Hey Y'all,
Are you feeling lucky? This weekend, if you are Irish, you might want to buy a lottery ticket. Where do you think the phrase the Luck of the Irish came from? Many Irish were gold miners back in the day. Whenever they struck gold people attributed that to the Luck of the Irish! (and apparently not due to their skill at mining...)
Halbut's Back
Yesterday was pi day. Guess what today is. It's the opening of halibut season!!! YAY!! We should be seeing this fav fish early next week. Call us up if you want to be sure it is in but in the meantime drag out those halibut recipes and get ready!
With all the talk of sustainability and fishing out the oceans, it is hard to remember what healthy fish populations look like. Pacific halibut is one. Alaska's total halibut catch this year is 22 million lbs. Read that again - 22 MILLION POUNDS! And this is up 1.5 million lbs. from last year. Here's what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA - those folks in charge of making sure our oceans stay full of fish) had to say about the increase in catch limits:
“While the overall quota for 2019 is a slight increase over 2018, the catch limits agreed to at the meeting reflect a sensible, conservative approach that will secure the future of this iconic and economically important species,”
How to Stretch Your Seafood Dollar
I was at an event last week with some friends when someone with less than perfect manners mentioned my "$20 plus/lb shrimp". Because I am a wisecracker, I just said "you get what you pay for." But the truth is I don't sell shrimp that costs $20.00/lb. This is not to say, though, that carrying the very best seafood available isn't an expensive proposition. Even low quality seafood isn't cheap. But seafood is such an important part of your diet that you should do what you can to include it in your menus at least twice a week.
Of course you can always shop our discount freezer for the best deals in the store. And another way to stretch your seafood dollars is to extend the more expensive ingredients by combining them with flavorful, nutritious and inexpensive items such as vegetables, pasta or rice.
This recipe adapted from an old Simply Seafood Magazine originally called for clams. Feel free to substitute or add mussels, scallops, shrimp, crawfish or chunks of firm fleshed fish - whatever your budget will allow. You can use any fresh herbs you have in place of the dried - just double the amount shown for dried seasonings.
Seafood and Vegetable Bowl
Serves 4
1 lb. red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 3/4" cubes
2 lbs. littleneck clams
1 T olive oil
3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 t. dry basil leaves
1/2 t. dry oregano
1/2 t. dry thyme
1/2 t. dry rosemary
1/2 t. crushed fennel seeds
1 can (28 oz.) whole tomatoes
1 small zucchini (1/4 to 1/3 lb.), cut into 1/2" slices
1 small yellow squash (1/4 to 1/3 lb.) cut into 1/2" slices
1/4 lb. fresh green beans, ends trimmed
Put the potatoes in a medium saucepan with cold water to cover. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered until the potatoes are just tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes and cover to keep warm.
Meanwhile, scrub the clams (or mussels, or both) and discard any that are not tightly closed or that do not close when shells are pressed together. Drain.
In a large pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary and fennel seeds and stir until the onion is tender, about 6 minutes. Quarter the tomatoes, reserving their juice. Add the tomatoes and juice to pan, cover and bring to a boil.
Add the cooked potatoes, zucchini and beans. Stir in the clams, cover and simmer until the shells open, 5 to 6 minutes. Discard any clams or mussels that do not open. Divide the seafood, vegetables and broth among 4 large bowls and serve immediately.
Mu Shu Salmon
aka Stretch Those Salmon Dollars
Serves 4
12 small (6-or 8-inch) flour tortillas or 8 larger (10-inch) tortillas
6 to 8 dried shiitake mushrooms (or use less expensive white mushrooms)
3/4 lb. skinless salmon fillet, pin bones removed. (Ask us to do this for you!)
1 T soy sauce
1 T sesame oil
2 T olive oil
3 large eggs, slightly beaten
4 green onions, shredded
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 T minced fresh ginger
4 c.shredded Napa cabbage
2 T water
1/4 to 1/3 c. hoisin sauce, duck sauce or plum sauce
Stack the tortillas and wrap in foil. Just before serving, heat in a 350 degree oven until hot,15 minutes.
Soak the dried mushrooms in a bowl of hot tap water until tender, 15 to 30 minutes. Drain and gently squeeze the mushrooms. (If you are substituting white button mushrooms, saute in 1 T. of olive oil for 1 minute). Discard the tough stems, then cut the caps in slivers. Set aside in a large bowl.
Rinse the fish in cold water and pat dry. Slice the salmon crosswise into strips 1/4" thick and set aside. Combine the soy sauce and sesame oil in a small bowl and set aside.
Heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat. Add 1 teaspoon of the olive oil swirling to coat the sides. When oil is hot, add eggs and cook until set, stirring constantly to break up the eggs, about 2 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the mushrooms.
Add another 2 teaspoons of oil to the wok. Add salmon and stir gently until just opaque on the outside, 1-2 minutes. Add to mushrooms.
Scrape any cooked bits of fish from wok and discard (drizzle a lttle water into pan to loosen cooked-on bits). Turn heat to medium and add remaining tablespoon of oil. When the oil is hot, add the green onions, garlic and ginger and stir until fragrant and the onion is bright green, about one minute. Add the cabbage and water and stir until cabbage wilts, 1 to 2 minutes. Return the mushrooms, egg and salmon to the wok. Pour in the soy mixture and toss the ingredients until thoroughly combined and heat through. Taste the mixture for seasoning, adding more soy sauce or sesame oil as needed.
To eat, spoon 1/2 to 1 teaspoon hoisin sauce down the center of the tortilla - a little more for the larger tortillas. Spoon about 1/3 cup of the filling (1/2 c. for larger tortilla) over the sauce, then fold three sides of tortilla over the filling to enclose, leaving one end open.
There you have it, two seafood stretcher meals. One is Italiany and one is Chinesey. If you want to make them for St. Patrick's Day, simply add green food coloring.
A Few of the Available Fish This Weekend
Corvina
Red Snapper
Monkfish
Cod
Flounder
Rainbow trout
Haddock
And a whole lot more...
By special order only (order Friday for Saturday delivery)
King mackerel
Catch to Go
Through Sunday it's Honey Jalapeno Salmon with Black Beans, Corn and Spinach Salad.
Next week starting Monday,
Blackened Mahi
Cheddar Cheese Grits and Hickory Roasted Garlic Asparagus
Wine Tasting at Milton
If you are in the Milton area Friday afternoon between 3:00 and 6:00 stop by and check out our weekly wine tasting. Why?
- You get to taste really good wines
- It's free
- It's kid friendly (well, they don't get taste but we are happy to have them around.)
- Sara will give you a discount on your seafood if you buy wine. How's that for stretching those seafood dollar?
And Finally
My maiden name, Regan, my green eyes and my daughter's red hair attest to my long line of Irish ancestors. Yet, my great grandfather, Michael Spratt, was a private in the Union Army in the Civil War and was wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg so that makes me pretty darn American too.
St. Patrick's Day makes me think about immigrants and what it means to assimilate into a society. The Irish weren't the most beloved immigrants in our nation's history. They were looked down upon as poor and uneducated. But on March 17th, we dye the rivers green and wear shamrocks because "Everyone's an Irishman on St. Patrick's Day!"
It's a fine line for immigrants to embrace local language and customs and at the same time hang on to their cultural identity. But one of the best things about America is that there really isn't an "American" culture that is distinct from all the different nationalities represented in our vast country. In America, all her parts add up to much more than her smaller pieces. We are way better together than separate.
Erin go bragh and God bless America.
Kathleen
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