Seafood

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals announced a move to persuade restaurants to change the word "seafood" to "sea animals" to raise awareness of fish as "conscious individuals who treasure their lives as they struggle to survive." That, of course, would be the first step to persuading consumers to pass on the pompano, the organization hopes.

How about sea folks, that's even friendlier, warmer and cuddlier.

sea creatures just doesn't cut it eh?

guess not...and: More than three dozen restaurants banded together to boycott swordfish during '98 to allow the species to recover from overfishing. But in the year of the steak, the drive had its detractors. Even if swordfish were not as easy to cook as sirloin, some opponents said the fish was in no danger of extinction.

I like seafood boycotts. Drives the prices down, and I can afford to eat more of it.

The problem that arose with the swordfish was that the average size of each fish harvested had dropped so much that fish below mating size were being harvested as their weren't enough adults to go around...

oops, typo...

Sorry, I had no idea that they were in danger.

has the situation improved?

The ban was called for by Chef2000, which I have yet to find on the web so if anyone knows their url... They were on the way to being in danger...I think that is why only a one year ban was called for, and that year is almost up... I'll keep my eye out for updates!

Stace, slippin' in between us like that! btw, Tim, what's your favorite seafood? Stace, your's would be all, right?

My favorite is lobster.

I understand why a lot of people like it, but for my personal tastes both it and crab are over rated...at least that leaves more for everyone else...

wer, you ever had lobster fresh outta the lobster trap and into the pot on the East Coast (New England)?? It could possibly change your mind! My fave is, hmm... well there's salmon oooh and tuna (seared and rawish!) gotta love cajun catfish oh heck how about crawfish!! Halibut, with the right kind of marinade is AMAZING! not too big on cod. There. That's a better question (or easier answer) What's Stacey's least fave seafood... COD! Ahem... sorry bout that. *grin*

and no, I haven't lobster in the prepared in the manner of which you speak...

a whole different breed of sea 'animal' as far as I'm concerned!

I really like all seafood, It's just that lobster is a favorite. The only place I will eat lobster is in the Northeast. They ship the culls down here.

Wer, you have to eat it in Maine, you have to dine at picnic tables with newspapers for table cloths, and it is mandatory for partakers to wear bibs. Bathing afterward is recommended!

Mahimahi is also very good. Any pelagic fish is - not full of bones and most delightful to the palate.

Mahimahi, sounds exotic. I see this as a menu choice from time to time, how does it compare with more familiar fish like trout or salmon, which I usually end up ordering.

it's firm flesh...but not as much so as shark or swordfish...

less firm than tuna steaks too not very fishy (i suppose that could be phrased.."very mild")

Mahimahi is the Hawaiian word for the fish the rest of the English-speaking world calls Dolphin fish (not to be confused with Flipper!) It is much more fine-textured and moist than any species of very large ocean fishes, less fishy, too. That, and the fact that they are pretty small in comparison makes them most costly to consume - but definitely worth it! If you are considering ordering it, ask if it has been frozen. It really matters in this case! When I first moved to Hawaii I bought a huge chunk of fresh Marlin. It was wonderful, but the meat was so dense we could not get our teeth through it. Most frustrating. My kindly neighbor told me they grate the older tougher fish and press it through cheesecloth to make fishcake, Japanese style.

DOLPHIN fish? You can EAT dolphins? WOW! How does it taste?

Dolphin FISH tastes wonderful - light, delicate and moist. Dolphin MAMMAL is not on my menu. I do not even know of anyone who would eat one - or would admit to it, at any rate. If I find one, like about the Jellyfish, I will report back immediatly!

I'm sure dolphin the mammal is served somewhere in Japan...

You can count on that, but they also eat Fugu. It is unfortunate someone named the Mahimahi as they did. Most places now it is called by the Hawaiian name so people do not think they are ordering Flipper for dinner. BTW, if they do not stop eating everything they can get their hands on dolphinwise, they will cease to exist anywhere!

Dolphins probably taste pretty good. It's more the idea of eating a creature that's more intelligent than some humans that turns me off. (Not you, Wer!! �grin�)

Wer is in an entirely different food group!(We shall not discuss this delicate subject here)...pretty good? What does it resemble? Oh, and BTW, Welcome back. We missed you, Ree!

Thanks, Marcia. That's really kind. I think Wer can only be clasified as 'mafio tiramisuculus'...

Please, for the isolated Lady in Hawaii, please explain Tiramisu to me. I have heard of it but have no idea what it is.

think edible orgasm...

thinking....*grin*

try a Marsala custard layered with espresso soaked ladyfingers and garnished with chocolate covered espresso beans... (that's a short description of mine, anyway...)

OK, thanks! I used to help my Mom make that under a totally different name. We did not garnish with what you use - they were not available that I know of. We used curls (potato peeler) of semi-sweet and bitter chocolate instead.

I don't think I've ever had the Tiramisu 'edible orgasm'. Only the Scottish one, called (honest to God), 'spotted dick'.

Had both, liked the Scottish one best. How about a trifle (the biggest misnomer in the universe if you have to make it.)

I think now that I must find someone who can make me an edible orgasm. That is too incredible to miss, I am sure. I cannot die until I have had this experience (which just make me immortal!)

Leave it to our ree reee to have, uh, "spotted dick". See Jane see. See spotted dick run. And just what is, dare I ask . . .

Ree, is it not raisins which are added to the mex which cause it to be thus named (as far as the spots go...)? Not even going to guess about the rest of the name...

...actually sounds somewhat painful and highly contageous...!

Changing subject, I had some wonderful catfish at Central Market tonight, superb!

Well, spotted dick just looks like a dick with measles, doesn't it? It's a hot, sweet sort of pudding, Terry. And, I daresay most Scottsmen regard it with a look of envy when the wife orders it. Marcia, TRIFLE!!!! I adore trifle! And sticky toffee pudding!! Oh God, this is the wrong topic! But I haven't had fish for ages and ages. You don't really get good fish in Switzerland.

Where do you have to go in your part of the world to get good fish? Norway?

Lots of Deep lakes around Switzerland. Do you get much fresh water fish? I am sure imported stuff like Scottish Salmon at a price...! We just need a dip-net for dinner here.

Yes, we do get fresh water fish here, but I've never taken a liking to it. I'm used to the different kinds of salt water fish that you get on the west African coast - snoek, steenbra, kabeljou, and so on. There is just no comparison. Also, I'm not prepared to pay fifty bucks for a thing that travelled a thousand miles just to get to the market, let alone stay in their freezers for a further few weeks. That's not for me.

A dick is a bread pudding; the spotted part's the raisins. When my mom picked us up at the airport on a trip back from London I announced, "S. got spotted dick in England!" To which my mother responded, with a raised eyebrow, "Is it catching?" We think we are soooo funny when we're together!

Was she wearing her steenbra?

Very funny, sir. Autumn, at least she didn't ask whether it was 'cunt-agious'. SORRY; WEBMASTER!!! I just couldn't resist that one!!

*giggle* Yes, I can see the remorse all over everyone's face.*giggle* Autumn, has your mother been lurking about?! How funny!

I see nothing, I hear nothing...

---and I shall say no more. Admit it, William, you LOVED that one! Didn't ya?

Selective deafness and blindness has served us all well from time to time.

oh my!

Has anyone tried Fugu? (yup, Stacey, it is a talent I have developed to survive in a cutthroat academic world.)

What tha fug(u)?!

You're not going to believe this, but in very expenive restaurants in Japan they serve this dish. It is the flesh of a reef which has such toxic organs that if it is incorrectly prepared will kill you - dead! It is a macho thing - it is no better than any other bony reef fish, but it is the excitement...or something!

... or something!

Ya Know, they drink powdered rhino horns over there as an aphrodesiac. If they can not tell the difference between bladder irritation and excitement, perhaps they get off on toxic organs. I do not think I want to do the research on that.

that means I have to... and, I think Ree has been kidnapped and replaced with a nonperfect clone as she called me William... can't recall the last time anyone on here did that...

Uh.....No, you do not!...( she and I have been playing today)

(be careful...both of you)

*grin* Promise! *big smile* We'll be careful...*grin*

(don't like the sound of that...)

William...don't you trust me?

Nonperfect clone indeed! �sulk�

Look, Ree, you've started a trend! (how much is it gonna take to make up?)

Toxic food on purpose? Why not just hire snipers to pick you off as you approach the restaurant?

Beg your pardon? Did you just call me, Mrs. Moore? Alexander Resident ***Censored, But Willing To Do Anything To Get This Spell-Thing Worked out***, The Spring

WOULD YOU STOP IT WITH THE FRUSTRATING EPILOGUES BEHIND YOUR NAME PLEASE (unless of course you are willing to spell out all the blather and tell me what in the hell you are so preturbed about!!!)

*lol* Autumn! That is probably quicker than the lingering death and paralysis that goes along with a mis-prepared Fugu. I like your idea. Too funny!!!

LOL!!! (Wer, many a kind word will help, but grovelling will work fastest!)

Here's the sauce I promised, amounts are approximate as I have never made it with measuring devices, and should be enough for two fillets... 3 tablespoons butter 3/4 cup heavy cream 1 tablespoon Green Tabasco (or more to taste) 1 tablespoon lime juice (or more to taste) 1/4 cup frozen peas, thawed 1/2 jalapeno, slivered 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic 1 can lump crab meat (or fresh, amount to suite yourself) Place all the liquid ingredients in saute pan along with the spices, and reduce by a third. Add peas and jalapeno and lumb crab, continue cooking until sauce is desired consistency. That's it.

Thank you, Dear!

And what about the grovelling?

I did it for you while you were on hiatus (wherever that is!)...besides, fresh fish does not keep all that well in the hot summer. We needed the recipe. BTW, any suggestions, William, for the sort of fish we should use? You mentioned fillets, which probably does not mean Shark or Marlin unless you at least double the recipe...trout perhaps? Halibut? Menini? Mempachi?

I've only done it with flounder, but it should go with any mild white fish

Ok, thanks!

I "experienced" a green fish sauce on Ahi (Yellowfin Tuna), but instead of crab they used fresh mushrooms. I also think they used lemon juice rather than lime juice, which is not nearly as pleasant. Actually, checking the posted recipe here with the taste of the one I had...there was very little but the heavy cream and garlic in common. I am sure I would have enjoyed the one here more than the one I had...!

(Does everyone know that a flounder (and a sole) start out like regular-looking fish?! Somewhere during their development into adulthood one eye starts to migrate and the shape changes into what eventually becomes a flat fish...!)

I'm HUNGRY! Oh, eh, sorry....

That's weird though, isn't it? Marcia, why would a fish that looks like a regular fish evolve like that? What in nature created the need, do you think?

Mebbe they all was paranoid and wanted their backs to a wall, and still see all that'S going on... And try to get your back to the wall in the ocean! That oughto have kept 'em busy, no?

Actually they are bottom-dwellers who wriggle down into the silt so just their eyes are peeking out. I suspect that as young fish they needed more to eat than they would have gotten if they had been born flat...and as they matured they evolved into what we now have...interesting evolution!

Cool! Recently they had a 3-D nature series on tv, and the fish one was great. I think those flat fish were in it too - hiding from sharks as well as their own prey. Would that be right? I love those 3-d things. Why don't they have those cinemas anymore?

Yes, that is their defense mechanism and their stealth quality for stalking prey. Pretty neat, isn't it. Have not seen anthing 3-D but I'll bet it is great for fish and reef stuff.

Don't know why they no longer show 3-D movies in theaters. I guess it was a fad. They tried it on television and it worked a bit...but it was still blurry!

I WISH they'd bring it back. I must have just missed it, and by the time they bring it back I'll probably so old there'll be cataracts over my eyes, and I'll STILL not be able to see it!

They do from time to time here for novelty's sake and nostalgia...You shall not have cataracts. But even if you do, by the time you get them they will remove the cloudy lens and replace it with an artificial one like they do now, in out-patient surgery. It is not as dire as one might think!

I guess we are on topic with this discussion - it falls under the category of "see food"...

I see...

ha-ha! Good one! You know what, I had a fishy dishy in the Swiss mountains this weekend. It was a little surreal, but very good. Just don't ask me what it was!

Did you go with Chris?

No, just me and the girls.

I know you said not to ask you what it was. but...what was it? crab? lobster? sea urchin? fish? eel? other?

Oh, now I know all about it from the travel conf...

It was DEFENITELY a fish, Marcia. It was battered, and there was a sort of nut sauce all over it. Wundafool! And we had fondue. Country folk REALLY know how to make fondue!

How do you make fondue, Ree Head?

First you get the cheese mixture from a good cheese shop - only 'rezent', you know, STRONG cheese. You stick it in the pot, put it on the stove. You add af good fondue wine - to cover about 2 cm of the bottom of the pot. Then you wait until the whole thing melts and forms a big sort of clump in the bottom. Then you mix a spoonful of mais powder with a (kirsch) glass full of kirsch. That binds the fondue. You stir it until it's smooth, add a heap of mixed pepper and nutmeg, and there you go! Apart f om bread you can dip potatoes (the smaller, the better they taste with cheese), raw button mushrooms, pickles, olives - all of those things are great with the bread and fondue.

rezent, what's that wee?

Wee? Really, you MUST stop this flattering, Mr Walhus! ha-ha, NO, rezent cheese is just very strong cheese. Is there a word for that in English?

pungent?

Rat cheese - strong cheddar which will eat the insides of your mouth before you eat the cheese?

ha-ha! Nice description! With the Swiss it starts by biting off their tongues ...

Salmon Mousse Ingredients: -2 small tins pink salmon -150ml double cream -1 x small tin prawns -1 tablespoon mayonnaise -75g butter -35g aspic -cayenne pepper -275ml hot water -2 egg whites (whisked) Method: Flake all fish - mash with a fork. Add softened butter. Season to taste. Whisk cream and fold in with mayonnaise. Dissolve aspic in hot water - when cool, stir into mixture. Whisk egg whites and fold into mixture. Transfer to an attractive serving dish. Place in fridge to cool. To serve - Dress with slices of lemon, and a sprinkling of fresh coriander leaves. Prepare thin buttered triangles of organic wholemeal bread.

Chilli Prawns Served With Basmati Rice Here's a simple supper dish for 2 people. Ingredients: -225g fresh prawns -1x2cm hot green chili pepper (whole) -1 tablespoon oil -2 cloves crushed garlic -2 medium onions chopped -Squeeze of fresh lemon juice -1x400g tin Italian chopped tomatoes -Salt to taste -Black or green olives (halved) as garnish to taste Heat oil in saucepan and add chopped onion and garlic and simmer to soften. Add the tin of chopped tomatoes. Drop in the hot chili (whole). Leave to simmer gently and allow mixture to just thicken. Add the prawns and heat through approximately 5 minutes. Check for chili strength and flavour. Adjust if necessary. Remove the whole green chili unless one of you has a particular taste for this. Serve on a bed of basmati rice. Dress with the halved olives. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over each serving and enjoy! Serves 2

Fish Facts: Mahi Mahi To paraphrase David Letterman, mahi mahi could be considered "The fish so nice they named it twice!". -Often called dolphinfish, the Hawaiians gave it the name mahi mahi to avoid any confusion with the unrelated dolphin, which is a marine mammal. It is also referred to in some recipes as Dorado. -Mahi mahi is found in the warm waters of the tropics. It is prized for its rich, full flavor. The firm texture makes it easy to cut into steaks or fillets. -Grilling or broiling are the best ways to prepare this fish. It can also be enjoyed baked, steamed, or even in chowders. The full flavor stands up well to strong spices like garlic and spicy peppers.