I Know Where Your Fish Comes From, A Pearl for Dinner and Dreaming Big Dreams

The Price of Fish

Do you know where your seafood comes from?  A recent AP article  "Are Slaves Catching the Fish You Buy?" presents some disturbing evidence that if you shop at some of the big box grocery stores you could be eating seafood that was caught by people who are forced to live their lives on trawlers and in cages.  Overly dramatic?  If your stomach is feeling extra strong today, take a look at the article which describes living conditions for hundreds of Burmese slaves who are living out their lives out as captives aboard huge trawlers in the Indian Ocean.  When the boats are docked in Indonesia, captives who are seen as flight risks are kept in cages in places like Benjina, Indonesia.  They are forced to work shifts of 20-22 hours, they have little food and unclean water and are beaten into submission for little or no pay at all.  Many people die from the treatment and the ones who survive are desperate for the world to know how the food they are eating was caught.

Tracking seafood from Indonesia to its final destination (your dinner plate) is a difficult process.  Huge factory ships bring their catch to processing plants where they are combined with other catches and then processed.  Deciding whether one particular fish was caught by a ship using slave labor is virtually impossible once the fish leaves the trawler that caught it.  Pointing fingers at US corporations that buy fish from that part of the world isn't exactly fair since there is no way of knowing EXACTLY where it came from.  However, the onus is on these large companies to carry out investigations until they know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the food they are putting on US dinner tables is NOT associated with human trafficking and slavery. 

I know it seems that fresh seafood is expensive, or rather seafood done right is expensive and it goes without saying that there are cheaper alternatives out there to the fish I sell.  If you are willing to chance buying inferior quality, fish from unknown sanitary conditions and most importantly, seafood caught by slave labor, then take a look at my competition.  If you want the very freshest fish available,  if you want fish from only sustainable populations or from the very best farming operations in the world, if you value a human life more than the life of a fish in the ocean,  you better stick with me.

Here's a list of what's in my case today and where it came from:

Tuna - Louisiana

Black Drum - Louisiana

King Salmon - Alaska

Red Snapper - Louisiana

Striped Bass- Virginia

Triggerfish - Florida

Dover Sole - Washington

Cod - Alaska

Rainbow Trout - North Carolina

Barramundi - Massachusetts

Halibut - Alaska

Sea Bass -  Argentina

Swordfish - New Zealand

Mahi - Ecuador

Cobia  - Panama

Verlasso Atlantic Salmon - Chile

Steelhead - Norway

Corvina  - Suriname

Scottish Salmon  - Great Britain

Are You Missing Your Mussels?
In case you have been wondering about the limited supply of our black mussels, here's a picture of a mussel farmer driving to work last week in Prince Edward Island:

Enough said.


Our Newest Oyster
I copied this  Montauk Pearl Oysters article from the  New York Times because it has a tasty-sounding recipe in it and features one of our new oysters.  Montauk Pearls are beautifully clean and briny oysters that are not easy to find - unless, of course, you shop at Kathleen's Catch.  Even though they are newcomers, they are well-known in the northeast at restaurants but until recently unavailable in the retail market.  Why don't you give them a try?

Montauk Pearl Oysters for Your Kitchen and More

By FLORENCE FABRICANTAUG. 19, 2014

Photo

The oysters at Bo’s Kitchen & Bar Room in the Flatiron district. Credit Tina Fineberg for The New York Times

To Savor: Hamptons Pearls (The Edible Kind)

Until quite recently, you could get Montauk Pearl Oysters from Long Island only in restaurants. But now these saline beauties are available from several retail sources like Mermaid’s Garden in Brooklyn and the Good Eggs delivery service. At Bo’s Kitchen & Bar Room in the Flatiron district, the chef Alex Pirani serves them raw on the half-shell and cooked. Here’s his recipe for broiled oysters: Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a saucepan, add a quarter-cup of shallots, sauté until soft, then stir in a quarter-cup of flour. Slowly whisk in three-quarters of a cup scalded milk and cook until thickened. Add salt and pepper, refrigerate until cool, then spoon onto 10 oysters on the half-shell. Dust with grated Grana Padano and run them under the broiler to gild the top: Bo’s Kitchen & Bar Room, 6 West 24th Street, 212-234-2373, bosrestaurant.com; goodeggs.com, 646-863-5578; and Mermaid’s Garden, 644 Vanderbilt Avenue (Park Place), Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, 718-638-1910, mermaidsgardennyc.com.

Other Oysters Available This Week at Kathleen's Catch

Shigoku

St Ann's Bay

Blue Point

Sweet Jesus

Malpeque

Grand Pearls

This Week's Special

Swordfish  $8.99 per 6 ounces.

Catch to Go 

Honey Jalapeno Salmon over Black Bean and Corn Salad

Asian BBQ Cod with Asparagus

Roasted Halibut with Green Beans and Asian Cilantro Sauce

Oven Fried Catfish with Green Beans

Halibut's Back! 
March 15th marked the opening of the US halibut season and we have some fabulous fish to show for it!   And you better hurry in... the season only lasts until November 15th.

And Finally
The cherry trees blooming outside my window make me look forward to backyard parties and long walks with my dog.  Swimming with my grandkids is just around the corner! I' m going to try this week to take time to appreciate the amazing life we live here in Johns Creek, GA.   When people in other parts of the world are trapped in bamboo cages in between long fishing trips on factory trawlers, I need to remind myself that all is not well throughout the world.  It's on us to dream of a better life for everyone worldwide.  And to be grateful.

 Blessings,

Kathleen

St. Patrick's Day a Day Late

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I'm ashamed to say that that an entire month has gone by since I have written a blog entry.  Believe me, it's not because I haven't wanted to write - I could sit and blabber all day long on this blog if I had the time!  Too much going on at Kathleen's Catch these days and I just have trouble finding the time to gather my thoughts.

Well, here's some news:

Destiny Meredith comes to us from the panhandle of Florida so she knows a thing or two about fish! Destiny lives in Duluth with her husband, Tyler,  and her son, Cameron.  Stop by to say hello and take a listen to her awesome southern drawl. :)))

This week's special is wild striped bass for $18.50/lb.  I love love love this fish with the flavors of wild mushrooms, wild rice and balsamic.  Let's see.  Wild striped bass, wild mushrooms and wild rice - you are going to have to work on behaving yourself with a wild dish like this.

St. Patrick's Day means Guinness and corned beef.  I'm not about to give you a recipe for corned beef and cabbage although it was my mother's  favorite dish.  Being an Irishwoman, she also loved boiled potatoes.  Erin go Bragh! So let's try to live a few extra years, shall we, and substitute Irish Fish Pie for the corned beef.   This dish is loaded with cheese and butter lest you think you are getting off too lightly.  But at least Fish Pie won't make you thirsty like corned beef and it doesn't get stuck in your teeth.

Irish Fish Pie

Serves 8
Southern translation provided by Destiny...

Ingredients:
1-1/2 lbs cod or other white fish(Is there another white fish besides catfish???)
2 ounces butter
2 ounces flour
1/2 liter milk (just a smidge over 2 cups)
3-1/2 ounces grated cheese (Velveeta)

Scone Topping (Biscuit Topping)
1 cup flour
2 ounces grated cheese (or Velveeta)
2 ounces butter
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch salt
1 egg yolk
Milk

Directions:
1.Place fish fillets in the bottom of a round oven dish. (A deep dish pie plate)

2.Make a cheese sauce with the butter, flour, milk and grated cheese and pour over fish.

3.Make scone (biscuit) dough by rubbing the butter into the flour with baking powder and pinch of salt.

4.Add grated cheese and drop egg yolk into the mixture and add enough milk to make a workable dough.

5.Roll out to a thickness of 1/2" and cut into small rounds with a scone (biscuit) cutter.

6.Drop these rounds on top of the fish mixture so that they just about cover the surface and then glaze them with a little milk.

7.Sprinkle some more grated cheese over them and bake at 450F for 25-30 minutes or until the scones (biscuits) are golden brown.

Ireland is not as far away from Johns Creek as you thought :)

This week's Catch to Go selections are: 

Teriyaki Baked Steelhead over Linguine

Red Snapper with Lemon Dill Cream and Roasted Potatoes

Oven-Fried Catfish with Green Beans

Asian Barbeque Glazed Cod with Asparagus

Heather and Alan Collins have been traveling again and sent me this picture from Louisiana Lagniappe in Destin, Florida.  Soft shell crabs the size of the plate!!

Our softshells typically come from the Chesapeake and they are behind schedule up there due to the cold weather.  We are looking for them to arrive here in late May.  Give us a call and get on our watch list to be the first to know when softshells arrive!

Again, sorry to be so long in writing.  I promise to be back on track now.  I miss writing to you and you writing to me.  Let's stay in touch!

Blessings,

Kathleen

Gas Pipe Tuna, Striped Bass and Let's Go Fishing

Hey Fish Friends,

I had dinner with friends a week or two ago and one of them told me a story about buying beautiful tuna at a local grocery store.  She said the tuna looked fabulous but when she got home and cooked it, it smelled and tasted rotten!  How could this be?

Another friend at the table said, "The first question is why are you buying fish somewhere besides Kathleen's?"  hehehe .  Apparently friend #1 was in a hurry that day and she was already at the grocery store and the tuna looked great and it was cheap!

What's the deal with the tuna?  It was probably gassed.  A lot of tuna processors gas their tuna in a chamber filled with carbon monoxide.  Carbon monoxide locks the hemoglobins in the fish so that it retains its beautiful color even after is frozen.  And carbon monoxide will enhance the color of tuna so that off-colored looks gorgeously pink/red.

This is called "smoked" tuna as though it is the same thing as "smoked" salmon.  It's not.

In fact, a knowledgeable seafood retailer executive used the term "tailpipe tuna" to describe the process.  Not very appetizing, eh?

Why is gassed tuna so bad?  What's the first thing you do when you are choosing fish from my seafood case?  You LOOK at it!  With gassed tuna, you can not tell the condition of that fish by its looks  because no matter how old it is, it looks mouthwatering.  Additionally, gassed tuna can take an inferior tuna and make it appear to be sushi quality.  This is fraud.

At Kathleen's Catch, we sometimes have tuna in the freezer.  It's not a great seller because it doesn't look beautiful.  It's still delicious, but it is brown.  And that's what ungassed frozen tuna looks like.  Brown.  Not iridescent red.

Your best bet is to buy from someone you trust.  That'd be me.

Last Night's Dinner
Last night's dinner at my house was one of my favorite meals - Striped Bass, on sale this week at Kathleen's Catch.  I just love this fish because when it is cooked, the meat is absolutely snowy white. (Okay - no snow references.  Instead, it is as white as a magnolia blossom.)  

I make a reduction of equal parts red wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar - boiling it on the stove until it is the consistency of maple syrup.  

While that's happening, I hydrate a package of the incredible dried mushroom mix we sell.  I'm telling you, this mix makes it look like you spent the day scouring specialty food stores.  Fry them in some hot olive oil with garlic and shallots and toss in some pine nuts and peeled grapes.  YES, peeled grapes!

Peel Me a Grape

A prepackaged wild rice dish sauteed with some toasted pecans, chopped carrots and celery and maybe even some of the aforementioned mushrooms comes together in a hurry.

Skin the fish (of course we will do it for you if you ask) and cook in hot oil about 4 minutes per side depending on the thickness of the fish.  (10 minutes total per inch of thickness at the thickest part).

It sounds like a lot of work but it's really not.  While that reduction is working, the rest of the meal goes together pretty quickly.  Well, except for peeling the grapes.

Fishing in the Northeast
Feel like doing some fishing but you worry because you can't swim?  Want to get out on the ocean but you have trouble with seasickness?  Get yourself up to Maine and hop aboard a lobsterman's boat. No seasickness or falling overboard - just a pleasant, worry-free day on the water.

Not a lot of fishing going on up north these days...

Blessings,

Kathleen

Chicken Poop, Agent Orange and Valentine's Dinner

Happy February!

Things are going well for us at Kathleen's Catch.  Sales continue to grow every month and we are seeing more and more new customers.  I can't tell you often enough how much I appreciate all the customers who tell their friends and write about us on Facebook and Yelp and Trip Advisor.  We work very hard for you and you make our efforts worthwhile.

Valentine's Day is Next Week!
Can you tell that we have a sophisticated food expert on our staff now?  Colin Kopel, a former manager with Buckhead Life Restaurants and the new Store Manager at Kathleen's Catch,  has put together a fine dining experience for you to enjoy at home this Valentine's Day.  Because it's based on our popular Catch to Go program, all the meal planning, shopping and prep work is done for you.  Just follow our specific instructions for baking the main course and then sit back and enjoy!

First Course
 choose between:

Shrimp cocktail for two with cocktail sauce

or

Crab cocktail for two with cocktail sauce and Joe's mustard sauce

or 

8 oysters on the half shell with cocktail sauce and migonette

The Entree

Two individual servings of Beef Wellington 

and 

two 6-ounce Maine lobster tails

Dessert 
choose between:

White chocolate or red velvet cupcakes from Piece of Cake

$54.99 for two

Chicken Poop and Agent Orange In Salmon
Mark Cotton sent me an article from Yahoo Health! called 8 Salmon Shockers.  In case you also read this article, let me clear up a few things for you about the Verlasso salmon I sell at Kathleen's Catch.

1. When you eat Atlantic salmon you are not eating chicken poop.  Verlasso salmon are not fed chicken poop.  Period. 
2. Atlantic salmon are not painted pink.  They are fed astaxanthin, a carotenoid that is good for fish and good for you.  It causes the flesh to turn pink and causes you to be healthier.
3. Atlantic salmon is not tainted with Agent Orange.  Really? Agent Orange?  If you feel you   need more information on Agent Orange in salmon, you better just call me.

All of these things, plus the other 5 ridiculous claims, should make you question the validity of anything Yahoo Health! puts out.  Consider looking elsewhere for your nutritional advice.

Another Chapter in the "My Customers Can Cook" Saga
Terri #1

Terri Midgett is my new best friend.  She brought me a bowl of homemade soup that was so rich and delicious I've been dreaming of it ever since I tasted it.  I especially love good cooks who graciously share recipes.  Here's Terri's:

Fisherman's Bowl 

from the Duck Inn Restaurant in Virginia Beach

1 can cream of potato soup

1/3 can of cream of celery soup
16 oz canned drained mushrooms
1 tsp dill weed
1 tsp Texas Pete
2 quarts milk

Heat the above - DO NOT BOIL

Once warmed add:
2 lb backfin crabmeat
1.5 small shrimp

Heat and serve


Terri #2
Terri Lamberski gave me an awesome and simple tip.  She breads and fries our Nantucket scallops and uses them as croutons on a Caesar salad.  An easy way to reach the height of decadence!

This Week's Special - Kampachi - $25.00/lb ($4.00/lb off regular price)

People often ask me what my favorite fish is and I often say that  my favorite fish is the one that happens to be on the plate in front of me.  But if I had to choose one fish above all others, it would be Hawaiian kampachi.

Kampachi is a farm raised fish from the clean waters around the Hawaiian islands.  It has no traces of PCBs or mercury.  No GMO brood fish are used.  No growth hormones and no preventative antibiotics are used in the production of kampachi.  Instead, it has a mild, rich white meat that cooks up like snapper.  It's high in Omega-3 and is so pure and fatty that it is perfect for sashimi.  I love to grill it or serve it raw and thinly sliced over ponzu sauce with a bit of chopped green onion on top.

Catch To Go
Baked Salmon with Toasted Almond Parsley Salsa and Roasted Potatoes
Catfish with Apricot-Chili Glaze
Mediterranean Shrimp Linguine
Swordfish with Lemon Caper Sauce and Baked Squash and Zucchini

A Deal in the Discount Freezer
It's full so buy one and get one of equal or lesser value free!

And Finally
At home, we are trying to teach Nemo, the puppy, that Joel (the three-year-old) is the alpha dog so Joel is in charge of everything that goes in Nemo's mouth. The process involves teaching Joel how to feed the dog as well as teaching Nemo to respect Joel. Last night, I left the two of them alone for a minute while Joel was feeding Nemo. When I came back, Nemo was nosing around a bowl full of soggy dog food. When I asked Joel how the food got in the dog's water bowl, he said, "It just slid right in!" Well, I guess it did slide right out of Joel's hands and into the water, but now we have to dump it out and start over! Nemo is a fussy eater anyway and I knew he wouldn't eat that mess in his bowl.  Nemo promptly scarfed down the whole thing and then pushed the bowl around the floor looking for more while Joel said over and over, "See Grandma? See Grandma? He loves it! "

What's the lesson here? Don't be so set in your ways that you fail to see a better idea when it comes along. I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks.

Have a great weekend and stop by to see us if you get a chance.

Blessings,
Kathleen

Salt Blocks, Super Bowl and Meditation

Dear Fish Friends,

Dreamy Dishes
Why would you prepare our spectacular seafood and then serve it on undeserving tableware? Now you can present your fabulous meals on these worthy vessels from Kathleen's Catch.

This beautiful Blue Crab Bay Co. stoneware is designed by Jose' Dovis, an Italian whose work "synthesizes the tradition of classic Italian majolica with early New England stoneware, reflecting the coastal life of the Chesapeake Bay." This stoneware is available in small quantities in our store and in larger quantities by special order.

My Customers Rock
Can you guess what this is?




It's a pink Himalayan salt block that Bob Stevens received as a Christmas gift. Bob is a kitchen adventurer willing to try any new culinary technique that comes along.

The salt block is 8" x 8" x 2" thick.

Bob picked up some beautiful shrimp from Kathleen's Catch and cleaned and butterflied them.   He misted them with extra virgin olive oil and cooked them directly on the very hot salt block for about 8 minutes (turning once).

The salt block cleanup involved nothing more than running warm water over it and gently scrubbing the food residue off with a plastic scouring pad - looked good as new afterwards, ready to cook the next meal.

What an interesting idea!  Bob said they were absolutely delicious and he is looking forward to trying more seafood on his new salt block.

This Week's Special
Tuna - $9.99/6 ounces

Catch to Go - 4 choices this week!





1. Hoisin Glazed Cod with Asparagus

2. Lemon Rosemary Salmon with Fingerling Potatoes

3. Catfish with Apricot Chili Glaze and Spinach

4. Baked Steelhead Trout with Toasted Almond Parsley Salsa and Roasted Potatoes

SuperBowl - It's this Sunday!  Are you ready?
Because I'm not really a big sports fan, I generally eat, read a book and nap in between the Super Bowl commercials. I may not know who is playing the game but I can guarantee the food winners!

- Shrimp platters

- Kathleen's Catch Jumbo Jumbo Jumbo shellfish platter (1 lb each of jumbo lobster meat, jumbo crab and jumbo shrimp) and for the serious fan who watches from home without a party and no distractions - a Jumbo Jr. Shellfish platter which is 1/2 lb of each.

- Buffalo Crab Claw Platter - 2 lbs. of Jonah crab claws with buffalo, bbq or Caribbean jerk seasoning

- Oysters - we shuck them for a quarter and and put them on ice. Now you can keep your eye on the game and avoid any football shucking injuries.

Valentines Day

Colin Kopel, Manager of Kathleen's Catch, has this to say about dining out on Valentine's Day. "It's a dumb idea because service is terrible and food is either undercooked or overcooked." Why not save yourself the agony (and the $) and do our Valentine's meal? It's completely easy and you will have plenty of time to enjoy the champagne while the meal is cooking. Three courses make this Valentine's Day fancy. And we do all the prep so it's Catch to Go easy.

1st course

Choice of:

Shrimp cocktail for two with cocktail sauce

Crab cocktail for two with cocktail sauce and Joe's mustard sauce 

8 oysters on the half shell with cocktail sauce and migonette

Entree

Two Beef Wellington and two 6-ounce Maine lobster tails

Dessert

Choice of:

Two white chocolate cupcakes from Piece of Cake

Two red velvet cupcakes from Piece of Cake

Call us for more details and info on how to order your Valentine's feast.

Announcing Our Discount Freezer Sale!!!

Buy one package of fish out of our discount freezer and get one of equal or less value free!  

And Finally
Yes that is a picture of my granddaughter, Reilly, announcing our discount freezer sale at the playground in Duluth.  A friend sent me this earlier in the week:

"I was listening to the podcast On Being, which was playing an old episode with the Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh. He is a proponent of walking meditation, and apparently leads all of his sessions by walking in front, holding the hand of a child. He says the child may distract from some of the focus of the meditation, but will add freshness. I thought, well, Kathleen already knows all about that."

Having three grandkids, a new puppy and a seafood market means I don't do much meditation.  But I like the idea of children keeping things "fresh".  

If you don't have much time for "focus" this week, at least try to keep things "fresh".

Blessings,

Kathleen

Cudos, Fish Ladders and What's Good This Week

Dear Fish Fans,

I sent out a few customer emails after the holidays to make sure that all seafood holiday meals went as planned. For the most part, everything went very well! I thought I would share this email from Jamye Swick about her holiday meals because I am very very proud of the role we are playing in keeping our customers stress-free and healthy.

Hi Kathleen,

As you can see I have started the New Year a bit behind. I did want to tell you
that my Christmas order was terrific and we decided to start a new tradition
of cold seafood pick up buffet during Christmas Day instead of
pulling out the china and crystal for the ham or turkey.

My New Year's order was great too. I picked up your Cioppino recipe kit
for 8 on Tuesday. The girls packed all up for me in ice and I headed to our
house in Big Canoe. Wednesday we had 3 couples come up and join us for
Cioppino New Year's Eve dinner. I used the recipe Sara emailed me and
all came out grand!

Having all the seafood all ready to go (I even had you shell the shrimp)
made attempting this new recipe less intimidating and helped this
"not so great" cook willing to dive in. I got rave reviews! Just served
thick slice Italian bread to dip in Cioppino broth and Gelato for desert. 

With out a doubt, since you opened your shop, Michael and I are
eating sooooo much more fish than we used to.
Thanks for helping us be more healthy!!

Jamye

More About Atlantic Salmon

When I wrote last week about the disintegration of the wild Atlantic salmon population, I tried to be brief and not overwhelm you with too much detail. In fact, I think my post was misleading in that it appears that I was faulting fishermen for the collapse of the fishery. The biggest culprit in the collapse was the construction of dams all along the rivers that were breeding grounds for the fish. Once the dams were built, the salmon could no longer reach their spawning areas to reproduce. It might be too late for the Atlantic salmon population, but one way the Pacific stock is being protected is by fish ladders. Here is a picture of a salmon making its way up the ladder next to the Nimbus Dam near Folsom, California.

And just because I have never seen this in real life and think that wild salmon are some of the most interesting creatures on earth, here's another salmon picture. It's an awesome sight, isn't it?

'Tis Not The Season
The season for halibut ended in November but we are getting some beautiful Pacific halibut that was frozen at sea. It's very close to the quality of our fresh halibut and a treat during the winter months when halibut used to be unavailable. Give it a try!

This Week's Specials
Two great fish at great prices. I just couldn't choose between them:

Fluke Flounder - $11.65/lb

Alaskan cod - $9.99/lb

Something New On Our Shelves
Check out the gorgeous dishware we have on display. It's hand-painted and perfect for serving your next seafood dinner. Let us know what you think.

Catch to Go
Why not give yourself a break one or two (or four) nights this week and let us do the work for you? These meals are so much better than restaurant take-out because they are hot and fresh right out of the oven. All you do is preheat the oven and bake!

Lemon Rosemary Salmon with Roasted Potatoes

Hoisin Glazed Cod with Asparagus

Mango Grouper over Coconut Rice

Ginger Sea Bass with Wilted Greens

Whole Fish This Week
Stuff with lemon slices and fresh herbs and bake or grill. Delicious!

Flounder

Black Bass

Oysters This Week
(We shuck 'em for $.25)

Duxbury (my favorite - big and salty)

Sewansecott

Blue Point

Sweet Jesus

Kumamoto (from the west coast)

Pocomoke

Discount Freezer

Rockfish - a pretty little flatfish

Barramundi - pick up a recipe card when you get this fish

Rainbow Trout

Black Drum

Catfish

Kampachi

And Finally
The last few days have been lifesavers. Dropping spring-like weather right smack dab in the middle of winter is simply a gift. The cold and wet was getting to me and I was desperate for fresh air and sunshine. We still have a ways to go before we get the spectacular spring for which Atlanta is famous. But after the last few days, I think I just might make it until April. The world looks like a much better place when you are squinting in the warm sun, doesn't it?

Blessings,
Kathleen

Jeanette Gilmore Can Cook Your Dinner, My Best Seafood Dinner Yet and A Boy and His Dog

Hey Fish Friends,

Winter is not my favorite time of year.  In the summer I can start off these notes with a recap of some fun hike I took or a party in the backyard or swimming with my grandkids.  In the winter it's much harder.  Let's see, I hiked around the neighborhood sidewalk two times a day every day (boring).  And I stayed inside and built Lego cars with my grandson (not boring - but not exactly a party in the pool) and the only thing I have done in the backyard in the last month is clean up puppy poop.   COME ON WARM WEATHER!

Peter Hall is a braggart.  Now don't get me wrong - I love Peter and his wife, Jeanette.  But sending me a picture of this meal is pushing the limits of acceptable behavior.  Granted, he is bragging on his wife's cooking, but please, Peter.  Not all of us get to eat this way.

 Chilean Sea Bass and Seared Scallops over Puréed Chickpeas 

with Sautéed Green Beans

Paired with a nice Pinot Blanc 

(that I am sure Peter purchased at Johns Creek Wine and Crystal)

I guess you can't blame him for bragging and guess what?   Jeanette can cook for you too.  It's simple.  Just send her an email at jeanettegilmore@bellsouth.net and ask her to put you on the email list for updates.  She'll let you know what she is cooking this week and you sign up for what sounds good.  Next to our Catch to Go meals, this is the easiest home-cooked meal in town.

Fun Fish For Sale
We have some interesting items in our seafood cases this week.  Locally caught tilefish (not as local as the Chattahoochee but as local as the Georgia coast) and triggerfish.   We also have what must surely be the last of the fresh shrimp for the season.  And they are big -16 to 20 in a pound.

Also kumamotos for the Pacific oyster lover (you know we sell more oysters than anyone else) and very tasty little blue crab cocktail fingers.

Last Week's Contest
Last week I gave you an opportunity to win a free lobster roll by figuring out the "oops" in the following article:

http://tracker.dailyburn.com/nutrition/fish_salmon_atlantic_wild_raw_3_oz_3_oz_85g_calories

Apparently I stumped you.  Thanks to you who took a shot, but nobody got it right.  You didn't have to open the link to see the mistake. The link address tells  you that the article is about "wild Atlantic salmon".  If you have been reading my blog or emails for a while, you might know that Atlantic salmon does not really exist in the wild.  The population was over-fished for so long that there is virtually none left.  It's a sad story about excess and greed and lack of concern for the future of our natural resources.  It is also a story about man's ingenuity in coming up with more and more efficient and effective ways to gather food - so much so that they gathered just about all the Atlantic salmon there was to get.  And its a story about fishermen doing what they can to feed their families.  It's dreadful in so many ways.

But, the bright side, if there is one, is that man's ingenuity is turning toward aquaculture and the future looks good for our children's children.  They will never see an Atlantic salmon in the wild, but they will continue to have the opportunity to eat one of the healthiest protein sources in the world because companies like Verlasso have learned the proper techniques for raising these fish in controlled environments.  

There are still species of wild salmon in the Pacific - kings (chinooks), sockeyes, coho and chums are plentiful out west.  In fact, the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute just released numbers for the 2014 season which show that the wild sockeye salmon harvest broke all kinds of volume records. The sockeye harvest totaled 44 million fish in 2014 which was a 49% increase over 2013 numbers.

That is a lot of fish.

What I cooked For Dinner Last Night
Maria Riley special ordered some black cod (sable) last week.  When she stopped in to pick it up I asked her how she was going to prepare it so she sent me this recipe.  

Nobu's Miso-Marinated Black Cod

It took some advanced preparation.  First of all, you have to order the black cod.  Then you have to prepare the marinade and put the fish in the marinade for 2 to 3 DAYS. (!)  And the marinade had white miso paste which I finally found at Whole Foods.  

But OMG was it worth the time and trouble!  This was very likely the best seafood meal I have ever prepared.  

This was my side dish:  Sesame Noodles

A word about black cod - It's also called sable.  It has a high fat content and a soft, velvety texture.    It is extremely popular in Japan, making it more difficult to get here in the U.S.  I buy this fish whenever I can get it fresh, which is not often, but last night's dinner was a frozen-at-sea fish.  And it was absolutely melt-in-your-mouth delicious.  

Let me know if you want to give it a try.  I'll be placing another order soon for a repeat performance at my house.

This Week's Special
West Coast Dover Sole
 $11.99/lb
This mild, sweet, small fillet is every kid's favorite fish.


Catch to Go

Ginger Sea Bass over Wilted Greens

 (recipe compliments of Pam Ellis)

and

Mango-crusted Grouper with Coconut Rice

(it will remind you of a warm summer day)

In the Discount Freezer

Cod

Amberjack

Tilefish

Catfish

Redfish

Pollack

Branzino

Monkfish

Hamachi

Swordfish

Barramndi

Mahi

Corvina

Cobia

Kampachi

Black drum

Rainbow trout

Snapper

Black bass

West coast Dover sole

And Finally
On Sunday Mike and I were babysitting Joel while Sara was at work.  We were busy shampooing the carpet because we have a new puppy.   Nemo is almost 4 months old and Joel is almost 4 years old. They are at EXACTLY the same emotional/intellectual/mischief level.  I was moving some furniture to clean the carpet so I put the little fish tank on the floor just for a minute to get it out of the way.  Joel came along to "help" me and dumped the entire contents of the fish tank (fish and all) on the carpet.  Sayonara to the little blue fish I took home from the fishing village fundraising dinner in September, but thankfully I was already in the process of carpet cleaning anyway.

Mike came along to scoop up the dog and the boy and take them into our bedroom to get them out of my way.  After a while he reappeared in the doorway to tell me that things were not going well on his end.  The boy and the dog got out of his sight for a minute and he heard Joel squealing with laughter.  Joel was peeing on the bathroom floor and the dog was licking it up.  Gross.

Mike tossed Joel into the bath to wash off the pee.  I went for a towel and by the time I got back the dog was in the bath too and Joel and Nemo were splashing water all over the place.  Unfortunately, Nemo's very first obedience training class was in less than an hour so he was a sopping wet dog on the first day of school.

I know this doesn't have anything to do with the seafood business but at least there was a fish in the story.

Hope your week is less than chaotic.

Blessings,

Kathleen