fishmonger

I finally have a few spare moments to write about the past few weeks. It has been some time since I last wrote anything the public could seem remotely valuable. I had intended to fill these pages with information covering the full spectrum of Holiday related seafood and fish information. The feast of the seven fishes and the like. Instead I spent my time endeavoring to supply the local distributor I work for an ample amount of product for our accounts. The mere fact that the Christmas and the New Years holidays both feel on a Tuesday have made it increasingly difficult to secure the desired products for the holidays. I am always reminded that this biz is actually a logistic and supply paradigm. One of the biggest challenges is convincing the chefs and restaurateurs that the particular product desired is not available due to conditions entirely out of both of our control. When you desire a wild product one has to have a pliable imagination and bountiful creativity. I also spent an after...

Friday night my wife and I had the greatest time as we watched Garrison Keillor bring his Prairie Home Companion to The Town Hall, right here in NYC. And the best part was his story piece Guy Noir , and his foray into the New York Seafood Biz. The skit featured Guy Noir as the newly established President of the " Freshwater Grouper Association ". This association and Guy are charged with the task of bringing walleye to the tables of New Yorkers. We busted at the seams last night, but today I have a real taste for the fish fry of my childhood...bring me some walleye. Anyway the show was great and it inspired me to start a blog of the same name. Garrison please don't sue me, imitation is the most sincerest form of flattery.

Sargocentron tiere (Cuvier, 1829); squirrelfish. Collected at Palumbanes Islands, east coast of Luzon, Philippines, 1 June 1909. The specimen on which this painting was based cannot be located. Squirrelfishes are nocturnal reef dwellers, and they hide in caves and crevices during the day. Most species are brilliant red in life, sometimes with patterns of lines or spots. ( CLICK HERE FOR WEBSITE SOURCE )

I have recently started to collect realistic fish prints. Most of these were produced over 100 years ago and are of amazing accuracy, and beauty. Among artist I have in my collection currently are Denton, Edmonson, and Cuvier. I am very interested to acquire something from Kumataro Ito. Until then I will enjoy the illustrations like the one above online .

December first we will be seeing the first of these little beauties. Cold water shrimp have numerous names: bay shrimp, tiny shrimp, baby shrimp, pink shrimp, cooked & peeled, salad shrimp, cold water shrimp. Cold water shrimp are wild-harvested from the northern waters of Greenland, Iceland, Norway, and the U.S. coasts of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and Maine. They have bright, reddish-pink shells, both raw and cooked. The meat is white with skin tones that range in color from pale pink to a rich, reddish-pink. Cold water shrimp are small in comparison with warm water species; yet take four to five years to reach maturity. Most come to the U.S. market cooked and peeled and range in size from 150 to 500 shrimp per pound. Cold water shrimp have a sweet taste and soft texture. A small quantity of cold water shrimp is available fresh, shell-on, and headless, often from Maine or Oregon. They are available in the local market during the harvest periods.

Here are two lists showing seafood consumption. The first is from the N.F.I. (National Fisheries International). The next one is from sales data for New York only. Compiled from various sources. Both are for the last full year. U.S. CONSUMPTION (N.F.I.) SHRIMP CANNED TUNA SALMON POLLACK TILAPIA CATFISH CRAB COD CLAMS SCALLOPS FLATFISH NEW YORK CITY RESTAURANT SALES SALMON FRESH TUNA FLATFISH SHRIMP LOBSTER COD BASS CLAMS, MUSSELS OYSTERS SCALLOPS SNAPPERS / BREAMS

I had heard that the first Thanksgiving meal was very different than the kind we have today, it was heavy on the seafood selection! How great is that? So here is my ultimate reproduction seafood centric Thanksgiving menu suggestions Lobster Fisherman, James Ormsbee Chapin Soups lobster and leek bisque cod chowder, winter squash and Holland cheese Appetizers smoked herring spread, watercress and sourdough biscuit roasted clams and oysters, salt pork and sorrel bay scallop, apple cider vinegar Main Courses whole grilled bluefish, cabbage and radish slaw maple roasted striped bass , dried wild berry compote chestnut and oyster cornbread dressing Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving. If you would like to read more on the first festival that we have come to know as Thanksgiving, you can find out more by visiting these websites. Pilgrim Hall Museum History.com Chefs.com Plimoth Plantation