[CLE] Fresh Fish at Retail at Last!

[NancyH]

I have long bemoaned the lack of truly fresh fish available at retail in Northeast Ohio. Yes, you can get exquisite sushi, scallops and other water-dwellers at many of our better restaurants in the Cleveland Area. But to me, cooking is an essential part of playing with food. And I long to try the many recipes I have for fresh crab, shrimp, scallops and finfish. I have rarely been happy with any fish I've purchased at retail in the almost 13 years I have lived here (with the exception of the fabulous gefilte fish mixture procured by Mister Brisket around the Jewish holidays).

So - I made my second journey to the newest local fish store: BayLobsters Fish Market, located at 9408 Ravenna Rd. (Rt. 82), Twinsburg, OH 44087. This is a family business owned by John & Cindy Dziorney, who also work in the store. Their daughter, whose name I did not get, really knows her fish (she was expertly shelling a cooked lobster for a customer when I came in), and was running the retail counter both times I visited.

The first time I visited, about 2 weeks ago, I got the most extraordinary piece of fresh halibut, which I did not get a photo of. Last Saturday, however, I felt like such a kid in a candy shop that I had to capture some swimming moments!

First dilemma - how to choose? Live soft shell crabs, live crawfish or whole fish (pompano, I think)? I decided to try the soft shells, which I've enjoyed eating, but never cooked.

Next - which fin fish? The salmon had just arrived, and it was pristine - I didn't open it until Sunday, and there wasn't a hint of fishy or even strong salmon smell. I asked for a pound. Since it was a little short, I decided to supplement it with some Mahi steak. But the Blue Marlin steaks just looked so good - I realized that the salmon would keep until Sunday, and the Marlin went on the menu for Saturday.

Live Soft Shell Crab - unheard of in Cleveland!

He was delicious fried in a beer batter and served with Asian Dipping Sauce!

Sashimi Grade Blue Marlin Steak

Fabulous with a dust of salt and pepper and a light sear in cast iron.

And finally - salmon that was so fresh it was practically swimming!

I urge anyone who lives in Cleveland and loves fresh fish to give this store a try.

[stealw]

Wow looks very good.

Just curious; what did you put on top of your salmon? Soy/miso glaze of sorts?

Jim

[NancyH]

Wow looks very good.

Just curious; what did you put on top of your salmon? Soy/miso glaze of sorts?

Jim

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This was a recipe from Martin Yan's Chinatown Cooking. The salmon was marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, hoisen sauce, Chinese rice wine, chopped carrot, garlic & onion, sugar, black bean chili paste, and cilantro. I used dried cilantro because I didn't have any fresh. I think that was everything. Oh, and I added 2/3 of a Bahamian Gold Pepper, thinly sliced and finely chopped.

[edsel]

I love this place! I can finally get beautiful fresh scallops that haven't been treated with nasty chemicals. I knew someone had to be bringing them into the Cleveland area, since I've enjoyed them numerous times at fine restaurants like Fire and Lola. Never found them at retail until now. The last time I stopped by for scallops there weren't any in the display case. I had to wait for them to be unloaded from the truck. Those scallops were loaded on the truck in Boston that morning, and I was buying them in the afternoon. Not gonna get fresher scallops in Cleveland...

I've also made sushi and sashimi with the sushi-grade salmon, tuna, and escolar. I wouldn't risk that with any other supplier here.