KennethT
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Posts posted by KennethT
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36 minutes ago, Ann_T said:
are your spot prawns frozen with the heads on? If so you need to remove the heads before the prawns thaw. According to Walcan Seafoods there is an Enzyme that is released from the heads that turns the meat mushy. They suggest just running the heads under water just to slightly thaw and twisting them off. I do that and then let the tails thaw the rest of the way in the fridge.
Since I'm not a fan of the heads anyway, I always remove them from both live and frozen.
I don't like shrimp but I love Spot Prawns. Flavour and texture is totally different. Spot Prawns are sweeter and the texture is more similar lobster or Dungeness crab.
I like them a number of ways including grilled and served with pasta, Garlic Shrimp (Spanish Tapa), stuffed with Dungeness crab, Firecracker Prawns and tonight I plan to make
a Prawn Cocktail with grill prawns and Gazpacho .
https://thibeaultstable.com/2021/06/24/gazpacho-prawn-cocktail/
https://thibeaultstable.com/2012/05/27/prawn-etouffee/
https://thibeaultstable.com/2019/11/04/firecracker-prawns/
https://thibeaultstable.com/2021/02/28/spot-prawns-in-sweet-chili-sauce/
https://thibeaultstable.com/2020/07/25/spanish-tapa-garlic-prawns/
https://thibeaultstable.com/2011/05/07/baked-stuffed-prawns/
https://thibeaultstable.com/2009/05/19/shrimps-prawns-skewered-shrimp-with-lemon-pesto/
https://thibeaultstable.com/2021/03/08/more-of-our-tide-to-table-seafood/
Wow - that's quite a list... thanks! Yes, they were frozen heads off, so no worries there. I haven't gone through the list yet, but would you recommend any raw preparations or do you prefer them cooked?
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9 hours ago, Smithy said:
My first shipment from Wild Alaskan Company arrived today.
I am impressed with the packaging. The seafood was thoroughly frozen. The packaging is all recyclable or reusable. They are careful to warn about the dry ice in the plastic bags that lurks under the top lid: use gloves!
They also stress the ways the packaging can be reused or composted or recycled. I particularly like the idea of simply dissolving the insulation in water and using it on the garden.
The main attraction, of course, is the fish itself. Here's what arrived, all in lovely condition:
10 packages of Coho salmon; 2 packages of Pacific halibut; 4 packages of Pacific cod; 2 packages of Sockeye salmon. Each package contains enough fish for 2 people. Then there are 2 packages of those lovely-looking Spot prawns. Like others before me, I'll have to research a way to show them to best advantage. I think each prawn package could feed more than 2 people.
Will we keep it up? I don't know. It's a struggle to get my darling to eat fish except when it's battered and deep fried, or when it was flipping in the water only a couple of hours before. (In that case it needs pan frying.) This may be too much seafood for the two of us for one month. I also wonder about taking business away from our "local" fishermen who spend months in Alaska and then bring / ship their produce back here, to be sold in our local markets.
Regardless of whether we follow through on this subscription, I'm very impressed with the apparent quality of the product, and the thought that has gone into the program.
Mine came in in a similar fashion - the dry ice was fully intact. In fact, I left the dry ice in the box (after taking the fish out) and it was still mostly htere this morning too! How does one dispose of dry ice? I know that it will sublimate on its own, but that leaves my apartment filled with a blanket of CO2 on the floor (CO2 is heavier than air). I'd rather not open up the windows - first of all, the external windows are like 100 years old and I'm afraid if once I open it, I won't be able to close it (the building has plans to renovate them soon). Also, the apartment is well sealed - there's even a rubber gasket between the hallway door and frame. There is an exhaust in the kitchen and bath, but since very little makeup air can get in, that means you won't have a lot going into the exhaust.
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9 hours ago, Smithy said:
My first shipment from Wild Alaskan Company arrived today.
I am impressed with the packaging. The seafood was thoroughly frozen. The packaging is all recyclable or reusable. They are careful to warn about the dry ice in the plastic bags that lurks under the top lid: use gloves!
They also stress the ways the packaging can be reused or composted or recycled. I particularly like the idea of simply dissolving the insulation in water and using it on the garden.
The main attraction, of course, is the fish itself. Here's what arrived, all in lovely condition:
10 packages of Coho salmon; 2 packages of Pacific halibut; 4 packages of Pacific cod; 2 packages of Sockeye salmon. Each package contains enough fish for 2 people. Then there are 2 packages of those lovely-looking Spot prawns. Like others before me, I'll have to research a way to show them to best advantage. I think each prawn package could feed more than 2 people.
Will we keep it up? I don't know. It's a struggle to get my darling to eat fish except when it's battered and deep fried, or when it was flipping in the water only a couple of hours before. (In that case it needs pan frying.) This may be too much seafood for the two of us for one month. I also wonder about taking business away from our "local" fishermen who spend months in Alaska and then bring / ship their produce back here, to be sold in our local markets.
Regardless of whether we follow through on this subscription, I'm very impressed with the apparent quality of the product, and the thought that has gone into the program.
Hmm... Personally, I don't see how a 6oz portion of fish is enough for 2 people unless you have multiple courses (appetizers, desserts, etc.) For the two of us, I usually make about 3/4# of salmon to go along with rice or orzo, typically.
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51 minutes ago, weinoo said:
They seriously cook fast. I'm thinking, based on my most recent experiment, that poaching (at around 170℉) is the way to go. Sous vide too.
I was definitely going to do it SV. That was a given in my head. The question is what to do flavor-wise. I gather the coho is pretty mild, whereas the sockeye is quite strong, so that will play into it.
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10 minutes ago, FauxPas said:
I know that @Ann_Thas quite a bit of experience cooking with spot prawns and probably has some good suggestions.
Despite living near the docks and able to purchase spot prawns fresh most years, I rarely do. My husband really doesn't like them that much and so we only have them occasionally. When we get them fresh, we cook them right away - just steamed/poached/boiled, heads and all, maybe with some lemon zest, garlic, bay leaf. I know if we want to keep them, we need to remove the heads because of the enzymes.
https://skipperotto.com/live-spot-prawn/
Since yours are frozen @KennethT, I'm guessing the heads have already been removed?
We can get them in local stores, head removed, fresh or cooked but they tend to be pretty pricey.
I know that @Ann_T has purchased from Walcan and I see they have a short video on cooking them, but these are fresh and with heads:
https://shop.walcan.com/pages/recipes
Yes, the heads were removed and unfortunately not included - I would have loved to have had the heads deep fried just with some salt. But thanks for the links - they're helpful.
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After all the discussion, I finally got my sushi (with some sashimi)
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10 minutes ago, Wholemeal Crank said:
My nephew is becoming a serious cook and he’d like a molcajete. I’m seeing lots of conflicting advice about smooth granite (less grit) vs rough volcanic rock (tiny glass edges to air pockets increase speed and efficiency of grinding). And is this something where the bigger, the better, because small quantities can be easily worked in a large version but not the other way round?
He lives quite a distance away so shipping is s consideration.
Do you know what he'll be primarily using it for?
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Are spot prawns anything like rock shrimp? I'm trying to imagine their flavor texture without defrosting any....
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2 hours ago, weinoo said:
Yes - it's just that 10 minute or so preheating time which annoys me. I've also used carbon steel for a shorter preheat time, but I always figured I could do half a dozen at once in the oven.
I don't mind the preheat - I just turn it on and let it sit while I do other stuff - like salad dressings, chopping herbs, whatever.... Now, with the induction, I can just stick it on there at a medium/low power and forget about it. By the time I get to it, it's ready for me.
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46 minutes ago, kayb said:
OK...I have one similar. Bought four pork chops at the meat market, back around Memorial Day. Not frozen. Local slaughterhouse/processor. Local hogs. Brought home, separated, SV'd 8 hours at 145F. One package I immediately put in freezer. Other has been in the fridge since, so 3-ish weeks. Still in SV bag. Fridge temp is 38F. Safe?
At 38F I'd say not.
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5 minutes ago, heidih said:
Similar to @David Ross but simpler in terms of letting flavor shine through. https://hispanickitchen.com/recipes/camarones-en-aguachile/
Yeah, this is similar to the Thai prep I talked about.
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Also, what was its storage temperature? If your meat drawer is close to freezing, what is the temperature of the area where the pork belly was stored?
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4 minutes ago, Paul Bacino said:
I'd add fresh garden garlic...to your cook!!
I marinade mine in garlic and evoo..some lemon zest
Sorry - I don't understand the first line "to your cook!!". Does this mean that you would definitely cook them (as opposed to having them raw) or something else?
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I've seen lots of posts where some fortunate people with regular access to spot prawns use them in lots of different dishes, but I couldn't find a post dedicated to them. I've got a pound of spot prawns arriving today from Wild Alaskan Seafood - flash frozen on the boat, then shipped with dry ice. I've made lots of shrimp dishes over the years, but I don't think I've ever had spot prawns - and since my access to them is quite limited, I want to make the most out of them.
So one question is - has anyone eaten them raw? One thing I was considering was a Thai preparation which is raw prawn briefly marinated in lime, garlic, fish sauce and a little bit of chilli. I normally wouldn't make a raw shrimp dish from grocery store shrimp since I don't know how fresh they are, but since these are frozen on the boat directly after being caught, I think it would be safe. But since I don't know how delicate of a flavor the spot prawns have, I don't know whether this prep would be too overpowering.
The Wild Alaskan co sent a recipe with the email - they simply saute the prawns in olive oil (in their shell) and serve with a pasta with olive oil and lemon.
Ideas?
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My box is out for delivery. In it are 4 coho salmon, 2 sockeye salmon, 2 halibut and 4 cod... plus the pound of spot prawns. Now I've got to research what to do with the coho and sockeye salmon - I've never made them before. And the spot prawns too!
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1 hour ago, weinoo said:
My tortilla reheating game totally sucks. I can't quite get them the way we want them, be it in the CSO, on a gas flame, wherever.
Have you used cast iron? I reheat store bought premade tortillas similar to how I'd make fresh ones and it works pretty well. I even get a good amount of puffing!
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11 hours ago, weinoo said:
Dude...even if they're open on a Monday...you read Bourdain, right?
Count your lucky stars.
I've heard that for a long time, but I wonder about it. I often hear that the best sushi places use super fresh fish, but I've had discussions with Yasuda that say otherwise - from what I was able to glean, many of the fish you have in top sushi places is aged on purpose. And certainly the fish that is not local (tuna/yellowtail) are frozen on the boats and are never "fresh". I imagine that Kanoyama is either bringing in whole tuna or large pieces of it because, from time to time, I see large pieces of backbone on some tables as an appetizer.
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1 hour ago, weinoo said:
Here's my tip, @Shelby. For the next time you want to order from them, why not just order sashimi, and make your own, undoubtedly much better, sushi rice at home. Even if they insist on you buying their rice, with sashimi it should come separately.
Bad rice pisses me off.
@Shelby I think this is a great idea. I think that even if the rice originally was fantastic, I wouldn't have high hopes for it after traveling 1500 miles. I just don't think it travels well unless you keep it hot.
All this talk got me really in the mood for sushi, so as I was driving past Kanoyama (I pass them by on the way home from work) I took a quick look... I was even willing to sit outdoors (in the shade) when it's still 85degF outside, but they're closed on Monday
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1 hour ago, weinoo said:
Yeah - at Blue Ribbon Orchard, it wasn't the flavor so much as the texture - always overcooked and gummy. What's the new one? I have ordered in from a place on Bowery, Nakaji, that was really great, but expensive. And it doesn't look as if they are delivery any more.
I'm not usually a fan of ordering in expensive sushi because it loses quite a bit in transit - even 20 minutes... If the rice is warm, it heats up the fish and the rice cools. Or, they have to use cold rice, which always sucks.
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8 minutes ago, weinoo said:
This is what I've always learned - that they spend years making the rice! Makes sense, considering it's part of every bite of sushi, whether there's fish, or veg, or whatever.
I find that the quality of the rice makes a huge difference. In the old apartment, the best sushi place we could get delivery from (that wasn't an omakase place for $$$) was barely tolerable - either they used too much vinegar or too sweet, and it was always slightly gummy. Now we have a great place that's a couple blocks away so we're back on the horse...
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5 minutes ago, liuzhou said:
Lemon pork with coriander seed and okra.
Are lemons widely available in your area? I imagine they'd have to be imported. I always found it funny when traveling in SE Asia when sometimes I would be asked if I wanted lemon, but what came was lime. I chalk it up to a translation issue. I've never seen an actual lemon in SE Asia - other than maybe an Italian restaurant or something like that in the city.
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11 minutes ago, weinoo said:
I've been sadly having issues with Blue Ribbon (the one on Orchard). Not with the fish, but the rice has been terribly prepared.
As a matter of fact, on our last visit (within the last month) Significant Eater and I decided that the best way to use Blue Ribbon Izakaya (the one on Orchard) would be for their non-sushi stuff. Like we've always enjoyed their fried chicken, grilled collar, and other stuff from the kitchen. Ever since Toshi passed, I wonder whose running the show. And who the hell is making the rice - which is kinda important with sushi.
That's really sad. We've always gone to the OG Blue Ribbon Sushi in Soho. Their rice has always been really good - I think the rice is equally as important as the fish. The best rice I've ever had was always at Sushi Yasuda. We used to sit at the sushi bar in front of Yasuda-san and he would always say that, to him, the rice is the most important part of the sushi. He talked about when he was in Japan, he spent years as an apprentice - just making rice.
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16 minutes ago, Shelby said:
Yeah...I'm not saying it wasn't fresh...but maybe uni is something that needs to be like scooped from the water and on to your plate lol. It was ok. It was a big portion, but it was also dang expensive. Let's just say I didn't love it enough to spend that much again.
That's the problem with uni - it comes in a huge tray that is definitely not meant for 1 or two people! I once got one of those trays when we had a dinner party and I made a pasta with sea urchin sauce - like Le Bernardin or Marea. Expensive but delicious.
When we go to Blue Ribbon, we usually get a Hokkaido uni (it's similar to the regular uni most of which comes from CA (I think) but a little brinier) in a handroll as dessert! I want that uni-ness lingering in my sinuses for as long as possible!
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@liuzhou This is a bit off topic, but can you tell me how lychee is properly pronounced? I've always thought it was lee-chee, but I've heard many others call it 'ligh-chee'.
What to do with spot prawns
in Cooking
Posted
One last question - the prawns were individually frozen, glazed with sea water (which is supposed to be best for not altering them once defrosted). Typically, I but 2# bags of IQF shrimp, and I defrost whatever I'm about to use in a bowl with cool water, changing the water once it gets freezing cold. They defrost that way in about 15 minutes, if that. The company recommends defrosting them for like 10 hours in the refrigerator. Does it make a difference?