FEBRUARY 23, 2021

  HELLO EVERYBODY!!!

What a sloshy, messy week! Echh,,You know, it's pretty crazy but this was the first week in 11 months of doing this that we were kind of unsure if we could. I know a few of you were like, I'm not going out there, kind of thing. I don't think it would have seemed so bad to any of us if we weren't bombarded with images of what was happening in Texas. It seemed apocalyptic a little bit. Burst pipes, no heat, no water. Tell me you weren't looking around your house or apartment wondering if you knew how to shut the water off, right? Or think about what you would do if you couldn't run water. I tell ya, 4 inches comes around here and it could seem awfully scary then. Buuuuuuut, in a year full of irrational and exaggerated fears consuming us, it's no surprise we should be nervous. That being said, it's the end of February and although we could always get a big one in March, we are closer to the end than the beginning. And that applies to a lot of things hopefully.

Anyway, thank you all who donated a couple of dollars for The Ethical Society. You guys donated over $300 and we will match that! That's awesome! We will only do these drives once a month so we don't want to get too demanding. Once again, thank you and proud of you all.

Boy, were people having fun with trout and fluke!! I think Philly may have run out of capers last week...Also, how good were those grits? Yum! On a cold weekend night, comfort foods really hit the spot. Now, you guys were on the short end by not getting mussels or grits. The weather killed that. Buuuut, you were on the winning end on the price of mackerel and fluke. That's the way things go sometimes. Yin and yang...Just to be transparent about things, when the price goes down, we take it down too. As the old expression goes, 'The best lie to tell is the truth." I believe that. Being honest is the easiest way to be.

So, the weather has been so crappy lately but mostly it's been very gray. And that, my friends is what puts us all in a funk. February can be a tough month. Now, my philosophy on how to deal with this problem goes a little something like this. If you can't see the sun or go see the sun then you can always EAT the sun. What I mean by that is that we can do things with food that trigger memories or thoughts of sunny places. And that helps us escape in our sub conscience. Happy places are good.

The first fish is fresh mahi-mahi fillet. This wonderful fish from the Gulf of Mexico is perfect to blacken or roast or pan sear. It is perfect for fish tacos. Ho about that! Let's head south with our food!! Now, we sell it skin on and i want to talk a little about that. Mahi skin it too tough to eat but it serves a purpose. By cooking the fish with the skin on, you keep the fish portion together when you are cooking and trying to flip. The skin also has a layer of fat that protects the flesh and fat to give it more flavor. When the fish is cooked, simply remove the skin and voila! Chef trick for extra flavor. And if you wanted to make tacos, here is a great little recipe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8nj0aWjadY&list=LL&index=1

The second fish of the week will be monkfish fillet! This is truly one of the nicest fish to cook in any number of Asian broths and stews. From Indian curries to Thai green curries to Malaysian stews, this fish will hold its shape and give you that delicious sweet flavor that will show you why it's nickname is the "poor man's lobster'. No joke. It's good. Now, you could also cut it into medallions and fry it up for tacos too. Quite versatile.

Clams are the shellfish this week. Oysters are Raspberry Points out of PEI. We haven't done those in a couple of months. Love them. Scallops are back again and we have a small shot of fresh Venezuelan jumbo lump crab meat coming our way. It's been a while for that too.

Well, that's it from me. To start off the week right, let's get lost in a little something to listen to and escape this crappy weather we've had. We can enjoy the sun for the next few days but until then.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETU6vZkb42k&list=LL&index=54

Look out for the order form this Thursday at 9am.

Peace

Robert Amar

Small World Seafood

Owner