Let There Be Fish!

Butter Nut Spot Prawns in Thai Yellow Curry with Lady Fingers and Cilantro

As the evening crawled to a dimming sky, sadness was in the air as the Canucks trailed the Sharks as the 3rd period started. Will Vancouver's quest for the Stanley Cup end with San Jose claiming the Western Conference Title? I kept checking my iPhone's Canucks app for instant updates. In the meantime, as I glanced at our shopping cart, I wondered what would be cooking tonight. What goes with Thai yellow coconut curry, butter nut squash, lady fingers, cilantro, thick coconut milk, garlic and red onion? Of course, the toast of the season: fresh whole BC Spot Prawns!

Chefs in BC are tweeting their varied recipes for the season's flavour of the month. There seems to be a 1,000 ways to cook spot prawns. At home, Maridel, came out with one of her magic combinations again and we had a sumptuous dinner to celebrate the Canucks' come-from-behind win to take a 1-0 lead over the San Jose Sharks. The dish could not keep me from reaching for the steamed Jasmine rice. Here's a toast to the Canucks and the "Butter Nut Spot Prawns in Thai Yellow Curry with Lady Fingers (Okra) and Cilantro."

 
And here are the ingredients that were used. Cooking time: about 15 minutes with the spot prawns thrown in at the last 4 minutes.

 

Lantaka by The Sulu Seas: Freshly Caught Seafood Daily

When I go to do my monthly graduate teaching sessions at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University, I would always look at the weekend engagement as an opportunity to enjoy the the best seafoods in the Philippines. The vast coral reefs in the nearby Sulu seas yield abundant and diverse species. The best place to stay and eat is Hotel Lantaka by Sea.

 

The table by the sand bar gives you a view that will soothe away the strains and stress of the crowded urban life in Manila.

 

My favorite dishes? Sweet and Sour Deep Fried Whole Red Grouper and Grilled Whole Yellow Spot Siganid (local name: malaga, kitong) with a vinaigrette dip fired up by minced bird's eye chili!

 

Seafood Suprema at Paliotti's in Abbotsford (BC)

After an awesome tour of the modern, technology driven, 'green' compliant, animal compassionate Bakerview EcoDairy at Abbotsford, BC located in the vastly fertile Fraser River Valley, we went for a late lunch at the nearby Italian restaurant, Pallioti's.

 
The lunch crowd had gone by then so we had the place almost to ourselves. There was still an hour's drive back to West Vancouver and for some of us, a closing work shift was waiting at the store. We then had to forego with the wine that would have just fit a truly Italian dinner.

Predictably, I ordered for a seafood dish. The menu said: Seafood Suprema - prawn and scallop in lemon garlic cream served with alfredo pasta.

 

A fishmonger's standard can really be strict. The scallops were done just a bit before becoming dry and the prawn's sweet juicy flavor was just on the point of migrating. The rest of my friends were having a heyday with their pastas, lasagna. Two quietly devoured their lamb racks. Restaurant service was prompt, good and attentive to our needs. The place was ideal for a quiet, leisurely dinner.

Fresh Halibut Cheeks: How Do you Cook Them?

There are only two cheeks in a Halibut. Until recently, this part of the fish was thrown away together with the head and collar. Then came the immigrants from Asia whose practice for preparing seafood dishes was to use as many parts of the body. You go to Hongkong and one of the prized dishes is called: "Fish Lips".

Now we are getting a good supply of Halibut cheeks. It is one indication of the amount of Halibut being commercially extracted from the Pacific Northwest ocean. The cheeks can be considered as a rare delicacy. That poses as a challenge to me because my current recipe is only for a quick stir fry.

How would you cook the Halibut cheeks?

 

Fire Up the Grill: Fish Steaks - Here They Come

It's time to fire up the grill. Take off those grill covers, park the grill in the patio, scrub those tongs and load up the propane tanks. The skies are opening up and the sun will be shining through. There may be a need for those UV sunglasses.

How much variety can you have when using red meat for the grill? There is much more to choose from when going for seafood to cook on the grill. Different fishes, different flavors.

 

Recognize the fish steaks? They are from left to right: sockeye, halibut, albacore (Tombo) tuna, chilean seabass, yellow fin (Ahi) tuna, pacific swordfish, Hawaiian Opah.

Add up the BC Spot Prawn tails. Skewer 3 at a time. Get the serving dip ready: butter, garlic, lemon, paprika. Keep the shells on, they impart great flavors to the meat.

 

2011 BC Spot Prawns Festival

It's Mother's Day weekend and my store was super busy. As the doors opened at 8am, a wave of early shoppers started what would be a continuous stream of shoppers waving lists of what they need to buy for tomorrow's family event. We were prepared in the Seafood Department as the full complement of fishmongers attended to all shoppers' needs. We had 200 lbs of BC spot prawns as well as 80 lbs of Alaska King Crab Legs on the grab-and-price ice table.

I could only make it to the last 30 minutes of the BC Spot Prawn Festival held at Fisherman's Wharf at Granville Island (False Creek), Vancouver, BC. There was still a strong crowd lined up to buy jumbo spot prawns and an equal length patiently waiting for their turn to get served at the nearby Go Fish eating shop. Here are a few shots of the event.

 
 
 

Sustainable Tombo (albacore) Tuna: better fresh than canned

When people talk of sushi tuna, most would equate it to blue fin or the yellow fin (Ahi) tuna. The meat is usually deep red in color, indicating the enticing flavor of paper-thin slices that almost melt in the mouth.

We didn't get any Ahi tuna today. Not that its not available from the vendor. It's more of my store's rule to use only handline caught tuna, a fishing method that supports the sustainability of the tuna stock. Instead, we got the Oregon Tombo (albacore tuna), which carries a sustainability tag. Almost looks like the Ahi, the color is markedly lighter, almost pinkish rather than reddish. Same texture, obviously milder in flavor.

 
The Tombo is a smaller tuna (1-2 feet). It's got a smaller mouth and that to me is important as far as concerns for mercury content in tuna. The smaller the mouth, the more I can throw into oblivion any fear of mercury content from the wild, pacific northwest ocean grown Tombo.

Here's what my Department looks like. Among the 304 similar departments in Whole Foods Market, mine in Park Royal, West Vancouver ranks in the top 10. Thank you to all our seafood guests for trusting us to continue serving you the freshest, safest, tastiest seafood in the BC Lower Mainland.

 

Sesame Ginger Rubbed Ahi Tuna Steak

The vendor delivered this morning a 12-pound Ahi (Yelllow Fin) tuna loin. It was a medium size tuna probably the length of a 7-year-old homing Northwest Pacific Spring (King, Chinook) salmon. I had seen back home bigger tuna about 1.5 meter long. Wishing I get to take a trip this year to southeastern Philippines, at Gen. Santos City, the nation's tuna capital where the handline caught yellow fin tuna is still abundant.

 
I cut the loin into 1.5 inch steaks using a single stroke method to keep the meat from flaking.

 
 
The steaks from the neck and tail sections were flavored with a sesame-ginger rub.

 
What's the best way to cook the flavored ahi steak? I would pan sear to bring out the fragrance of the sesame and ginger then finish the steak on the grill, just right enough time to keep the inner meat portion medium rare.

Halibut curry, quick, no fuss dinner

It's 8:00pm and it's still a tie on Hockey play-off Game 3 for Canucks and the Predators. What can I cook quick and needs little attention so I can continue watching the game?

Pulled out the Halibut collar and belly from the fridge but it still a bit frozen. Put the fish on a cold running water and started preparing the garlic, red onion, ginger. There's a can of coconut milk and a fresh bottle of mild yellow curry spice. Sauteed the ingredients using high-heat threshold grapeseed oil then seared the halibut pieces. Everything was smelling great then put in the coconut milk and added a bit of soup stock. Tasting the mixture, it needed a bit of sea salt and paprika (mainly for enhancing the color). Ooops, forgot the turmeric.

Goal!!! no! It's still a tie. Set the pot in simmer for next 15 minutes. Then dinner is ready. There's a bowl of quinoa with garbanzos, edamame (green soya bean), cilantro and lemon. Back to the Game and dinner is served!

 
Why are there bones on the halibut? The dish is made of Halibut collars and belly. That part of the fish body always tastes a lot better. And considering that this year's harvest quota for the Halibut has been decreased to protect its population for sustainability, it makes good food sense to use almost every part of the fish.

Eat well, feel good, take care of the environment. Goallllll! in OT. Kesler delivers the Canucks.

Now, I can leisurely nibble on a dessert prepared by Maridel: baked Japanese sweet potato, glazed with organic maple syrup, generously topped with crushed almond slivers, walnut and pecan.

 

Baked Lingcod on Sour Cream

Down by Squalicum Harbor, Bellingham, WA, we found a refreshing spot to dine on seafood at Anthony's. It's a perfect location as it seats right beside a marina, with lots of parking space around. We came in just a few minutes of prime time. Within 10 minutes after getting our table, regular diners arrived in groups and filled all the tables.

Back at my day job in Whole Foods Market, I have always been facinated at how the Lingcod almost looks like the fish I used to farm in the Philippines, the black grouper or estuarine grouper (ephinepelus tauvina). The meat and the texture are so comparable. Except the Lingcod is more elongated and the black grouper is more oval.

So we tried Anthony's dish: Lingcod fillet marinated in white wine and baked with sour cream, red onions and dill. The cooking time was just perfect because the meat was moist and smooth, just flaking as it reached the table and cooked to a premium table as its heat receded while seating on the plate. Smooth texture, mildly sweet.