391 replies to this topic

[Carrot Top]

What a gorgeous octopus that is, Lucy! It is beaming with freshness.

As you mentioned in the link, when you can find it, it can be much cheaper than squid. Actually, I prefer the texture of octopus to squid in a salad. . .a bit more toothy. . .but less toothy than say, whelk. (Which definitely does need pounding at the dock! )

Octopus is one of those things like. . .okra, say. Or. . .pigs feet maybe.

You either love it or you don't.

[Adam Balic]

Different types of squid seem to have different textures, the is no comparison between arrow squid and calamari for instance. I like octopus (excellent photgraph), "baby" (actually the adults of a SE-Asian species) were absolutely everwhere in mid 90's Melbourne.

But of this group, I would choose cuttlefish very time (with the rare exception of some octopus dishes). Next time I get one of these I will take a photograph.

Edited by Adam Balic, 31 August 2005 - 05:32 AM.

[bleudauvergne]

When I lived in China, my favorite snack was dried cuttlefish. It is delicious.

[Chris Amirault]

Octopus is one of those things like. . .okra, say. Or. . .pigs feet maybe.

You either love it or you don't.

Actually, I think that a lot of people who don't like octopus haven't had it prepared in a particularly good manner. Like squid, it's pretty easy to make inedible.

When I lived in China, my favorite snack was dried cuttlefish.  It is delicious.

I submit that dried cuttlefish is the best beer food in the world.

[jeniac42]

What a thread. I am now craving some good seafood, which is something that's hard to get in Pittsburgh.

I am curious about the scallop rules in the US. Why is it illegal to bring anything but the... I forget, adductor muscle? back in? I may have missed that explanation.

[primowino]

On the cuttlefish issue, I have eaten quite a lot on the Algarve. I love the baby cuttlefish (trans:chocs) about an inch to two inches long that are fried in olive oil with garlic and wine and not much else. Eat the whole thing and spit out the cuttlebone.

However, a couple of times I had a "grown up" the size of a large dinner plate. These were either boiled or steamed and I did find it hard going to eat my way through the various body parts with a gradual eruption of ink. May be I'm too squeamish with my food, but I also just preferred the flavour of fried babies.

[Adam Balic]

You had better not be talking about the delicious sambal sotong that I made you.

[athinaeos]

polipo alla luciana+

as a small contribution to the discourse on octopus, I offer my version of the polipo alla luciana in napoli

i use a covered terracotta pot, sealed on the seam with a simple flour-water dough, and add coarse sea salt, red hot chili peppers (i do not use pepper in this dish), basil, capers and green olives

i prepared this dish a week ago on the island of Paros, and attach a photo

i recommend to serve the dish with crunchy french fries and a malvasia white, or even better, a blend of malvasia and asyrtico (a greek grape), that has higher acidity and kicks the fiery odtopus in the face

cheers

[Adam Balic]

Excellent. Lovely photograph too. Is the liquid in the pot wine or stock based or is it simply the liquid that comes out of the octopus upon cooking?

[athinaeos]

Excellent. Lovely photograph too. Is the liquid in the pot wine or stock based or is it simply the liquid that comes out of the octopus upon cooking?

the liquid comes out of the cooking and the peeled chopped tomato that is in the original recipe - but you could do without the tomato if you ask me

cheers

[bleudauvergne]

Now there is the real 'a la greque'. It looks amazing. What kind of pepper do you use? Can you post a photo of it?

[primowino]

You had better not be talking about the delicious sambal sotong that I made you.

I don't remember that - don't tell me you once had a dinner party without me.

The big cuttlefish we're both on the Algarve. I can't remember seeing cuttlefish on a restaurant menu in the Scotland. Do we catch them here and export them or is it just the restaurants that aren't interested?

[Adam Balic]

The UK cuttlefish fisheries are confined to the English Channel and no, you Brits don't really bother to eat them (like all your fisheries), so they mostly go to Spain/Portugual.

Dinner parties?

[athinaeos]

Now there is the real 'a la greque'.  It looks amazing.  What kind of pepper do you use?  Can you post a photo of it? 

as the chinese nouveau would say, a photo is worth a thousand words

their actual length is approx 1/2 inch

cheers

[Chris Amirault]

i recommend to serve the dish with crunchy french fries and a malvasia white, or even better, a blend of malvasia and asyrtico (a greek grape), that has higher acidity and kicks the fiery odtopus in the face

That's the best wine recommendation I've read in a long while!

[Dejah]

Johnnyd's super blog and this thread are both wonderful reads as well as full force torture for someone living on the prairies! But don't stop......

[johnnyd]

[Dejah]

Question about basa from Vietnam:

One bit of info' from another foodie, that basa from Vietnam is sprayed with antibiotics before shipping out of country. This is because of subpar sanitation regulations.

It was also mentioned that US federal regulations have checked on this and have banned basa from Vietnam?

That is the product we have been enjoying from my local supermarket. Can anyone shed light on this issue?

[Sam Salmon]

There's a lot of misinformation about Catfish from Vietnam aka 'Basa' being spread by Catfish farmers in the southern USA who are scared of completion.

Of course with all the problems in Louisiana right now it might be a while before you see domestic product and the misinformation campaign might sag a mite.

[Shiewie]

A selection of seafood at the market in Pasir Penambang, a sleepy fishing village near the town of Kuala Selangor on the west cost of Malaysia.

Top left - balitong - a species of whelks.
Top right - uhm.. not sure what species of crabs these are sorry..
Bottom left - Mantis prawns.
Bottom right - mackerel

[Adam Balic]

The crab looks amazing, what would be a typical recipe for the balitong?

[Adam Balic]

Many fish images on my Hydra thread.

[Shiewie]

The crab looks amazing, what would be a typical recipe for the balitong?

Typical recipes would include stir-frying the balitong in a spicy sambal or cooking it in a curry (a turmeric coconut cream one, masak lemak).


The pointy end of the shell is chopped off before cooking. Eating it is quite a messy noisy affair too - one sucks on the pointy end to dislodge the meat and then at wide end to extract it .

[Adam Balic]

They look great, what would the basic sambal recipe be, I have one for cuttlefish, but that sauce looks a little more orange?

[Kevin72]

Fish stew (brodetto) from Le Marche:

[Apicio]

Adam, marvellous pics, you are only second to Jacques Cousteau in my book. Any close encounter with turbot?

[athinaeos]

minoan pagrus pagrus (fangri in greek)

this forum is getting more and more inspiring!

i therefore dare share with you a minoan recipe of pagrus pagrus (common seabream)

the key point is to position the fish so that its bone is almost horizontal

the fish should rest on a bed of thinly sliced potatoes and /or other vegetables ( i love zucchini)

use olive oil, coarse pure sea salt, black pepper and grated fresh tomatoes to coat the firsh and the bed of vegetables

do not add any water

bake in a hot oven so that the skin is crispy and the flesh moist

serve with a dry white wine - i avoid the fruity ones, as they muffle the delicate fish flavors!


before baking



after baking

[markk]

What great photos, everyone.

Here are a few more fish from my travels.

The beginning of a delicious 'zuppa di pesce' on Capri...



and some gamberoni from Capri, though I don't know that they're actually local...



And a restaurant in the Vosges mountains (Alsace, France) where they walk you down to the stream at the moment you order either the Truitelles (baby trout) or adult Trout, catch it, and cook it up within moments...







And lest it be accused that I've never caught anything, a Turbot that I wrestled away from the supermarket in Colmar...



And that same turbot cooked and plated (no, I didn't really catch it)

[Apicio]

And that same turbot cooked and plated (no, I didn't really catch it)

How did they cook the turbot Markk? And how was it?

[Adam Balic]

Mark - are they fennel stalks with the turbot?

More Greek fish. From a recent trip to Hydra, some very large baked grouper (will work out species later), these fish had meat of the same texture and a similar flavor to milk fed veal. Still feel bad about eating these large fish though.