johnnyd

As a former diver in Maine waters, I can report that lobsters are known among the underwater cognoscenti as "the cockroaches of the briny deep". They eat anything, they exhibit no remorse in the heat of battle, they think nothing of sacrificing a limb and don't seem to even notice when a claw dislocates. They are not very bright. In summer when they run into shore to shed you see them in swarms, thus the nickname "bugs". Lobstermen string traps along narrow canyons to collect them as they swim through and a few invariably get tempted by bait bags of mackeral or leather strips (see? not that bright). Once I witnessed a swarm proceeding through a shallow channel, right over a trap-string. There must have been dozens flapping their tail (thus facing backwards) all going in one direction. I managed to count one lobster in the string of four pots. "How inefficient," I thought to myself, "All those lobsters and only one dumb enough to take the bait." That explains why the fishery does so well since traps are the only allowable way by law to harvest lobsters. Another time, we heard Mary Tyler Moore or somebody "rescued" a giant lobster in Texas and brought it all the way to Kennebunkport and released it on the rocks by the river entrance. We happened to be diving around there the next day and found this monster. One of the divers cut into the carapace trying to get it into his net-bag, and when we hoisted it on deck, we didn't hear anything... not a single peep, in spite of the gaping hole right behind the eyes. That beast must have been 75 years old. We threw it back and every so often, ran into it off the point where we were collecting sea urchins. It really looked like it didn't give a shit about anything.

They are indeed sharp little thingies around the head area that you have to watch out for and the antennae keep showing up in the nooks of my kitchen! The trick is to cook 'em whole, then snap the head piece off at a right-angle to remove. then hold the back, legs facing you, grab legs, transfer your hold to the tail, then peel around the back to remove mid-section-shell. Squeeze tail, and into your mouth goes the tasty morsel. Yum! Simmer heads and shells for stock, never mind that it looks grey and nasty! They are naturally pink so the red stuff is not artificial - I know, hard to believe. The soy wasabi sauce was for raw shrimp, yes. They are the ama-ebi sushi one sees on the east coast - sweet as candy. You'll have to consider how far away from Maine you are before I'd recommend eating them this way. If there is any hint of iodine, pass. Whole Maine Shrimp retails for $1.49 down at the docks. I guess this is why Whole Foods is doing so well! Thanks for the feedback folks! I was wondering if my one-man crusade to promote these delicious little critters was making me look a little odd! ...not that that's too far off the mark...

I hope to see lots of pictures of scantily-clad, samba-school ladies holding swords of simmering churrasco. If any are in focus you clearly haven't had enough cachaça. Welcome home!

Oh, man! Cream cheese of the sea. We have it sashimi style with ponzu. Aji is also a favorite. Shiro Maguro was also until they pulled it off the menu around here. Something about bothering too many stomachs. Bah!

This year's Shrimp season ends on March 25, earlier than past years to allow females to hatch their young. More about the Maine Shrimp Season and it's fishermen here. Recent Auction Action: February 7: 5 boats and 4 trucks consigned 21,419lbs. All were sold: Low Price: $0.64 Avg Price: $0.71 High Price: $0.76 February 8: 7 boats and 2 trucks consigned 24,229lbs. All were sold: Low Price: $0.60 Avg Price: $0.73 High Price: $0.75 I called the auction house and asked what became of the fresh shrimp after the auction and was told by a very chatty receptionist that about 80% are "processed" (be-headed, cleaned and frozen), by three local concerns. The rest are sold to retailers and restaurants. He didn't know if much made it out of state. He said the volume is picking up (see above). Average auction is 12klbs but this week was almost twice that. The stretch of good fishing weather ends tomorrow when a nor'easter starts blowing. I have received permission to attend an auction and take pictures sometime in the weeks ahead. I'll start a new thread when that happens. Flash boiled a couple handful last night with bay leaves and peppercorn, two minutes at the most. Spritzed a meyer lemon on 'em and called it dinner. Yum!

Damn, I miss Europe!!! Terrific Blog Chufi, thank you. May we revisit the herring stand in June? I hope so!

Absolutely mind-boggling feast! I'd heard Chinese New Year was quite a culinary occasion, now I get a chance to see it! Thank you Shalmanese, and Happy New Year!

This is my favourite tea. I ordered it at a tea house in Montreux once and it was served VERY strong with about a 1:1 cream and buttloads of demerara. I don't drink it any other way now.

Fantastic photos! Great recipe break-down as well, Bravo! You are clearly in your element and I bet the students are thrilled. Once I tried to poach a few quail eggs to surprise my better half and got stuck at the start just opening the little things. Have you a secret for opening their tough shells?

Now THIS is the way to have uni. Maine's urchin season is in full swing so now is the time to order it, with or without the animal on hand, but you can't go wrong when the chef goes the distance like this. Bravo!

Oh. My. Those rolls look good. A long time ago I had a spicy roe that was excellent but I never knew the name of it. Last year, I narrowed it down to Mentaiko (spiced Cod or Pollack roe). Thrilled to see it on a menu, I've been ordering it everytime since. Caution: not for the squeamish!

Hmmmmmmm....!!!

Yes Yes Yes! I finally saw it too, yaay! Indeed a nightmare! I could just see the money getting flushed down the bog! Poor lady-owner got snowed by that twat! I hope he's getting his ass kicked as a "junior" chef down the street. Imagine serving that trash to his family on TV? How embarrassing! You got to think he's going to be a better chef after getting dragged through the manure like he did on this show. Bravo Gordo!!!

Much activity at the auction may yield an appearance of fresh Maine shrimp in other states shortly: Feb 1: 13,873 lbs fresh shrimp consigned and all sold (to probably one buyer): Low $0.66 Average 0.66 High 0.66 Feb 2: 14,123 lbs fresh shrimp consigned and 13,769 sold: Low $0.70 Average 0.72 High 0.74 Both days saw 6 boats landed each, and a truck or two from downeast. Indeed, I have noticed from my perch by the harbour a lot of trawlers leaving early lately. I'm sure they are relieved at the break in the weather. Whether any of it makes it out of state to your favourite fish purveyor or restaurant is the one link I am clueless about. I have a feeling it's all getting peeled and frozen here in town. Hmmm.... I'm curious now. Time to pick up the phone...

I hear you there Fred. It's the give and take a vacation destination locale goes through, for better or worse. Recent bright spot you might not know about is a recent call for a constitutional amendment here that includes waterfront property used for fishing with forestland and farmland that get taxed at a lower rate: This situation has always bugged me. When I was diving, almost all the guys had to drive a long way to get to the pier at 5 in the morning. A fishing town should have fishermen living there. Maybe now the proper balance for Maine coastal towns can be achieved.

I also learned it was bad manners to retire chopsticks in any other fashion put pointing to the left. At a sushi bar it is a sign of respect for the chef.

Thanks to eG, I bookmarked bitterwaitress and ontherail a while back. Great stuff! Thanks to that article, the cat's out of the bag, so I'll bet their servers will be smokin' now.

Booth Bay has it's hands full when summer comes around. I wish Brud had a relative come around and help keep things shipshape because the town probably didn't have the resources to devote to him and his cart. I think not having vending licenses available is a mistake. I had a mobile vending license myself but since it was for a lobsterboat oysterbar, and therefore not on city property, it was State of Maine issue only. I invited the state health inspector to the boat for an inspection (something that never happens, she said) so I could post the result in my cabin for the public to see. A well-run cart can add a lot of character to a corner or a town, or in my case a town pier. Fred, just so ya know, I used to urchin-dive out of BoothBay in winter and I'm a fan of the town and the folks there, but I avoid it in summer. It reminds me of what the Cape and the Vineyard have become like.

Damn, Holly. What a story. It appears that he (and any sidewalk vending) was deemed a nuisance. Also I bet a couple local folks thought he was bad for business cause he looked "out of place" but I'm with you in that a tradition like that, quirks and all, is a part of small town america that is fading from our landscape. This town hall doesn't know how to capitalize on something like that and they don't realize it's most of the reason why people drive two days to get to their town! They'll be sorry one day. Booth Bay is getting crowded these days anyway. Felt like a theme park last time I dropped in, in summertime.

Last night's auction saw 15,269 lbs fresh shrimp consigned and all sold: Low $0.64 Average 0.66 High 0.68 A substantial increase in harvest in a week's time. Prices at retail are steady: I saw Whole Maine Shrimp at $1.49 over the weekend, and we are half way through the season. I've noticed some pretty good sized beasts in the last purchase, and that there are quite a few with collections of eggs clumped between their legs. These add markedly to the flavour of a dish, and to the appearance, since tiny black dots are everywhere. You also get antennae and head debris that, unless pretty well cooked, are a pain. It's about this time in the season when my slowly-coming-around-to-the-idea-of-eating-seafood wife begs me to buy the cleaned, headless fresh shrimp instead of the whole animals which have a right-off-the-boat feel to them, but I'll admit, start being a chore after the initial excitement of the season wears off. Last weekend, I made fabulous shrimp dumplings with barely-cooked shrimp and their roe, minced: napa cabbage/ginger/pine nuts/scallions/parsley and some soy sauce, sesame oil, mirin, and a bit of cornstarch & H20. I dropped them in some boiling chicken stock with parsley leaves and hon-dashi. Wicked good!

Curious... I served three sauces with my Damariscottas: trad. cocktail, mignonette, and an oriental (rice vinegar, sliced scallion and fresh ginger). By mid-summer, the regulars all chose the mignonette. Dams are an amazing oyster. They are farmed about an hour from Portland, but I never see them on menus south of New York City - not really that available and quite expensive. I've had plenty of West Coast oysters and don't see why only they should receive the mignonette treatment, unless it was just an in-house habit. Find out what the logic (if any) is KL, report back to Oyster Central as usual... [over&out!]

Saba is tremendously underappreciated. ← ...word. There are so many mackeral here in the summertime I keep meaning to try my hand at curing a few in salt and Rice Vinegar, like the local sushi chefs. When I lived in Portugal as a kid, my mom and I would hit the beach early enough to score a big bag of fresh sardines from the fishermen. Grilled for breakfast and served in a tomato/onion/parsley vinagrette with fresh papo seco (breadlings), eaten bones-and-all with a spritz of lemon off the tree have to be on the top of a list too long to type out. ...but since you asked: Halibut - poached in mirin, lemon and fennel Red Snapper - baked in soy/ginger/scallion I would eat sushi every day if I could afford it!

We used to throw a clove of garlic and a chopped onion along with a little white wine in an inch of sea water to steam fresh mussels on the beach.

Roxbury Gap, Lincoln Gap and Smugglers Notch are typically closed all winter. DO NOT ATTEMPT unless you are on skis and have a backpack full of Vermont Cheese...

I read somewhere that at the Spam plant, the saying is "Thank you Hawaii" Spam musabi rolls anyone? ← This is beginning to remind me of a Roald Dahl story called "Pig" in which a boy sets off to pursue his culinary ambitions. He is served pork for the very first time... Maybe it's what I imagined chefzadi's plans were with that Sabatier!