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.

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Nobu Matsuhisa's Black Cod with Miso

Friday, April 9th, 2010 | posted by wendy

This wonderful fish dish, which has been copied at restaurants all over the U.S. is easy to make but somewhat time-consuming—as Nobu Matsuhisa recommends marinating the fish fillets in the sake-miso marinade for 2 to 3 days. If you don’t have the time or are feeling a bit more spontaneous, you can also just let the fish marinate overnight in just enough sake and miso to coat it. You can also call the market to ask whether we have any prepared (it’s something we try to have available most weekends, so we can do the marinating for you!)

3 tablespoons mirin
3 tablespoons sake
1/2 cup white miso paste
1/3 cup sugar
Six 6-7 oz. skinless black cod fillets
Vegetable oil
Pickled ginger (gari), for serving

In a small saucepan, bring the mirin and sake to a boil. Whisk in the miso until dissolved. Add the sugar and cook over moderate heat, whisking, just until dissolved. Transfer the marinade to a large baking dish and let cool. Add the fish and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight (or better yet, for a few days).

Preheat the oven to 400°. Heat a grill pan or a cast iron skillet and oil it. Scrape the marinade off the fish. Add the fish and cook over high heat until browned, about 2 minutes. Flip the fish onto a heavy rimmed baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes, until flaky. Transfer to plates and serve with pickled ginger.

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Eat More Fish— the ULTIMATE health food!

Thursday, April 8th, 2010 | posted by mike

Many studies through the years have shown that fish and shellfish have amazing nutritional benefits. Besides the fact that fish is high in protein, full of vitamins and minerals (like vitamin D, riboflavin B2, calcium, phosphorous, zinc, iron, iodine, magnesium, potassium and selenium) seafood contains the wonder fatty acids Omega 3s.

Around the time we opened the market in 1979, research studies by Danish investigators Dyerberg and Bang associated health benefits with the native diets of Greenland Eskimos. The health benefits of this regional diet came as a surprise for most researchers and clearly contradicted all the nutritional recommendations of the day. Greenland Eskimos commonly consumed 1 lb. of seal and whale meat daily—a relatively fatty diet. Despite the unusual pattern of eating, Greenland natives experienced less heart disease, cancer and diabetes. It was because of their high Omega 3 consumption from fish.

As research continued other great benefits were discovered. We now know that Omega 3s also are linked to lower risk of stroke, depression, high blood pressure, arthritis, mental decline with age and more. It seems that new benefits are discovered every year and the beauty is that these benefits can occur with as little as two fish meals per week.

All fresh water, ocean and shellfish contain some levels of Omega 3s, but the highest levels occur in the colder water, fattier species. The best are Salmon (especially wild king and silver salmon), mackerel, herring, sardines, bluefish, black cod, escolar, to name a few. I always knew there must be a reason that I’ve always felt so good after a nice fish dinner! Isn’t it great that the world’s most interesting, delicious, versatile, season and ever-changing food can also help us live healthier lives.

At Monahan’s we have lots of recipes for many of the high Omega 3 species, Here’s one that Nobu Matsuhisa has made famous in the U.S. This sweet and silky fish dish is easy, but needs a bit of planning as it requires at least 24 hours of marinating. Good news—we also can do the marinating for you…call to order and check for availability!

Recipe: Nobu Matsuhisa’s Black Cod with Miso

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