Blabbing about all things food is our overall purpose in writing this blog. Mainly I think that's gonna happen two ways:
1) We're gonna blab about all the wonderful places we visit that sell or serve delicious food (as well as any horrible places that sell or serve horrendous food).
2) We're gonna blab about all the awesome recipes and techniques that we try in our own kitchen (as well as any hilarious mishaps).
That said, today it is my pleasure to introduce... bum bum BUMMMM
Sea Products, Inc!
Yes, it is a terribly unimaginative name but I like it. It makes me think- products of the sea. Not products of some chemical plant, then packaged as "guacamole." Not products of a mechanical separator, then packaged as "hot dogs." Or worse, "chicken." Just pure, unadulterated, natural food pulled right out of the ocean and sold to you the way God made it.
Sea Products, Inc. is charmingly tucked away behind a strip of stores that include a hair salon and a clothing store named Snob Consignment. The owner is a passionate deep-sea fisherman and established it in the early '80's. It's been there ever since.
Unless you have a weird imagination, the market looked like what anyone would imagine it to look like. It was decorated like a ship and displayed it's wares on ice. I can't say whether the prices were great or not, as this is the first fresh market I've been to in ten years, but they certainly seemed better than their frozen counterparts at Walmart. I'd pay 10.95 for a pound of fresh swordfish, yeah buddy. Clams for $4.00 a dozen? Gimme two! But the best were the mussels: $3.00 a pound. Cleaned and debearded, just remember to put them in a bowl (I killed our first pound by leaving them to suffocate in their plastic. Dumb, Kirsten!).
We looked around and then settled on two Thai shrimp cakes ($2.50 each), and two crab-stuffed mushroom caps ($1.50 each). We agreed that I would come again the next day for shrimp and mussels (the mussels weren't due in until the next day). The Thai shrimp cakes were a little of a let down; there were no bold flavors that Thai food is known for. They could have been any other kind of shrimp cake. However, the mushroom caps were excellent. Baked with a little oil drizzled on top, they were clean tasting with fresh crab meat and balanced seasoning. The mushrooms were just the right size and generously filled. They were definitely worth getting again.
And that was our first foray into the wonderful world of fresh seafood! I would encourage you to look up your own local seafood market. Depending on where you are, the prices may be comparable and I can't impress this on you enough: fresh seafood made within a day of purchase is way better than eating it anywhere else, unless they got their fish that day as well. Most things are not difficult to cook and with a little practice -and a few online tutorials- you can be a confident cook!
Next time, another unimaginatively named local market: Asia Grocery!
