We have local fluke halibut this week! Okay, so the halibut that came in was NOT good. I am in Portland to celebrate the thirtieth birthday of my best friend and raise a Shirley Temple in honor of her new business. I got a phone call from a longtime fish plant buddy telling me that the halibut was “no bueno” but we have pretty salmon. Okay, so salmon again it is. I hope that no one will be sad about that. I plan on giving the halibut another go next week.
If you are ever in the Portland area you should check out Nourish Northwest. They will be offering nutrition counseling, cooking classes, and all kinds of exercise options. I am writing this from their beautiful new studio and kitchen. It’a a wonderful place to be.
My cousin Kelin will be handling delivery duties this weekend. Say hello and ask him how he likes being a fishmonger in training.
See the previous post for salmon links!
It’s finally here! The local salmon season can be elusive and the timing can be tricky. This year we will have one month on (May!) followed by one month off (June!) and then a possible three month period of glorious salmon fishing (July through September). The local salmon population is watched very closely and seasons are scheduled based on the observations made by NOAA and the Department of Fish and Game. 
Your salmon will come to you with the pin bones in, the skin on, and the scales off.Make sure to keep it nice and cold. The best way to do that is to put it on ice in the coldest part of your refrigerator. I will be speaking with salmon fishermen this week and I will get some of that info up on the blog this week.
Here are some salmon links:
Seared Wild Salmon with Grilled Bread Salad and Parsley Anchovy Aioli
Seared Salmon with Shallot and Green Onion Relish
Salmon freezing and pin bone removal instructions
North Coast Salmon Fishery Information
Recipe ideas from Siren subscribers
This week we have fresh picked Dungeness crabmeat. The local crab season is winding down, and this will definitely be the last of the crab from Siren until November. SALMON SEASON STARTS NEXT WEEK! The meat is picked by hand and will come packaged in a 10 oz. or 20 oz. tray. It is always a good idea to pick through the meat to remove any shell fragments that might have made it into the final pack.
The trays are perfect for freezing, and the meat will keep for up to 6 months in the freezer. The best way to store the tray of crabmeat without freezing is in the coldest part of your refrigerator. Storing them on ice in the refrigerator is even better. The meat should stay fresh for three to four days.
My favorite way to use fresh crabmeat is to toss a couple of handfuls into scrambled eggs. YES. It is especially great if you take that crabby scrambled egg mixture and put it on a croissant.
Crab Links
This is great oyster weather. Woohoo! Grab a shucking knife and a couple of friends and head outdoors. Whether you intend to eat them raw, or grill them, these little guys from Tomales Bay Oyster Co. will not disappoint. I tried to get my hands on their incredibly tasty Golden Nugget oysters, but alas, it was not to be. Your share will be half smalls and half extra smalls. I like my oysters tiny, so I tend to lean towards the extra smalls even for grilling. Why all of this grill talk when I have made it clear that oysters are best when they haven’t been messed with? Because I am growing a tiny fishmonger and I am not allowed to eat raw oysters. No alcohol? Okay fine. No soft cheese? Wellll fine again. NO RAW OYSTERS?! Gah. Torture.
So, I did not get to try one of these little beauties out, but I did shuck a couple and they look gorgeous. I also had some fish plant friends give them a try. They got high marks.
You can find care instructions and my mignonette recipe here.
I am SO ready for something new and I’ll bet that you are, too. I have just about had it with this crab season nonsense and I am ready for these boats to go out and find me something new and exciting. Links below.
Halibut
By Anna | March 17, 2012
It has been such a very long time since we have had halibut. 6 months. It feels a little mean to be handing you beautiful Pacific fluke halibut, a fish that just begs to be grilled, during a rainstorm. I hope that you can enjoy preparing your halibut indoors.
LINKS
Ginger Sesame Halibut with Spicy Watermelon Pickles from The Year in Food
Grilled Halibut with Yuzu Kosho Cream and Pickled Red Onions from Akiko Moorman
Halibut wrap-up with other halibut ideas
Enjoy!
LOX!
By Anna | March 8, 2012
This week we have cold smoked Bodega Bay King salmon. Lox! The fish were frozen during the height of the local salmon season. They are currently sitting in brine waiting to go into the smokehouse for 24 hours. When they emerge, the smoked salmon sides will be sliced and portioned.
There will be pictures and recipes up tomorrow!
I really hate writing these, but more and more I feel like this is just a part of finding fish this time of year. Sometimes, no fish is exactly the right thing to deliver, errrrr not deliver.
We had enough rain to shut down local shellfish harvesting for a few days, followed by wind that was strong enough to keep fishermen from heading out. I have been given reliable predictions that next week will bring much of the same, so I am headed into the smoke house next week to put up some more Bodega Bay King salmon. You know, just in case.
I apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause. I am always so impressed by the flexibility of Siren subscribers. Thank you thank you thank you for allowing me to stick to my standards. I am a grateful fishmonger.
I am SO ready for something new and I’ll bet that you are, too. I have just about had it with this crab season nonsense and I am ready for these boats to go out and find me something new and exciting. I heard a nice little rumor about the hook-and-line halibut guys getting out next week. Fingers crossed! We are lucky to have some beautiful black cod out of Ft. Bragg. Links below.
Black Cod Fillet Operating Instructions
We have squid. I saw them and then I touched them and then I ate some of them. They are real, I promise. You will get squid that have been gutted. They will not have ink sacks and the quills have been removed. There will still be skin to peel off if you would like. You should definitely check the tentacles for any beak remnants and rinse out the tubes to make sure that they are truly free from all guts. Peeling the skin is an easy task, it just rubs off. This becomes even easier if you choose to remove the little wings from the tubes as well. The wings pull right off. I dumped my tubes and tentacles into a big colander and rinsed out the tubes as I was peeling the skins and removing the fins. The whole process took me about five minutes to get through a pound. There is a very excellent squid breakdown guide here. You get to skip the first couple of steps. The squid origin story can be found here.
Squid in Spicy Tomato Sauce
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/3 cup red wine
1 32 oz. can crushed tomatoes (San Marzano!)
1 tsp Salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper
1 lb fresh squid, tentacles with tubes sliced into 1/2 inch rings
1 lb spaghetti
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1. Heat oil over medium heat in a large pot. Sauté onions until translucent. Add garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for one minute, stirring constantly to keep the garlic from burning. Add the red wine, crushed tomatoes, salt and black pepper. Stir to combine.
2. Add squid to the tomato sauce. Reduce the heat to low and allow to simmer uncovered for 30-40 minutes. DO NOT BOIL. Let the squid cook slowly at a low temperature until it is tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Cook spaghetti two minutes less than the time suggested on the package.
4. Drain the spaghetti and add it to the tomato sauce. Stir to combine the pasta with the sauce and squid. Cook together for 2-5 minutes.
5. Dish the pasta into serving bowls and top with parsley, olive oil, and black pepper.
Enjoy!