March 12 marked the opening of Alaskan Halibut & Black Cod Season

Friday, March 25th, 2011 | posted by mike

March 12th marked the opening of two of our favorite Alaskan fish, halibut and black cod (sablefish).

Fishing quotas for black cod this season are up, unfortunately quotas for halibut are down 19 percent from last season. Prices may be up a bit from 2010 but like last season we’ll be seeing gorgeous fish until mid November.

Alaska has done a fine job in managing and marketing their fisheries, delivering high quality, only wild-caught fish all over the world (farming fish in Alaska is illegal under the states constitution). Last March (pre-Friday Fish Report) we blogged about the mighty Alaskan halibut but we hadn’t yet started offering a recipe every week along with our article.

Here’s a recipe, a market favorite for halibut, we hope you’ll love.

Posted in Blog | Comments Off
Tags: , ,

Parmesan herb crusted halibut over marinara sauce

Friday, March 25th, 2011 | posted by wendy

This recipe is great, with or without the marinara sauce. Serves 4.

For the sauce

  • 1 28 oz. can Italian plum tomatoes, San Marzano is a good brand.
  • 2 T imported Italian plum tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
  • 2 T chopped fresh basil
  • 1/2 t dried oregano
  • Splash of white wine
  • salt and pepper

Heat medium sauce pan over medium high heat. Add olive oil, when oil is hot add garlic and stir ’till it just starts to brown. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Stirring occasionally, bring to boil, add a splash of wine, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.

For the Fish & coating

  • 4   6-8 oz. Halibut fillets
  • 1 T light mayonnaise
  • Olive oil to drizzle

In a mixing bowl combine

  • 1 cup panko crumbs
  • 1T dried basil
  • 1 t dried oregano
  • 1 T Reggiano Parmesan
  • 1/2 -1 t red pepper flakes
  • 2 t thin sliced and chopped nori sheet  (just for looks)

Pre neat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat fillets with mayo, then coat all around with panko herb mixture. Place on lightly oiled baking dish or broiling pan. Drizzle (or spray) a little olive oil over fillets then season with salt and pepper. Bake for 10-14 minutes or until fish is barely opaque in the center. Serve over marinara sauce.

Posted in Recipes | Comments Off
Tags: , , , ,

Bernie's Remoulade Sauce

Tuesday, March 15th, 2011 | posted by wendy

Great with a Fried Oyster Po’Boy, among other things. Yield 3/4 cup.

  • 1/3 cup ketchup
  • 1 T lemon juice
  • 1/4 t paprika
  • 1/4 t Pick-a-Pepper sauce (available at Monahan’s)
  • 1/2 t tabasco
  • 1 t Cajun spice (available at Monahan’s)
  • 1/4 t cayenne (omit to reduce heat factor)
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise

Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl.

Posted in Recipes | Comments Off

Guinness & Garlic Mussels

Monday, March 14th, 2011 | posted by wendy

This recipe originates from The Brazen Head in Dublin, Ireland. Serves 4.

  • 2 pounds fresh mussels
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted Kerrygold Irish butter
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
  • 1/2 c Guinness
  • 1/2 c half-and-half
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh Italian parsley
  • Lemon wedges
  • French bread

Put a stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. When the pot is hot, add the butter, garlic and shallots and cook for about a minute until fragrant, then add the mussels and remaining ingredients and cover immediately. (The mussels will make a sizzling sound.) Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the mussels open. Discard any that do not open.

Divide the mussels among shallow bowls and ladle the broth over them. Garnish with parsley and serve with a lemon wedge and slices of crusty French bread to sop up the broth. Happy St. Patty’s Day!

Posted in Recipes | Comments Off
Tags:

Just Because You are Catholic Doesn't Mean You Have to Suffer During Lent

Friday, March 11th, 2011 | posted by mike

What does Lent mean to you?  To me, as a kid growing up as a good Congregationalist, all it meant was that I had to hear all my Catholic buddies complain about having to eat that nasty fish on Fridays.

Their moms would buy a nice (old ) piece of ocean perch (packed in Canada with some nice Tri-poly phosphates) or some week-old whitefish or maybe some delicious old Turbot from Greenland, shipped frozen and thawed for god knows how long. Getting ready to prepare dinner they would open that wrapper and Mom would say, “WHOA! that does smell a little “fishy” doesn’t it? I think thats normal but just in case I’ll make sure it’s cooked well done.”  This explains why a lot of Catholics hate fish, they grew up on less than fresh fish with the hell cooked out of it.

Consider this reminiscence from our friend, Detroiter Brian Cleary:

…my brothers and I lived in dread of Fridays generally but Lent was the time of really exquisite suffering. Catholics are encouraged during that season to “give something up,” the assumption being that that “something” be something one enjoyed. However when I suggested to my mother that I had chosen to give up her scrumptious salmon patties just liberated out of World War II surplus tins and cooked until they had achieved the consistency of Scottish shortbread, she nixed the idea out of hand. It seems she considered our family menu her personal baliwick and a thing not to be questioned. Render unto Jesus the things that are his to be decided, etc. So it was back, with regret, to one’s after-all somewhat short list of enjoyments.

Well into my thirties I remained deeply puzzled by reports I was receiving, with a frequency that increased apace with the growing success of Monahan’s Seafood, testifying to the fabulous excellence of salmon. People having reached the age of majority actually eat that stuff? I marvelled. We live and learn—thanks Mike, for leading us out of the desert and into the Promised Land…

Back in the early days at our fish market, in the 80′s, I remember that the Lenten season was supposed to be a time of huge fish sales. Supermarket fish, frozen fish sticks and Friday night fish frys were big, but our higher-end more expensive fish didn’t fly for most folks. I really think that for many Catholics, eating fish during lent was looked at as more of a “duty” than of something special that should truly be enjoyed. Thankfully over time, many of us—including Catholics—have learned to have  higher expectations of quality in their fresh fish. Now the healthfulness, flavor, seasonality, goodness and pleasure of a nice fish dinner is something to celebrate instead of dread. This week, we’re sharing an updated recipe for the dreaded salmon patty, we think even Brian will like this one!

Posted in Blog | 4 Comments »
Tags: ,

Salmon Cakes (with Baby Green Salad)

Friday, March 11th, 2011 | posted by mike

Serves 4

Served over mixed greens with a mustard-dill mayo.

  • 1 lb. Skinless boneless cooked salmon fillets
  • 2T purple onion finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 T capers
  • 1 cup panko crumbs (for coating cakes)
  • 2 t honey cup mustard
  • 1 t dijon mustard
  • 1 egg beaten
  • 2 T fresh dill finely chopped
  • 1t old bay seasoning
  • 1 egg beaten
  • 1/4 cup panko crumbs (to mix into the salmon cakes)
  • 4 T olive oil for frying

For the mayo

  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 t Dijon mustard
  • 2 t honey cup mustard
  • 2t lemon juice
  • 1 T fresh chopped dill

Vinaigrette for the greens

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/8 cup rice vinegar
  • Juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • 1 T fresh chopped dill
  • 1 T coarse grainy mustard

Preheat oven to 375°. Put aside 1 egg beaten, 1 cup panko crumbs and oil for frying.

In mixing bowl flake salmon in 2-3 inch pieces gently with the rest of the ingredients. Make 8 cakes then dip them in the egg wash and coat with panko crumbs. Heat oven proof skillet over med-high, then add the oil. When oil is sizzling hot, add cakes and brown about 2 min. a side. Pop the pan in the oven for another 4 to 5 minutes to finish. Toss greens in vinaigrette, plate the salad and serve salmon cake on top of the greens with a dollop of mustard dill mayo on top.

Posted in Recipes | 1 Comment »
Tags: , ,

Get in the Kitchen and Make Some Gumbo!

Friday, March 4th, 2011 | posted by mike

"Laissez les bon temps rouler!"

It’s Mardi Gras time, the Lenten season is approaching and it’s time to get in the kitchen and make some gumbo—Louisiana’s most famous dish, and they’ve got lots of them.

The history of gumbo goes back so far that it’s impossible to credit any one group with its origin. The French Acadians came down from Nova Scotia with bouillabaisse that many think was the beginning of gumbo, but aside from their contribution of the essential fat and flour base, roux, gumbo resembles more of a West African okra-based stew than a bouillabaisse.  In any case, the stew evolved over time with every group that settled in the area, including the original Native Americans who provided filé (powdered sasafrass leaves) used as a thickener. The Spanish sofrito (celery, onion and bell peppers) became an ingredient along with sausages from the Germans. The West Indians spiced things up a bit, the Africans brought the okra and an incredible cultural hodgepodge evolved. The name probably came from the African Bantu word for okra (“kingombo”) or quite possibly the Choctaw Indian word for sassafras—”kombo.”

There are probably as many different gumbo recipes as there are residents of Louisiana, everyone has their old family recipes that’s been handed down. There’s Creole Gumbo, Cajun Gumbo, gumbos with smoked pork sausage (andouille) and chicken gumbo. There are beef versions, duck, rabbit, quail, gumbo z’herbes (green gumbo made with all veggies traditionally served the Thursday before Good Friday) and our favorite—seafood gumbo. You can get creative with your recipe but here are some gumbo basics:

  • the roux is the base of your gumbo, whether butter based or fat (or oil) based it gives you thickness, flavor and color;
  • stock- either chicken, fish or shellfish depending on the type of gumbo;
  • the holy trinity (bell pepper, onion and celery);
  • filé or okra to thicken. (Our friend Peggy Lampman says, “If it ain’t got okra, it ain’t gumbo!”)

And gumbos gotta have white rice. Now all you have to do is get your skillet, head down to the bayou, shoot some ducks, catch some crabs and shrimp and whatever other available ingredients there are and, just like the early settlers, make up a batch of gumbo. You could save a lot of time and effort if you just head down to Kerrytown and visit us at Monahan’s, we’ve got the fish, shellfish and filé or check out Bob Sparrow’s fresh andouille, chicken, duck, quail or rabbit.

Posted in Blog | Comments Off
Tags: , ,

Seafood Gumbo

Friday, March 4th, 2011 | posted by wendy

This recipe is from one of our favorite New Orleans chefs, John Besh. This is for a BIG batch of gumbo (serves 10), so either get ready to party, or cut this recipe by half or more.

  • 1 c canola oil
  • 1 c flour
  • 2 large onions, diced
  • 1 lb. spicy smoked sausage (We like Bob Sparrow’s Andouille) sliced 1/2 inch thick
  • 1 stalk celery, diced
  • 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup sliced fresh okra
  • 1 sprig fresh thyme
  • 3 quarts fish stock (available frozen at Monahan’s)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 lb. medium wild gulf shrimp
  • 1 c shucked oysters
  • 1 c lump crabmeat
  • 1 c minced green onion
  • salt & pepper
  • Monahan’s Cajun Seasoning
  • Worcestershire
  • Tabasco
  • 4–6 cups white rice

Make a roux by heating the oil in a large cast-iron or heavy-bottomed pot over high heat. Whisk the flour into the hot oil. It will immediately begin to sizzle. Reduce the heat to moderate and continue whisking until the roux tkaes on a deep brown color, about 15 minutes. Add the onions, stirring them into the roux with a wooden spoon. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue stirring until the roux is a rich dark brown, about 10 more minutes.

Add the smoked sausage and stir for a minute before adding the celery, bell peppers, garlic and okra. Increase the heat to moderate and cook, stirring for about 3 minutes. Add the thyme, fish stock and bay leaves. Bring the gumbo to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 45 minutes. Stir occasionally and skim off any fat from the surface of the gumbo.

Add the shrimp, oysters, crabmeat, and green onions to the pot and cook for 15 minutes. Season with salt & pepper, Cajun seasoning, Worcestershire and Tabasco. Serve in bowls over rice.

Posted in Recipes | 2 Comments »
Tags: , , , ,