Fish and Seafood

Whitefish Salad on Everything Bagels

/ Ren

Smoked whitefish from the deep, cold waters of Lake Superior, tossed with homemade, roasted garlic mayo (seasoned with freeze-dried shallots, chives and scallions), celery, freshly-squeezed lemon juice and chopped egg.   Placed atop “everything bagels” with slivered red onions, thick slices of homegrown summer tomato, crunchy sea salt and fresh dill.  I think I’ve died and gone to a New York deli..

Whitefish Salad on Everything Bagels

Freshwater whitefish belong to the same family (Salmonidae) as salmon, trout and char. A slightly oily fish high in protein and B-Vitamins, this species is rated a Seafood Watch Best Choice.

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Linguine con Vongole

/ Ren

A simple, classic Venetian dish of fresh hard clams steamed in a broth of clam juice, Prosecco frizzante [1], crushed red pepper and loads of garlic.  Tossed with fresh linguine and flat-leaf parsley, drizzled with olive oil and remaining pan juices and seasoned with cracked black pepper and crunchy sea salt..

Linguine con Vongole

In culinary use, within the eastern coast of the USA, the term “clam” most often refers to the hard clam Mercenaria mercenaria.  It may also refer to several other common edible species, such as the soft-shell clam, Mya arenaria, and the ocean quahog, Arctica islandica. Another species which is commercially exploited on the Atlantic Coast of the US is the surf clam Spisula solidissima.

In Italy, clams are often an ingredient of mixed seafood dishes, or are eaten together with pasta. The more commonly used varieties of clams in Italian cooking are the Vongola (Venerupis decussata), the Cozza (Mytilus galloprovincialis) and the Tellina (Donax trunculus). A variety of mussel called Dattero di mare (Lithophaga lithophaga) was also once widely popular as seafood.

1. Compared to other sparkling wines, Prosecco is low in alcohol, about 11 to 12 percent by volume.  The flavor of Prosecco has been described as intensely aromatic and crisp, bringing to mind yellow apple, pear, white peach and apricot.  Unlike Champagne, appreciated for its rich taste and complex secondary aromas, most Prosecco variants have intense primary aromas and are meant to taste fresh, light and comparatively simple.  –Wikipedia

P.E.I. Mussels with Roasted Tomatoes, Green Garlic and Preserved Lemon

/ Ren

Sustainably rope-grown in the cold waters surrounding Prince Edward Island, these plump, tender mussels are steamed over a reduction of white wine, saffron and  preserved lemon, with green garlic, roasted tomatoes and shaved fennel.  Served over gluten-free, non-GMO corn pasta with fennel fronds and crunchy sea salt..

P.E.I. Mussels with Roasted Tomatoes, Green Garlic and Preserved Lemon

Consumed by humans for thousands of years, mussels are an excellent source of protein, vitamin B12, iron and selenium.

“Mussels must be thoroughly cleaned and rinsed several times before cooking; wild mussels will need to be scrubbed with a stiff brush to remove any barnacles, sand or grit and their beard must also be removed. This can be done by giving the beard a forceful tug with your fingers and pulling it away or by cutting it off with a small and sharp knife.

Rinse the wild mussels several times but do not let them sit in water, as freshwater will kill them.

Farmed mussels will have already been prepared for cooking and it will suffice to just give them a quick rinse under a running tap of cold water.” –helpwithcooking.com

Trivia: the pale white meat indicates a male mussel, while the females are a yellowish rust color.


Garlic Potato-Crusted Halibut with Dill Pollen Beurre Nantais

/ Ren

Wild Alaskan halibut fillets with a crunchy topping of shredded potatoes and fresh garlic, served over a dill pollen-infused reduction of butter, white white, red shallots, fresh lemon, cream and chopped parsley (beurre nantais)..

Garlic Potato-Crusted Halibut with Dill Pollen Beurre Nantais

“Halibut feed on almost any animal they can fit into their mouths. Juvenile halibut feed on small crustaceans and other bottom dwelling organisms. Animals found in their stomachs include sand lance, octopus, crab, salmon, hermit crabs, lamprey, sculpin, cod, pollock, herring, flounder as well as other halibut. Halibut live at depths ranging from a few meters to hundreds of meters, and although they spend most of their time near the bottom,[1] halibut may move up in the water column to feed. In most ecosystems the halibut is near the top of the marine food chain. In the North Pacific their only common predators are the sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus), the orca (Orcinus orca), and the salmon shark (Lamna ditropis).”

“Halibut have been an important food source to Native Americans and Canadian First Nations for thousands of years and continue to be a key element to many coastal subsistence economies.”  –Wikipedia


Black Pasta with Lump Crab and Artichokes in Asiago Cream

/ Ren

Jumbo lump crab, artichoke hearts and sweet peppers in a fish velouté with shallots, white wine, cream, Asiago and flat-leaf parsley.  Seasoned with sea salt, black pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes and served over a bed of squid ink pasta..

Black Pasta with Lump Crab and Artichokes in Asiago Cream

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