SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

 GOOD MORNING EVERYBODY!!

Well, I gotta say that you guys impress us more and more every week! People making sushi rolls at home and pokes and beautiful scallop dishes. You know, I often think about the disconnect between restaurants and consumers that seemed to underlie things pre-Covid. Restaurants were, in my opinion, focusing on speed of turning tables and sacrificing effort in preparing dishes. To many consumers with cooking knowledge, menus seemed disappointing, at best. The feeling was that we could make this at home ourselves.

One of my great mentors in the restaurant industry told me something that has always resonated with me. He said that most of us UNDERestimate other people's sophistication while we OVERestimate our own. I believe that to be generally true and relevent here because you all have shown an unending appetite (no pun intended) for knowledge and prove that you are more sophisticated than others would think. You challenge us to challenge you and THAT should be the underlying foundation of the restaurant industry when it begins with vigor again.

So, this brings us to our selections for this week. The first fish is Red Drum or redfish from North Carolina. This is the wild variety not the farmed from Louisiana that can taste a little muddy. This fish is not often seen our way and is mostly sold and prepared down South. It was made famous many years ago by Paul Prudhomme who, himself, introduced most of the country to Louisiana cooking. Blackened redfish was his contribution to us along with other dishes like gumbo.  

Now, while many of you have taught yourselves how to cook fish whether it was pan-searing, roasting, frying or grilling, people down South prepare this fish in an unusual way. They grill the fish fillets with the skin on AND the scales on. Yup. That's right. With the scales. They refer to this as redfish on the half shell. It is great way to cook this fish since the scales are pretty large and unavoidable. They serve to protect the fish from direct heat and keep it together. Then, you simply fork the delicate flakes off of the skin. Here is a little recipe to show you how it is done.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwY0Kum90lE&list=LL&index=4

You can do this in a pan or oven if you want as well but blackening this fish can certainly be fun. 

The other fish we will be featuring is fluke from Virginia. Many of you have had this fish and broiled it or stuffed it or baked it. It is certainly fantastic that way. One thing you could consider doing with it is making a crudo or ceviche with it. Yes, it is that fresh you can do it. Challenge yourself. Challenge us. Send us pics. Tag us on instagram at @smallworldseafood.

Lastly, we have added one item to the smoked and cured fish. Trout roe. These little caviar eggs are similar to salmon eggs but more delicate in flavor with the perfume of trout. It is terrific topping smoke salmon or simply on a cracker with a little sour cream. 2oz jar for $25 is also a good price.

Mussels is in this week. Raspberry Points are the oyster of the week and that's it from me. here is the order form.

https://smallworldseafood.square.site/

See you all tomorrow,

Robert Amar

Small World Seafood

Owner