Posted on Nov 18, 2023 in
thekitchenman's pantry |
Comments Off on Finding Seafood NirvanaFinding Seafood Nirvana
Shopping for some quality fresh seafood has become more detective work tracking down where it where and when and who caught it. Most of the my best recipes start with a good selection of fresh wild caught and prepared shellfish. Lots of chemicals used for fish preservation, especially from foreign companies using forced labour and under the radar practise of over fishing and protected species. Even today I still have not found a seafood purveyor like the fish surgeons at One Fish Two Fish in Langley BC or at the Satellite Fish Company Sidney BC and Fanny Bay Shell Fish. When using ingredients like butter, cream bone stocks and farm fresh vegetables and herbs. Easy to make salads and seafood steamer hot pots of clear or creamy chowders. I shop at several locations here in Ontario. Back in BC it was one stop shopping at Granville Island Market, Steveston, Sidney, Sooke, Ucluelet Seafood purveyors for Pacific prawns, crab, squid, rock fish, halibut and ling cod. Salt Spring mussels and Effingham oysters tossed with tasty vinaigrette or stewed in a hot pot. It’s all healthy and good. Find the best you can and use simple cooking methods. Seafood Chowder is one great to enjoy on a cold damp night. Small portions of clams, salmon, cod, petit mussels scallops and shrimp . A few new potatoes, butter, cream white wine, shallots, fennel some lobster infused olive oil and seafood bone stock.
Ingredients;
12 mussels, rinsed well in cold water,
6 slices good-quality bacon, diced
6 tbsp full fat butter.
1 large yellow onion, finely diced
½ medium bulb fennel, finely diced
2 medium stalks celery, finely diced
Sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste
6 cups (1.5 L) milk
2 cups (500 mL) cream
1 cup white wine
½ cup (65 g) flour
3 medium yellow-fleshed potatoes, unpeeled, diced small
8 oz of petite clams.
1 lb salmon fresh halibut or cod, cubed
In a large pot with a lid, bring the stock to a boil. Add the mussels, and clams cover, and steam until the shells open, 4 to 5 minutes.
Remove the meat from the liquid and allow to cool slightly. Strain the liquid, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use. Remove the meat from the shells, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use. If you like, you can set aside a few in the shell for garnish.
Rinse out and dry the pot and return it to the stove. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat until crisp. Remove the bacon, leaving the fat in the pot, and dry on a paper towel.
Add the butter to the bacon fat and heat until foamy. Add the diced onions, fennel, and celery; cook until soft and translucent, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with sea salt.
Meanwhile, in a medium-size saucepan, place the milk and cream and cook over medium heat, but do not allow to boil.
Stir the flour into the vegetables and cook, stirring, until thickened— this will create a liaison and prevent the chunky bits of vegetable and seafood from sinking to the bottom of your bowl later.
Pour the hot milk mixture slowly into the vegetables, stirring constantly until well blended and smooth. Bring back to a simmer, stirring frequently.
Stir in the potatoes, bacon, and reserved cooking liquid from the mussels. Return to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
Add the cooked shell fish, and cubed fish and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper and, if you like, a few dashes of lobster oil and/or Worcestershire hot sauce.
