Fruits of the Sea

Staying home to stay safe during the pandemic has led me to not only re-evaluate how I get my groceries, but where my food comes from. During the past 6 monthes, I found myself fully embracing eating local, wild, and organic, getting to know my local butcher, fishermen, and farmers! Knowing where my food is from and who harvested it has enhanced my at home culinary experience!

King Salmon Season

3.5 months ago, I made my first 7 a.m. Saturday morning trip to the Santa Barbara Fish Market at the harbor to buy an entire salmon ($18/lb for the whole fish) from Ocean Rose Fisheries. I ended up buying an additional fish while I was there: a black cod for $8/lb. Nothing beats the taste of fresh fish, caught the day before, and sold to you by the fisherman who caught the fish, except maybe these prices! (I did a little price shopping, and several local fish delivery companies offer wild, locally caught king salmon fillets for $24/lb.)

Buying a 10 lb salmon and an 8 lb black cod can add up to $220 really fast! I actually thought OMG, what am I doing spending $220 on fish?!?! Well, keep reading and I’ll tell you how!

The Early Bird Gets the Fish!

The Fish Market is open at the Santa Barbara Harbor Navy Pier every Saturday morning from 6 – 11 a.m. I recommend getting there early (before 8 a.m.) to get the fish you want and avoid the lines because as soon as the fishermen sell out for the day, that’s it!

Make friends with your favorite fisherman and exchange contact information just in case you cannot get to the market until close to 11 a.m. This way, they can hold your fish for you!

Pick Your Fish

The best part of the fish market is being able to pick your fish! Second best part is being able to talk to the fisherman about his catch: where the fish were caught and what they are eating!

Cleaning Your Fish

I love eating fresh fish, but I do not enjoy cleaning, filleting, or de-boning my fish. Luckily, they can do that for you at the fish market! $3 for a small fish or $5 for a large fish (cash or venmo).

TIP: The team at the fillet station will ask you if you want the skin left on and if you would like to keep the carcass. Say YES to both options! (I usually ask them to chop off the head and I give it to a friend that fishes for bait in his crab traps.) There will be a lot of meat left on the salmon carcass that you can scrape off to make salmon burgers (recipe below) and boil the remaining carcass (bones, tail, and all) to make a fish broth to freeze into frozen ice cubed dog treats!

Getting Your Fish Home

Even though the filleted fish has been on ice, I highly recommend taking a cooler filled with ice so that you can transport the fish home while keeping the fish chilled and your truck free of fish juice.

At Home with Your Catch of the Day!

Scraping the Carcass

Use a fork to scrape the meat from the carcass

Add 1 beaten egg; 1/4 cup scallions; 1/2 cup of bread crumbs or cooked baked potato; 2 tbsp mustard; 2 tbsp mayo; and 1/4 cup of your favorite herbs (i.e. chives, parsley, etc.; herb butter is optional)

Freezing the Fillets

What you'll need:

Instructions:

Crab Cakes

I use the same recipe to make crab cakes that I use to make salmon burgers: the only difference is the meat!

I make my crab cakes with cooked crab meat leftover from a crab boil the night before.

Gold Coast Oysters

I was lucky enough to live in southwest Louisiana for a few years and enjoy oysters all kinds of ways! While it is going to be a while before I find my way back to the Gulf Coast for Drago’s Charbroiled Oysters, I have been busy trying to recreate those delicious shells of garlic-butter, breadcrumbs, and herbs with Pacific caught oysters from Ocean Rose Fisheries (1 dozen for $25) on my grill!

Get them while they are season!

Charbroiled Oyster Recipe

Shucking Like a Pro

Before you shuck your oysters, make sure that you have the right tools for the job: shucking knife and cut resistant gloves! Shucking can be dangerous! If I had not worn these gloves while shucking, then I would not be able to type this post because my hands would have been mutilated!