Carlos Rafael ran one of the biggest fishing operations in New England. He was successful. Almost too successful. Probably because his seafood empire was built through fraud. This week, reporter Ian Coss brings us to the story of The Codfather. Plus, Natasha Pickowicz invites everyone to hot pot, and Christopher Kimball and Sara Moulton answer your questions on Norwegian pancakes, Julia Child’s Gâteau de Crêpes, and more.

Want to hot pot at home? Get the blog post featuring Natasha's equipment recommendations and shopping guide here.

Listen to Catching the Codfather on the Big Dig Podcast from GBH here.

Questions in this Episode:

“I used to visit a salad bar restaurant in the 80s that served a rainbow layered vegetable cake with cheese in between. I’ve looked for years for a recipe, but I have know idea what it’s even called. Any thoughts?"

"My father immigrated from Norway and he often Norwegian pancakes. Most people call them Swedish pancakes. I've tried to make them on a ten-inch skillet, and every time I try to turn the pancake, it always ends up a scrambled pancake. What am I doing wrong?"

"I’ve been entranced by this recipe that calls for half a dozen shallots and they’re supposed to be quartered. But I’m buying these shallots at my local market, and they’re not whole. They’re cloves. What do i do about that? Do I just ignore that?"

"I have an abundance of different herbs in my garden: two different types of thyme and basil. I’d like to infuse them ideally in olive oil and was wondering what would be the best way to do that?"