johnnyd

Hey, lancastermike - did I not see a post of yours detailing either the creation of a couple those or were you taking a pic or two of some at a restuaurant?I'd like a recipe for those - but I'll bet our local taco quality ain't as good as yours.

Seaworms burrow into cod muscle and are removed before retail by placing the fillets on a light table. You can see right through the fish. The worms are small but show up easily. I usually carve out that little area - the pros use special tweezers.Frankly, I know they get cooked along with the rest of the flesh so I don't mind if I miss any for my personal use. Hey, I'm still here!

An old buddy from my fishing days has a inshore/offshore fishing charter business and his boat is berthed around the corner in South Portland, Maine. He takes out people from all over to fish in the Gulf of Maine. Yesterday his customers got into the cod in a big way so there was plenty to go around. When that happens, he usually drops in and gives me the excess bounty... This time it's ten large fillets, averaging about 14 inches long. That's about 2 pounds each. Local fish purveyors are charging $6.99/lb today - down from $7.99 Friday - so we are looking at about $140 worth of cod here. What to do? First of all, it was filleted yesterday, washed with sea-water, bagged and put on ice. When Robbo came by this morning, they seemed a little soft to him so he recommended chowder. They also have bones still and need to be checked for worms. I drained the fillets and re-bagged them. They smell wonderful - like a seabreeze. After I de-bone and de-worm all this cod, I'm sure I'll freeze some but I want to cook off as much of it as I can first. Chowder? Sure. But there are a couple Western Mediterranean dishes out there involving tomatoes, bayleaf, some chorizo (which I just happen to buy yesterday) or linguiça, maybe simmered with some olives and white wine. I can't remember exact recipes so if anyone has any suggestions now is the time! Other bouillabaisse or stew-style ideas (so I can basically freeze it) are welcome. I feel I have to do it all today to capture the fresh taste of this classic fish so everybody start typing!

Summertime in New England means a visit to the local Clam Shack like this one near me in Cape Elizabeth , Maine. I know summer isn't quite here yet and New England is getting soaked by the remnants of tropical storm Barry (which will probably yield a red tide alert) but I thought I'd bump up this thread to get ready for another beautiful New England summah! If anybody rides out to your favorite Fried Clam place, bring your camera if you can and post a pic here! Also, when we got this thread started, we thought it would be fun to create some guidelines to help members & visitors rate the neighborhood clam shacks. Some places have closed and new ones are open - we need to update our Clam Shack database folks!!

...which totally reminded me that our famous The Best: Fried Clams thread in the New England forum needs a bump. (It's that time of year again folks! ) Deep within the Fried Clam thread is this post, a report on several fried clam places on the New England coast. Towards the bottom is a mention for Flo's Clam Shack and Scales & Shells which I haven't been to but seems to have a bunch of awards and good reviews on their website.

That's an award-winning post, John. It's true: there's much in Portland to investigate - which is why on your way back, plan some more time in town! My cozy spot at the moment is Bar of Chocolate at 38 Wharf Street in the Old Port. Sarah the proprietor has been working around town (Gritty's, Brian Boru) for years while developing her chocolate-making strategy. She opened the little place under The Wine Bar last year and offers Tapas, cuban sandwiches and other light fare, handmade desserts, and a sophisticated (copper-topped) bar. Good music too.

I found three 15 inch bamboo steam trays at a goodwill store, complete with a decorative cinch bag to put them in. Looked like they'd never been used. But just in case, I gave them a good scrub with soapy water, rinsed in boiling water then set up to steam for a while. The slight mold smell they came with disappeared. Not bad for $10.

Here is a Shrimp Bisque Recipe from eG member Timh who is a chef in Plymouth Mass. He's using fresh Gulf of Maine shrimp caught in winter.

I believe the Canadian lobster season started early May, which is why the prices have eased around the Northeast US. Our local guys are getting US$6 to US$7 per pound at the dock - so that's US$9 at least retail. A lobsterman I talked to Thursday said he's going out quite a ways still, and curiously, found a couple "shedders" (soft shelled, just-molted) in his traps. "A bit early for them," said he. I want a Tagine...

Well, that's quirky for ya - nice, nutty website too. So do I become friends with my oyster before I apply a little mignonette and pop it down the hatch?? Should I scorn the green leaves of my side dish???By the by, today's oyster special beats their retail/dozen by eighty cents. I checked the red tide closure areas today and saw a problem down Kittery-way, but the Damariscotta River is all set. I'm going to have to go back and get a few I guess!

I've developed the habit of checking Portland's premier fish purveyor, Harbor Fish Market every morning after dropping off Mrs. johnnyd at her workplace. I don't usually buy, but I've missed some treats that sell out fast so I've resolved to check things out early just in case. Today, the place is stocked for Memorial Day Weekend, including: - Soft Shell Crabs, all with a healthy wiggle - Primes@$3.50, Whales@$4.59 - Glidden Point Damariscotta Oysters - on special @$1.10 each (that is a good price) - Shad Roe @$9.50/pair - Sushi Grade Tuna @$20.99/lb - Atlantic Salmon special - $7.99/lb (I bought a half pound tail fillet) - Western King Salmon (amazing color) @$17.99/lb - SoftShell Clams @$3?/lb and $2.59 if 5 pounds or more plus the usual glistening array of Haddock, Monkfish, Halibut, Sword, WolfFish, Squid, Snapper, Shrimp (frozen:hmmm:), hardshell clams and crab. I never noticed the lobster prices...

In case anyone missed it, this post in this week's foodblog features artisinal charcuterie from Ketch Harbour House in Nova Scotia. Salt-cured organic wild boar liver anyone?

Joel has some terrific ideas - roman style cured bacon from organic pig cheek and jowl sounds pretty cool - and a very impressive tattoo. Good stuff, Peter!

Wow, now that's a market, Peter! I find myself incredibly hungry after that tour. The smoked items are especially inviting. a couple observations: I've also seen lots of Dulce here in Maine. They come in chewable bites and flakes in a shaker from Maine Coast Sea Vegatables in Frenchman's Bay. Apparently, the flakes are sprinkled on food instead of salt. They also have an applewood-smoked version. I noticed the fiddleheads are kept in water at the market. They are always displayed for sale dry here in Maine. Seems like a good idea as I end up washing them for a long time when I get them home. Blossoms are exploding here now that we have a warming sun - you should see that this week too. I'm enjoying your blog and thanks for the fishery update!

Peter, what a find! Congratulations. Looks like there's a long future for that sucker and at 250lbs I'm sure it's not going anywhere soon.I've never been to the Maritimes so this will just have to do until I get on that ferry in Portland and sail up there one day. I recognize your dry good/spice collection as a way to make a long winter bearable. Nothing like a good curry to temper an icy January wind, eh? What do the town fishermen bring to your town dock? Ten years ago a pal here in Portland went up your way to investigate diving for sea urchin but returned empty-handed and broke. Something about a little disease and a lot of fees. I'd like to hear how the area fishing folk are coping with changes in local seafood stocks, should you hear anything.

Another use for my Noilly Prat. Outstanding.

A dozen primes for $20? What's this year's price? Portland ME waterfront fishmonger is charging $4.29 each - $4.79 ea for hotels. markk: Looks like that's a hot-hot saute to get those crabs so dark. True?

That could explain the big tide differential. It's also cold enough to freeze sea water. But the red fishing boat has the sloped windows common to north pacific fleet. But the granite...

Illuminating posts, Pyewacket. Another reminder of the wealth of talent among our membership, thank you very much! The job sounds like the nomadic life of a freelancer in many fields, you are in demand such as the market dictates. I take it there is no union representation then? Many here have had a whack at the eG foodblog project and I have to say, some of the shots I took for mine were a big time PITA! I tip my hat - again - to you and your colleagues.

YeeeHAAA!!! Nice one Jenikaye! Hat's off to the food photographers of the world!

Ice is purchased by the quarter ton from Vessel Services, a marine service and supply warehouse on Portland's waterfront, and kept in that big blue box on the boat. It keeps for days in that thing and is replenished as needed. The aquaculture gig is still in it's infancy so those kind of things are still developing. I suppose Bernie and Tolof are in the position to start a tradition or two, eh? Out of state residents have complained bitterly about the compressor noise. Aqua Farms was sued by some joker from Florida, claiming "noise pollution" but it was dismissed. Part of the suit declared the raft as "navigational hazards" but that was defeated too. The positioning of these rafts do take a lot of consideration in that regard, but the state is very pro-aquaculture in view of the drop in traditional fishing revenues, so much effort is made to support the rafts where feasible.

Yeah, something like a non-commercial shellfish harvesting permit. Probably $15/year. The thing about Boston harbor is that it's seen a remarkable comeback from terrible pollution - I remember a visit to the Mass. Marine Resources page and saw permissable clam harvesting pretty close to town now. There is also a good strong tide that keeps thing relatively fresh. Were those guys raking in wet sand? Probably clams. Dry sand? money and jewelry.

Sure. Besides, this is one way mussels were harvested for generations. Rock-bound mussels can be assumed less likely to subject to pollution so I'd stick to that venue for your wild mussel needs. After a while, you remember which rocks have the right sizes - around two inch for me. Those clumps you found were probably pulled off a piling or rocks by a storm. If you get ones that are really big and crusty, you see a difference in flavor and texture. Also, I'd avoid picking ones around a busy harbor. Farmed mussels are suspended in sea water and have less stress on their maturation. Seems to improve flavor. Another concern: I heard a story about a visitor to Peaks Island, here in Casco Bay, who picked a few pounds off the rocks and made a big dinner, then a local person said it was illegal to do that. I think he was just hasseling a tourist but I have to look into that anyway. Sounds absurd but it could actually be true.

Forgot to include this shot of Bernie preparing the mussel rope for the winch. He selects and unties one rope, then passes it under the beams towards the processing deck. This can be quite tricky. The rope has 200 pounds of mussels on it so he ties the top end to the next closest beam, maneuvers himself over the next beam, then repeats the move until he gets to the winch line. In three years he's only fallen in once.

No, you are quite right here. Their shelf life is indeed shorter. What has happened is that shipping is better so the time it takes for restaurants to get mussels is tighter, and the convenience of having perfectly clean mussels is totally worth it. No more prep cooks having to pull those damn things out is a huge bonus.