On my way back from Sears this weekend, boyfriend and I stopped by the DC Fish Market. It was was pretty easy to park this time. It was a sunny day and we bought three things, shrimp, red snapper, and oysters.
I poached the snapper for dinner on Saturday night. It was not the best preparation for it, but the fist was good. I did some lemon juice, peppercorns, allspice, garlic and ginger. Tasty, but the fish was bland enough that grilling it might have been a better plan. Alongside were some potatoes and brussel sprouts. (The fish weighed about 1.5 lbs @ $8.95/lb.) I served a 2008 Chateau Ste. Jean Chardonnay, which was wonderfully Californian, buttery, toasty, lovely. That was on sale for ~$13.
Sunday we had shrimp and oysters. The oysters were tough to open and we should have had them the day before, so we had 7 out of the dozen we bought (mostly because we couldn’t get them open, but 2 were dead). The shrimp was delicious. I marinaded them with the head-on in garlic, black pepper, salt, lemon juice and olive oil. I also added a few dashes of hot pepper juice (from some pickled peppers), but not quite enough. I grilled them on our cast iron pan and set off the smoke alarm. We peeled them over spaghetti in a nice garlicky alfredo sauce. So juicy and delicious.
Next time though, I think we’ll end up getting some salmon fillets and poaching them. That was a better dinner experiment. I do feel special because boyfriend asked me to make a parmesan alfredo sauce again since he thought it was great the last time. Total on the entire seafood purchase was ~$30.
To be honest, I dislike the DC Fish Market. I am really choosy about what I buy partly for freshness’ sake, and partly from being spoiled. I think it’s weird to buy dead crabs. We used to get a bag of live crabs from our friends who owned fish markets, so I would never, ever buy unmoving crabs. (Picture this, 10yo kid opening a bag of live crabs, poking with tongs, and then having them flung on the floor when then won’t release their grip on the tongs back into the back. Hilarity and panic ensues. This happened *more than once* because I was dumb like that!) For the most part, the fish is fresh, but I get easily put off if I see just a single one that isn’t. Though, Anthony Bourdain seemed to have no problem when he visited.
Number #1 Rule: If the eye of the fish is cloudy, DO NOT BUY IT. More than once, I saw fish that was clouded.
Number #2 Rule: Learn your fish. Because it’s sold whole, you can learn what they look like and choose accordingly. I am suspicious of filets that don’t have the skin on at the supermarket, but the fish market is generally more reliable in tagging their wares.
Number #3 Rule: Figure out what you want to make before you buy it. Really. Freshness matters in meal planning with seafood and as you can read from this post, I made a literally, fatal error in waiting a day for the oysters. (2 were dead by the next day) The fillets could have waited. I realize most people probably won’t buy a large amount like we did, but seafood is not like box beef, waiting 24 hours to cook it is the difference between life and death. (on live seafood)
Number #4 Rule: You also have to make sure you take the fish with ice back to the car, so be sure to have a cooler with you when you go. (Sometimes the vendor will offer you ice, sometimes not.)
Good luck & happy eating!
Related posts:
- International Market Trip Damage? ~$102.00. The haul? Small jug of soy sauce Rice...
- Stupidly Easy Beef Stew Recipe I say it’s stupidly easy because it’s what I make...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I really should start readiang your blog at night. It’s 10:44 and I’m starving. The way you describe the preparation of your food is amazing. I don’t usually cook, but I’m planning to snag a recipe or two from you.
Do you have any other strategies at the Asian grocery stores? In Chinatown they don’t label anything so I don’t have a clue and it’s so crowded and sometimes overwhelming to see if I’m buying what I think it is. I’ve only braved it on two occasions to buy tilapia (fresh and swimming) after learning the Chinese word and practicing it over and over.