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Showing posts from October, 2009

All Saints Day

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Saints

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Broadline Distributor Offers Sustainable Seafood

U.S. Foodservice Is First Broadline Distributor to Offer Certified Sustainable Farm-Raised and Wild-Caught Seafood ROSEMONT, Ill., Oct. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. Foodservice, one of the country's premier foodservice distributors, today announced a partnership with the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) making the company the first broadline food distributor in the United States to offer its customers farm-raised seafood certified as sustainable under the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification logo. Initial offerings will include catfish, shrimp and tilapia. This is the second sustainable seafood certification offered by U.S. Foodservice. In April of 2008, U.S. Foodservice became the first food distributor to provide sustainable wild-caught seafood certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). MSC uses eco-logo labels to indicate certification of seafood products from fisheries that are sustainable and environmentally responsible through a third-party audit system. "U

Fish Stock

This recipe is a foundation for a great deal of advanced fish cookery, but making fish stock is pretty simple. Once it's finished, this stock freezes well for up to three months, and remains usable for up to six months. The biggest difference between fish stock and other stocks is time: Fish stocks do not need hours and hours to come together the way beef or chicken stocks do. Use lean fish like bass or cod - avoid oily fish like salmon or mackerel. Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour Ingredients: 3 T. olive oil 3 lb. fish spines, fins and heads 1/2 of a large parsnip root, sliced into rounds 1 leek, sliced thin 2 stalks celery, sliced 1 carrot, sliced into rounds trimmings from a fennel bulb 1/2 cup sliced button mushrooms 1/2 bunch parsley A 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced thin 2 bay leaves 1 garlic clove, smashed 1 sprig of fresh thyme or 1 t. dried 1 cup dry white wine, such as a pinot grigio Cold water Salt Preparation: Wash bones and heads well under c

Fish on the Barbi

BBQ FISH & SHELLFISH The great part of cooking on the BBQ is you can prepare all the fish and seafood in advance; marinades, basting sauces and dips will all keep perfectly well in a fridge; leaving you free to chat and enjoy the company of family and friends. Method You will be able to cook some fish and seafood direct on the BBQ, others will need protecting in aluminium foil. Sardines, salmon, sea bass, king prawns etc, need no more than seasoning and basting with your choice of marinade or sauce. Others such as cod fillet and softer fish need protection. Marinade your fish and seafood before cooking; olive oil, sea salt, honey, soy sauce and herbs and spices are all prime candidates for inclusion in a marinade. Fresh herbs such as rosemary and bay leaves make ideal flavouring. Try to lift the rack or grid you will be cooking on away from the charcoal, this reduces the heat allowing the fish to cook and not burn. Consider staggering the cooking of seafood so each type is cook

Simple Ceviche

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Ceviche Print Options Print (no photos) Print (with photos) Preparation time: 15 minutes to prepare, 3-4 hours to let sit. Always use the freshest fish possible. Make the same day you purchase fresh fish. Ingredients 2 lbs of firm, fresh red snapper fillets (or other firm-fleshed fish), cut into 1/2 inch pieces, completely deboned 1/2 cup of fresh squeezed lime juice 1/2 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice 1/2 red onion, finely diced 1 cup of chopped fresh seeded tomatoes 1 serrano chili, seeded and finely diced 2 teaspoons of salt Dash of ground oregano Dash of Tabasco or a light pinch of cayenne pepper Cilantro Avocado Tortillas or tortilla chips Method In a non-reactive casserole dish, either Pyrex or ceramic, place the fish, onion, tomatoes, chili, salt, Tabasco, and oregano. Cover with lime

Roast Fish

ROASTING Roasting and baking are similar ways of cooking fish and seafood. We suggest that all fish for roasting starts off by cooking in a frying pan. This allows you to colour the skin of the fish before putting it in the oven to finish the cooking. Method Heat your oven to a moderate heat 200C/420F. Heat a frying pan, add sunflower or any other good quality oil. Season the scaled and gutted fish and place in the pan. If you wish, stuff the gut cavity with any flavours that you enjoy (preserved lemon, rosemary, thyme, capers). Allow to colour, turn over and place in the oven. Cooking times will depend on the size and thickness of the fish. Use a skewer or fork inserted into the middle of the fish to see if it is cooked; if it is hot on the lips then it's time to remove the fish from the oven. Remove from the oven, place onto a hot serving dish or plate. De glaze the pan with liquid (water or wine) and season to taste.

Saute Fish

The French call it "saute", it's a great way of cooking most types of fish fillets as well as some whole fish. Method Pat the fish dry with clean kitchen paper and make 3 or 4 shallow slashes accross the skin side of the fish and portion the fillets if necessary. Heat a non stick frying pan or skillet until hot, add a little olive or sunflower oil. Lay the fish into the pan away from you skin side down so that any oil that might splash from the pan doesn't burn you. Allow the fish to start to crisp up, turn the heat down and allow it to cook until amost finished cooking; then leave the fish in the pan for a coupkle of minutes to finish cooking. If you are cooking fillets, turn them over on to the flesh side and immediately turn the heat off. There will be sufficient residual heat in the pan to finish the cooking process. If you are cooking a whole fish, place the pan into a hot oven (200C / 380-400F) and leave until cooked; this will depend on the thickness of the fi

Poaching Fish

Method Place the fillets in a shallow pan and moisten with a little wine or fish stock, water will do if you don't have anything else. There should only be sufficient liquid to keep the fish from frying, the fillets will produce their own liquid during the cooking process. Cook over a low heat for around 5 minutes and remove just before the fish are fully cooked - fish always continues to cook a little on its own after being taken off the heat. Cooking Tip Reduce the cooking liquor and add flavours you enjoy; keep them subtle otherwise they will over power the delicate flavour of the fish. Add a little butter, cream or olive oil to the liquor just before serving to enrich the sauce. Knorr offer a liquid fish stock that is ideal for fish cookery if you have no fresh stock.

Grilling Fish

GRILLING FISH FILLETS In its true meaning grilling is cooking over heat not under heat as we now understand it to be. Method Heat your grill (salamander) to a medium-high heat. Dry the fillets of fish with paper towel and place them on an oiled tray (non stick is ideal). Season with salt & pepper and cook for about 5 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of the fillets. Drizzle with olive oil. Cooking Tip Always check the fish while it is cooking as over cooked fillets of fish will not be moist and full of flavour. Serving Suggestion In a pestle & mortar crush your choice of fresh chopped herbs with virgin olive oil and a touch of balsamic vinegar. Drizzle over the fillets just before serving.

Sustainable Seafood Meets Top Chef

On the latest Top Chef the contestants wage restaurant war at RM Mandalay Bay.

New Sustainable Seafood Rankings

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Blue Ocean Institute has just published the latest seafood ranking guide. Available here . If you are on the go you can also use fishphone just text 30644 with the message FISH and the name of the fish in question. And you will receive a reply with alternate suggestions if applicable.

California's Sustainable Seafood Law

Just passed in California is a bill that seeks to promote sustainable seafood. Assemblyman Bill Monning, D-Carmell who represents the area around Monterey Bay has penned AB 1217. Signed into law the legislation seeks provide consumers with information about sustainable seafood. The program will be voluntary and is expected to closely follow the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch List . Contra Costa Times Article

A New Way to Look at Fish

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Every once in a while someone takes a look at something and sees it in a new light. When it comes to photos of fish in ways never seen, that man is Marc Dimov . Marc came to our warehouse last week with a vision and a proprietary system to create some intriguing photographs of fish . After seeing his final product I realized that these images capture what the fish would look like as viewed underwater with all the suns radiance lighting them from behind. Or simply sublime. Either way I think I need to get at least one to hang next to a Denton lithograph of fish from the turn of the century. Photograph courtesy of marcdimov photography

Fall Seafood Suggestions

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Here is the short list of my recommended sustainable seafood choices for Fall. These selections should be readily available until the start of winter. As usual the list has an East Coast bias, my apologies to the West Coast. So in no particular order: bluefish: wild line caught, USA clams: wild or farmed, hand dredge, USA mussels: rope grown, Canada wild striped bass: wild caught and tagged, USA bay scallops: wild and farmed, hand dredge, USA and Mexico coho salmon: wild caught, USA and Canada wild shrimp: wild caught w/excluder devices, USA arctic char: closed system farmed, Canada and Iceland catfish: farmed, USA sable fish: wild caught, USA

Matthew Hovey a Brief Bio

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I grew up in Elyria outside Cleveland , Oh. Seafood experience was the Friday fish fry of perch and walleye. Many caught by my uncles and me. I attended Kent State I settled in Tampa , Fl. While there I worked in restaurants and kitchens including; The Tampa Convention Center (I helped feed 4000 Mary Kay ladies), Cafe Creole (long time Tampa favorite), a retirement community, and Executive Chef at the University of South Florida. My favorite memories of Florida are at a restaurant called Native Seafood. There I often went to the docks to pick up fish. I maintain relationships with the same guys that have survived. We grew fresh herbs in a garden alongside the occasional papaya, banana trees, and a stalwart kefir lime tree. After 10 years we reluctantly shuttered the restaurant and I enjoyed a brief stint as a full time fisherman (recreational) and part time beach bum. I moved to New York City to pursue my dream of filleting fish. My first gig was in Coney

Who am I?

A fair enough question. I was recently approached by an online forum to contribute to the site in some way and it opened up some interesting questions. "Hi Matt, Now doing a second look, I'm not sure myself exactly what your stance is on seafood. Are you for conserving marine life or are you for eating seafood for growth? Are you interested in fishing or are you a marine conservationist? (Nothing wrong with either of these stances, just asking for clarification.) And perhaps if you have a different viewpoint than what we are used to, perhaps you could share it on our site, make our readers understand why you feel the way you do. It couldn't hurt. Perhaps you've owned an aquarium in the past and would want to write about that? Well, first give me a little more clarification, I should better understand where you are coming from! Thank you , (name withheld)" So if you would indulge me for a bit I want to explain. I am involved daily in the seafood bu

SEAFOOD MISSED POINTS

Since it has been some time since my last post, and I have been neglectful with only sporadic information being shared I submit to you a list of things I should have written about. Ocean Acidification Jeremy Piven Mercury misgivings Bluefin Tuna depletion and politicking Greenpeace retail rankings and rants The TV show about Sword fishing Pollack and Hoki in crisis Lower than expected wild salmon catches (again) Economic factors in the seafood industry (hint it is the most expensive protein). Seals eating salmon, and sharks eating seals. Giant squid reports ( more than a few) Jellyfish More species misrepresentations. Various Seafood Festivals Water offsets in Aquaculture et al With apologies, Matt