters, in their shells

Preheat grill to hot. Rinse unopened shells and shuck the oysters into a colander, reserving the oyster liquor. Return oysters to the deeper shells (discard the shallow ones) and place on a sheet pan. Top each with a dollop (approximately 2 teaspoons) of Lemony Basting Butter and some of the oyster liquor. Put the sheet pan on the grill, close lid, and cook about 15 minutes. Serve with Vietnamese-Style Dipping Sauce.

Vietnamese-Style Dipping Sauce
3 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 red jalapeño, seeds removed if desired, finely chopped
(a green jalapeño may be substituted)
1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
3 tablespoons Vietnamese fish sauce (nuoc nam), or to taste
1/2 cup julienned carrot, cut into 1/2-inch-long strips (optional)
1/2 cup julienned pickled daikon, cut into 1/2-inch-long strips; available at Asian markets and some supermarkets (optional)
1/2 cup julienned cucumber, cut into 1/2-inch-long strips (optional)

Whisk first 5 ingredients together in a bowl. Use the sauce as is or add the julienned carrot, daikon, and cucumber. (All recipes serve 6.)

Spicy Shrimp With Sriracha Citrus Rémoulade

Shrimp
18 to 24 Gulf shrimp (16/20 count), peeled and deveined
1/4-1/2 cup olive oil

Preheat a well-oiled grill to hot. You will need several bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 20 minutes. Thread shrimp onto skewers (they should touch and all face the same way). Brush with olive oil, then dust generously with Chile, Curry, and Cayenne Rub. Put skewers on grill and cook with lid down, or covered with lid of a large pan, until done, about 3 minutes on each side, turning once and brushing frequently with Lemony Basting Butter. Serve with Sriracha Citrus Rémoulade.

Chile, Curry, and Cayenne Rub
1 1/2 tablespoons chile powder (not chili seasoning)
1 tablespoon curry (Madras-style)
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 1/2 tablespoons cumin
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons white pepper
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon paprika

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl.

Lemony Basting Butter
1/2 pound butter at room temperature
1 1/2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 tablespoons cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
3 tablespoons dry white wine
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

Put first 7 ingredients in a food processor and pulse until blended. Combine wine and lemon juice and slowly add to butter mixture, on low speed.

Sriracha Citrus Rémoulade
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped shallot
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons fresh grapefruit juice
2 teaspoons fresh orange juice
1 1/2 ounces sriracha sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire
3/4 cup grapeseed oil, plus a bit more if needed
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

In a mixing bowl, combine egg yolks with all ingredients except oil and cilantro. Pour oil in slowly, whisking vigorously; add a bit more oil if consistency is too thick. Stir in cilantro just before serving. (Note: If you are concerned about consuming raw eggs, you should skip this recipe.)

Smoky Redfish With Citrus Ginger Slaw

Redfish
6 redfish filets (or other fish of your choice), with skin on one side

Preheat a well-oiled grill to hot. Season fish liberally with Chile, Curry, and Cayenne Rub and place on grill, skin side down. Close the lid or put the lid of a large pan over the fish to smoke it a bit while cooking. Baste frequently with Lemony Basting Butter. Fish is done when it flakes easily with a fork, about 10 minutes. Serve with Citrus Ginger Slaw on the side.

Citrus Ginger Slaw
1 1/2 teaspoons cracked coriander seeds
7-8 cups very thinly sliced napa cabbage
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh ginger, sliced very thin and lightly crushed
1 1/2 jalapeños, seeded and julienned
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 1/2 teaspoons orange zest
6 tablespoons rice vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Crack coriander seeds by putting them in a heavy-duty plastic bag and passing over them with a rolling pin. Toss all ingredients together.