Recipe - Squash, Sweet Potato, & Kale Hash

Browsing the internet for side dishes for some rock fish we purchased fresh from the market this weekend, I found a hash recipe that looked really good.  A few modifications to accommodate ingredients in my kitchen produced  a balanced hash that went very well with our rock fish.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 lb. Bacon, Diced
1 Sweet Potato, Large
3 Leeks, Baby
1 Yellow Squash, Large
2 c. Kale
1 tsp. Red Wine Vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS:

(1) Dice sweet potato into 1/4 - 1/2 inch pieces.  Bring a pot of water to a boil and add sweet potatoes.  Cook for 5 minutes.  Strain and set aside.

(2) Meanwhile, clean and slice leeks. Clean and dice yellow squash.  Chop and wash kale.

(3) In cast iron skillet over medium heat cook diced bacon for 3-4 minutes.  Add potatoes and constantly mix for another 4 minutes.  Add leeks and squash, cooking for another 4 minutes.

(4) Add kale and incorporate.  Cook until kale is just wilted.  Add red wine vinegar and remove from heat.  Allow to cool and enjoy. 

Recipe - Pan Fried Rockfish

A basic recipe that is a staple in my repertoire.

INGREDIENTS:
1 Rockfish
Salt
Pepper
2 Tbls. Olive Oil
2 Tbls. Butter Substitute (or Butter)

INSTRUCTIONS:

(1) Clean and fillet rockfish.  Cut fillets into portion sizes.  Score the skin on each fillet.  Salt and pepper each side of the fish.

(2) Heat oven to 350 Degrees F.  Heat olive oil in a cast iron pan over medium high heat.  Add fish to pan, skin side down.  Cook for 3-5 minutes.  Flip fish over.  Add butter substitute (or butter).  Hold pan at an angle and spoon butter substitute over fish for 2 minutes before placing the fish into the oven to finish cooking (approx. 2 minutes).

*Cooking times will vary based on thickness of fish. 

Local Grass-Fed Beef - We Scored!

A few years ago, we bought a grass-fed cow.  It required a hefty out-of-pocket cost but overall the meat was cheaper than traditional corn-fed beef from the grocery store and grass-fed beef is healthier, containing higher levels of Omega 3 fatty acids, less fat, etc.  Unfortunately, the farm from which we bought our last grass-fed cow closed - the farmers moved to Virginia.  So a few months ago, we started the reconnaissance for a new farm.  Browsing the internet and local farmer's markets provided a number of promising leads in the San Diego Vicinity, including De-La-Ranch, Campo Creek Ranch, Watkins Cattle Company, Homegrown Meats, and True Pasture Beef.

Grass-fed beef is sold by the cut (ground beef, filet mignon, ribeye, etc.), share (a predetermined package comprised of inexpensive through expensive cuts), quarter (1/4th the animal), half (commonly referred to as a side of beef), or whole animal.  Each procurement method is progressively less expensive.  For example, grassfed ground beef might cost you $10/lb and a grass-fed Filet Mignon might cost you $25/lb if you buy them individually, whereas you can get a whole animal (including ground beef and filet mignon) for just under $9/lb.  We opted to buy an entire cow.  However, having been through the process before, we knew that our freezer would not hold an entire cow, so we also had to find friends who would split the cow.  Not a problem.

Ultimately, we ended up going with True Pasture Beef after discussing location, pricing, packaging, and delivery with all vendors contacted.  And now, our fridge is full of a few hundred pounds of local grass-fed beef!

Recipe - Cabbage Sofrito

A better description for this dish would be cabbage spread or cabbage dip - not exactly a concept that would get most people excited.  But the transformation of the humble cabbage into this tangy and spicy creation was worth a little name manipulation, so I opted to keep the original name, Cabbage sofrito, which comes from the dishes conception story.  A few weeks ago, I was driving home from running some errands listening to The Splendid Table on NPR when a caller asked what they should do with some leftover vegetable platters.  Lynne Rossetto Kasper, the host of The Splendid Table, suggested that she make a sofrito out of the vegetables to use as a base for soups.  I was not familiar with the term sofrito, which was used to describe a mixture of sauteed finely chopped vegetables and spices.  If it could work for leftover vegetable platters, I reasoned it could work for the abundance of cabbage that was growing in our refrigerator.  The results were surprisingly tasty.  Put on toasted bread w/ parsley spread over top or use as a dip for chips.

Cabbage Sofrito on Toast w/ Parsley

INGREDIENTS:

1 Head Cabbage
8 Carrots
1 Large Onion
4 Garlic Cloves
1/4 c. Olive Oil
1/4 c. Rice Wine Vinegar
1/2 tsp. Chipotle Chili Powder
1/8 tsp. Cardamum
1/2 tsp. Sumac
1/2 tsp. Cumin
1/2 tsp. Turmeric
1/8 c. Brown Sugar, Loose
Salt
Pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

(1) Blend, food process, or finely chop the cabbage, carrots, and onion.  Simmer over low heat, occasionally stirring until virtually all of the liquid has evaporated, leaving a thickened paste.  Remove from heat and set aside.

(2) Finely chop garlic.  Add oil to large pan and heat on medium/medium high.  Add the garlic and stir around 10 to 15 seconds.  Do not let garlic burn.  Add the thickened cabbage, carrot, and onion paste, and stir to incorporate.  Add vinegar and spices and cook for five minutes.  Remove from heat.  Serve on toast drizzled with olive oil and parsley (and diced heirloom tomatoes if you want some additional freshness).

Racer Crabs - The First Taste

Last weekend at the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market we picked up some racer crabs for $5.00 per pound.  Great deal as far as I'm concerned.  However when I got home I couldn't find any information on racer crabs - anywhere.  At first, I thought it might be a variety of dungeonous crab - but this week I asked the vendor if this was a species of dungenous and he advised it wasn't but could only tell me that a famous fish market north of Santa Barbara that sold these under another name.  So for the time being, all I really know about this crab is that it is found close to Santa Barbara in deep water and is closely related to a snow crab (according to the fishermen I bought this from).

Racer crabs are clean and feisty - the husband/wife team we bought from took precautions to keep appendages out of the way of the pincers, which are very sharp (as I learned firsthand later, slicing my thumb deeply while manually trying to crack the shell).  We bought four pounds of crabs, which totaled seven crabs.  As soon as we got home from the market, we threw the crabs in the fridge.  The next morning, I threw the crabs in a steam bath for ten minutes (treating them like blue crab), which was definitely enough time - but probably a hair too long.  

It took about an hour to pick the two crabs (again, she is an expert crab picker) - and we came away with just under a pound of meat, which put us at just under $23 per pound for actual meat (better than box crabs).  The cooked meat, without accoutrement, is sweet and satisfying - on par with snow crab.  The shells were perfect for making a crab stock, which we then used to make an amazing crab bisque.  Picking the meat was fairly comparable to picking blue crabs, a time consuming love afair.  All in all, our first experience with racer crabs was amazing.  I am at a loss as to why these crabs are not more widely available.  Abundant, relatively easy to catch (so we are told) and tasty.

If you have a positive identification on this crab - please let me know.  I'd love to learn more about the fishery and sustainability. 

Recipe - Beef Bone Broth

Ingrid and I bought a grass fed cow last year, butchered and wrapped.  It was a great decision.  We are currently scouting out a new source for buying whole cows, as the one we procured from has since moved to Virginia and I'll post on that in due time.  But in the meantime we have finally eaten enough meat out of the freezer for me to find the heavy box of beef bones.  So it is time for some grass-fed beef bone broth for use in stews, soups, and a myriad of other recipes.  A brief warning - this recipe does not come with exact proportions.

INGREDIENTS:

Beef Bones (Approx. 5 lbs)
Onions (2 large)
Carrots (8 large)
Celery (trimmings from one stalk)
Bay Leaves (2)
Water

INSTRUCTIONS:

(1) Place Bones in roasting pan.  Roast at 375 degrees F for 40 minutes.

(2) Remove roasting pan from oven and place on stove (over two burners) on medium/high heat.  Add remaining ingredients.  Cover bones with water.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to maintain at a simmer.

(3) Simmer for anywhere between 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and strain out bones, veg, and fat.  I usually place my stocks in the fridge and remove the layer of fat after it has solidified.

Recipe - Grilled Squid w/ Sumac and Mizuno Salad

An exotic recipe by my standards with sumac, an uncommon spice in the American kitchen, and Mizuna, a green that we never would have explored had it now shown up in our CSA basket.  Sumac is a purple berry with a slightly lemony flavor.  Ingrid and I first ran across sumac while dining in Seattle and were so taken with the flavorful addition to the side dish (roasted corn with butter and sumac), the sumac is now a staple of our spice cabinet.  Mizuna is a peppery green, close in flavor to arugula - a perfect foil for a lemony dressing and seafood.  Master the ingredients and cooking methods and this will become a regular dish on your menu.

Grilling Squid in Strainer in Charcoal Chimney

INGREDIENTS:

Grilled Squid:
1 lb. Cleaned Squid
1 - 1/2 tsp. Sumac
4 tbls. Olive Oil
Salt
Lemon

Mizuna Salad

4 c. Chopped Mizuna
4 tbls. Olive Oil
Lemon
Salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

(1) Slice the squid hoods into thin strips.  Place in a bowl with 1 tsp. sumac, 2 tblsp. olive oil, and salt.

(2) Start the grill.  The key to this dish to to have blistering heat.  I used a charcoal chimney, leaving the charcoal in the chimney, and a strainer for this purpose.

(3) Once the charcoal is fiery red, grill the squid in small batches for 1 - 2 minutes per batch until it is all done.   Once off the grill, add the remaining olive oil, sumac, and the juice of 1/2 lemon.

(4) Prepare the salad by combining Mizuna, olive oil, a few tablespoons of lemon juice, and salt.

Grilled Squid w/ Sumac and Mizuno Salad

Recipe - Fried Calamari w/ Lemon

When I saw fresh squid at the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market this week (and last), I instinctively thought of my favorite childhood appetizer, fried calamari.  This particular version is allergen-free and otherwise modeled after one of my favorite versions of the dish from the Resurrection Roadhouse just outside of Seward, Alaska.

Fried Calamari w/ Lemon

INGREDIENTS


1 lb. Cleaned Squid (approx. 2 lb whole squid)
1 c. Chickpea Flour
1 Lemon
Salt
Vegetable Oil

INSTRUCTIONS

(1) Fill a sauce pan with vegetable oil till its just less than half full.  Place over medium/medium high heat.  Bring oil up to 375 degrees F.

(2)  Slice lemons into thin slices.  Dredge cleaned squid and lemon slices in chickpea flour.  Knock off excess chickpea flour (I put the squid and lemon into a strainer and knock it over the dredge bowl.

(3) Fry squid and lemon in small batches for approximately 1 - 2 minutes.  Put on a rack to allow excess oil to drip off and season with salt while still hot.

Recipe - Meyer Lemon Marmalade

One of the first products I wanted to try this year was Meyer lemon Marmalade.  Of course, where to start is always the questions.  From my limited experience with making jams and marmalade, I believe that it is important to have a tested recipe - so no kitchen experiments for me this year.  After a bit of internet research, I settled on a recipe from the blog Grow it, Cook it, Can it, which appears to be the blog of a farm up in Redwood, California.  Below is a slight variation on the recipe in the Grow it, Cook it, Can it blog (click here for their original blog posting).  The resulting marmalade did not survive long...   

Meyer Lemon Marmalade

INGREDIENTS:

3 c. Finely Sliced Meyer Lemons (seeds reserved)
3 c. Sugar
3 c. Water

INSTRUCTIONS:

(1) Finely slice the Meyer Lemons, reserving all seeds in a piece of cheese cloth.  Secure seeds in the cheesecloth with some twine.

(2) Combine water, Meyer Lemons, and seed bag in a non-reactive pot.  Bring up to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer.  Cook until the lemon rinds are soft, about 15 minutes.  Remove the seed bag.

(3) Add the sugar.  Raise heat and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 8 degrees above the boiling point (220 degrees at sea level).  Turn off the heat, remove from the stove, and put into jars for storage.

(4) If canning, follow canning instructions for high-acid food.  However, this small of a batch of Meyer lemon marmalade is not likely to last long enough for that to matter.

Squid & Mackerel - A Trial Run

Squid

After a weekend off from the fish market last week due to the girls having the flu, I managed to sneak down during an otherwise busy Saturday morning this weekend.  After perusing the available seafood, which included rock fish, tuna, shark, sablefish, spider crab, box crab, California sheephead, mackerel, squid, octopus, I oped to snag a pound each of mackerel and squid.

Mackerel

Long-time fan of squid.  Never had mackerel.  A few anticipated challenges.  First, I did not know how to clean squid at the beginning of the day.  Second, mackerel is thought of as a strong-flavored fish, which I have too little experience with to know if I would enjoy it.








On both accounts, I was pleasantly surprised.  Cleaning small squid turned out to be extremely easy and relatively quick (a little over a minute per squid).  After cleaning and cutting into bite sized pieces, I gave the squid a quick seasoning of salt and pepper and pan fried in hot olive oil for a little under a minute.  The result was a salty, peppery, rich, and tender squid - a beautiful and simple dish.  For the mackerel, I cleaned and gutted the fish and removed the spine and bones from one of the fish (Ingrid is very picky about bones).  Then, after seasoning with salt and pepper, I stuffed them with a wedge of lemon and a bay leaf and threw them onto the grill for a few minutes on each side.  Though not usually a fan of bay, I really thought the bay added a lot to this fish.  I enjoyed the bay flavor where it shined and did not taste anything strong or otherwise off-putting.  At just over $5.00 per lb cleaned, both the squid and mackerel are likely to have a place at our table in the future.

Mackerel with Lemon and Bay Leaves

 

Box Crabs - Cleaning & Picking 101

So you've bought your first box crab, managed to cook it, and are now staring at a whole but fully cooked crab wondering what to do next.  This post is dedicated to cleaning and picking your crab to get the most out of your money.  Though this post features cleaning and picking a box crab, the general methodologies can be used for any crab.




Cleaning Box Crabs is relatively easy with high reward owing to the relatively thin shell and large chunks of meat.  However, for our picking efforts, we started off with a fork (because all of our knives were dirty), a claw cracker, kitchen shears, and a mallet.  Note that safety glasses are highly recommended while using the mallet.

 

Cleaning 101

Cleaning a Box Crab has five steps, which can really be applied to most crabs, as discussed below.

Step 1: Remove the Apron.  Flip it up with your thumb or knife and break off.

Step 2: Remove the Carapace.  The Carapace is the hard outer shell of the crab.  To remove, simply stick the knife through the opening where the apron was and pry off.











Step 3: Remove the Gills from both sides of the crab.  Gills are how the crab breathes.  They are spongy and inedible.

Step 4: Remove the Mandibles.  The mandibles includes all of the parts of the crab's mouth.  Crack them off and throw them away.

Step 5: Rinse all of the green/brown goop out of the shell, leaving only clean (white) meat and shell.

Picking 101

Picking a Box Crab is comparable with picking Alaskan King Crabs and Snow Crabs. The body contains relatively little meat (compared to the legs) - but this meat can largely be picked using your hands, a knife, or a fork.  The legs take a little more effort.  However, a few basic techniques will make this work go very quickly.

First things first, break the crab in half and remove the legs from the body.

 Next, separate the legs.

PICKING MEAT FROM THE BODY 

As mentioned, the meat in the Box Crab body can likely be picked using your hands, knife, or a fork.  The meat will be separated by thin shells.  If you're having a hard time breaking the shells with your hand, try your kitchen shears.

PICKING MEAT FROM THE LEGS & CLAWS

Whereas the body meat of box crab is sparse, the let meat is plentiful.  Ingrid and I have found a few basic methods suitable for quickly breaking down a box crab, as discussed below.

Technique No. 1 - Kitchen Shears:  A lot of the leg shell is thin enough to be cut through with kitchen shears.  In this case, cut into the leg and use your fingers to pry apart the shell.  Use your fingers, a knife, or a fork to dig out the meat.






















Technique No. 2 - Crab Cracker:  The shells that are too hard to be cut through with kitchen shears easily succumb to crab crackers (any sort of leverage tool, like a nut cracker, will work).  Crack open the shell, and dig out the meat. 

Technique No. 3 - Mallet:  We found this technique worked best for the claws.  Hit the claws with the mallet to crack the shell and extract the meat with fingers, a knife, or a fork.

Recipe - Crepes w/ Meyer Lemon

One of the simplest but tastiest crepe preparations uses lemon juice (or other citrus juice) with a little powdered sugar or table sugar to balance the tartness.  Simple and satisfying...

INGREDIENTS:

Dessert Crepe Recipe
Meyer Lemon Juice
Powdered Sugar

INSTRUCTIONS:

(1) Make Dessert Crepes.

(2) Squeeze lemon juice over the crepe until soaked.  Dust with powdered sugar and enjoy.

Box Crabs - Cooking (Steaming) 101

Cooking box crabs is comparable to cooking any other large crab.  Unfortunately, most people (myself included) was not familiar with how cook king crabs, as the typical American grocery store versions are frozen and previously cooked.

The most important item for cooking king crabs is having a big enough pot.  At the beginning of our whole crab cooking experience, we went out and purchased a 24 quart canning pot.  However, any pot large enough to fit your crabs will work.  Next comes the dirty work.

Step 1:  Put your crabs in the freezer for a minimum of 15 minutes.  This step is not absolutely necessary but is generally considered a humane step (by numbing the crabs just before their steam bath).

Step 2:  While your crabs are in the freezer, put enough water into your pot until it is 1/2" deep.  Put on the stove and bring to a boil.

Step 3:  Move your crabs directly from the freezer to the pot.  Put the lid on the pot and set the timer.  How long to cook your crabs depends on their weight.  A good rule of thumb is to cook your crabs for 8 minutes per average weight of each crab.  For example, one crab that weighs 3 pounds should be steamed for 24 minutes (8 minutes per pound * 3 pounds = 24 minutes).  However if you have two crabs, one that weighs 2 pounds, one that weighs 3 lbs, they should be steamed for 20 minutes (8 minutes per pound * ((2 pounds + 3 pounds)/2 crabs) = 20 minutes).

Step 4:  Once the crabs have finished cooking, allow them to cool to the touch before cleaning and picking. 

Recipe - Dessert (Chickpea) Crepes

My official introduction to crepes was as authentic as they come - street food in Paris, while on a high school trip.  Incidentally, this was also my first introduction to Nutella (a chocolate hazelnut spread) - which solidified my love of this classic french dish.  Crepes are a fantastic foil for a wide variety of seasonal produce - and are now a staple of our household.  Although traditional crepe recipes call for flour, eggs, and butter, this recipe is much simpler, allergen-free, and produces stunning taste and textural results.  Links to filler ideas can be found at the bottom of this page.

Dessert (Chickpea) Crepes shown with Strawberries and Powdered Sugar

 INGREDIENTS:

1/4 c. Sugar
1 c. Water
1 c. Garbonzo Bean Flour*
1/2 Tsp. Salt
Melted Butter (or butter substitute)

Makes 10 - 6" Crepes

INSTRUCTIONS:

(1) Combine all ingredients in a bowl or blender.  Mix until thoroughly incorporated.

(2) Heat crepe pan (or a non-stick pan) over medium to medium/low heat.

(3) Once the pan is hot, brush melted butter (or butter substitute) into the pan and pour a thin coat of the batter into the pan, swirling the pan around until the batter is spread evenly on the bottom.

(4) Once the crepe has cooked enough to solidify (the top will loose its sheen) flip and allow to briefly cook on the other side.

(5) Remove from the pan and adorn with your favorite condiment.  Repeat steps 3 and 4 until all crepes have been made.

* Garbonzo Bean Flour (aka Gram Flour, Chickpea Flour, Besan) is a staple of many Asian cuisines and has come into popularity in the US in recent years due to the uptick in gluten-free cuisine.  Although I have found Garbonzo Beans that were produced in California and Arizona (though not in flour form), we currently buy Organic Gram Flour that is produced in India - as such this is one of our splurges on the non-local scene.  As soon as I find a good local/semi-local source, we'll make the switch.

Meyer Lemon Filling (click here for the recipe)

Box Crabs - The First Taste

Brown Box Crab - Caught near the Channel Islands

This past weekend at the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market we picked up some box crabs (our second box crab experience.  Box crabs are relatively pricey for crabs at the market, hitting $8.00 per pound.  However I will note that this price still seems good for crab.

Box crabs are a species of king crab and have sizable legs with large chunks of meat.  Brown box crabs are able to fold their legs in close to their body, in an almost perfect fit, leading to their common name.  They also have a unique circular opening in their claws that may help them feed.  The Box Crab is found from the coast of Alaska down to San Diego but is not widely marketed in southern California.

Since we have been visiting the fish market, Box Crabs have been a staple and should be available year round in San Diego.  The crabs available at the market were caught by trap off of the channel islands.  We ended up buying two spider crabs for dinner.  As soon as we got home from the market, we threw the crabs in the freezer for a humane numbing before their steam bath.  Our crabs averaged just under three pounds each, so after a twenty-two minute steam - eight minutes per pound (average weight of each crab) - and a quick cool down, Ingrid got down to picking the meat. 

It took about a half hour for Ingrid to pick the two crabs - again, Ingrid is an expert crab picker - and we came away with a pound and a half of meat, which put us at just under $30 per pound for actual meat.  The cooked meat, without accoutrement, is sweet and satisfying - on par with Alaskan King Crab.  Adding Old Bay seasoning (a Maryland Blue Crab Tradition), butter, and/or lemon, provided a little variety to the tasting.  Old Bay and butter was my preferred preparation.  Picking the meat was fairly comparable to picking Alaskan King Crab Legs, though with a few more sharp spines to watch out for.  All in all, our first few experiences with box crabs have been amazing.  I am at a loss as to why these crabs are not more widely available in grocery stores, which seem to only have king crab legs and snow crab legs shipped in from afar.  Abundant, relatively easy to catch (so we are told), tasty, and easy to pick. 

To read a 1992 report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on Box Crab, click here.

Recipe - Meyer Lemonade

When life gives you lemons...  With an abundance of lemons, Meyer lemonade is a staple in our house.  Tart.  Sweet.  Satisfying.

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 c. Lemon Juice (Approx. 5 Medium Lemons)
3/4 c. Sugar
2 c. Ice
4 - 3/4 c. Water

INSTRUCTIONS:

(1)  Juice lemons.

(2)  Make a heavy syrup by dissolving the sugar in 3/4 c. water over medium heat.  Allow to cool.

(3) Combine lemon juice, heavy syrup, ice, and remaining water in a large pitcher.  Stir and enjoy.

Backyard Harvest Time - Meyer Lemons

When we bought our house in 2011, we  inherited a beautiful Meyer lemon tree - one of the benefits of living in Southern California.  Meyer lemons are likely a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange.  They are reputed for their sweetness.  But sweetness is a relative term.  Meyer lemons are more less less tart than regular lemons - but they are no less satisfying.  Meyer lemon trees are ever bearing but usually produces two big harvests per year - and its time for one of them.

Meyer Lemon - San Diego, CA

Our tree produces a lot of lemons.  We give a number to friends and family but still have ample to play with in the kitchen.  Stay tuned for lemon recipes!!!  

Vermillion Rockfish - The First Taste

Ingrid and I have explored Vermillion Rockfish from the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market in downtown San Diego a few times now.  Vermillion Rockfish are brilliant orange fish with mottled black spots that also give them a dingy look.  Like most fish we pick up at the market, the Vermillion Rockfish was completely unfamiliar to us when we picked our first one and brought it home.  Vermillion Rockfish are part of the "shelf" rockfish, meaning they are found in the deeper waters of the continental shelf, which accounts for the bloated stomach of our first Vermillion.  In fact, by the time we got our Vermillion home, it had already regurgitated a few small langoustine-like creatures from its last meal.

Vermillion Rockfish

First things first, rockfish are part of a family of fish that have venomous spines.  Vermillion have mildly venomous spines - so care must be taken when cleaning and gutting.  Compared to the Sheephead, cleaning and gutting the Vermillion was easy.  Medium scales came out very easy - and a relatively straight forward body cavity that made cleaning straight-forward. 

As far as taste, Vermillion Rockfish is a delicate white fish whose taste is mildly and pleasant.  As with all fish that we are exploring for the firs time, we stuck to pan frying fillets with salt and pepper (the best way to taste the pure flavor of the fish) - but the Vermillion Rockfish could be prepared with any method suitable for a delicate whitefish.  Overall, our Vermillion Rockfish experiences were very tasty.  Cleaning and gutting were much easier than with the other fish I've practiced on to date.  And the yield (weight of fillet to weight of whole fish) has been excellent.

To read more on the Vermillion Rockfish, click here for the California Department of Fish and Game's report.

Recipe - Cole Slaw

I find it ironic that my first recipe on this blog will be a cole slaw.  As a kid, I would do anything to avoid eating cole slaw - finding both the vegetables and the watery mayonnaise dressing off-putting.  However, these days I find certain cole slaws, such as this one, irresistible.  This cole slaw is carried by the fresh herbs and a tangy Dijon vinaigrette.  In keeping with the season, this version includes only the veg that we currently get from our CSA.  If you have other veg (e.g. peppers) or herbs (e.g. dill) on hand those would go equally well with this slaw.

INGREDIENTS:

2 Carrots (1-1/2 c. chopped)
1 Bunch Radishes (1 c. chopped)
1 Head Cabbage (3 c. chopped)
1 Bunch Cilantro
1 Bunch Parsley
2 Tblsp. Dijon Mustard
1 Tblsp. Honey
1 Lemon, Juiced
2 Tbsp. Rice Wine Vinegar
1 Tblsp. Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

(1) Finely chop all vegetables and herbs.  I use a food processor for the vegetables and hand chop the herbs.  Place in a large bowl.

(2) Juice the lemon directly into the slaw.  Add remaining ingredients, stir to thoroughly incorporate, and salt and pepper to taste.

Community Sustained Agriculture - A First Step to Local, Seasonal, and Organic

One of the first steps that Ingrid and I took to eating more locally produced organic produce was to join a CSA group.  CSA stands for community sustained agriculture, which is generically a term used for any system that promotes a local-based food economy.  Practically, a CSA group is comprised of a farmer or group of farmers who provide "shares" of their product directly to members.  Members pay at regular intervals or at the onset of the growing season for a "share" of the anticipated harvest.  When harvest begins, members receive regular shares of the product, often vegetables and fruit, but sometimes including meat, honey, eggs, and dairy products.  The benefits of CSA's are numerous.  Below are a few highlights.

This Weeks Produce Box...

 

COST

Around the time that Ingrid and I started looking for a CSA the price of produce at the grocery store seemed staggering - and I'm not even considering the organic produce in that statement.  Unless we specifically bought the non-organic produce that was on sale, we would spend upwards of $50 a week on non-organic fruit and vegetables for just the two of us.  CSA membership gets rid of the middlemen, the grocery stores, allowing for reductions in overall costs.  Today, Ingrid and I spend approximately $40 per week ($30 on the CSA box and $10 from a grocery store or farmer's market) for organic produce for four of us.

QUALITY

The produce that can be found in your average grocery store has been bred to optimize costs.  The result is a large fruit or vegetable that travels extraordinarily well (because it often needs to survive trips around the world) - but at the cost of taste and freshness.  Locally grown produce does not need to survive such perilous journeys and can be picked much closer to maturity than food that has to travel so you will often see varieties of fruits and vegetables that are bred for taste and closer to perfect ripeness.  Add in the organic effect, food grown largely the way nature intended, and the produce has a chance to develop more slowly, which enhances the flavors. 

SAN DIEGO CSAs

Ingrid and I have tried two different CSAs, though there are many more than that available in San Diego.  The following is a list of the organic CSAs that I am aware of that are available in San Diego (please let me know if you know of any more and I'll add them to the list).  Click on each CSA to be taken to their web page.

Seabreeze Organic Farm
Be Wise Ranch
Susie's Farm
Garden of Eden
Morning Song Organic Farm
Wild Willow Farm
Inland Empire CSA
J.R. Organics

IS THERE A DOWNSIDE?

I know several friends and coworkers who have mentioned their experiences with CSAs.  The primary complaints that I heard were (1) too many greens - lettuce, spring mix, kale, chard, etc., (2) I didn't know what to do with some of the food, and (3) there was too much food for my family or situation.

It is true that Ingrid and I have had to adapt our diet to eat many more greens than previously.  However, I do not see that as a downside - rather a chance to eat more healthy and expand our creativity in the kitchen.  And it is true that some of the food we receive is exotic or not part of the typical American diet.  Dragon fruit and Fuyu (Persimmons) come to mind.  However, I see those foods as adventures to tackle, rather than obstacles.  It is also true that not every CSA has a solution to your family's produce quantity needs.  However, the CSAs listed above collectively offer many diverse options for obtaining locally grown organic produce.  A little bit of research will help you find the right solution.

If you are interested in joining a CSA but have the above listed concerns, stay tuned.  Over the course of this blog, I intend to post some of the best recipes and ideas that Ingrid and I have come across to manage the seasonality of foods and the quantity of greens and exotic foods. 

California Sheephead - The First (and Second) Taste

Ingrid and I have bought California Sheephead from the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market in downtown San Diego twice now.  $6.00 per pound for the whole fish, which seems fairly reasonable.  California Sheephead are members of the mostly tropical wrasse family Labridae.  They have protruding jaw teeth (almost like buck teeth) and large scales.   Males have a black head and tail separated by a reddish middle section (the California Sheephead shown in the picture above appears to be a male), whereas females are uniformly pinkish.  Both males and females are whitish under their jaw.  California Sheephead range from Monterey Bay  to the Gulf of California and are available for portions of the year in San Diego.  The regulations allow boat-based angling from March 1st through December 31st and diving and shore-based angling from January 1st through February 28th, implying that our last purchase on the 3rd may be the last until March.  Ingrid and I ended up buying a 3.3 pound California Sheephead on this latest outing and brought it home for processing.  

California Sheephead in our kitchen awaiting cleaning, gutting, and filleting.

I am fairly new to scaling and gutting fish - but from what I've read and experienced so far, the California Sheephead is not the easiest fish to scale or gut.  First, on the scaling, the scales are medium and fairly well imbedded.  The first time I scaled this fish, I used a spoon (as I didn't have a special scaling tool), which worked fairly well but took quite a bit of time.  As this was my first time descaling a fish, a number of scales remained on the fish (I didn't particularly mind the scales as the fillets should be removed from the skin, which is too strong-flavored to eat with the delicate flesh).  My second time scaling the fish, I used a special tool that Ingrid picked out, which made the scaling efforts quite a bit easier.  Gutting the fish was not particularly easy either, as the California Sheephead has internal membranes that require additional attention.  Overall, on this round, we got a little under 1 lb. of meat from the 3.3 lb fish, about a 30% yield - though part of that is likely my relative newness to filleting.

As far as taste, California Sheephead is a delicate white fish whose taste is mildly reminiscent of lobster.  So far, our preparations have been limited to pan frying with salt and pepper (the best way to taste the pure flavor of the fish) - but the California Sheephead could be prepared with any method suitable for a delicate whitefish.  Overall, our two California Sheephead experiences were very tasty - though if you are learning to scale, clean, and gut fish, this may be one fish that you hold off on exploring till you are a little more comfortable with less difficult.

To read more on the California Sheephead, click here for the California Department of Fish and Game's report.