Teach a Man to Fish and He will Eat for a Lifetime!

Discover some keys to Cooking Fish!

“Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime,” asserts an old proverb. Well, not quite. There’s one more step. You also have to teach the man how to cook the fish.  And for those of you non-anglers who procure your fish at a market, you’ll need to know how to select your fish as well.

Fish are divided into two broad categories, fish and shellfish, which I amusingly refer to as “swimmy” fish and “crawly” fish. Our current discussion will focus on the former.  Swimmy fish are further subdivided into flatfish and roundfish. Flatfish are shaped like a flat oval and swim horizontally along the sea floor.  Both their eyes are on top of their head. You can obtain four fillets from a flatfish. Roundfish have a rounder body with an eye on each side of their head and yield two fillets, one from each side.

Fish also vary on their fat content.  Generally speaking, the higher the fat content the darker the flesh. Very lean fish include red snapper, sea bass, flounder, and cod; moderately fat fish include striped bass, swordfish, and Atlantic salmon, and high fat fish include eel, mackerel, and bluefish.  All fish are high in protein, B vitamins, calcium, iron, potassium, and phosphorous.

Fish deteriorate rapidly and you must be very picky when selecting them.  Fresh fish should not smell fishy.  If it has anything beyond a mild aroma of the ocean do not buy it. The eyes should be clear, the gills bright red, the skin moist, and the flesh firm.  When you press the flesh it should spring back.  If it has been gutted check the belly to ensure it is free of browning.  If the entails were not removed promptly, enzymes in the stomach can begin to disintegrate the flesh.

Fish can be stored for up to two days but I strongly recommend using it within one day. Ideally it should be consumed the same day you buy it.  Whole, gutted fish should be stored in flaked ice.  Make sure you fill the body cavity as well.  Flaked ice conforms to the shape of the fish better than cubed ice and is less likely to bruise the flesh.  Place the iced fish in a perforated pan inside another pan to catch the melting ice and then into the refrigerator. Fillets should be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap.

The general rule of thumb for cooking fish is thus: Lean, white flesh fish is best suited to poaching, sautéing, pan frying and deep frying, fatty fish is best with dry cooking methods such as grilling and broiling, and moderately fatty fish is amenable to most cooking methods with the possible exception of deep frying.

RED SNAPPER WITH STEWED VEGETABLES

Ingredients

• 8 new potatoes quartered, skin on
• 1 yellow squash, cut into half inch slices
• 1 zucchini, cut into half inch slices
• Olive oil as needed
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Half cup dry white wine
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 1 and a half cups chicken stock
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 bell pepper (any color), roasted, peeled, seeded, and cut into • ¼ inch strips
• 1 bunch of chives, chopped
• 1 bunch of tarragon, chopped
• 4  Red snapper fillets, skin on, 5 oz each
Directions

Sauté the potatoes, squash, and zucchini, in olive oil for 4 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté one more minute. Add the wine, lemon juice, stock, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.  Add the bell pepper about five minutes before the vegetables are done and the chives and tarragon one minute before.

Season both sides of the snapper fillets with salt and pepper.  Heat another skillet with olive oil and sear the snapper, skin side down, for three minutes or until crisp. Flip it and sauté for another five minutes or until the fish reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees.  Place the stewed vegetables in a bowl with the fish fillets on top. Now sit back and enjoy and eat your seafood.

Oregon Seafood is located: 1167 SE Tualatin Valley Hwy.  Hillsboro, Oregon   97123    503-693-7222

Tilapia Has Become Very Popular.

Discover This Great Cooking Fish!

Tilapia (various species and hybrids of the genus Tilapia) originated from Mediterranean and African countries and has been successfully cultured throughout the world in temperate to tropical regions. Within the last few years, production of tilapia (pronounced “tuh-laa-pee-ah“) in the United States has exceeded freshwater trout.

Tilapia is a hardy fish that will thrive in outdoor ponds or high-tech tank systems using several different filter types to cleanse and recycle water. The fish is fed high-quality, grain-based pellets to produce a mild flavored fillet. Oregon has a wild fishery of tilapia found in Central Rivers brackish water estuary that are sold in regional seafood retail shops as fresh, gutted fish.

Similar in appearance to bream, tilapia are produced with a wide range of skin colors, black to dark blue to brilliant golden red. Much of the tilapia production in the United States is sold to Asian buyers as a live product, which is generally harvested at 1 to 1 1/2 pounds.

COOKING

Tilapia’s mild flavor and medium to fine-grained flake lends itself well to all types of cooking: fried, broiled, grilled and blackened. Tilapia cooks quickly; when the flesh turns opaque white, it is ready to be served. If fish is cooked in parchment, foil or a sauce, add 5 minutes to the total cooking time. Fillets less than 1/2 inch thick do not need to be turned during cooking. Fish cooks quickly. Do not overcook. Fish is done when the flesh becomes opaque and flakes easily when tested with a fork. Poaching, steaming, baking, broiling, sautéing, microwaving are excellent low-fat cooking methods, if you do not add high fat ingredients.

Marinate in your favorite salad dressing prior to cooking. Broil, bake, steam or microwave, then cube and add to pasta or salad greens for a delicious salad. Broil or grill with lime-butter and seasoned salt. Oil the grill to prevent fish from sticking. Bake whole fish with a crab or shrimp stuffing. Add leftover fish in broken pieces to salads, soups or sauces.

Fresh Seafood Video

Oregon Seafood is located: 1167 SE Tualatin Valley Hwy.  Hillsboro, Oregon   97123    503-693-7222
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Genuine U.S. Farm Raised Catfish!

5th Most Popular Fish in the United States.

Channel catfish, (Ictalurus punctatus) are produced from 177,360 acres of catfish ponds in Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas and Louisiana with an annual yield of 470 million pounds. The channel catfish is the only spotted North American catfish with a deeply forked tail and bluish, to olive-green back shading to a white belly. They are raised in a quality-controlled environment of clay-based ponds filled with pure fresh water pumped from underground wells. The average pond, constructed by building above-ground levees to serves as natural barriers, is 10 to 20 land acres in area and 4 to 6 feet deep.

Farm-raised catfish are fed a puffed, high-protein floating food pellet (a mixture of soybeans, corn, wheat, vitamins and minerals). This specially formulated feed is one of the reasons for the catfish’s subtle taste and lack of “fishy” odor. At 18 months old (averaging 1 to 11 1/2 pounds), farm-raised catfish are harvested with seines (large, weighted nets) and loading baskets and shipped in aerated tank trucks to the processing plant. Catfish are kept alive until processed, making them among the freshest freshwater fish available.

Genuine U.S. farm-raised catfish is ranked the fifth most popular fish consumed in the United States after shrimp, tuna, and cod.
Cooking: The general rule is 10 minutes per inch of thickness, at the thickest part of the fillet or steak, at 400-450 degrees F. If fish is cooked in parchment, foil or a sauce, add 5 minutes to the total cooking time. Fillets less than 1/2 inch thick do not need to be turned during cooking. Fish cooks quickly. Do not overcook. Fish is done when the flesh becomes opaque and flakes easily when tested with a fork. Poaching, steaming, baking, broiling, sautéing, microwaving are excellent low-fat cooking methods, if you do not add high fat ingredients. Marinate in your favorite salad dressing prior to cooking. Broil, bake, steam or microwave, then cube and add to pasta or salad greens for a delicious salad. Broil or grill with lime-butter and seasoned salt. Oil the grill to prevent fish from sticking. Bake whole fish with a crab or shrimp stuffing. Add leftover fish in broken pieces to salads, soups or sauces.

Oregon Seafood keeps a healthy stock of fresh catfish every day. Specially cut to the customer’s needs. It’s hard to find a Fish Market that is as clean and service orientated as Oregon Seafood in Hillsboro Oregon. Catfish is one of the main sellers and is always very fresh. It’s hard to beat the quality at Oregon Seafood.

Fresh Catfish at Oregon Seafood

Oregon Seafood is located: 1167 SE Tualatin Valley Hwy.  Hillsboro, Oregon   97123    503-693-7222

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In The Ice Cold Waters of The Bering Sea!

Alaskan Black Cod Swims in The Depths.

SEAFOOD Alaska Black Cod

With its beautiful, snow-white fillet and perfect flake, wild Alaska black cod is a premium whitefish choice for roasting, poaching or frying.

Alaska has the largest black cod population in the world: tight regulations are enforced to ensure the continued sustainability of the species. Alaska’s long-term dedication to sustainability began 50 years’ ago in the State constitution and has ensured continuous, wild and healthy harvests, and guaranteed that stocks of superior seafood are preserved for future generations.

Swimming free deep in the ice-cold waters of the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska, this premium whitefish develops the rich oil content that gives it its distinctive flavor and texture. And Alaska Black Cod is rich in Omega 3, and an excellent source of high quality protein.

Alaska black cod’s beautiful white flake and velvety texture and its sweet, delicate flavor make it an excellent fish in a wide variety of dishes – from the simple to the spectacular.

Try this delicious recipe – the perfect dish for impressing your friends. Simply sauté risotto rice, spring onions and garlic for a couple of minutes, then add white wine and saffron infused stock. Meanwhile place the black cod fillets in a shallow pan with milk, water and bay leaves and leave to simmer. Add Parmesan and peas to the risotto and serve with the black cod.

RECIPE
WILD ALASKA BLACK COD WITH SAFFRON RISOTTO
Serves 4

Ingredients

• Generous pinch of saffron strands
• 900ml (1½ pts) hot vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 225g (8oz) risotto rice
• 4 spring onions, trimmed and chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 150ml (¼ pt) dry white wine
• 4 x 150g (6oz) fillets wild Alaska black cod
• 150ml (¼ pt) milk
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 tbsp Parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 75g (3oz) frozen petit pois or garden peas, thawed
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Basil leaves, to garnish

Directions
Add the saffron stands to the hot vegetable stock and leave to infuse while starting to cook the risotto

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan or non-stick frying pan for a few moments, and add the rice. Cook over a low heat for about 2 minutes, stirring, until the rice looks shiny, but not brown

Add the spring onions and garlic, then pour in the white wine and let it bubble up for a few moments. Add a couple of ladlefuls of stock. Stir, then cook over a medium heat for 20-25 minutes, gradually adding the remaining stock, until the rice is tender and creamy

About 10 minutes before the risotto is ready, start to cook the fish. Put the fillets into a shallow pan with a lid and add the milk, bay leaf and 150ml (¼ pint) boiling water. Season lightly. Cover and simmer gently for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork

Add the Parmesan and peas to the risotto, stirring them through gently. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the risotto with the fish, garnished with basil leaves

Cook’s tip: For a deliciously creamy risotto choose Italian arborio or carnaroli rice. If you can’t find black cod try substituting with wild Alaska or Pacific cod from Oregon Seafood.

Fresh Fish At Oregon Seafood

Oregon Seafood is located: 1167 SE Tualatin Valley Hwy.  Hillsboro, Oregon   97123    503-693-7222

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