Fish and Seafood

[Adam Balic]

Yes, I think that this is a case of the individual fish not being great, rather then the type of fish itself.

[athinaeos]

Barbounia from the Aegean Sea of Greece.

Fresh and tasty to the extent that they could lead you to addiction. All they need is shallow frying in olive oil and asyrtiko white wine. Using knife and fork is strictly prohibited!

[athinaeos]

Chanos (Serranus cabrilla?) from the Aegean Sea of Greece

A humble fish that is perfect for a soup.

[cchen]

I recently read a recent Wall Street Journal article which stated that most sushi restaurants in NYC get their fish from Yama Seafood and also True World Foods. Seeing that True World Foods has a website, and that Yama Seafood has an office (warehouse maybe?) in Jersey City.... is it possible for a normal consumer like myself to purchase high-end fish, like a slab of bluefin toro?

[His Nibs]

Quick question regarding bivalves (eg clams and mussels). Do people still purge them? Reason for asking was I bought a bag of live mussels from costco and went on to do a mussels in saffron dish.

The mussels were gritty and thus distracted from the enjoyment of the meal. I believe they were farmed mussels and thus did not purge them.

[johnnyd]

Farmed mussels grow on 40 foot (on average) ropes hung from rafts anchored in 60 feet of water out in the Bay here in Maine. I've never experienced grit in these particular shellfish, only those picked off the rocks at the water's edge run the risk. I think areas with a fast current and tides also allow less grit to get in the local shellfish.

What say our Mediterranean members?

[Adam Balic]

I haven't had any issue with grit in mussels as they are farmed as johnnyd describes above. Sometimes in the Victorian (Australia) farmed mussels there are pea-crabs, but other then that not problems. Were these blue or green lipped mussels?

[Kevin72]

I haven't had a grit problem with mussels in I don't know how long, though I did get some issues with clams I bought last fall. Not to keep harping on the question above, but would soaking mussels allow them to purge some of the bile?

Costco clams and mussels seem to be problematic, however: there was another thread in the past year where someone bought clams there and found them almost inedibly salty.

[Kevin72]

Adam, do you ever special order these fish you're getting? Do you go to one place? Do you have a dish in mind for the night's meal, or buy the fish, then think of how to prep it, and do you know how a fish that's new to you will generally taste and that helps you in thinking of the prep methods?

[Adam Balic]

Adam, do you ever special order these fish you're getting? Do you go to one place? Do you have a dish in mind for the night's meal, or buy the fish, then think of how to prep it, and do you know how a fish that's new to you will generally taste and that helps you in thinking of the prep methods?

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If I want something specific and more difficult to source (sea-trout, wild turbot, langoustines etc) then yes I pre-order, but for the vast majority of time I I just show up and look for what looks good or interesting.

[athinaeos]

Baby cuttlefish from the Central Fish Market in Athens

Cleaned and ready to cook

Cooked with baby spinach

[Adam Balic]

Excellent, my favourite cephalopod. What is the name of the recipe?

[athinaeos]

What is the name of the recipe?

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The recipe's name (surprise!) is "cuttlefish with spinach". My interpretation uses fish stock and does not add tomatoes.

[Oyster Guy]

Great images. Oysters are something I know very little about. In Melborne is it quite difficult to get oysters that haven't been pre-shucked for you and these are nearly always Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas. In NSW you get Sydney rock oysters and from the evidence on he beach I would say that there are some other native species that aren't commercailly harvested (shells look round and flattish, similar to a British native oyster). The only other oysters I have had is some Colchester Natives here in the UK.

I have heard that from almost all of the Austrailian chefs I have worked with over the years and it is sad that freshly shucked or better yet unopened fresh local oysters are not available. I have tried the Sydney rock oyster (Crassostrea commerciallus) and also the New Zealand Bay of Islands oyster (same species) and found them to be some of the most incredibly complex tasting oysters that have ever passed my lips.

The other species that you saw might have been either the Akoya (Pinctada fucata) oyster or maybe the Polynesian oyster (Pinctada margarfetera).

It's hard to tell without seeing them myself.

I have tasted the Colchester native oyster and Colchester is also the home of the world's oldest continous oyster festival dating back to the 13th century.

If you love your oysters, Adam and you still live in the UK, you might want to go to Galway for the Guiness Oyster Festival in September annually.

It is also the home of the World's Oyster Opening Championship and the combination of oyster, Guiness and a really good Irish party make for a fun unforgettable time.

Regarding those big oysters, I once read a report on an area in Tasmania where there had been a failed attempt to farm oysters in the 60's (?), somebody found a few survivors and these were approaching 500gm in weight.

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When I competed in the Oyster Olympics at Anthony's in Seattle, Washington, they had a competition for the largest oyster.

The winner was a Pacific oyster and was grown in the Hood Canal area of Puget Sound and weighed in at 4 lbs (1.67 kgs).

I can't imagine anyone ever eating something that size.

It's like swallowing a baby!

Keep on shucking

Oyster Guy

[Adam Balic]

What is the name of the recipe?

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The recipe's name (surprise!) is "cuttlefish with spinach". My interpretation uses fish stock and does not add tomatoes.

←

I was actually thinking of what the name would be in Greek as there is a similar dish in Italy (Liguria) Sepia in zimino, which is very good.

[Adam Balic]

When I competed in the Oyster Olympics at Anthony's in Seattle, Washington, they had a competition for the largest oyster.

The winner was a Pacific oyster and was grown in the Hood Canal area of Puget Sound and weighed in at 4 lbs (1.67 kgs).

I can't imagine anyone ever eating something that size.

It's like swallowing a baby!

Keep on shucking

Oyster Guy

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Now there is an image....

[athinaeos]

I was actually thinking of what the name would be in Greek as there is a similar dish in Italy (Liguria) Sepia in zimino, which is very good.

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Adam, the name in greek is "soupies me spanaki".

[Pontormo]

While there is no way to know how these tasted, you might be interested in new report.

[athinaeos]

In Season: Horse Mackerel (Savridi in greek) from the Central Fish market in Athens. Each one weighs about one kilo. The price per kilo is EURO 8,5.

[athinaeos]

Eel from the Pamvotis lake in Epirus. This one is 1,5 meters long and weighs 2,5 kilos.

And the cuts.

[Oyster Guy]

I decided to take my digital camera to work and I took some pictures of some of the product we were dealing with that night.

Hope you enjoy.

I, of course, am responsible for quality control on the oysters we serve and I selected these 3 for tasting before service.

I chose a Fanny Bay, a Chef's Creek and a Metcalfe Bay oyster.

This was my oyster selection for my daily oyster special.

Stellar Bay Golds (dark blue bag), Chef's Creek (orange bag) and Effingham Inlets (black bag)

My chef was working on some fresh octopus.

My sous chef was working on a nice Pantagonian Toothfish.

Just thought I'd post a couple of pics.

Keep on shucking

Oyster Guy

[Adam Balic]

Velvet swimmer crab (Necora puber). One of the most common crabs in UK waters. Smallish, but very good flavour for stocks and stews. These chaps ended up in the pressure cooker to make a SE-Asian soup base.

[athinaeos]

I was in Rhodes last week and had the opportunity to taste the small shrimp from the island of Symi, Dodekannese, Greece.

You fry it in olive oil without adding anything, and eat it as it comes out of the pan. No salt, or lemon, or anything else should be added. It is sweet and has a rich aroma.

You can find it also in Rhodes, as it inhabits some rocky areas near the village of Lindos.

[athinaeos]

"Rofos" (Greek name) from the eastern coast of Rhodes, village of Afandou, Dodekannese, Greece.

The taverna owner grilled the fish on charcoal over slow fire for 45 minutes. Its flesh was white, firm and full of aromas.

[hathor]

Athineos, I take it that you eat those little shrimp, shells and all? They look marvelous.