Barrumundi- A true Superfood!

Barramundi was just rated #1 in the top 5 superfoods by Dr. Oz. It's appeal goes beyond its health values of high Omega 3s and low toxins.. It's easy to cook, delicious, and available year round. It comes from New Zealand and Australia and I love it!

For winter months, it can be harder to fire up the grill, but it withstands the grill beautifully.. just make sure you order it skin on which helps it stay together. It also does perfectly well on the pan or in the oven, so it's really up to you how you want to enjoy your Barramundi.

Here's how I like to do it:

Grilled Barramundi with Tropical Fruit salsa. You can bake it uncovered if you don't want to grill it.

Lightly season your fillet with a dry rub mix of:

chilli powder (1 tspn)
garlic powder (1 tspn)
brown sugar (1 tspn)
onion powder (1 tspn)
salt (1 tspn)
pepper (1 tspn)

(Premix your dry rub, then sprinkle on the fish.. save the rest of your rub for next time)

You can spritz your fish with a small amount of olive oil, but it is not necessary.

Grill your fish about 3 minutes on each side or until desired doneness. If you are going to bake your fish, place it on a foiled cookie sheet, uncovered, and bake at 400 degrees about 10 minutes, or until desired doneness.

Mango/Papaya/Avo/Jalapeno Salsa.. ie.. Tropical Fruit Salsa:

Put all (below)in your favorite salsa bowl:

1 peeled/diced Mango
1 small peeled/diced papaya (or half of a big one)
1 diced avocado
1 fresh Jalapeno pepper, seeded (if you don't want it too spicy, you can use a pickled/canned Jalapeno instead)
1 handfull of fresh chopped cilantro
1 handfull of fresh chopped basil
1 handfull of fresh chopped Italian parsley
1 tspn (or so) of fresh chopped ginger
1 lemon, for juice
1/4 cup balsamic vineger
1/2 of an orange, for juice
1/2 diced red onion
salt/pepper to taste

Cook your Barrumundi, then spoon your salsa on top of the fish. Make a simple spinnach salad and some white rice, and you are now a seafood star!

Bobby and Gina's Masterpiece!

Bobby Smith and his wife, Gina, have been busy in their kitchen and backyard.. and look what they did last night! I am very very impressed. They grilled their Scottish salmon with blackening seasoning.. simple yet divine, then kicked it up a notch with breading that called for orange & lemon zest. Speaking of lemons, when I dropped their fish off to them yesterday, I was offered fresh Meyer lemons (and leaves) growing on the walkway. Thanks, Bobby and Gina!

Farm raised vs. Wild

The topic of farm raised vs. wild salmon is alive and well! There are great arguments on both sides of the pond, so we try to please everyone by offering both products.

When wild salmon is not available or out of season, you can still have it. Wild sockeye, Coho and King salmon fillet are available year round because the fish are frozen whole where they are caught, then thawed and filleted as the demand requires. In other words, if you want delicious, premium wild salmon tomorrow night for dinner, you can have it! It's just not going to be "fresh". It will be "refreshed" or thawed product, and it will be delicious! (My husband Davey is a mega Sockeye fan and we eat it year round)

If you absolutely do not want thawed fish, then farm raised fresh salmon is the next best thing. There are many salmon aficionados who would make the argument that premium sustainable farm raised salmon is actually better tasting and higher in omega 3 fatty acids and easier to cook.. making for a luscious and delicious alternative to wild fish. Other farmed fans will argue that we are depleting the wild fisheries, and farm raising is the wave of the future. The proverbial questions: Do you eat wild tomatoes and lettuce? Are there great tomato and lettuce farmers who "raise" their products responsibly and sustainably?

At any rate, we sell it all! If you prefer wild salmon, no problem! If you want premium Scottish Salmon, awesome! I am giving you the website to Loch Duart premium Scottish Salmon, the very best product available on the market today, and used by the finest dining establishments all over Santa Barbara County and beyond! Here is their website, please go there! http://www.lochduart.com/

And if you are absolutely opposed to eating farm raised fish, then I will be happy to provide the prettiest wild fish that I can find.. just for you.

Happy Eating!

Theresa

Cooked by Matty Trottno

Check out Matty's beautiful and luscious dinner he cooked for his sweetheart last night! Scottish Loch Duart Salmon rocks all worlds. Thank you for sharing, Matty!

Seafood Delivery in Santa Barbara!

I'm so excited! I started a small seafood delivery service today, with the approval of my bosses at Central Coast Seafood! I am allowed to sell "the freshest fish on land" to my friends and family living in Santa Barbara, Goleta, Montecito and Carpinteria.

I deliver Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. You call a day ahead with your order, I will bring your fish to your door the next morning between 9:00 am and 12:00 noon. If you're not going to be home, you can leave a cooler on your doorstep and I'll leave your fish in it for you.

My prices are extremely competitive, if not a few dollars below the best seafood counters in town, and my quality is tops. I don't sell "sitting around on ice" seafood. Your fish is cut in the middle of the night and delivered to your door within a few hours. It is fine restaurant quality! The same fish that I sell to my wholesale customers and best restaurants in Santa Barbara County.

Please call or email me for my weekly price list. Get signed up on my email list and I will automatically send you my price list on Mondays.

Cheers!

Theresa Piacentini-Smith
Piacentini Seafood Delivery
freshfishdelivery@hotmail.com
805-680-7984

Fried Coconut Shrimp with Friends

If you want your friends to come over for dinner, whisper the words "coconut shrimp". I've been experimenting with shrimp lately. Shrimp cocktail, grilled shrimp, shrimp in cream sauce over pasta..and fried and battered shrimp.

There's a particular brand of battered shrimp that I love, which I sell to many of my wholesale accounts... Restaurants whom you would never suspect buying pre-made battered shrimp. That's how great this brand is.

I tested the pre-made battered shrimp on some good friends a week or so ago. Big thumbs up!

I'm going to attempt to copy the recipe. Here's what I plan on doing, and I'll tweek it after. And by the way, I have always used my frying pan for frying, but our good friend Jose' just gave us his deep fryer, so I'm going to break it in with my coconut battered shrimp.

*Note: The two pictures posted are the boxed battered shrimp on my frying pan and a beautiful coconut shrimp shot that I found on google images which I'll replace with my own picture once I finish cooking them.

*Defrost 16-20 sized, peeled/deveined raw shrimp, tail on. I use a minimum of 2 pounds = about 35 shrimp.

2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups panko flakes
1 cup dark beer
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons sugar
2 1/2 cups flaked coconut
35 shrimp
3 cups oil for frying

In medium bowl, combine eggs, 3/4 cup flour, beer and baking powder for the wet batter.

Place 3/4 cup flour, panko, spices and coconut in another bowl for dry batter.

Hold shrimp by tail, and dredge in a bit of plain flour, shaking off excess.

After the shrimp is dipped in the dry batter, roll it in the dry coconut/panko dry batter.

Place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oil to 350 degrees in a deep-fryer. You can certainly use your flying pan too.

Fry shrimp in batches: cook, turning once, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Using tongs, remove shrimp to paper towels to drain. Serve warm with sauces.

NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS. If I like this recipe and the date is beyond October 10th, then go for it, my loyal 13 followers!

Cocktail and Tartar Sauces, see earlier blogs.

Orange Marmalaide Dipping Sauce:

1 cup ketchup
Juice from 1 lemon
1 tablespoon horseradish
black pepper/aalt to taste
1 teaspoon fresh minced parsley
1/4 cup orange marmalaide
2 dashes, worcestershire sauce
2 dashes, tobasco or hot sauce

King Salmon from the Klamath River

There's a special time of year that is becoming more and more important in the Piacentini household. King salmon fishing season at the Klamath River! The Klamath River is located near the Oregon/California border and the fishing season opens up in late summer/early Fall. It is becoming almost as important as Christmas in our family.

My brothers Evan, Paul, Ian and Eric and some of their good friends gather their salmon fishing gear, pack up their trucks and drive the 12 hours to the Klamath River from Santa Barbara. They have a great time camping, BBQing, eating salmon, drinking beer and fishing!

It's so great to gather together after their trip at my folk's house, build the fire in the backyard, and eat the deep orange, luscious fresh King Salmon caught by my brothers. They fillet it themselves, create their own marinades and cook for all of us. It's truly as wonderful as any holiday in our family.

Pictured above is their Salmon bounty, 9/20/09, my parent's backyard.