Maine Shrimp T.A.C. Update

Friday, January 27th, 2012 | posted by mike

Maine shrimp sign

sign drawn by Mike

The northern shrimp section of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission met last week to determine whether the total allowable catch for the 2012 Maine shrimp season would be increased. The news is that there will be an increase from 2000 metric tons to 2211.The commission threw the industry a bone that I’m sure it will think is inadequate but at least it’s something.  So it looks like this year we should see shrimp through February and maybe into early March!

In our continuing search for new and exciting Maine shrimp recipes our own Wendy Williams recommended an amazing Spanish shrimp pancake dish called tortillitas de camerones. Mark Bittman wrote in the New York Times that he first tried this dish at the Taberna Toscana in Madrid. Made with a combination of chickpea flour and white flour, you’ll be amazed at how fast, simple and fantastic they are as an appetizer or a light main course!

This recipe is perfect for our sweet little Maine shrimp but as I’m savoring each bite, the thought of substituting plump oysters, squid, bacalao, lobster meat, crabmeat or a combination of any of them makes me anxious to experiment!

Read more about Maine Shrimp here.

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Tortillitas de Camerones

Friday, January 27th, 2012 | posted by mike

Serves tapas for 5 or 2 for main course

10-12 oz. Maine shrimp (or gulf shrimp cut into 1/2 inch pieces) peeled

2/3 cup chickpea flour, sold at Sparrow Produce in Kerrytown

1/3 cup white flour

1/2 t baking powder

3/4 cup water

2 T onion (finely chopped)

2 T flat leaf parsley finely chopped

1t salt

1 t black pepper

Olive oil

Add flour to mixing bowl along with baking powder, salt and pepper. Slowly add water while vigorously whisking to get all the lumps out. The consistency should be somewhere between milk and cream. This is a very light batter, it may even appear too light but it should firm up nicely. Stir in shrimp, parsley and onions.

In a med. non-stick pan over high heat add about 1/2 inch of olive oil and when sizzling hot (not quite smoking) spoon in pancakes (about 4-6 inch diameter each) fry for about 2 min. a side or until nicely browned.

Mark Bittman’s method is for one big pancake, served cut into triangles.

If you try this style and don’t have the experience to flip ‘em in the pan, then transfer to plate when one side is finished and then flip it back into pan.

The larger tortillitas will take around 3 min. a side

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Maine Shrimp Report 2012

Friday, January 20th, 2012 | posted by mike

maine shrimp signThis year’s northern shrimp (pandalus borealis), or commonly referred to as Maine shrimp, season got off to a rough start. The Atlantic states marine fisheries Commission enacted a 70 percent reduction over last year’s quota. Last season’s catch of 13 million lbs. will be reduced to 4.4 million for 2012. Our normal December start to the season didn’t begin until January 2nd and unless there are changes in the quotas, our precious mid-winter treat might be cut short this year.

One spark of hope is a possible reassessment of the stocks. By the time you read this, the A.S.M.F.C. will have met (Jan 19th) with their northern shrimp technical committee. They will discuss revised stock data studies from, among others, U Mass fisheries scientist Dr. Steven Cadrin. Several scientists and lots of fishermen disagree with the science that this year’s quotas were based on. The northern shrimp fishery has been a very important winter boost for not only fishermen but also lots of others including processors, wholesalers, exporters and more. They have set up a web site, saveourshrimp.org with a petition to gain support.

Fisheries management has always been very complex and controversial .The fishermen, the government, the scientists, the environmentalists, the NGOs are all involved in policymaking and usually don’t agree on stock assessments and what should be done. The truth lies somewhere out there. It’s important to err on the side of protecting the resource and to also protect the long term well being of our hard working fishermen, their communities and their way of life.

Next week I’ll give you an update on how the A.S.M.F.C. meeting went.

We’ve seen plenty of ups and downs over the past 30 some years that we’ve been selling these delicious little shrimp. Overall management has worked well enough that we’re still supplied with this wild and wonderful resource.

For the time being were bringing them in fresh Mondays and Fridays, so get ‘em while they’re hot!

This site has plenty of Maine shrimp recipes. Here’s another favorite, our fluffy, light and delicious Maine shrimp cakes.

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Thai Style Maine Shrimp Cakes

Friday, January 20th, 2012 | posted by mike

Serves 4

1 1/2 lb. Maine shrimp – peeled (no need to devein because they’re so small)

Peanut or vegetable oil

1 egg

3 scallions- white section with some green, finely chopped

1/2 t fish sauce

1/2 t sriracha sauce

1 T lime juice

1/2 cup panko crumbs

1/2 bunch cilantro- chopped (set aside for garnish)

Dipping sauce

1/2 cup sweet chili sauce

1 T fish sauce

Juice of 1 lime

1t sriracha sauce- or more if you like it hot

1 t rice wine vinegar

1 scallion- white section with some green, sliced very thinly

 

Purée shrimp in food processor and transfer to mixing bowl

Add egg and stir in until evenly mixed

Stir in rest of ingredients (except cilantro)

Heat non-stick pan over med. heat

Add enough oil to cover bottom of pan about 1/8 inch

When oil is sizzling hot, spoon shrimp mix (about a heaping soup spoon full to make 2-3 inch wide cakes. I flatten them out with a spatula after adding them to pan

Fry for 3-4 min a side or until golden brown and just opaque in the center

Serve with dipping sauce on the side or basted over the top and sprinkle with cilantro

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Tataki Time!

Friday, January 13th, 2012 | posted by mike

Japan has given us seafood lovers many fantastic preparations for fish and shellfish. Japanese freshness, quality and beautiful presentation have been an inspiration to us for years. One of the most delicious and scrumptious looking dishes to me is tuna tataki. If you love tuna sashimi and sushi, you’ll probably really go for this dish because it’s basically sashimi that is seared and served raw in the center. The searing gives the fish a little added flavor and texture, especially if you coat the outside of the fish with sesame seeds or peppercorns (I use both).

Super fresh #1 tuna (we sell yellowfin and big eye) will have a nice fat content along with bright color and a nice translucence to it. It should almost look like the light is passing through the fish. When seared with the sesame seeds and peppercorns and then sliced, the contrasting colors and textures are a sight to behold.

This dish makes a great appetizer, small plate, first course, or increase the portions and make a meal of it- served with rice and maybe a mixed green salad.

The dipping sauce for tataki is usually Ponzu, a great vinegar, citrus, bonito flake sauce that is added to soy sauce to make ponzu shoyu. The recipe for ponzu is a bit time consuming so we’ve come up with a good quickie sauce that’s made with Kikkoman Ponzu. You’ll be amazed that you can create such an impressive dish in just minutes!

P.S.  On rare occasions we see sushi grade bonito at the market. A little darker and fuller flavored than big eye or yellowfin, it’s incredible for tataki.

Here’s the recipe.

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Tuna Tataki

Friday, January 13th, 2012 | posted by mike

Serves 4

1/2- 3/4 lb. Sashimi grade tuna- cut into long, approximately 1¼ x 2 ½” logs

1/4 cup black sesame seeds

1 T coarse black pepper

1 T peanut oil or olive oil

 

Mike’s Makeshift Dipping Sauce

1/4 cup Kikkoman  ponzu

1/2 T fresh lemon juice

1 t fish sauce

1/2-1 t sriracha sauce to taste

1 T sake or vermouth

(all ingredients except sake or vermouth available at Monahan’s)

 

Mix sesame seeds and black pepper and spread out on a cutting board

Roll and press tuna log to evenly coat each side

Heat a heavy pan or skillet over med- high heat

Add oil, when hot add tuna and sear about 1-2 min on each side – flip when fish looks cooked about 1/8 inch into the log

With a thin very sharp knife, slice thin (about 1/8 inch) and fan out on the plate

Serve with dipping sauce

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The Big Orange Egg- Ikura

Friday, January 6th, 2012 | posted by mike

The holidays are now behind us and the tired fishmongers can sit back, relax and take the time to enjoy, appreciate and savor some of the wonderful fancy holiday fare that we’ve been so busy selling for the past few weeks. Last night we had a fantastic progressive evening of leisurely cooking and eating.

Randomly grabbing goodies from our market on my way out the door, I brought home a selection of oysters, smoked fish, wine herring, anchovies, shrimp cocktail, a jar of osetra caviar, octopus salad, a few whole bronzini for roasting and a large spoonful of one of the loveliest, luxurious and most delicious gems of the sea – salmon roe. Called ikura in Japan, many Americans recognize ikura as the large orange eggs at the sushi bar served on top of rice and wrapped in nori seaweed. Most ikura comes from wild Alaskan salmon with the majority coming from chum salmon because of their large size, firmness and flavor. At their best these bright glistening gems are not only beautiful but have a lightly salty, rich flavor of the sea with a fairly thick casing that, when they pop on the roof of the mouth, explode with a burst of goodness!

Along with this experience comes fantastic health benefits. They are full of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and also high in lean proteins. Ikura can be served as a main course such as ikura don (over rice), tossed in scrambled eggs, served over cold soups or garnished over a seafood pasta, however the possibilities for appetizers are endless.

Serve over lightly buttered toast points or bland crackers (as you would with sturgeon caviar) or over blinis and crème fraîche. Try topping ikura over smoked salmon spread in endive, on top of gravlax with a sprig of dill, or just served with crackers. One of our favorite ways to serve ikura has always been over a freshly shucked oyster on the half shell, topped with a touch of finely chopped purple onion; but I think we topped that last night with some super plump Wawenok oysters from Cape Cod and some Stellar Bays from British Columbia along with our tangy mignonette sauce and those shiny jewels shimmering on top!

The holidays may be over but you can still celebrate the luxury and goodness of ikura all year round. Our chum salmon ikura is harvested in the late summer, cured and flash frozen to retain its integrity and goodness. So come on in and experience the goodness of ikura this winter.

 

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Monahan's Mignonette for Oysters

Friday, January 6th, 2012 | posted by mike

Mignonette is one of our favorite, simple accompaniments for oysters on the half shell.

Makes 1/2 cup

1/4 C champagne vinegar

1/4 C fine quality red wine vinegar

2 T finely chopped shallots

1 T of a mixture of finely chopped jalepeño (adjust to your taste), red, green, and yellow peppers

coarsely ground peppercorns to taste

Combine all ingredients and chill. Serve with chilled oysters on the half shell.

For a special treat, top the oyster with some salmon roe (ikura).

 

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