How Much Would You Pay?

“May I please have some bluefin sashimi?”

Waiter: “Why yes, it is $200.”

“I will go with the snow leopard … its more sustainable!”

Really, this is what we have come to.  2011 has brought in something I never thought I would see.  A fish, yes just one single fish, selling for $396,000.  Holy Crap.  Let me drop the levity on you here for a moment.  One fish.  Yes just a single animal. One thing that once swam in our fine seas, has become so rare, and valued, that it commands a price tag of almost $400,000.  WOW, WOW, WOW!!!!!  This very fish that sold for this fine price in Japans Tsukiji market, was supposed to be placed on the IUCN endangered species list in the spring of 2010.  Why not?  I mean there are only 3-10% of the population of these amazing globe trotting animals left on the planet.  Surely they must qualify for protection.  Well yes they do, but something came in the way.  MONEY.  People do not look below the waves as they do above it.  We have an opportunity to possibly, maybe, hopefully… give this magnificent creature a chance and we are turning a blind eye so a single fish can line someones pocket with $400,000 shiny pieces.  I am a realist and know that at this price, legal or not, people will fish for it.  Its only chance is a complete ban.  We owe it to the the young people we pass every day in the streets and the children they will one day have.  We claim to be the smartest animal on planet Earth…..yet we are the single thing destroying it.  Last time I checked I did not see a zebra flicking trash on the ground, or a toucan raping our seas for the last glimmer of life.  Be smart.  Get educated.  Make a difference.  Please!

What’s In a Name?

The California scorpionfish.  Sounds quite menacing.. and it should be.  Related to the infamous stonefish, which is deadly to humans, living off our sun drenched coast is its cousin that does indeed pack a doozy of a sting.  I have seen people put their hands down on these well concealed fish, only to scream, or whatever you call it when you exhale massive amounts of bubbles underwater, as the venom surges through their body.  While our scorpionfish is not as worrisome, it is not something I care to experience.  So yesterday while out fishing on the Monte Carlo, I hauled in a few keepers that made their way into my burlap sack.  I have heard wondrful things about the flavor of these fish and was excited to give them a try.

On the boat I had the deckhand filet them for me, except for one that I did myself when I returned home, so the spines were not an issue as I jostled around the kitchen tonight.  Supplies were getting a bit thin on the $5 per day diet, and luckily I had a few things that made this meal just downright lip smacking.  The fish… I kept simple… just some salt and pepper.  But I had a can of white beans and some bacon, so I sort of came up with an idea to serve the fish simply over a bed of white beans, bacon and onion… all things I had in the pantry and fridge.

I fried up the bacon in a cast iron pan and when crispy, put it into another skillet with some of the grease and added half of a diced red onion and sautéed till the onion was turning golden.  I tossed in some garlic and a can of white beans and let that all suck up the bacon grease love!  With the rest of the bacon fat and a bit of butter, I fried the scorpionfish filets till they took on a golden color, which was only a moment in the pan.  The beans needed some tang so I squeezed some lemon juice in and wow.  The fish just popped.

There is something special about catching your own food.  I used to hunt with my father as a boy, and when I lived in Alaska I ate more things from the wild than I did from a feed lot, but as of late I have drifted away from that side of me.  So I had some great satisfaction eating a tasty meal that is as fresh as it gets and caught with my own effort.  Many people shy away from hunting.  Maybe it is because they cant pull ther trigger when bambi is giving them the sad eyes, but a fish is different.  It has a cold stare that never seems to make a personal connection with those people who yank them from the water.  But being a fish biologist I know they are some of the most amazing animals on the planet and they do indeed have a personality that is unique to each and every fish… just in their own cold blooded special way.  So tonight as I reveled in my primeval manliness at being able to provide for my family, food-wise, I paid homage to the last wild food that is commonly plied for our great planet.  Fish!  Thank you ocean!

p.s. as i was baiting up my hook i did kick a burlap sack and sunk two scorpionfish spines into my big toe.  I stood there , semi-freaking out about the explosive pain that was sure to come… sure to come… sure to come.  What?  Nothing but some blood dripping onto the deck.  Well I guess when these guys die they lose their ability to inject poison…or… I am just super tough.  Probably not.

Sand-dabbling in the Pacific

License… Check. Rod… Check.  Gear… Check.  Ahh, waiting at the 22nd St. Pier in San Pedro California for the boat to set sail, yet strangely enough, heading out to catch some fresh seafood off the southern California coast, the waft of fried bacon lures me into the galley to order up a breakfast burrito.  As the boat putts out of the harbor, grease dripping out of the burritos paper wrapping onto the well worn nautical chart table, I believe we are heading for some lipid based destination.  But a simple wipe of the hand makes me realize that I really have no idea where the hell we are heading.  Bryan, the unassuming, yet forward deck-hand, claims that our rigs are totally set up wrong and that we need X, Y and Z to score the big fish.  I pass on his recomendations as I am taking my queues from the salty old guy who is missing a finger and sporting the well worn hat of a fella who has been sinking hooks for 50…60… maybe 70 years.

The boats engine slows and the cattle-like rush to the rail is a good sign that we are here.  I casually watch the regulars select their slices of squid and bait their hooks, pretending to be checking my knots.  Being a fly fisherman, knots are the only thing I seem to be comfortable with today.  The quarry is deep and only familiar to me through my dive mask or 6 inches of acrylic at he aquarium where I work.  So I bait up and cast into the dark blue ocean below, not knowing what to expext.  BANG, I am onto something.  As I crank it up, unsure of what may be at the end, I yank a beautiful sanddab from the sea and onto the deck.  Within seconds, the attentive deck-hand is by my side.  The hook, deep inside the fishes throat is giving me pause.   “you gonna keep it?”… “can I?”… “yes”… “sure”, and the hook is ripped from its body and the fish is slung into sack #11.  The deck-hand is quickly off to the next guy .  I am left standing there, a little overwhelmed by the efficiency of the whole thing.  All I wanted to do was reach into the bag and give the fish a look.  Maybe pay homage to the life I just made my own.  But no, I am strait back to the rail with the primeval juices flowing.  An hour later I am four fatty sanddabs and two keeper scorpionfish the better, with a solid 10 fish returned to the sea as they did not meet California DF&G size requirements.  This is something that not everyone on the boat seemed to give much thought… or action.

Cigaret butts over the side, an empty can of soda cast into the waves.  “What the fuck is he doing?” I asked Brenton, my buddy to my right.  We figured that even though we were defenders of the ocean, now is not the time to piss off the 300+lb black man with gold chains that weigh more than me, who just committed the environmental infraction.  After all, we are on a boat in the middle of an ocean that would of suited Jimmy Hoffa for his late night “drops”.  But the reason we were here was to try our luck at getting a piece of some of the last wild food our planet has to offer.  I was struck by the diversity of the fisherpeople, not in terms of skin color, but of the types of people on deck.  Crusty old timers, an asian couple, young women, well dressed homeboys, guys inked all over… and us.  All trying to get a bit of wild earth in our bellies that night.  Cool… except for the can and the butts.

As I raced back up the Harbor Freeway with a bag of fresh fish, I strained my brain for things I could do with my catch.  What was on hand at home?  It was a long day and I was in no mood to stroll the aisles of some store for the one or two things that may of been needed for a recipe i concocted.  So home I went.  Feet up and chilling.  Then dinner time hit, and I had to do something with the fish.  After all I did just extract a slice of life from the very ocean I devote my life to, and I should eat some that night.  So I prepped the sanddabs and cranked out a beurre blanc.  Yay for butter!!

Whooooooo, That was good.  The fish was alive just hours ago.  I was the one that made its life abruptly end, and as I slipped the flesh from the fine bones and ate, I realized something wonderful.  As mush as I preach sustainable seafood, people were on that boat, not for fun, but for sustenance.  There was fresh fish on a number of tables tonight, mine one of them.  As we take things from our planet we must always realize where it comes from.  That is what makes us appreciate it and give it respect.  Tonight, the sanddab that tugged at the end of my line, was now giving my wife and I a beautiful dinner.  So for that… THANKYOU!

Lentil Potato Curry Crazy

Curry.  Maybe it is my English roots, or the fact that I have a sick addiction to Indian food… ohhh how I love a lamb vindaloo, but tonight was a big batch of vegetarian curry.  Many people have the wrong idea about Indian food.  Its going to be too spicy.  It is going to be fatty and unhealthy.  Sure I have ventured into some “authentic” Indian eateries and walked out pissed off about a bunch of mushy crap.  But good Indian food, and I mean from people that know what they are doing, can make some fantastic dishes with not 10, not 5, but 0ne or two spices and some great healthy and fresh ingredients.  Indian food to me is an art in blending spices and layering of flavors.  My father, now retired, has all the time in the world to let a good Indian curry simmer and develop.  For myself, time is a little harder to come by which is why I have not experimented too much with this line of food.  But on occasion, I will set into the kitchen with a goal of spice and aroma that leads me to some sort of curry dish.

So in the theme of the month, eating on the cheap, curry is a super way to add tons of flavor to legumes and starches, without breaking the bank.  I poked around at some recipes and stuck my head in the pantry and found some things that worked quite well if I do say so myself.

I sort of went at tonight’s dinner with a blank notepad and a bunch of stuff I had on hand.

1 cup green lentils

4 potatoes (cut into 1/2 inch cubes)

3 tablespoons of curry powder

2 dried habanero peppers (from last years crop)

32 oz of diced tomatoes

one red onion

4 cloves of garlic

3 cups water

salt and pepper

-Bring the water to a boil in a big stew pot and put in the lentils with one tablespoon of the curry powder to cook for 15-20 min.  Add the potatoes and tomatoes to the lentils and simmer.  Heat up a pan and add oil and the sliced onion and saute till soft, then add the minced garlic till aromatic (maybe a minute or two more).  Add this to the big pot and add the rest of the curry powder and some more water to cover the potatoes.  Crush the dried habanero’s and stir in.  Let simmer as low as possible for 45 minutes.  Taste and season.  Done.  Wait, what was I saying about simmering all day!  I had some long grain rice on hand, so I served the curry over the top.

The whole house smelt amazing.  Curry will do that, and of course I made myself a extra large helping that caught me off guard, but the food region of my brain was doing all the talking.  Lentils, potatoes and rice are very filling.  So I have a good amount left, which will come with me for lunch that I will serve over the veggi cutlet I have left over from two nights ago ( I love leftovers.  Sometimes they are even better than when you make it fresh!)  I do believe that this whole curry set me back about $3.50.  This was dinner for two and at least another 4 or 5 servings.  Man, at this rate I can retire in a few months.  Come to think of it.  How come every high school does not offer a “eating at college on a budget” cooking class?  I mean when it come to push comes to shove (please read: when it comes to food or booze), we all know what a college student chooses… freshman and sophomore year anyway.  Maybe I am onto something.

Day One: Veggi Cutlets

So here we go.  30 days, $5 a day, what will come of it?  Will I be sick of beans or will I find new, and inexpensive ways to feed the family while putting money aside for all of the other things a new home owner needs to deal with (and there are many).  So after a super weekend of helping friends join in heavenly matrimony up in Sonoma, sipping great wines and apparently gorging myself on lamb, wild salmon and fresh from the farm produce, I sat down last night to write out a list for the week.  As far as I can tell, I have always been that guy who wanders the aisles looking to see what strikes my fancy or what beautifully marbled piece of meat there is to work with.  So entering the store with a list of items that I had to stick with was something of an oddity.  But I did it.  I did not find everything I needed, but then again, the week is young.  I spent a total of $44, but this included enough lentils to get me through 30 days as well as some spices and oil that I was in need of, that will last far longer than my 30 day experiment.  So right off the bat I realized that as much as a solid spice rack is fun to play with, it is a necessity for the manipulations of the legumes I hope to create.

Tonight turned out well.  Veggie cutlets were the springboard into the cheap eats program (if anyone has a better name for this next 30 days… please offer it up).  I pieced together a vegan recipe, that turned out to be super filling, very healthy, tasty and only cost $2.50 for dinner for two and lunch for us both tomorrow.  Yes $2.50!  Where the hell have I been dropping my hard earned paycheck up to this point?  So I amassed the following items on my counter and got to work.

2 cups garbanzo beans

1 cup of oatmeal (spin through the food processor till a bread crumb consistency)

4 tbs olive oil

1/2 cup vegetable broth

4 tbs soy sauce

6 garlic cloves (minced)

1 tsp lemon zest

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp dried sage

I mashed the garbonzo beans and oil in a bowl with a spoon,  combined the oatmeal, thyme, paprika and sage in a second bowl and mixed.  I added the beans and the dried ingredients together and blended then added the veggi broth and soy sauce and worked it in together. I let the moisture get absorbed into the mix for a little while and then made 6 patties.  In an oiled pan I fried them for 12 minutes a side till they were golden brown and aromatic.  I placed them with a simple spinach, onion and vinaigrette salad on a plate and gave them a try.

Yummy.  But they could of used an aoli or yoghurt sauce on top to give it an added dimension and a bit more moisture.  But for a first attempt they were pretty damn good and way below my budget.  So these will be kept in the rotation for sure, and with some kind of sauce, these will be a real hit.

How Lo(Cal) Can You Go

Atlantic salmon in the Pacific? African fish raised in Asia yet eaten in America? Pineapple in New York in December?  The web of commerce is growing longer and stronger with reckless abandon and almost no one is stopping to think of the consequences.  Yes, if you look around you can get almost anything at any time of the year in this great city of ours (LA).  But when it comes to food, should you?  The Los Angeles Times food writer, Russ Parsons, has vocalized the movement of eat sustainably and locally that began back in the 70’s by Alice Waters of Chez Panisse fame.  Actually, eating locally and sustainable was the ONLY way to eat until just a few decades ago.  Nowadays, massive factory trawlers are fishing in the farthest and most inhospitable portions of the globe to provide food for our tables, and we rarely stop to think of how it got here and at what cost.  

So what type of seafood would you eat from our local shores?  Santa Barbara spot prawns (Pandalus platyceros) are some of the best seafood one can find and they are caught within hours of your plate.  Actually, despite the name, Santa Barbara spot prawns can be found at depths up to 1,600 feet all along the West Coast of America.  The fishery began in the 1930’s when they were accidentally caught as bycatch for octopus.  The fishery was slow to start and spot prawns were only a minor catch fetching no more than $2 a pound through the late 70’s and 80’s.  They were caught using bottom trawlers that had massive amounts of bycatch including many rockfish species that are now in serious trouble.  Furthermore, these bottom trawlers were destroying the very habitat that the spot prawns needed to survive.  In the 1980’s traps were introduced, and in 2003 bottom trawling was outlawed.  While the traps caught far less shrimp than the bottom trawlers, they did not destroy the habitat, reduced bycatch tremendously, and sent the spot prawns price per pound skyward, where today the fisherman can get $12 per pound.  Today there are only 30 fisherman in California licensed to catch spot prawn. These fishermen operate small dayboats, which ensure the money supports the local economy and not some far off multinational corporation that has little connection with the interests of the community. 

The benefits don’t stop there.  The Santa Barbara spot prawns have to be eaten within a few hours of death as they release an enzyme that turns their flesh to worthless mush shortly thereafter.  These small dayboats, run by local fisherman, are the only ones to ensure that this very tasty crustacean will make it to your kitchen still alive and in all its fine epicurean glory.  The peak season is now, but they can be found from February through November at local seafood or Asian markets (I am a lazy blogger… I know).

Santa Barbara Spot Prawns Roasted in Spiced Salt

(serves 2)

•            1 tablespoon black peppercorns
•            2 whole allspice
•            1 bay leaf
•            ½ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
•            ½ teaspoon ground paprika
•            1 pound of Santa Barbara Spot Prawns
•            7 cups of salt*

*Using a coarse salt will make it easier to crack the crust after roasting.                              

Heat the oven to 400 degrees and place the oven racks on the top third and bottom third of the oven.  In a spice grinder (I use my cleaned out coffee grinder) grind the peppercorns, allspice, bay leaf, red pepper flakes and paprika into a fine powder.  In a large bowl, pour the spice mixture over the spot prawns and toss to coat evenly.  In a separate bowl, add salt and 1¼ cups (or a bit more if needed) of water and mix to create the texture of slushy snow.  Line a baking tray with tinfoil and put down a ¼ inch deep layer of the salt mixture large enough for all the prawns to lay in a single layer without touching one another.  Mound the rest of the salt on top making a smooth even layer covering the prawns completely.  Roast for 18 minutes on the bottom shelf, remove from oven and let cool briefly.  Chip or crack around the base of the salt crust with a heavy spoon or knife and lift the top off carefully.  With a dry pastry brush, brush off any remaining salt crystals from the prawns.  Slice lengthwise and serve over julienned cucumbers in a rice vinegar vinaigrette (rice vinegar, olive oil in a 1:3 ratio respectively, fresh ground pepper) Serve immediately.  

Alma Rosa – Flips the gastro swede

What is it about good food and drink that makes people smile?  Satiation? Excitement? Maybe something new to the pallet? Whatever it is, here in California, the state of muscly politicians with funny accents, and plastic tits, we succeeded on a monumental front for the entire union! My mother in law’s husband, Einar, a wonderful cook and a true stickler for doing things the right (and often long) way when it comes to all thing epicurean, thought America was nothing more than gaudy beefsteaks with a pepsi, and a deep fried Twinkie for dessert, was warmed over by a trip he took from San Fran down the coast to LA.  The drive alone would make anyone fall in love with this place, as you wind your way along the “im gonna puke” twists of Big Sur, past the Hearst Castle and into the sun drenched metropolis of LA.  But it was the food and wine that made this tough nut crack.  We spent a day on their last trip here, his second ever, meandering through Santa Barbara sipping vino.  We made a path that would allow us to see a number of great wineries like Foxen, but I kept getting half hearted replies to my inquiries about his level of enjoyment.  I had taken him to The Cheese Store in Beverly Hills (my favorite shop in ALL of Los Angeles) and packed up some fine cheeses and meats the day before (huge success), so we pulled to the side of the road after a few wineries and had a makeshift picnic.  I realized things were going better than I realized when he devoured the fine cheeses and savory pata negra, while we watched cows graze on the far side of the road, and his smile was ear to ear (and when it comes to wine tasting… he is a spitter!).  But it was our last winery, Alma Rosa, that I realized this man was an American fan.  He sipped,  he tasted, and he………………….swallowed!  Upon turning to me he said in his VERY thick Swedish accent, ” now this is what I love!”.  Ahhh, success.  The wines were fantastic.  All of them!  The setting.  An old corrugated roofed barn in the middle of a vast expanse of yellow wild flowers.  The satisfaction of a guy trying to change the opinion of a serious foodie from across the pond… PRICELESS!  All it took was a Alma Rosa 2007 Pinot Gris and some killer cheeses.

Started in 2005 as they separated from their well know last name, Sanford, Richard and his wife Thekla moved in the direction they had started back in 83′ when they planted the regions first 100% organic and sustainable vineyard at Ranch El Jabali.  The organic sustainability thing has blossomed to include a number of other vineyards, that produce some of the best Pino Noir and Pinot Gris(as well as Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc) anywhere.  AND, its sustainable.  How do they do it?  Sometimes when you love the land, it loves you back I guess. 

So to sum it up.  Head North, find Alma Rosa (easy to do) and make sure you have a camera to capture the joy!

7250 Santa Rosa Road, Buellton CA 93427

On a side note, I took him two bottles on our last trip with hopes of reliving the moment, but alas they both went right into his vault of tasty wines.  But I guess a gift is a gift and I will just have to get my own.

A Fish to Save the World

What fish is low on the food chain, able to survive in a wide range of aquatic habitats, is easy to farm and is a major protein source for developing countries?  Tilapia, or Izumidai, if you find yourself posted up at a sushi bar.  Tilapia is not a specific fish, but a large group of fishes in the cichlid family that originated from Africa.  These herbivorous freshwater fishes are perfect candidates for aquaculture as they grow rapidly to a large size on a plant based diet, reproduce easily and can live in dense groups. 

Yet, these very same attributes that make them a great fish for aquaculture also allow them to spread rapidly through ecosystems where they are introduced, often by accident.  In the United States, tilapia are farmed in closed ponds that eliminate the problem of escapement and leakage of pollution into the environment.  But this fish is heavily farmed in Southeast Asia where the regulations are far less strict.  Many of the ponds allow for escapement into the surrounding environment and also for the discharge of their effluent.  So when purchasing tilapia, or any farmed fish, often the region in which it is raised can make or break its level of sustainability.

Aquaculture may prove to be the panacea for our protein addiction, but only when it is performed in a sustainable way.  In many parts of the world, primarily in developing nations, entire coastal ecosystems are being poisoned by poorly run aquaculture that does not feed the local population, but is exported to the herds of westerners from North America and Europe who scarf down the all you can eat seafood buffet.  So next time you order farmed seafood, make sure you know where it is coming from.  To learn more about the specific farmed seafood you are looking to prepare, check out www.seafoodwatch.org and take control of your actions.

Check out the recipe in the pages section to the left.

What a Crime

What a Crime

One of the biggest crimes is being committed right under your nose and most people have absolutely no idea.  This crime happens in a variety places and the only way you will ever find out is to get a bit lucky and be offered a taste of truth, or spend a little time and effort and provide yourself with all of the clues you will need to get around this atrocity.  What am I talking about, I speak of the tasteless red fruit that people are trying to pass off as a tomato. 

Whether it is adding another layer to your burger, offering some color to a salad, or just one of many ingredients in a dish, the tomato is all around us, and over the last few decades it has become nothing more than a bland slab of juice.  But alas there is another option.  Grow your own or hunt down some locally grown options at a farmers market.  Wait…grow your own…

Why not?  It’s not like its all that hard, right? And is it worth it?

Oh yes it is.  If you have ever had the pleasure of sticking your face into a tomato plant and inhaling its vibrant and earthy aroma, that alone makes the potting and watering worth while.  But the fruit your plant will bare also has the instant ability to make your salsas pop, salads sing and burgers just that much better. 

Last year I got some small potted plants and grew them on my deck.  They were just a run of the mill cherry tomato, but were they good.  They were so prolific my wife and I would sit around the plants eating them right off the vine, in heaven.  This year I am going all out.  I hunted down some heirloom seeds of my favorite, Cherokee purple, and also a new variety that sounded to good to not give a go, Black from Tula.  I also procured some heirloom Fatalii pepper seeds as I love HOT peppers and make my own hot sauce.  More on this in the future.

So to kick off spring I am going to get the seeds going and I hope that you follow along.  Now keep in mind I live in Venice, Califorina so timing is not super crucial, but you will need to make a note of the last mornings you might get frost, as cold is a tomato killer.

Check back for some tips (hopefully for amazing fruit and healthy plants) in the coming weeks and months, which will be punctuated with some recipes of some of my favorite ways to use these fantastic flavor bombs.