Do Better, Be Better!, Speckled Trout and A Contest

Hey Y'all,

Wouldn't life be grand if we could have shifting weekends based on weather forecasts?  Every week the National Weather Service could put out a schedule saying which days next week will be considered weekends.  For example, this week Wednesday should have been a weekend day because it was beautiful outside.  We could take all of our plans for Saturday and do them on Wednesday.  On Saturday, we might as well go to work because it is going to rain all day.  I believe I heard on the news that we have only had one nice weekend since Thanksgiving!  It's time for extreme measures!

Several people wrote last week in response to my Oystermania email. Richard Loehn reminded me of the most famous attribute of oysters, "Eat Oysters, Love Longer" (which I passed on mentioning last week in an effort to appear "delicate".)

Richard also mentioned a tip for travelers to New Orleans.

Many New Orleans restaurants claim to serve the freshest, plumpest oysters in town. But throw in a side of entertainment with your dozen raw, and Pascale’s Manale takes the pearl. Locals and visitors alike make their way to this New Orleans staple for a chance to see master shucker “Uptown T” in action. The pride he takes in his work makes the oysters taste that much better.

Barb also wrote with a bit of oyster trivia that I just can't bring myself to repeat here.  Instead, I am going to make it a contest.  If you are the first to correctly fill in the blank in the following paragraph and post your answer in the comment section of this blog, you will receive a $5.00 gift card to either of our stores.  Ready?  Go!

I so enjoy your newsletter. Thank you so much for the time and effort you put into this lovely read. Just an FYI on oysters. In one of my Anthony Bourdain books he mentions that Eric Ripert was always instructed by his very French parents to ________ the oyster. I do not know if this is an old wives tale but.....???

Reason Number 1 to Shop at Kathleen's Catch

We know a thing or two about fish because it is all we do. You won't be dragging us over from the meat department to wrap up a piece of fish for you. Unlike staffing at large grocery chains, we are a small bunch of fishmongers who strive to know all we can about the products you buy. We sell some pretty amazing produce and we have shelves full of sauces and seasonings to cook with, but fish is our bread and butter. It's what we do. We can tell you what the fish tastes like, where it comes from and how to cook it. We know why that fish is sustainable and what the health benefits are of eating it. We can always learn more but hopefully we can teach you a thing or two as well.

Speckled Trout, also called Spotted Sea Trout is in the croaker family and is a cousin of black drum and redfish.  It tastes like trout with the texture of whitefish.

"I realize that I am about to state an opinon that will likely be disputed, but here goes.  Speckled trout, also known as spotted weakfish or spotted sea trout, is the best eating fish in North America.  Better than Pacific salmon or sea bass?  Better than redfish or pompano?  Yes, yes, yes!"

Emeril Lagasse

Trout Fried in Almonds

4 white trout fillets with skin

1 cup sliced almonds

2 eggs

4 T olive oil

Salt and pepper

2 T herb butter, melted (optional)

Preheat oven to 250F

1.  Chop sliced almonds in a food processor into small pieces and pour onto a plate.

2.  Beat eggs together until well blended in a dish large enough to hold a trout fillet

3.  Season trout fillets with salt and pepper on both sides.

4.  Put 2 T oil into frying pan and set on medium high heat.

5.  When the pan is hot, quickly dip both sides of 2 fillets into eggs, then into almonds, and place in the skillet skin side down.  Cook until nuts are browned, about 2 minutes.  Flip and cook until nuts are browned on the flesh side, about 2 minutes.  There is no need to test for doneness.  If the nuts are browned, the trout is cooked.

6.  Remove to an oven proof dish and keep warm in the oven while frying the second two fillets.  If nuts were burned remove them from the pan before cooking the second batch.  Pour more oil into the pan if needed and repeat with the other two fillets.

7.  Optionally, pour 1-2 tsp of melted herb butter over each fillet before serving.

Trout Fricasse

4 trout fillets (approximately 6 ounces each)

1 tablespoon Kathleen's Catch Cajun seasoning

1/2 stick butter

1/4 c flour

6 c. thinly sliced onions

1/4 c. chopped celery

1/4 c.  chopped bell peppers

1 t. salt

1/2 t. cayenne

1 t. freshly ground black pepper

3 c water

2 T fresh lemon juice

2 T chopped parsley

Season the fish with the Cajun seasoning.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the flour and stir constantly for 5 to 6 minutes to make a medium brown roux, the color of peanut butter.

Add the onions, celery, bell pepper, salt, cayenne and black pepper.  Stir briskly, coating the vegetables with the roux mixture and separating the onion's rings.  Continue stirring for 6 to 7 minutes or until the vegetables are wilted.  Add the water and stir until the mixture thickens, 6 to 7 minutes.  Add the lemon juice and lay the trout in the pan and baste with the sauce.  Cover and cook for 6 to 7 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.  Add the parsley and remove from the heat.  Serve right away.

Cool Fish This Weekend

Red Snapper
Yellowfin Grouper
Tilefish
Mahi
Sheephead
Speckled Trout
B-liner snapper

By special order only (order Friday for Saturday pickup)
Pompano

Catch to Go

Through Sunday:

Chimichurri Hake

 with Green Beans and Garlic Roasted Potatoes

Starting Monday

Dry Rub Salmon

 with Cheesy Mashed Potatoes and Oven Roasted Brussel Sprouts

And Finally

Mia is the Assistant Manager at our store in Milton, and while she is a quiet sort, she is seriously smart and a great leader.   Recently she wrote a Facebook post in which she encouages people to stay motivated by not comparing themselves and their work to others.


Do better! Be better! I wasn't born an artist. I wanted to become an artist. I learned from others or taught myself how to draw, paint and print. For example these two prints were made a few months apart and you can see how I've improved. I got better through practice not from feeling bad that I wasn't at the same level as someone else. Take 2019 to improve something, anything you feel passionate towards.

As you can see, Mia is a real artist with real talent and no matter how hard I try I will never be able to come close to her work.    But Do Better!  Be Better! has become a mantra for the employees at our Milton store.  They laugh when they call it out to each other, reminding themselves to get busy and try harder.  It makes sense for all of us and I, for one, am going to do my best to do better and be better in 2019.  How about you?

Blessings,

Kathleen