# I cook a lot of seafood these days



## Boondocker (May 3, 2020)

Sand bass / citrus
Black Sea bass / cherrystone clam / herbs


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## Boondocker (May 3, 2020)

Sometimes I go foraging. Found a bunch of ramps. Only one morel, but it's early here. Pan roasted a bunch of whole ramps in a cast iron and finished with turkey demi. Shrimp with ramp leaves, lime zest and umami salt, blish point Oysters with ramp butter and lemon zest


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## boomchakabowwow (May 3, 2020)

Nice. I love the whole fish cooking. Nicely done.


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## Boondocker (May 5, 2020)

We sell poached salmon platters sometimes.


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## Boondocker (May 8, 2020)

Bought a wild hiramasa earlier this year, most of it is in my freezer waiting for CAMPING SEASON.


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## boomchakabowwow (May 9, 2020)

Your pics are fantastic.


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## Boondocker (May 14, 2020)

My coworkers wondered why I butchered all the halibut before they got in for the day - here's why!

How would you prepare them?


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## daveb (May 14, 2020)

I saw what you did there  In the south it's grouper cheeks that are the prize.

Been doing most fish in SV these days. Lightly season before bath. Lightly sear after.


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## M1k3 (May 14, 2020)

Boondocker said:


> My coworkers wondered why I butchered all the halibut before they got in for the day - here's why!
> 
> How would you prepare them?
> 
> View attachment 80444


Baked and fried is pretty common around my work.


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## Famima (May 15, 2020)

Boondocker said:


> My coworkers wondered why I butchered all the halibut before they got in for the day - here's why!
> 
> How would you prepare them?
> 
> View attachment 80444



I love these when simmered, eg check out a recipe for "buri daikon" which will works great with this.


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## dang (May 15, 2020)

Boondocker said:


> My coworkers wondered why I butchered all the halibut before they got in for the day - here's why!
> 
> How would you prepare them?
> 
> View attachment 80444


For halibut? Maybe just brown butter and sea salt in the pan? Do you have access to ramps?


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## boomchakabowwow (May 15, 2020)

Boondocker said:


> My coworkers wondered why I butchered all the halibut before they got in for the day - here's why!
> 
> How would you prepare them?
> 
> View attachment 80444


Grilled. If I had that. The grill for sure.


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## Boondocker (May 15, 2020)

dang said:


> For halibut? Maybe just brown butter and sea salt in the pan? Do you have access to ramps?


Yeah I've harvested what I'll be taking from my spots for the season. Trying to let them propogate


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## dafox (May 15, 2020)

Boondocker said:


> Bought a wild hiramasa earlier this year, most of it is in my freezer waiting for CAMPING SEASON.
> View attachment 79640
> View attachment 79641
> View attachment 79642
> View attachment 79643


What size is the deba?


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## Boondocker (May 15, 2020)

dafox said:


> What size is the deba?


165mm


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## Boondocker (May 15, 2020)

I broiled them and glazed with a ponzu from turkey demi, smoked shoyu, fish sauce and ramp oil.


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## dang (May 16, 2020)

More beige (more halibut, with ramps, asparagus, and olives) and less beige roasted carrots from my friend Adeena Sussman's cookbook, Sababa (looks nicer with the multi-colored carrots, but I didn't have any).


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## Boondocker (May 16, 2020)

Practicing my sukibiki at work. Thought this was a pretty cool photo from a hiramasa I was scaling today.


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## Boondocker (May 16, 2020)

Fun fact: I hid the hiramasa heads for my coworkers to find in the fish case


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## Boondocker (May 21, 2020)

Cedar plank halibut


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## Boondocker (Jun 8, 2020)

A couple mutton Snapper we got in recently. Beautiful fish.


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## Boondocker (Jun 9, 2020)

Getting ready for the weekend


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## daveb (Jun 9, 2020)

3 - 5 lb snapper are pretty available at local rest depot - and not stupid expensive. I like using them at home but have not found magic yet.

Following.


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## Boondocker (Jun 10, 2020)

Just got word that we have something super special coming from ora king salmon to go along side the two 7# kings I have there. It's roughly 4.5x their size.


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## Boondocker (Jun 10, 2020)

daveb said:


> 3 - 5 lb snapper are pretty available at local rest depot - and not stupid expensive. I like using them at home but have not found magic yet.
> 
> Following.


I've had success at home with smaller yellowtail snapper in a dedicated fridge in my basement, but I'm getting the best fish that wholesale is bringing in the day it arrives. That is the biggest help. Once it starts degrading it's done for - had that happen with some yellowtail snapper that got funky after like 5 days turned out they were in the warehouse for a few days before I got them.

Farmed fish seems more forgiving, striped bass or bronzini would be good candidates around 1# each. Only need 2-3 days at that size to see a difference


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## Boondocker (Jun 12, 2020)

Harvest photos from ora king. Weights in kg. Never worked with a salmon this big I'm really excited. One fish will be dry aged for 2 weeks, hoping we can sell the other one fresh.


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## Boondocker (Jun 15, 2020)

It arrived! Our social media manager put together an unboxing video


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## Boondocker (Jun 19, 2020)

Ora King Tyee photo dump


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## Boondocker (Jun 22, 2020)

A smaller ora king that I aged 14 days. Had to do some quality control today. My jobs terrible.


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## orangehero (Jun 23, 2020)

Dang


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## Boondocker (Jun 23, 2020)

Red Snapper and king salmon. 14 days aged.


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## Boondocker (Jun 28, 2020)

No family at home last night, not even guilty about my dinner. 18 day aged king salmon collars and sunken meadow oysters


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## daveb (Jun 28, 2020)

Like.

Toadfish shucker? Luv mine.


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## reagan (Jun 29, 2020)

Holy cow these photos are amazing.


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## Boondocker (Jul 3, 2020)

Monger meals: Forest to fin edition

Dodge cove oysters / chanterelle herb butter

Boston mackerel / spruce tip glaze


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## Boondocker (Jul 11, 2020)

Just found out we will be salting 70# of sardines on monday, first time for me. Excited to try it

We are also running my dry aged salmon as our weekly feature this week. I have 14 (8-9# ea)fish hanging right now, I would not be surprised if we sold all those fillets before friday rolled around.


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## Boondocker (Jul 15, 2020)

Promo photo for social media. Starting to move the fish now that it's on special


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## Boondocker (Jul 16, 2020)

"it's only Thursday how are we already at half inventory"


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## Boondocker (Jul 22, 2020)

When the fish used to catch your fish is still super fresh 

Going to dry age a couple mangrove snappers for dinner this weekend.


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## Boondocker (Jul 23, 2020)

These will be tasty this weekend


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## Boondocker (Jul 24, 2020)

Surprise bluefin tuna day. Blocked it out (and snagged myself a choice piece) before I left for the day.

Really enjoy this Mizuno yanagi, as well.


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## dafox (Jul 24, 2020)

Boondocker said:


> Surprise bluefin tuna day. Blocked it out (and snagged myself a choice piece) before I left for the day.
> 
> Really enjoy this Mizuno yanagi, as well.
> 
> ...


What size is the yanagiba?


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## reagan (Jul 24, 2020)

This came in today


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## Boondocker (Jul 24, 2020)

dafox said:


> What size is the yanagiba?


 210mm


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## Boondocker (Jul 30, 2020)

Pacific aquaculture striped sea bass / aged 5 days / spruce tip glaze / corn salsa

I turned it into a DRAGON


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## Boondocker (Jul 31, 2020)

Super lively crayfish came in this morning


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## daveb (Jul 31, 2020)

Crayfish is what they're called when they are shelled and sauced for service. Etouffee, maybe a Po Boy. About $25/serving. "Oh, they taste like little lobsters!"

Crawdads are plated heads off, shells on. Jambalaya and the like. $15/serving.

Mud bugs, heads on, newspapers down, with potatoes, onions and sausage. A "boil" Served (not plated) all over the table - watch the dog. $5/serving includes a beer.

Didn't know the yanks did these - looking forward to your pics.


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## Slim278 (Jul 31, 2020)

You forgot the ones ones cooked in a beer can filled with creek water over a campfire at $0 a serving. I have called those lunch on more than one occasion.


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## Boondocker (Aug 5, 2020)

Oops I did it again
I dry aged this bream
Cut off all its scales
Hung it in my fridge.


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## esoo (Aug 5, 2020)

i am in awe of this thread - I eat nowhere enough seafood, and this just makes my mouth drool


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## Boondocker (Aug 7, 2020)

We move to a new store space next week and I cannot wait to be setting giant, open air cases instead of these monstrosities.

I have a pet lobster living in the shellfish case right now though, well until somebody sold him today!


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## Chuckles (Aug 7, 2020)

Wait, where is the store moving to?

Awesome pics btw.


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## Boondocker (Aug 7, 2020)

Right across the street, closer to united noodle


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## orangehero (Aug 7, 2020)

Can you tell us more about dry aging fish (let's keep it to the most common)? What kind of changes to flavor and texture do you experience? What are the time schedules like? Say I catch a nice striped bass...what would I have to do to it? Do you need a special humidity and temp controlled chamber or can I age it in my house fridge? If I need a special chamber, can I age it in my dry age beef fridge?


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## Boondocker (Aug 8, 2020)

The whole fish cookbook had a good rundown for dry aging at home. I'm still finding out what works best, a dedicated fridge is definitely best so that conditions remain consistent. 

Much like beef, you're reducing water content and concentrates the fat content and flavor of that fish as well as allowing the connective tissues to relax as well making the meat more tender. 

Every fish is different, it's mostly trial and error. A 1# bronzini is perfect after 2 days but I prefer taking a similar sized yellowtail snapper for 5 days.

I would really worry about cross contamination aging beef and fish together honestly.


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## Boondocker (Aug 8, 2020)

Oh yeah, those mangrove snapper were phenomenal


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## Boondocker (Aug 10, 2020)

Sea bream from new Zealand after 5 aging 5 days


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## Luftmensch (Aug 10, 2020)

Amazing.


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## Luftmensch (Aug 10, 2020)

Boondocker said:


> View attachment 84982



I have to say... apart from your food being prepared so wonderfully... and your filleting skills etc are clearly top notch... you have a bit of an eye for photography. Love this image


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## Boondocker (Aug 10, 2020)

Oh jeez. thank you!


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## Boondocker (Aug 14, 2020)

52 day aged ora king salmon.


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## Boondocker (Aug 14, 2020)

Had it for lunch with chanterelle butter braised sweet corn an cast iron roasted potatoes


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## Boondocker (Aug 20, 2020)

Gold spot sand bass ready for dry aging.





The first blue crayfish I've ever seen come into the shop.


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## Boondocker (Sep 16, 2020)

Dry aged trevally rack. Ended up grilling the fillets and made a Trevally melt using truffle fontina with the leftovers




Aged this gurnard only 2 days




Bras d'Or oyster / glacier bay oyster




Queen snapper that went up to age Monday, along side am ora king salmon I started two weeks ago


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## Boondocker (Sep 20, 2020)

Ora king Tyee came in again. Wholesale is breaking them down now so I didn't get to. Boo.


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## Boondocker (Nov 25, 2020)




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## dafox (Nov 25, 2020)

Boondocker said:


> Gold spot sand bass ready for dry aging.
> View attachment 91105
> 
> 
> ...


Which yanagi is that?


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## Boondocker (Nov 25, 2020)

dafox said:


> Which yanagi is that?


Mizuno Tanrenjo Akitada Hon Kasumi Series White Steel No.2 Yanagiba 210mm


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## Boondocker (Jan 4, 2021)

Red snapper for dinner tonight


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## Konig9402 (Jan 5, 2021)

^ What cast iron is that?


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## Boondocker (Jan 5, 2021)

Konig9402 said:


> ^ What cast iron is that?


Lodge brand


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## Konig9402 (Jan 5, 2021)

Boondocker said:


> Lodge brand


I was almost sure your fine taste in seafood would be matched by vintage cast iron


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## Boondocker (Jan 5, 2021)

Konig9402 said:


> I was almost sure your fine taste in seafood would be matched by vintage cast iron



I inherited it from somewhere a long time ago. I do check out cast irons whenever I'm at an antique shop though lol


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## Konig9402 (Jan 5, 2021)

Boondocker said:


> I inherited it from somewhere a long time ago. I do check out cast irons whenever I'm at an antique shop though lol


The modern lodge handles look different so it's indeed vintage, great piece!


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