August 05, 2004

Oceanic

I should pay more attention to these things... Oliveto's Oceanic Dinners were held 3 weeks ago from the 14th to the 16th of July. The Chron got around to reporting about it just this week. But it was useful, in any case, to read about the fresh fish in season. Oliveto's fishmonger is Tom Worthington of the Monterey Fish Market.

In season, Tom reports:

  • Black bass, striped bass, and scups (golden sea bream) from Rhode Island. Mid-July is trap season, and unlike other fishery methods, trapping assures that fish are pulled up without a skirmish. They are set directly in ice boxes where they fall soundly to sleep (i.e., meet their watery maker). The fish are iced pre-rigor mortis and held thus for a much longer time than with the usual capture methods, contributing to their firm, fine texture and fuller flavor.
  • Large, fat Sacramento-run salmon which average about 18 pounds, the largest Tom has seen in years.
  • Hook-and-line Atlantic cod
  • Boston mackerel
  • Currently, prawns out of Georgia are particularly sweet
  • Wild razor clams, skate and monkfish from Cape Cod are incomparable
  • White sea bass from Santa Catalina Island
  • Locally, sand dabs, squid, sardines, petrale sole, and anchovies are abundant.
  • Large sea scallops are particularly sweet and fat just now.
  • "Farmed" oysters and other bivalves, with the exception of Manila and littleneck clams, are in their spawning phase and to be avoided (except for the triploid Miyagi, a neutered oyster which should be suitably lean for raw half-shell eating).

This makes me yearn for a huge seafood meal... Mmmm... Wonder what I'll be cooking this weekend... I've also been craving sweetbreads and foie gras for some reason, and ankimo is becoming addicting ... Posted by claudine at August 5, 2004 11:40 PM

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