Eat more fish
My mother always told me when I was a kid to eat more fish because it is smart food. Now as an adult, I know seafood is a healthy source of protein and low in fat. I have always liked seafood and can have it anytime; from scallops, shrimps, salmon, halibut, sole, crab to lobster. My record for eating lobster at a meal was seven, 2-pounders collectively, during the post World Universities Games celebration in Canada about 20 years ago. It was a buffet and I was hungry and all I wanted was a lobster feast. I don’t think I will ever do this again. My wife was born in New Brunswick, and when I used to visit her family during the summer, I always made sure I went to the market or the local grocery stores to pick up some fresh seafood such as sole, haddock, and muscles or anything in the store that was from a fresh catch. My father-in law, Murray loves boating and he always makes his famous seafood chowder for family or friends during cruise time. His chowder consists of a thin broth, full of fish, clams, onions, potatoes, milk, butter, salt and pepper; and is very flavorful. My brother-in law, who also makes a tasty chowder, uses salmon, haddock, shrimp, scallops, onions, potatoes, whole milk/cream, lots of butter, salt, pepper and seasonings; to make one of the best chowders around. It would be hard for me to judge which is better, as it has been a few years since I was there last.
At UMass, our students love New England chowder, which is a cream-based chowder made with potatoes, onions, bacon, flour & clams; and is much quicker to make than the chowder I had in Canada. It is our most popular soup, even more so than chicken noodle. I also think UMass students know more about fish. They love cod, salmon, shrimp and of course, lobster. However, we cannot entice the students to eat cat fish; it is just not a fish of New England. Last year, we switched to serving sustainable seafood and the fish we use comes from Alaska; the program has been well received by our students. Seafood consumption has increased by about 20% and I suspect it is some thing to do with health aspects of eating fish, and lots to do with the product we serve – wild and natural Alaska Seafood.
I have to share a fish story about Alaska black cod (sablefish). Black cod is not actually part of the cod family, and it known for its rich flavor and delicate texture. Chef Willie and I were in San Francisco for a conference and went to have a bite to eat in the famous Chinatown. As some of you know, San Fran has a good-sized Chinatown and it always seems like a busy and trendy place to me. We did not know the Chinatown eateries very well and had to ask the locals which one was the best to go to. Finally, we spotted one off of a busy street that had many local patrons. We went in and it was nothing fancy. We ordered a steamed black cod as recommended by the waiter at the market price and did not think too much about it. The dish finally came and it was a 1 lb black cod. It was very flavorful and tasty. Then came the bill – they charged us $60 for the dish. We thought it was a mistake, but the waitstaff told us it was the right price. We paid and Chef Willie still blames me for the incident, because I introduced Willie and myself as tourists and they promptly charged us the extraordinary price.
Not to worry, all of the black cod, scallops, salmon and cod this week at the DCs is part of this week’s Wild Alaska Seafood promotion. I tried some of the Alaska halibut today at Worcester, it was great tasting and flaky. There was a big line up at the station and the students were patiently waiting for the halibut, which was pan-fried, seared in olive oil, in front of our customers. You don’t have to pay extra for fish like this, plus there will be a chance to listen to Randy Rice, a scientist and fish spokesman of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, who will talk about sustainable seafood and why Alaska is a model of seafood sustainability; the talk will be held at Berkshire DC, Wednesday, October 8, at 7:00 pm.
Ken Toong
Director
Contact Ken at ktoong@mail.aux.umass.edu