Catch our Catch to Go and Cooking Classes

Dear Fish Friends,

Last week I told you all about how we freeze our fish and sell it at a discount if it doesn't sell from our fresh cases for longer than 2 days.   We offered our customers a buy one get one free deal and managed to make some room in our discount freezers.  Thanks!

Besides saving you money in our discount freezer,  Kathleen's Catch is committed to saving you time too!  Fall is the hardest time of the year to get families together at the dinner table; there are just too many other things going on that interfere with the dinner hour.  Imagine a mid-week afternoon as a parent of three busy kids.  You get off work at 4:00 to fight traffic home to pick up the kids.  Drop one at his tutoring session, one at her gymnastic class and the third at basketball.  You finish dropping them off just in time to get back to pick up the first and then make the cycle again.  By the time you reach home, it's time to get the homework started, answer a few work emails and try to throw in a few loads of laundry so the kids won't look homeless at school tomorrow.  Then make the lunches, check the homework, fold the clothes, chase the kids to the showers and it's off to bed. Wait.  Did you forget something?  What happened to dinner? 

Dinner could be the fast food you grabbed at a drive through in between kid's activities.  Or it could be sandwiches thrown together while checking homework.  Or it could be a beautiful piece of incredibly fresh fish, seasoned perfectly and accompanied by a delicious, healthy side dish.

 Catch to Go from Kathleen's Catch is based on two simple truths:
1. People just don't always have time to prepare a home cooked meal.
2. Take out fish is gross. 

We create our Catch to Go meals so that you simply take the meal home, follow the directions on the package which is often basically to pre-heat the oven.  Pop the meal in the oven.  Remove and eat. Some of our long-time Catch to Go customers don't even bother putting the meal on a plate.  They simply eat right out of our foil pans!  A healthy dinner could not be more delicious or any easier.

 This week's  offerings are:

Barramundi with Charmoula Seasoning and Green Beans 

(one of my favorites) 

and 

Parmesan Salmon with Asparagus 

(This sauce smelled heavenly while it was cooking in the store)

Do yourself a favor and try a meal this week.

I took advantage of the warm temperatures last Saturday and took a quick trip to Amicalola Falls to check out the hiking trails. I am planning a bigger hiking trip in the next few weeks and wanted to see if this was the place.  I've been coming to Amicolola Falls since I was a teenager and I have never seen it quite as beautiful as it was last Saturday. Here's a picture I took from the bridge across the top.  It was a perfect day.  And this photo makes me want to get out my jigsaw puzzles and put together the one with all the fall colors.  

 

 Consider, this week, having a dinner with your family.  Even if you don't do our Catch to Go, sit everyone at the table and eat a meal.  Ban electronics and   enjoy yourselves. 

And take a few minutes to appreciate what a wonderful area we live in with places like Amicolola Falls just a short drive away.  After all, Thanksgiving is just around the corner -it's time to get in the habit of being thankful.

And one more thing.  I am planning a cooking demonstration for both the Johns Creek and the Milton stores to show you how to prepare one of my favorite fish in a manner fit for holiday company.   I would also like to show you other ways to incorporate seafood into your holiday meals and parties.  The Johns Creek class will be at 2:00 on November 15th in the Viande Rouge dining room. And the Milton class will be November 22 at 2:00 in the Milton store.  Keep your eye out for a sign up sheet in the stores next week and reserve this spot on your calendars.  It will be fun and delicious!

Blessings,

Kathleen

Deals in the Discount Freezer

Hey Ya'll,

We are well underway now at our new store in Milton and we are so happy to have met many wonderful people!

When I first opened my store in Johns Creek I would send out a pretty lengthy email every week describing all the plans I had and giving recipes that I had actually tested.  I wrote and wrote and wrote some more about all the fish I sell and why you should buy it from me instead of my competition.  If I do say so myself, my emails became quite popular.  As I gained confidence, pictures of my grandchildren and my dog started appearing and I began telling stories about things I love or things I find particularly funny in addition to fish stuff.  The emails worked!  In fact, they worked so well that my business grew and grew and after a while I didn't have time to write them anymore! 

These days I am still busy but I think it is important that  all our new friends in Milton know about who we are and what we sell.  They need to learn about sustainability and aquaculture and new ways to cook fish.  And they probably would like to see a photo or two of my grandchildren.  (Who wouldn't? I have really cute grandkids).  Besides,  I still have a lot of stories I'd like to tell to anyone who will listen or read...

SO

I'm back.

I want to tell you about one part of our business that is very important to our success:  the discount freezer.  In Johns Creek it is that little white freezer across from the fish cases.  In Milton, it is the last door of the display freezer.  These freezers hold a treasure trove of fish!  If we don't sell the fish in our fresh cases in two days, we vacuum seal, freeze and mark it down 20%!  The fish in these freezers are still wayyy better than grocery store fish.  You can pick up fresh fish for dinner tonight and get some frozen for dinner tomorrow.  Buying this frozen fish helps us keep our prices down because we never have to throw fish away.  

To let our new Milton customers know about the discount freezer and to remind our Johns Creek customers about it, we are having a BOGO sale!  You pay for the more expensive package, we give you the cheaper one.  That, my friends, is a deal.   

Here's what's in the discount freezer this week:

Verlasso salmon 

Pompano 

Rainbow Trout 

Black Drum 

Steelhead Trout 

Mahi 

Swordfish 

Maki Shark 

Halibut 

Cod 

Catfish 

Flounder 

West Coast Dover Sole 

Barramundi 

Red Grouper 

Corvina 

Walleye 

Monkfish 

Haddock

 

Again, thanks to our new Milton friends for such a warm welcome and thanks to our Johns Creek friends for supporting us for 4 1/2 years.  We love all of you.

Blessings,

Kathleen

2015 Seafood Showdown Winning Recipe!

Hey Ya'll,

We love fall at Kathleen's Catch because that's when we have our favorite event - the annual grilling competition at the Johns Creek location!  This year's contest was held last Saturday, October 16th and after last year's rain, the weather gods took pity on us and gave us the most gorgeous day to celebrate fish, wine and friends.   

l-r  Me, Gary Smith-2012 winner holding Nora Daunais, Bob Crowell  (next year is your year, Bob), Jeanette Gilmore- 2013 and 2014 winner with Clair Daunais, Jim Daunais - owner of Johns Creek Wine and Crystal (back row), Yale Metz (in front - because he was the winner and, well, he is short), Kathy Daunais, Peter Hall (back row  - because, well, he is very tall) and Susan Metz

Every year Johns Creek Wine and Crystal,  Kathleen's Catch - Johns Creek and Viande Rouge join together to sponsor this grilling competition.  And what an intense competition it is!  Four local amateur chefs don their aprons and produce some of best grilled seafood you can find in Johns Creek and beyond!   Many of our customers and friends (same thing) come to eat and vote for their favorite chef's creation.   Besides the seafood from Kathleen's Catch and side dishes from Viande Rouge, you get to taste some of the best wines Johns Creek has to offer... AND IT'S ALL FREE!  

And the winner is....

Yale Metz won the 2015 JCWC and KC Seafood Showdown with this amazing recipe:

Corvina Grilled in Banana Leaf with Ancho Chili Glaze 

& Grilled Pineapple Salsa
(Serves 6)

Ingredients:
•    6 6-oz pieces of Corvina
•    6 banana leaf pieces for wrapping fish
•    3 dried Ancho chilies *
•    3 cloves garlic
•    1/2 yellow onion cut into rings
•    1 cup orange juice
•    1/4 cup honey
•    1/2 pineapple cut into 1/2 inch rings
•    1/2 cup soy sauce
•    1/4 cup diced red pepper
•    1/4 cup diced red onion
•    1 diced Fresno chili (or other spicy pepper) *
•    1/4 cup chopped cilantro
•    Juice of 2-3 lime

 (This can be fairly spicy. To reduce the heat, de-seed some of the peppers)

How to Prepare:
1.    Ancho Chili Glaze: Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a heavy pan and toast the Ancho chilies until browned but not burnt. Remove from pan. Add garlic and onion and brown, turning frequently for a few minutes. Once onions are browned, add peppers back to pan followed by orange juice and cook until vegetables are soft. Transfer mixture to a blender and puree with honey until smooth.

2.    For the Pineapple Salsa: Pour the soy sauce over the pineapple and let marinate for about 20 minutes, reserving a few teaspoons for the finished salsa. Remove the pineapple from the soy and grill (med high to high heat) until slightly softened and charred. Dice pineapple, discarding skin and core. Combine with the red pepper, diced Fresno chili, cilantro, red onion, lime juice and reserved soy sauce.

3.    For the Fish: Pat fillets dry and brush with the prepared Ancho Chili Glaze. Wrap each fillet in a banana leaf to make a kind of pouch. Place each pouch seam side down onto grill and grill fish over medium heat until done (about 11 minutes). Remove pouches from grill and place seam side up on a plate. Open up each pouch but leave the fish on the banana leaf so the leaf is part of the visual presentation. Top each piece of fish with pineapple salsa and serve.


Thanks again to Gary, Jeanette, Bob and Yale.  You are all great friends and great cooks!

The Second Time is Harder, Sashimi Tuna and a Neighborhood Plug

Dear Friends of  Fantastically Fresh Fish,

Neighborhood Plug
I had lunch last weekend at 1001 Nights at the corner of Wilson Road and 141 in the shopping center with Great Harvest.  I had been there before when it had a different name and was completely unimpressed, but last weekend I found out is has new ownership and great Persian food!

www.1001nightspersiancuisine.com

The Second Time is the Hardest

I took a vacation a few weeks ago and did two things I have always wanted to do.  I visited Las Vegas and I hiked in the Grand Canyon.  What a trip!  I flew into Vegas where it took all of one evening  to realize that I do not know how to gamble.  The next day I drove to Peach Springs, AZ for a three day hike to Havasu Falls and Mooney Falls.

Jumping off cliffs is something I would NEVER have done in my youth but something I feel much more comfortable doing as an adult.  On my Grand Canyon trip, there were lots of places to jump into creeks and waterfalls and I took advantage of every one.  I discovered something interesting about taking risks:  it's way easier to make the first jump than the second.  That seems strange because, if you are standing there contemplating the second jump, you obviously survived the first!  I can only explain it this way - I'm the sort of person who loves a challenge.  If you tell me the water is deep enough and that other people jump at this place all the time, I will gather up all my nerve and with very little thought at all, I will charge up that hill, trot right to the edge and JUMP! 

The second time must be harder because I have already proven that I can do it.   I don't have all the adrenaline rush that propels me to the edge.  Nobody is paying much attention to me jumping the second time.  There is time to contemplate, "What the heck was I thinking jumping off a cliff at 52 years old?"  There is a lot more to tell about this amazing trip but since this is really a seafood blog I have to make some connection to my work. Here is the connection:

I'm jumping off a different sort of cliff for the second time with my new store in Milton. 
The opening is just two weeks away.   And I'm having all those second jump anxieties.


Things are going along perfectly. The Milton community seems very excited at the thought of a seafood market in the neighborhood.  The new space is in a gorgeous building and is coming together just like I envisioned.  It's a chance for me to do all the things I wished I had done in Johns Creek.  After all, I opened the Johns Creek with my eyes squeezed shut.  With the opening of the new store, my eyes are wide open.  My fingers are crossed but my eyes are open.

And my Johns Creek customers are stopping by to check on progress.  Here's Johns Creek customer Pam Scripture checking out my new store in Milton. 

Opening day is scheduled for August 29th.  More details next week...

A Favorite Tuna Recipe
The lovely Sherry Tennant gave us this delicious recipe for sashimi tuna.  I stood in the kitchen and ate it out of the mixing bowl.  I mean really.  I barely got it to the table. 

Sherry's Sashimi Tuna 

1 lb tuna

2 serrano peppers, seeded and very finely chopped

1 T plus 1t finely grated ginger

1T toasted sesame seeds

1 clove garlic through garlic press

½ t kosher salt

¼ c canola oil

2 t sesame oil

1 t distilled white vinegar

1 t fish sauce

Toast sesame seeds.  Either finely chop or puree in mini-chopper the peppers, ginger, garlic and salt until somewhat of a paste forms.  Add sesame seeds.  Then add both oils, fish sauce and vinegar.  Add diced tuna and mix.  Serve with crackers or toasted won ton chips.

Back to School
Here they are...another year older!  Our babies' first day back at school. 

$20.00 in free discount fish to the first person who can correctly match each child with their Kathleen's Catch parent!

Hope everyone survived that first day!  Have a great first weekend!

Blessings,

Kathleen