Fish - no pictures today . . .

Post #256,328 by Andrew Grygus 5/22/06 10:11:02 PM Reply	Fish - no pictures today . . . I stumbled across a new fish store, a Philippine market with great selection and all carefully identified with name, source and whether wild or farmed - and at really good prices! So I bought a few. Disaster! Their idea of "clean only" leaves the head on but mutilates the fish by chopping off the tail and fins. Aggggggggg! At my regular store the fish guys speak no English but we carefully discuss through gestures and grunts how I want my fish, and the guy I'm talking to will do the cleaning. At this new place it's a production line and special requests won't get through even if understood. So I put the fish on the counter and say "Price only", which means I'm ripping out the gills and guts with my own little fingers and scraping off the scales. A bit messy, but not all that big a deal unless you're squeamish. Got two Black Pomfret, a Rabbitfish and a Skipjack Tuna today. [link\|http://www.aaxnet.com\|AAx]
Post #256,344 by ben_tilly 5/22/06 11:09:48 PM Reply	ICLRPD we carefully discuss through gestures and grunts And I'm ripping out the gills and guts with my own little fingers Cheers, Ben I have come to believe that idealism without discipline is a quick road to disaster, while discipline without idealism is pointless. -- Aaron Ward (my brother)
Post #256,356 by bionerd 5/23/06 10:21:53 AM Reply	If you shape it into a square and bread it, I might eat it. Follow your MOUSE
Post #256,365 by drewk 5/23/06 11:35:08 AM Reply	Ya know, I haven't had one of those in a while Think I'll ask the wife to pick some up next time she's at the grocery store. === Purveyor of Doc Hope's [link\|http://DocHope.com\|fresh-baked dog biscuits and pet treats]. [link\|http://DocHope.com\|http://DocHope.com]
Post #256,368 by Andrew Grygus 5/23/06 11:54:10 AM Reply	Traipse over to McDonalds for those. They mold 'em from chopped up Alaskan Pollock, the cheapest fish the FDA will let them serve, and deep fry 'em in yummy yummy trans fats. Enjoy. I just finished off the last of the Black Pomfret for breakfast, filets lightly powdered with rice flour, gently fried in just a little olive oil and served with a lemon/wine/butter sauce. Haven't decided what to do with the tuna yet. [image\|http://www.clovegarden.com/ingred/img/sf_skipjack1d.jpg\|\|\|\|] [link\|http://www.aaxnet.com\|AAx]
Post #256,419 by SpiceWare 5/23/06 2:05:08 PM Reply	Spicy Tuna Rolls! Darrell Spice, Jr. Trendy yet complex\nPeople seek me out - though they're not sure why\n[link\|http://spiceware.org/gallery/ArtisticOverpass\|Artistic Overpass] [link\|http://www.spiceware.org/\|SpiceWare]
Post #256,455 by Andrew Grygus 5/23/06 6:31:41 PM Reply	Uh, yeah, the item every sushi bar . . . . . serves to use up the tuna that's just a little past its prime. Well, at least I'd know exactly what the condition of the tuna is. [link\|http://www.aaxnet.com\|AAx]
Post #256,446 by bionerd 5/23/06 5:18:46 PM Reply	Hey- you promised no pictures! And even I draw the line at McDonalds, though I do like their salads on occassion. Follow your MOUSE
Post #256,449 by ben_tilly 5/23/06 5:34:14 PM Reply	Check the dates On May 22 he promised "No pictures today". On May 23 he gave a picture. Whatchacomplainingabout? Cheers, Ben I have come to believe that idealism without discipline is a quick road to disaster, while discipline without idealism is pointless. -- Aaron Ward (my brother)
Post #256,453 by bionerd 5/23/06 6:13:20 PM Reply	Hey, I can complain if I want! I was already called grumpy once today. Follow your MOUSE
Post #256,454 by Andrew Grygus 5/23/06 6:29:37 PM Reply	And after I let you off easy . . . . . on the cutting and gutting. [link\|http://www.aaxnet.com\|AAx]
Post #256,456 by ben_tilly 5/23/06 6:41:46 PM Reply	Of course you can... I was just explaining Andrew's behaviour. He was very precise. He did exactly what he said he would do. And as soon as what he said allowed him to do what you didn't want him to do, he did it. Just like a small child. The parallel works pretty well actually - it also includes his delight at showing gross stuff to someone he thinks is squeamish. Cheers, Ben I have come to believe that idealism without discipline is a quick road to disaster, while discipline without idealism is pointless. -- Aaron Ward (my brother)
Post #256,458 by Andrew Grygus 5/23/06 6:54:18 PM Reply	Squeemish? I think she's faking it. Didn't she tell us some time back she disassembling rodents for income? Isn't she the one who told us how much she would miss the annual expedition to capture frogs, newts and salamanders? Then she tells us she has problems with pictures of fish? I really don't think so. [link\|http://www.aaxnet.com\|AAx]
Post #256,468 by ben_tilly 5/23/06 7:33:45 PM Reply	I didn't say that she WAS squeamish Just that you thought she was. I'm glad that you realized that she isn't. BTW her ability to humor you by keeping up a good pretense reminds me of some mothers that I've watched. Coincidence? Cheers, Ben I have come to believe that idealism without discipline is a quick road to disaster, while discipline without idealism is pointless. -- Aaron Ward (my brother)
Post #256,486 by Andrew Grygus 5/23/06 9:23:47 PM Reply	So we play. So sue us. Some people take this Internet stuff way too seriously, considering so much of it is really "lets pretend". [link\|http://www.aaxnet.com\|AAx]
Post #256,593 by bionerd 5/24/06 9:52:51 AM Reply	Yeah, what he said. And besides, he's fun to play with. Follow your MOUSE
Post #256,478 by bionerd 5/23/06 8:34:57 PM Reply	Here's the difference I can gut, dissect, vivisect, fillet, mince and dice. But I wont eat it. That's the part that makes me squemish. That fish on a cutting board isnt dinner. Trade that cutting board for a dissection tray and you have an ichthyology lab project. Follow your MOUSE
Post #256,480 by ben_tilly 5/23/06 8:37:31 PM Reply	Can you cut it for someone ELSE to eat? I have come to believe that idealism without discipline is a quick road to disaster, while discipline without idealism is pointless. -- Aaron Ward (my brother)
Post #256,483 by bionerd 5/23/06 9:00:21 PM Reply	Yes, but It wouldnt resemble food by the time I was done with it. Seriously, it doesnt register as being food in my mind. I look at it and automatically run through the taxonomy- Kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species. I consider the features that make that species unique. I dont look at the muscle as something to eat. I look at the striation of the muscle fibers, think about what makes a muscle cell different from other cells, and how the muscle cell differentiated during embryogenesis. I cant eat that. I really am a bionerd. Follow your MOUSE
Post #256,484 by ben_tilly 5/23/06 9:20:17 PM Reply	It won't resemble food after they're done with it either :-) I have come to believe that idealism without discipline is a quick road to disaster, while discipline without idealism is pointless. -- Aaron Ward (my brother)
Post #256,485 by Andrew Grygus 5/23/06 9:21:38 PM Reply	Clearly you're not a farm girl. Having spent my childhood on farms, my early orientation is clearly much different from yours. We had a great deal of respect for our critters and took very good care of them, but eventually, they all became dinner. [link\|http://www.aaxnet.com\|AAx]
Post #256,488 by imqwerky 5/23/06 9:40:43 PM Reply	Aaaaaaack!!!!!! We had a great deal of respect for our critters and took very good care of them, but eventually, they all became dinner. You did that on porpoise!
Post #256,495 by Andrew Grygus 5/23/06 9:55:40 PM Reply	Just don't tell him, it'll be OK. [link\|http://www.aaxnet.com\|AAx]
Post #256,594 by bionerd 5/24/06 10:00:44 AM Reply	To quote Bruce the Shark from Finding Nemo- Fish are friends, not food. Follow your MOUSE
Post #256,583 by Andrew Grygus 5/24/06 2:35:58 AM Reply	That Tuna - oh my, what a bloody, sticky mess! Who would have thought a fish could pour out such a torent of red blood. The sink ran red, the counter and cutting board were flooded with red. Deep red. Dark red. The flesh was darker than any beef. Cubed and heaped on a plate it was a redish black pile that looked like chunky road kill out in the sun too long. The head, bones and fins tossed in a pot with water and brought to a simmer was a bubbling reddish brown witches brew uglier than sin done badly. Not promising, not promising at all. Half an hour later the strained stock proved remarkably clear, clean and mild - perfect for a substantial fish soup. The cubed flesh I dusted with rice flour and fried in olive oil. I made a sauce of garlic, ginger, shallots, fresh shitakes (lots of them), soy sauce, fish sauce, coconut milk and cilantro - finished off with fresh lime juice. Served with a heap of steamed jasmine rice it was a dinner to remember (and I will remember it because I have plenty left for breakfast). This is not fish for wimps nor fish that wants white wine - it demands red - deep, dark, substantial red (the Purple Moon Shiraz on hand did quite well, thank you). Would I do this again? Well, not until I can get my hands on another tuna. Maybe next week. Maybe I'll take pictures. [link\|http://www.aaxnet.com\|AAx]
Post #256,587 by drewk 5/24/06 8:54:54 AM Reply	Tuna steak trick I want to try someday In Alton Brown's cookbook, he describes the time he was preparing to grill some tuna steaks. He's a hardwood charcoal fan, and uses one of those [link\|http://www.pans.com/products/lodge-camp-dutch-oven-charcoal-chimney-starter-6496.html\|charcoal chimney starters]. Apparently the trick to grilling tuna is to go as hot as possible, as close to the coal as you can get, just long enough to barely blacken the outside -- which would be crusted with black pepper and sesame. So he's waiting to hear the characteristic jet-engine sound that means the chimney has done its thing. He's just about to pour the charcoal into his classic Weber kettle grill when he thinks, "Hmm, the top of that chimney looks pretty hot." So he takes the grill off a small portable kettle, puts the tuna on it, and sets it directly on top of the chimney. Less than 30 seconds on each side and it was done. Now I've never had a grilled tuna steak, I don't usually cook with charcoal, and I don't even have one of those chimney things. But I want to go buy all the hardware just so I can try this. === Purveyor of Doc Hope's [link\|http://DocHope.com\|fresh-baked dog biscuits and pet treats]. [link\|http://DocHope.com\|http://DocHope.com]
Post #256,595 by Andrew Grygus 5/24/06 10:09:16 AM Reply	Blast furnace tuna! Yup, that'd do the job all right. [link\|http://www.aaxnet.com\|AAx]
Post #256,592 by bionerd 5/24/06 9:51:45 AM Reply	It was all that myoglobin Follow your MOUSE
Post #256,597 by bepatient 5/24/06 11:40:05 AM Reply	Tuna is best rare As Drew's cookbook exploration has pointed out. Peppered and seared on both sides for about 90 seconds...sliced thin and served with Wasabi. Yummy. If you push something hard enough, it will fall over. _{Fudd's First Law of Opposition} [link\|mailto:bepatient@aol.com\|BePatient]
Post #256,650 by imqwerky 5/24/06 4:54:08 PM Reply	Yeah, rarely eaten! Ba dum dum, tish! Thank yew! Thank yew very much!
Post #256,656 by bionerd 5/24/06 5:10:55 PM Reply	I'm with you, sister. Follow your MOUSE
Post #256,696 by Silverlock 5/24/06 9:44:16 PM Reply	I likes me some rare tuna. Raw is good to. Depending. ----------------------------------------- Impeach Bush. Impeach Cheney. Do it now.
Post #256,702 by imqwerky 5/24/06 9:52:41 PM Reply	Actually, I've had some excellent tuna sashimi. It was at an upscale restaurant (yeah, yeah...they let us in :) ) But it was superb.
Post #256,703 by Another Scott 5/24/06 9:54:40 PM Reply	I had some Purple Moon Merlot tonight. Pretty good, I think It's not as cheap as the $3.99/bottle Shiraz, but it was quite reasonable at Trader Joe's. I had half a bottle tonight, so naturally I'm staggering a bit... Cheers, Scott. (Hic!)
Post #256,725 by imqwerky 5/24/06 10:26:09 PM Reply	Sounds like you're celebrating to me! old joke ha ha
Post #256,744 by Another Scott 5/24/06 10:51:52 PM Reply	I wish. :-( The wife is feeling stressed and crabby tonight. She's got some deadlines coming up at work, and her mother is driving her nuts. (I'm able to be a little more detatched than she is.) Ann: "Where's Gloria?" Wife: "Your sister Gloria died 15 years ago. She has never been here. You should read that note we typed up for you - it's to help remind you where everyone is." Ann: "I've read that. But Gloria sleeps with me. I'm worried that she hasn't had dinner." Wife: "You've just been daydreaming and remembering things from a long time ago. You haven't lived with Gloria since 1941. There are just the 3 of us here." ... Ann: "I'm worried about our father." Wife: "Mother, you and I have different fathers. Your father died before I was born. You don't need to worry about him or your other relatives. Please read that note we typed up for you whenever you wonder where someone is." Ann: "Ok." ... Ann: "Where's Gloria?" :-( I think that marlowe must not have much experience with Alzheimer's to believe in things like "objective beauty". ;-) I haven't had any alcohol in several months. I had some tonight just to relax a little. I'm trying to be good to the wife too - e.g. I got her a [link\|https://store.muttscomics.com/pc-97-17-im-a-keeper-shirt.aspx\|T-shirt] that she really likes. But I need to do better... Hang in there, everyone. Cheers, Scott.
Post #256,750 by imqwerky 5/24/06 11:03:50 PM Reply	Sorry to hear that. Hope you and the Mrs. get a break soon.

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