Tag Archives: seafood

Whole Acme smoked whitefish at Costco for the holiday

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Just a quick note about my having seen and purchased whole smoked whitefish at the Richmond, California, Costco the other day.  My guess is that they are carrying this for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.   Recall that this Costco carried Acme Smoked Fish Corporation’s whole smoked whitefish and smoked whitefish salad for a couple of years, and then both products disappeared all of a sudden a few months ago, to my disappointment.  I wrote them a couple of cards about this, begging them to bring back the whitefish salad, at least, and to provide samples to shoppers because most people around here have no idea what this is and how good it tastes.

I was happy to see the whole whitefish, since I can make whitefish salad from it, but I am asking the people who monitor blogs on behalf of Costco (come on – you know you do this – there are numerous indicators) to ask the Richmond branch to bring back both products for the months of December and January.  Please.  I beg you.  Have a heart for this ex-New Yorker.

Now we can ring in 5770 in style!

Costco’s pasta salad with salmon

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Costco started selling a bow-tie pasta and salmon salad recently, and I gave it a try a couple of weeks ago.  I applaud them for finding a way to utilize what I assume to be unsold farmed salmon, but the recipe leaves much to be desired.

I can’t prove it, but it tastes (and looks) as if chunks of cooked salmon are combined with bow-tie pasta and containers of one of the bruschetta spreads or tapenades they sell.  The flavor is very harsh, in my opinion, due to the lack of any creamy element.  They either have to cut that heavy, olive-laden “dressing” with something gentle, or start from scratch.  Perhaps a modified Caesar might work.  If they don’t want creamy then they need to use some kind of vinaigrette.  Something.  Anything.

I also taste preservatives in there, but it’s hard to figure out what is going on because it hits you like gangbusters.  My taste memory brings me to the subtle rancidity of some canned antipasto I tried once as a child.

Quick smoke-flavored salmon

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If you want to get a little smoke flavor into your fresh salmon before grilling or sauteing, you can do it with Lapsang Souchong tea.  Lapsang Souchong is a black tea from China’s Fijian province that is dried over burning pine.  No kidding, this stuff is so strong that your entire cupboard will smell like a BBQ pit if you don’t store it in an airtight container.  I hate drinking it, but employ it as a vehicle for imparting smoke flavor to various proteins all the time.

You can do this two ways:  make a strong tea and then brush it on, or use the whole, dried, leaves, which is what I do.

tea-cured salmon side

For a side of salmon, just lay it out and sprinkle a handful of the dried tea on the flesh, along with some Kosher salt.  Then roll it up, thin end first, and wrap tightly in plastic.  Toss in a plastic bag or put on a plate and store in fridge for a couple of hours.  Note that the longer you leave it, the stronger the smoked flavor will be.  My advice is to start with a two-hour “cure” first (or one hour, if the fillet is thin) and see how you like it.  Unroll and remove the tea and excess salt.  Prepare as you like, but it’s best grilled outdoors or on a grill pan indoors.

Quick-cured tea salon in a bag

Tuna, Asian-style, for a hot day

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Abacore with a cold sauce

On a hot day I want to eat sushi, usually, or something like it, and this dish satisfies that yen at an easier price without all the work.  This recipe also combines hot and cold, which is something I like, particularly when it’s warm out.  I serve this with rice or over a salad, often with shredded daikon on the side.

Albacore with a cold Asian dressing

4 large, thick albacore (or ahi) tuna pieces (if you live near a Trader Joe’s you can get these frozen)
1/2 c. low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 c. orange juice
1/8 c. white vinegar
1 T. sugar
1/4 c. sesame oil (buy at Asian markets but most supermarkets carry this now)
1 T. chili oil (optional)
1 T. black (toasted) sesame seeds for garnish

1)  Whisk everything but the fish and the sesame seeds together and set aside.
2)  Heat a nonstick or well-seasoned cast iron grill pan over medium-high heat until it is HOT.  If you think it will stick, rub a little oil onto it with a paper towel – but very little.
3)  Place fish in pan so that you will wind up with diagonal grill marks.  Depending upon the thickness of the fish, you will leave it alone to sear for 2 – 4 minutes.  You want to wind up with a rare interior.  Do not move it around during this process.  Turn over and cook for another 2 – 4 minutes, again, depending upon the size of the pieces.  Let me say this again:  you want this rare, or you may as well use canned tuna.
4)  Arrange nicely in deep serving platter and cover with dressing.
5)  Sprinkle sesame seeds on top.

Birthday lunch at Pear Street Bistro

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Calamari and shrimp appetizer at Pear Street Bistro in Pinole California

Steve, Matt and I ate lunch at Pear Street Bistro (2395 San Pablo Avenue, Pinole) today to celebrate Steven having taken off this week — which is an occasion, believe me.  I was psyched because I wanted him to have the fried chicken, crab martini, and a couple of other things that are good there.  It’s also a really comfy space.  When we were given the menu, however, I noticed that they no longer had the fixed price lunch, the crab martini, nor the fried chicken.

Crab cocktail at Pear Street Bistro in Pinole California

In fact, they had eliminated all but sandwiches, salads and the like.  What to do?  I told the server about how we were all set for the things we had become accustomed to, and she said it would no problem for them to hook us up with a crab martini, and that the chicken was on the dinner menu only because it comes with mashed potatoes, which they make after lunch.  As long as we didn’t mind having fries, she said, they would do the chicken – or anything else they had the ingredients for, for that matter.  Excellent.

Matt and Steve at Pear Street Bistro in Pinole California

Steve had the chicken, Matt the fish and chips, and I the Cobb salad.  We started with said crab cocktail and their fried calamari/shrimp appetizer.  The chicken was to Steve’s liking, and it came with a side of gravy that he used for his fries that was something like Welsh rarebit.  My Cobb salad was made with romaine, which was good because nowadays you are likely to find Cobbs made with spring mix, which I don’t like because I need a strong lettuce to stand up to all those chunks of bleu cheese and chicken.  The appetizers were good as always, and we like that the crab cocktail comes with nacho chips and guacamole and the seafood with a wasabi sauce that you can use for fries, which the two guys had a boatload of between them.