Jump to content
  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

Fish and Seafood


Adam Balic

Recommended Posts

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?

Dejah

www.hillmanweb.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

gallery_3270_1752_69839.jpg

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

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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).

gallery_12248_1697_13585.jpg

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 :shock::raz:.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

fagri_baked_before.jpg

after baking

fagri_baked_after.jpg

athinaeos

civilization is an everyday affair

the situation is hopeless, but not very serious

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What great photos, everyone.

Here are a few more fish from my travels.

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

zuppa-pesce.jpg

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

gamberoni.jpg

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...

faude-fish1.jpg

faude-truitell2.jpg

truite2.jpg

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

turbot-jpg.jpg

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

grange-turb.jpg

Overheard at the Zabar’s prepared food counter in the 1970’s:

Woman (noticing a large bowl of cut fruit): “How much is the fruit salad?”

Counterman: “Three-ninety-eight a pound.”

Woman (incredulous, and loud): “THREE-NINETY EIGHT A POUND ????”

Counterman: “Who’s going to sit and cut fruit all day, lady… YOU?”

Newly updated: my online food photo extravaganza; cook-in/eat-out and photos from the 70's

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

Yes we get lots of Turbot here in Scotland (mostly farmed, which I don't buy). If you can get a large, wild caught fish it is excellent eating (I believe I am not the first one to work this out..,).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

Yes we get lots of Turbot here in Scotland (mostly farmed, which I don't buy). If you can get a large, wild caught fish it is excellent eating (I believe I am not the first one to work this out..,).

This is the first time I've heard of farmed turbot. Is it farmed in scotland or is it imported from somewhere?

Christofer Kanljung

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Garfish Belone vulgaris. These are from Greece, but they are quite common throughout the Mediterranean and even wind up in the UK once in a while. Related fish are found in Australasian and American waters. Not a hughly prized fish, which is a shame as their flesh is very white, sweet and tasty, not an oily fish at all.

gallery_1643_1753_467586.jpg

Potentially, this is due to the colour of their bones, a vivid green-blue when fresh which fades when they are cooked a little.

gallery_1643_1753_640689.jpg

A Spanish fish seller told me that they are great for young children, as the bones are east to spot.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Also from Greece, locally caught rockfish: Star-Gazer Uranoscopus scaber (far back, pale brown) and Scorpian fish Scorpaena porcus (occasionally I saw some Scorpaena scrofa). These fish (especially the scorpian fish) are found in fish stews/soups all over the med. In France these are known as Rascasse and are the vital ingredient in bouillabaisse.

gallery_1643_1753_547097.jpg

These are slightly lesser fish, the colourful ones are male Rainbow wrasse Coris julis, but there are a few other odds and sods, including red mullet.

gallery_1643_1753_207948.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I went snorkeling while I was there. To attract fish I cracked open a few sea urchins and turned over rocks (to stir up te sediment). While turning over the rocks I found a few very pissed off looking Scorpion fish. Quite fun to see them out of a stew. These are possibly my favourite Mediterranean fish. A good fresh specimen is hard to beat. When I was in Sicily I had one baked with wine, tomato, apple and mint - excellent.

gallery_1643_1753_796474.jpg

Edited by Adam Balic (log)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...