The Seafood Thread

[James]

I guess you've never heard of Scandinavia then

One does get tired of salmon, mackerel, and various pickled fishes for breakfast there.

It’s interesting that the Norwegians convinced the Japanese to use North Atlantic salmon for sushi. Looking for a market gor the glut of salmon, they campaigned for years starting in an organized way with Project Japan in 1985.

In Japan, Pacific salmon was considered too full of parasites for sushi, and gross if not cooked. It didn’t really get broadly accepted till the mid 90’s.

Norway’s Introduction of Salmon Sushi to Japan – Norway Exports

www.norwayexports.no

 

[KingGrump]

The irony of Atlantic farmed salmon is some can be labeled as organic. Because the fish farmers can verify the crap they feed the fishes. While wild caught salmon can never be labeled organic because one does not know where the fishes had been or what they ate.

 

[Paul Lutes]

Enough of talking about eating carnivores, let's get back to omnivores (carp, or better yet, tilapia) and herbivores (pretty much all of the invertebrates - crustaceans, mollusks, etc).

 

[James]

Enough of talking about eating carnivores, let's get back to omnivores (carp, or better yet, tilapia) and herbivores…

Vegan fish?

 

[dbostedo]

herbivores (pretty much all of the invertebrates - crustaceans, mollusks, etc).

Most of those (maybe all?) are not herbivores... they're omnivores at least. Many lobsters and crabs, for instance, mostly eat meat/other animals. And mollusks are filter feeders, and live mainly on other (tiny) animals - plankton and the like.

 

[James]

…live mainly on other (tiny) animals - plankton and the like.

No eyes though, so technically I think we can still say vegan.

 

[KingGrump]

plankton

Ewww !!!

Have to go to my dentist and have my gaps between my teeth tighten before trying plankton.

 

[KingGrump]

No eyes though, so technically I think we can still say vegan.

There are two main types of plankton: phytoplankton, which are plants, and zooplankton, which are animals. - National Geographic.

 

[James]

zooplankton, which are animals

No eyes, but also raised in cages. So maybe can’t get a vegan label. Organic!

 

[KingGrump]

No eyes,

Neither do worms.

 

[Paul Lutes]

Most of those (maybe all?) are not herbivores... they're omnivores at least. Many lobsters and crabs, for instance, mostly eat meat/other animals. And mollusks are filter feeders, and live mainly on other (tiny) animals - plankton and the like.

Very true - I was inexcusably careless with my use of the term herbivore, especially regarding crustaceans. Mollusks, however, do tend more toward herbivory e.g. abalone.

 

[KingGrump]

Abalone is good. Tough to find on the east coast though.

 

[Tony S]

Abalone is good. Tough to find on the east coast though.

It takes them a really long time to get here.

 

[KingGrump]

It takes them a really long time to get here.

They don't really move/crawl all that fast. Slower than a snail. Better bet for them is Qantas.

 

[Paul Lutes]

Which is faster, an abalone or a chiton?

 

[Tony S]

I was very happy with how these 1lb Branzini came out. Serves 3 as a main dish or 6 as an appetizer. (A one-pound whole fish only has about a half pound of meat.)

Start by building up a good bed of coals in your charcoal grill, with most of the coals on one side, creating a cool side and a hot side.

Slather the fish inside and out with salt, pepper, and olive oil. In the cavity put a couple of lemon slices and a handful of fresh parsley, fresh oregano, and fresh chervil, or the fresh herb mix of your choice. (Go easy if using rosemary.) I put more lemon slices underneath the fish - between them and the grill tray I'm holding in the pic. Set aside.

While the fire is settling down, shuck three ears of very fresh corn. Spray them lightly with a neutral fat of your choice - e.g., canola oil.

Put the corn on the cool side of the grill and cover. Check the corn every two or three minutes, turning as needed, and moving closer to the hotter side of the grill as needed. You want some toasty brown spots but a minimum of black char. They should be done in about 10 minutes. Remove the corn and set aside at room temperature.

Spread out the coals so they are even. Put the fish on and cover the grill. Cook 8-10 minutes per side. The grill thermometer should be registering about 500F.

While the fish are cooking, cut the kernels off the cooked corn and place in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add two large fresh garden tomatoes, in small dice. Add some generous glugs of best virgin olive oil, about a teaspoon of white wine vinegar, salt, freshly ground pepper, and a handful of fresh basil chiffonade. Adjust vinegar and oil to taste.

Once done, the outsides of the fish were pretty charred, so I just spatula'd out skinless and (nearly) boneless cooked filets. The bones on these fish are large, so pulling the spine out was trivial. I served each diner one filet to start, with more fresh chervil and colorful dashes of hot sauce on top. On the same plate I put a generous helping of the corn/tomato salad. Eating some of the salad in the same bite with the fish is ideal.

 

[James]

I wouldn’t mention the salt part when you make that for mdf.

 

[mdf]

teaspoon of white wine vinegar, salt

I wouldn’t mention the salt part when you make that for mdf.

He doesn't mean a teaspoon of salt.

 

[James]

He doesn't mean a teaspoon of salt.

True. More like half a cup. But it’s kosher, so lots of air.

 

[Tony S]

He doesn't mean a teaspoon of salt.

Correct