Mrs. Alandur's Biranyi, King Crab and Wolf Fish

Hey Y'all,

I'm considering expanding my business to include raft sales so that you can hop in and paddle your way over to the store.  Please let me know if you think this would hurt my business as people might  just go out in the road and fish for their dinner.  What do you think?  #pleasestopraining #carsdontfloat #fishingfordinner

Fin Mail

Ivan Tucker gave us a 5 Star (yay!!) Review on Google!  Thank you, Ivan!

Very pleased and impressed with Kathleen's. The Red Snapper was as fresh as it came right off the boat.

Also lots of people gave rave reviews in our follow up emails about the Valentine's dinners.  I am so glad you loved it and appreciated having a nice meal at home with little work and planning.

Do your friends a favor and spead the word, y'all.  Everybody needs a place to buy fresh fish.

Catch Customers Can Cook!

I include people's pictures of their meals because I think it gives others an idea of things they could prepare for themselves.  Even if they don't send me a recipe, I believe that the pictures of simple meals people make at home with my fish are an encouragement to others who need inspiration.

Ellyn Foltz used to travel to India often for her work.  One of the people who worked for her must have really loved her because he took her to his mother's home in Chennai where she made this.  Ellyn is calling it Mrs. Alandur's Biranyi.

Mrs. Alandur's Biranyi

Serves six adults or three teenage boys

I T. extra virgin olive oil
½ cup brown (or regular) basmati rice
1 medium yellow onion (chopped)
1-2 cloves garlic (minced)
1-2 T minced fresh ginger
½ t ground coriander

1-2 T curry powder

Cayenne, to taste
1 potato (chopped, leave skin on)
2-3 carrots (roughly chopped after cleaning and peeling)
½-1 lb. uncooked, peeled, deveined shrimp from Kathleen’s
1-2 (14.5 oz.) cans diced tomatoes
½-1 (10 oz). bag thawed frozen peas
4-5 T Greek yogurt
1 jalapeno, chopped, optional
Fresh cilantro for garnish -also optional

This is a stew and what you add is completely flexible. I like lots of vegetables so I go with the larger portions suggested above. 

1. Prepare the rice. Can be done the day before. Set aside. 
2. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium high heat.
3.  Cook the onions for about five minutes. 
4.  Add the ginger and garlic and cook with the onions for about a minute or so. Add the dry spices and cook for just a minute or so with the onion mixture. Watch carefully as they will burn easily. You just want them to release the spice oil (scent).
5. Add about a cup or so of water to the pot and add the potato and carrot to the pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes until potatoes can be pierced with a fork.
6. Add the shrimp. Stir after 2-3 minutes to ensure even cooking.
7. Stir the thawed peas and tomatoes into the pot and heat through (no more than a few minutes) Remove from heat, stir in the rice and the yogurt.
8. Serve with a garnish of fresh cilantro and chopped jalapenos, if desired. In India, this would also be served with naan bread to dip into the stew.
9. Leftovers keep well in refrigerator. Heat gently before re-serving so that the yogurt does not separate.

Reason Number 6 to Shop at Kathleen's Catch

No surprise that one of the top reasons to shop at Kathleen's Catch is this lady right here, Sara Waterman, the manager of our store in Milton. Yes, she is my daughter, but I think that if you have met her you would agree that she is smart, cheerful, hardworking and a great asset to our business.    Having grown up in a fish family, Sara knows all about seafood and loves to share the news with her customers. Because she has worked for us for almost 8 years, everyone in Milton should know her and most of the Johns Creek customers remember her too.  Besides being a fishmonger extraordinare, Sara lives in Woodstock with her husband Nate, her son Joel and her step daughter Kailey.

Talk about a King Crab!

I spent President's Day doing some official research with a couple of my assistants at the Georgia Aquarium.

One of their favorite finds at the Aquarium was this Japanese Spider Crab.  As usual, I was unable to take a decent picture so I had to refer to Wikipedia for the image.

By Tsarli at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7252951

These crabs are clever.  They survive in the wild by hanging out nearly 2000 ft. deep on the ocean floor.  And they gather up a bunch of smaller animals and cement them to their backs as camouflage  to avoid being eaten.  Talk about taking advantage of your friends...

Anyway, this got me to thinking about crab, especially King Crab.  You know how delicious it is - delicate sweet flavor and tender texture.  You can use this crab for all kinds of appetizers, salads, soups and sautes.  It is best, though, just cracked and served with your favorite sauce or simply drawn butter.

Nutrition Facts per 3 oz. serving:

82 calories

16 g protein

1 g fat

0 g. monounsaturated 

1g. polyunsaturated

1 g carbohydrate

0 g sugar

0 g fiber

PLUS vitamin C, folate, vitamin B12, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, and selenium.

                 

Alaskan King Crab Salad with Avocado, Grapefruit and Citrus Ginger Vinaigrette

1 large or 2 small Ruby Red grapefruits

1 head butter lettuce

1 small head Belgian endive

1 avocado

1 lb. shelled Alaskan king crab (about 2 lbs. in shell)

1/3 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted

1/4 cup pomegranate seeds (optional)

Vinaigrette

2 T lemon juice

2 T lime juice

1 T orange juice 

1 t orange zest

1 T finely minced fresh ginger

2 t Dijon mustard

1 T honey

1/3 c olive oil

1/4 t salt

Cayenne to taste

Make the vinaigrette first:  In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients until well combined.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, up to three days.

Cut the peel and all the white pith from the grapefruit, exposing the flesh.  WIth a small paring knife, cut out the grapefruit segments and place in a bowl and set aside.

Using mainly the inner leaves of the butter lettuce, tear larger leaves into bite-sized pieces.  Cut the root off the endive and peel off each leaf.  Arrange the leaves in a stack and cut them in half lengthwise.  Cut the avocado in quarters; peel and slice thinly.

Toss the lettuces with half of the vinaigrette.  Divide between 4 plates, placing the greens in high mounds and pulling some endive pieces to the top.  Divide the avocado slices and grapefruit on top of each salad.  Divide the crabmeat between the salads and sprinkle salads with almonds and pomegranate seeds.  Pass the remaining dressing drizzle over crab.

What's Cool This Weekend?

Wolf fish is not a fish we carry regularly because people will often pass over fish they are not familiar with.  Sometimes it is because unfamiliar fish might not be the prettiest fish in the seafood case, but wolf fish is delicious AND beautiful.  The fillets are thick and very white.  The meat is sweet and the texture is on the firm side so it holds up to every cooking method.  It gets its name from its canine looking fangs but you won't be seeing those in our case today.  Just beautiful, white fillets.  Go out on a limb.  Try something different.  With this fish, you won't be sorry.  

Catch to Go

Ohhh soooo goooood.  It's our Low Country Bake. Yep, an Oven Ready Low Country Boil.  If you haven't tried this one, you better get going!  It's available until Sunday. 

Starting Monday, enjoy the Italian Herb Swordfish with a grape, almond, barley salad.

And Finally

I think I know who you are.

You are a lucky person.  You can read.  You own a device with an internet connection.  Most likely you eat some of the best seafood available in the world.  You own a car (or a raft - see first paragraph) to get you to the fish store.  You have a home with an indoor kitchen to prepare your seafood meals.
You sleep in a soft bed in a temperature controlled room.  You go to church or you don't go to church, because you get to choose.  You vote or don't vote because you get to choose.  When you are sick, you go to the doctor and when you are bored you go to the movies, or the bookstore or the golf course. 

Be grateful for where we live and how we live.  Life is good, right?

Blessings,
Kathleen

What Were You Saying?

Hey Y'all,

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day yesterday.   Thank you to everyone who ordered  Valentine's Day meals from us.  It was so much fun and so rewarding to help you celebrate the love of your life in a special way.  I hope it all turned out well and that you enjoyed every bite.

Reason Number 5 to Shop at Kathleen's Catch
Our shrimp. 

We don't advertise our shrimp as small, medium, large, jumbo, colossal, or superdupergigantic.  We tell you how many are in a pound.  If we say 16/20 that means there are 16 to 20 in a pound.  If we say 21/25 you will know that these are just a bit smaller.

And our shrimp is domestic and wild caught - almost always from Brunswick, GA but sometimes from North Carolina or Florida.  And you won't find chemicals such as sodium tripolyphosphate (phosphate - as in laundry detergent) added to increase shelf-life or to cause them to soak up water so they weigh more (and cost more). 

Catch to Go

Through Sunday it is

Salsa Verde Baked Salmon with Green Beans, Grape Tomatoes and Jasmine Rice

Next week - Low Country Bake

Everyone loves the Low Country Boil.  If eating your dinner off of newspaper is your thing, we can surely hook you up with all the necessary ingredients, minus the newspaper, to make your own mess. 

But if you really just love the food and the flavors of a Low Country, buy our Catch to Go oven ready meal.  You just pop it in the oven and voila!  When meal is complete, serve in container with a side of newspaper to read.  A no mess coastal experience!

Cool Catches This Weekend
Red snapper - whole and fillet
Corvina
Black drum
Monkfish
Red grouper
Walleye
Golden tile
Large stone crab

Souper Seafood Stew

Mariners' Pepper Pot with Orzo

adapted from Simply Seafood magazine

Serves 6

1 medium leek, white part only
2 T olive oil, divided
1 large onion, thinly sliced
3 T minced fresh garlic
2 orange or green bell peppers, seeded, cut into 1/2" dice
1 can (15 oz.) crushed tomatoes with juice
1 cup orzo
1 t crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 t salt
1-1/2 cups clam juice or fish stock
1-1/2 cups dry white wine
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
12 ounces swordfish, cut into 3/4" cubes
1/2 lb. cleaned squid tubes, cut into 1/4" rings
1/2 lb. black mussels
18 littleneck clams
Parmesan cheese

Clean and thinly slice leeks crosswise.  In a large frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat.  Add leak, onion and garlic and cook, stirring until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add peppers and tomatoes and stir until peppers are tender and mixture is thick, 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a 4 quart saucepan, heat remaining tablespoon of oil over medium heat.  Add orzo and pepper flakes.  Saute' until orzo is golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes.  Stir in 2 cups of boiling water.  Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until orzo is tender and slightly soupy, about 15 minutes. 

To orzo, add salt, clam juice (or fish stock), wine, parsley and pepper and bring to a boil.  Gently stir in tomato mixture, swordfish, squid, mussels and clams.  Simmer until fish is barely opaque and mussels and clams have opened, about 3 minutes.  Do not overcook as the fish will continue to cook as the soup stands. 

Remove and discard any clams and mussels that did not open. 

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired, before serving.

Wine News At Milton
Wine tasting today from 3:00 to 6:00 at our Milton location.  Stop by and have a taste of some very special wines.

And Finally
My memory of Valentine's Day when I was a kid is decorating a box and bringing a little Valentine card to each person in the class (even the boys!!) .  It was sweet and simple.  As an adult I tend to totally over-complicate things by making it one of the biggest sales days of the year for our stores, which is a good thing.  But overcomplicating things at home isn't such a great idea.  This year I didn't buy a card.  Instead, I picked one out while we were grocery shopping and forced Mr. Fish to memorize it so that he would remember it on Thursday.  Putting it back on the card rack saved me $7.00. 

Mr. Fish caught the cheapster bug and made me a Valentine on his computer and emailed it to me.  Bam.  Another $7.00 to go towards wine.

Although I was too cheap to buy a card, I did come up with a gift for my Valentine.  I promised to be a better listener.  The truth is I am a terrible conversationalist.  As soon as someone starts to talk to me,  I begin formulating my response and once I know what I am going to reply, I zone out until it is my turn to talk.  My Valentine's gift to my husband is to take myself and my responses out of the conversation and truly listen. 

If I can develop this habit, I might just give the same gift to you.

Now what was it you were saying?

Blessings,
Kathleen

Valentine's, Perfect Pesce Portions, Triggerfish

Hey Y'all,

I think the whole city of Atlanta should take a long nap after that Super Bowl!  We made a grand impression on the world thanks to the hard work of a lot of people.  And how about that Atlanta Chief of Police?  I heard Chief Erika Shields on a number of radio interviews and couldn't help but think that, boy, she's got her act together.  I hope she planned a nice long vacation for this post -SuperBowl week.

Fin Mai
Kathleen's Catch is truly a gem in Johns Creek. I have been coming since they opened and have never been disappointed.  I recently spent time in Maine eating lots of lobster and paying anywhere from $19.95 - $25.00 for lobster rolls. Kathleen's is a bargain.

Thanks, Deborah, for mentioning the price of lobster rolls.  People get on Yelp and other places and complain about their size.  Frankly, I couldn't eat more than one if I tried, but for people with large appetities, buying 2 gets you just about in the ball park of our competitors' pricing for one.  They really are a deal!

Irene Jurnac gave us a nice, short review on Google:

Best fresh fish and seafood ever.

Well.  Enough said.

Catch Customers Can Cook
I  ran into Emily Brehmer at the Johns Creek store the other day and reminded her to send me her dinner photos.

Grilled tuna over sautéed spinach and spaghetti squash with baby bell peppers in a balsamic reduction ,  Kathleen's fresh fish is the star!  (Aww shucks)

If you think that tuna looks pretty tasty, get a look at this salmon!  Emily says it's a Whole 30 recipe and is served with roasted tomatoes and fennel, blistered green beans and spaghetti squash.

Reason Number 4 to Shop at Kathleen's Catch

Our portions are the perfect piece of fish.   We provide fresh fish from our seafood cases to you in three forms.  You can buy a fillet that is sold by the lb.  You can buy whole fish that are sold by the lb.  Or you can buy portions of fish that are sold by the piece.  I like to think of these as portional pesce perfection.

These portions cost more than buying fish by the lb. because as the picture says, there is no skin, no bones, no waste.  There's nothing to throw away.   We make it easy for you!

Valentine's Day
It's coming up next week so it's time to put your thinking caps on.  You need to come up with the reservations at a crowded restaurant.  No problem! Well, except that you waited too long and the only available times are at 10:45.  Hmmm.  Since Valentine's Day is on a Thursday, the two of you are going to be verrry sleepy on Friday morning. And that Valentine's meal is going to set you back the whole month's budget for dinner out.  And you already arranged for that sitter, didn't you?

Hey - we've got your back.  Forget the crowded restaurants and overpriced meals.  Celebrate the love of your life at home, in your slippers.   Since Valentine's Day is on Thursday this year, you need to have a meal that comes together quickly after work, but is still so special that you and your "someone" will be talking about it for days.  We got this.  First thing to do is click here:

https://www.kathleenscatch.com/valentine-dinner-special

As you can see, it's a meal for two.  Just go down the list and pick out your favorite appetizer, entree and dessert.  Send in the form and we will call you to answer any questions, finalize your order and collect the payment.  On Thursday, you just drop by and pick it up.  Make sure you get this order in by Monday.  We need a few days to get it all together so we have to cut off orders at the end of business on Monday. 

Now you need some wine.  Susan Metz, owner of both the Milton and Johns Creek Wine and Crystal, did the picking out for you.

For the appetizer course, 

Marigny-Neuf Sauvignon Blanc $15.99

The color is crystal clear and there are traces of mint. Piercingly fruity with notes of genêt and ivy. Sharp but rich.  That is to say, despite being beautifully dressed, it has a bit of bite. A very aromatic finish is a definite sign that this is a great Sauvignon (and one of Susan's favorites).

For the entree

Bethel Heights Estate Pinot Noir - $30.99

Silky and vibrant, with spirited raspberry and violet aromas that open to effortlessly complex flavors of black cherry, black tea, cardamom and other dark spices.

For the dessert

Koda Wine - $16.99

Premium dessert wine meets decadent natural chocolate flavors. A delightful finish to a perfect meal. Is it the end or just the beginning?

Wait, what?  You can't drink three bottles of wine on a Thursday night?  Then this is the one that covers all the courses:

Jacquart Champagne Brut - $29.99

This champagne is satin pale yellow with golden nuances and jade highlights. Fine bubbles herald a fresh and fairly rich Champagne. Flowery scents of honeyed, honeysuckle petals, fruit aromas of crushed pear, candied lemon and peach, and soft, creamy notes with biscuit and fresh bread crust unfurl on first pour. Fleshy, fruit-driven weight develops on the palate which is forthright, ethereal and generous.

Milton Wine and Crystal  is located inside the Milton Kathleen's Catch .  Johns Creek  Wine and Crystal is next door to the Johns Creek Kathleen's Catch.

Catch to Go
Through Sunday:

Horseradish Crusted Mahi with Spinach, Mushrooms and Jasmine Rice

And next week starting Monday:

Salsa Verde Salmon with Green Beans and Jasmine Rice

What's Cool this Weekend

Have you tried trigger yet?  It is one of my favorite fish, but I thought I would dig into my gigantic collection of seafood cookbooks and get some other opinions.

In the Appendix of Cooking Fish and Shellfish by Ruth Spear (1980) I found this:

"Varieties include the queen trigger and the ocean tally, sometimes called Turbot.  Hard to clean, leathery skin."

What?  That's it?

Even in my more recent cookbooks, all I could find was in Barton Seaver's Two if By Sea (2016) which says:  this dense fish is a textual cross between snapper and grouper with meaty fillets, a mild sweetness and a briny finish.  broil, fry, grill, saute, smoke, stew

Am I the only one that adores this fish?

Finally, in James Patterson's Fish and Shellfish (1996) I found what I was looking for, a true description of trigger.

"If you are lucky enough to spot one  of these at the market - and you'll run into one only if you live along the Eastern Seaboard or in the Caribbean - snatch it up right away.  Triggerfish have delicious firm flesh that takes well to almost any cooking method.  They are peculiar-looking with long hairlike rays sticking out of the tail and the rear dorsal fin.  The name triggerfish refers to an unusual interlocking dorsal fin that has to be "unlocked" by releasing a trigger-shaped spine.  Most triggerfish are slightly longer than a foot and weigh about 2 pounds.  They have very strong scales and tough skin, so I usually just fillet them and remove the skin from the fillets.  The flesh is very firm and lean and can be used in soups and stews, panfried or braised."

This says it all.  If you see it, snatch it up. 

Also, black bass from North Carolina, tile from Florida, fluke flounder from North Carolina and all the other great fish we carry - swordfish, tuna, mahi, Atlantic salmon, Chilean sea bass, steelhead trout.  The list goes on and on ...

And Finally
Just this:

Blessings,
Kathleen

Super Bowl, Black Bass and More About My Dog

Hey Y'all,

What a week!  We got a snow day with no snow.  And beautiful weather for the weekend.  And a huge "Commercial Watching" party to look forward to on Sunday!  Our cup is overflowing!!

Fin Mail
There are a surprising number of people who read my blog and don't regularly shop at my store.  If you are one of these people, pay attention!  These quotes about how good we are are included just for YOU!

From Julie Sanders on Google:
Bought a pound of mussels YESTERDAY. Ended up cooking them today due to time restraints and thought I may have screwed up on freshness. Well, they were awesome! Every single one opened in the broth and were scrumptious! Never disappointed with Kathleen's fresh fish and shellfish. So fortunate to have this amazing provider.

Great staff, too. Always friendly and helpful. Good suggestions for how to cook their different items. BTW, also purchased some fresh green beans that tasted like they were hours from the farm! So yummy.

Catch Customers Can Cook!
Here's how Leslie prepared her red snapper last week:

Purchased red snapper filet on Tuesday. Have to tell you how delicious it was! I merely seasoned with lemon pepper and a few other herbs. Baked. Served with a sautéed cherry tomato/caper/ lemon sauce. It was perfect. Will be back soon to try covina or hake.

Ellen's been sending me more pictures! Here's the latest. It's monkfish!

I promise I won’t continually bombard you with dinner pics but the monk fish was another great success. Plated with asparagus risotto.  We prepped the monk fish with lemon juice, sea salt and cracked pepper and pan seared it. It was great with the risotto.  I’m excited for the next new fish to try!

John Steele sent this hint over after hearing about our Dungeness crab last week.

A sauce for the Dungeness:   in a mayo jar add equal parts ketchup and mayo, two good shakes of soy sauce, two long squirts of lemon juice, three teaspoons of horseradish and a little bit of wine vinegar. Shake till all is blended. Any left overs make a good salad dressing.

And to drive his point home, he mixed up some of our fresh Dungeness crab in this sauce and brought it to Sara to taste. (She was bragging about it all weekend.)

Why shop with Kathleen's Catch? Reason Number 3
We take care of the ocean!  That's why you will find a healthy mix of fish farmed at the best aquaculture facilities in the world and wild caught fish from the most sustainable populations in the ocean.  You can feel good about what you buy from us because you know we are paying attention.   Here's a bit from our mission statement:  "We remain committed to careful stewardship of the world's oceans and are dedicated to the preservation of marine resources in the interest of providing a healthy protein source for future generations."  Simply said,  we worry about your health, your grandchildren's health and the health of the planet.

Superbowl is Here!
We have plenty of options for you to enjoy in between the commercials. 

Lobster tails - all sizes from 4 oz. to 12 oz.

 Stone Crab! - simply crack 'em and eat 'em

We have the sauce too!

All kinds of raw oysters and a plate to serve them on

Party Trays - aka How To Impress Your Guests

King Crab Legs for the King aka How to Impress Your Husband

Caviar - aka How to Impress Your Tastebuds

This is Iranian Caviar which is in short supply so call in a hurry if you want some.  All caviars including this one must be ordered today for your dining pleasure this weekend.  

Valentine's Day

I know it's all about football this weekend but just in case you are planning ahead, here's our Valentine's Day offering.

https://www.kathleenscatch.com/valentine-dinner-special

More about this next week!

Catch Employees Can Cook!
 Mia Kosko is a multi-talented individual.  Two weeks ago I showed you her paintings.  This week you get a recipe.  She wrote this using black bass but any mild white fish or even salmon will do.

Black Bass the Way Mia Does It

1 lb. black bass
1/2 cup vegetable stock
2 Tbs fresh ginger
2 Tbs soy sauce
1 tsp maple syrup (or honey/brown sugar)
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/8 tsp cumin
Dash cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
Corn starch
Rice
Steamed veggies

Heat 1 Tbs oil in a non stick-pan over medium heat. Place the fish skin side up and cook until you get a nice crisp on it. Flip the fish and turn heat to low. Mix all the other ingredients and pour it over the fish. Place a lid over the fish and allow the mixture to simmer for 3 minutes. If the mixture is too watery, make a cornstarch slurry and the mixture should thicken within a minute. Remove from heat and serve over rice with steamed veggies.

Catch to Go
This week is Roasted Cod with Succotash

Starting Monday it is Horseradish Crusted Mahi (my personal favorite) with spinach and mushrooms

What's Cool in the Stores This Weekend?
Trigger from North Carolina
Black Bass (see recipe above)
Permit from Florida
Red Grouper from Madeira Beach (especially beautiful and extra nice)
B-liner snapper from Florida

Lots of USA fish!!

And Finally
When the alarm clock goes off in the morning, my dog wags his tail.

I just realized this week that he does this and it really touched me.  What a wonderful thing to greet the day with your tail wagging, to greet the day with the expectation that great things await you!  Refuse to begin with negativity.  Let your wagging tail swipe away anxiety and depression and start the day the way the dog does.  Be thrilled to see whoever is in front of you.  Try not to drool but eat your breakfast with enthusiasm! Schedule in a walk and a nap if you can. Give yourself a treat.  And a scratch behind the ears.

Blessings,
Kathleen