Wikis related to Buying-and-Preparing-Seafood

  A Lobster Treatise A few nights ago I killed a lobster...a lot of lobsters, actually. Ten dozen to be exact. I didn't carry out this gruesome task alone. Steve, a friend and fellow culinarian helped me. I'm not bragging about this; it had to be done. It's part of my work. It's not that I enjoyed doing it either, but I have to admit that I've become somewhat desensitized. There is something very primitive in killing in order to feed people. It's easy to forget that, unless you're vegetarian, something must die for you to eat. Professional cooks are less removed from this than the...

When I was training in some of the great restaurants in France, I was amazed that all the scallops we purchased were in the shell, much like you would buy an oyster or mussel. They were beautiful specimens--tight and extremely sweet. It was all a romantic picture until I had to open and clean several cases of them as fast as I possibly could (the only working speed in these kitchens). Don't be misled--it's a tough job that ultimately yields a proportionally small amount of scallops. But what a prized delicacy it is. What we actually eat is only a small part of the scallop's innards. We...

Fish is the health food of the 90s and baby boomers are buying it up by the pound. The leading reason for fish being a health hero is fish is practically the only natural source of Omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3 fatty acids are an essential nutrient that almost all Americans fall short on. In this low-fat, no-fat world this may seem strange. Simply put, the human diet requires a balance of certain fats. What Americans get too much of is Omega-6 fatty acids. Nutritionists suggest that the average American consumes six servings of Omega-6's for every one serving of Omega-3. Experts recommend...

There are a few things that I need to say regarding one of my country's most favored foods. Dating back to the seventeenth century, fish and chips have had a long standing as Britain's best loved fast food. Fish and chips are not served in newspaper. The news paper thing is from days gone by. The reason for the use of yesterday's news to serve this fine product was not just our century old tradition of recycling but of course cost. Being that newspaper print is a little toxic people started going off the concept of eating food from it. Cod & Chips! When I return home the Fish And Chip...

What's In A Name? The last five years has brought a large proliferation of Oysters to the market. Where as the menu of a few years ago was lucky to include the ubiquitous "Blue Point" the menus of today offer a range of oyster varieties. With the popularity of Oyster Bars, it is not unusual to see as many as 20 different oysters offered to the discriminating consumer. Oyster varieties such as the Quilcene,  Hog Island, Malpeque and Kumamoto have all but become house hold names and now even more recognizable to the under 30 crowd than the Beatles. But where do all these oysters come from?...

Salmon is arguably the most popular fin fish on American menus today. But within the general heading of salmon there are a number of species and subtle variations in appearance, flavor and texture. Salmon available commercially to chefs and restauranteurs in the US, fall into two major groups, Atlantic salmon is typically farm raised, and not always in Atlantic waters. Pacific salmon is mostly caught wild. Atlantic Salmon: Since the late 1980's the popularity and availability of salmon has risen dramatically. This is due in no small part to the production of farm raised Atlantic salmon....

In late July, Plitt Alaska will be offering Schooner Halibut. As the name implies this special halibut will be from a schooner built during the early 1900's. 100 years of a proud fishing tradition will go into this halibut. This halibut could be special simply based on the tradition of the Schooner fleet, but Schooner Halibut has much more to offer. The quality yielded from these 100 year old Schooners can create a "Copper River" excitement. Mark Lundsten is captain and owner of The F/V Masonic. The F/V Masonic will provide Plitt with the Schooner Halibut in late July. The F/V Masonic is...

Brown, White, Pink, Tiger, Shell-on, Prawns, peeled and deveined (P&D), IQF and block are all terms to describe shrimp. These, terms and brands, are used and misused in search of good quality shrimp. But before you get into the shrimp descriptors you have to start at the origin to fully comprehend quality. Our focus is on Gulf Shrimp; this can be applied to some South American product such Ecuadorian shrimp. There are two types of boats that catch shrimp, freezer boats and ice boats. Freezer boats are large "freighter" operations that catch the shrimp but also process and freeze the...

Soft-shell crabs are one of America's favorite seafood delicacies. While all crabs shed their shells to grow, only a few species of crab can actually be eaten in this form. The Blue Crab is the only commercially available soft-shell product. The scientific name, callinectes sapidusis, is derived from Latin and Greek. Calli = beautiful; Nectes = swimmer; sapidus = savory. The translation is not only accurate but surprisingly poetic - the beautiful, savory swimmer. Blue crabs grow rather rapidly, 12 - 18 months, from the juvenile stage to adulthood. A full-grown Blue Crab will measure nearly...

Diver scallops have been all the rage on menus across the country. To better understand what diver scallops are and how they are actually harvested, ChefTalk.com tracked down veteran scallop diver Tim Hunt from Deer Isle, Maine. Tim has been collecting scallops from the icy Atlantic for the last 20 years. ChefTalk: So tell us, what exactly is a "diver scallop". Tim Hunt: A diver scallop is exactly what the name means--scallops that are collected from the ocean by divers hand-picking each one. The majority of the scallops on the market are harvested by boats that drag heavy chain sweeps...

In a culinary world where chefs quest for new commodities and methods of cookery it is understandable that the idea of cooking with trout does not purvey the concept of modern cuisine. Nor does it really spark the culinary imagination. This is certainly the way I felt - until I encountered the fish form Rushing Waters. In the heart of the Wisconsin countryside - Palmyra to be exact you can discover Rushing Waters Fishery. Rushing Waters is a trout farm with a difference. It is an operation that is focused on quality not quantity. A rare philosophy in the fish business - an industry that...

ChefTalk.com would like to thank Chef Charles Weber of Riva Restaurant in Chicago, Il. for sharing some of his fast knowledge about fish. Recently Chef Weber put together a comprehensive document of fish descriptions for his wait staff to help educate them about the subject. At our last Chef's Journal we asked Chef Weber if he would share it with the ChefTalk community and he was more than happy to do so. The list is very comprehensive, in fact, the list is so comprehensive that we have broken it up into two parts. SEARCH TIP *(If you are looking for a particular subject, just press the...

ChefTalk.com would like to thank Chef Charles Weber of Riva Restaurant in Chicago, Il. for sharing some of his fast knowledge about fish. Recently Chef Weber put together a comprehensive document of fish descriptions for his wait staff to help educate them about the subject. At our last Chef's Journal we asked Chef Weber if he would share it with the ChefTalk community and he was more than happy to do so. The list is very comprehensive, in fact, the list is so comprehensive that we have broken it up into two parts. SEARCH TIP *(If you are looking for a particular subject, just press the...

FARMED SEAFOOD AND THE ENVIRONMENT: RESPONDING TO OUR CRITICS published in the Global Aquaculture Advocate, December 1999, vol. 2, #6Is it environmentally responsible to buy and sell farmed seafood? This is the question increasingly being asked of consumers and food retailers alike. Consumers do need to know more about the seafood products they buy and the impact of their purchases. Unfortunately, only one side of the story is being told. As aquaculturists, often more focused on fish farming than public relations, we need to respond clearly with the facts. Let's start with the most...

Endorsements roll in for proposed U.S. Endangered Species listing; international trade officials freeze beluga caviar exports Article originally printed at www.caviaremptor.org (October 27, 2002) -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's proposal to list beluga sturgeon - the source of coveted beluga caviar - as an endangered species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act has been met with support from a Caspian Sea nation as well as more than 50 scientists, 70 chefs and thousands of individuals in the United States and beyond. The Service's 90-day public comment period ends October 29,...

Just Ask Why Chef Jon Campbell was faced with the biggest opportunity of his career. The chance to operate the city's most prestigious restaurant. Well recognized as the place where kings of industry meet, where the elite hold their soirees, this all is going to be Chef Jon's. The restaurant's chef of 26 years was retiring and Chef Jon was the winner over a short list of prestigious names. This was Chef Jon's big chance. He wanted to show the world that he was the best. His first order of business was to focus on operations. After all, the restaurant already had an excellent reputation...

Cooking fish perfectly is an easy thing to do. This, you may say, is somewhat presumptuous coming from a professional cook, but it’s true—cooking fish is simple, and its preparation should reflect this. In fact, in most cases the simplest preparations are usually the best. Overly complicated and labor-intensive recipes are unnecessary. Actually, the most important thing to remember when cooking finfish is not to overcook them. If fish is extremely fresh there is none that I can think of that doesn’t benefit from being just slightly underdone. Now I’m definitely not speaking of being...

Buying fresh fish has never been easier. Restaurants commonly have a fish selection while more and more grocery stores are providing fresh fish counters. Finding fresh fish is not the problem. The problem is finding good quality fresh fish. For restaurants and retail stores "what sells" does not always keep customers coming back. Yet, a select number of eateries constantly have patrons asking the kitchen where they purchase their fish. So what are the secrets of these elite fish buyers? The goal of this article is to provide you with a description of fish buying basics and allude to some...