The Hawthornes Attend Another Seafood Series Class At The Aquarium. Blue Water Grill And Raw Bar.

If you've been keeping up with me,

then you'll know that this season is all about lionfish.

Lionfish is not something you're going to find

at your local fishmonger's.

All the lionfish we ate was procured

by the NC Aquarium dive team.

This is all part of an effort

to diminish the rapidly increasing numbers

of the invasive lionfish in our Atlantic waters

and to introduce this species to both chefs and consumers.

You can see earlier preparations here:

Back in November, Chef Andy Montero

of Montero's Restaurant and Bar in Elizabeth city prepared lionfish.

And in March, Chefs Johanna and Justine Lachine

of Café Lachine in Nags Head

did their spin on lionfish.

You can click on the lionfish links above to learn
more about lionfish.

 Chefs Drew Thompson and Tim Gard
of Blue Water Grill and Raw Bar,
were our presenters at this session and
we dined on lionfish and 4 different preparations of oysters.
And you KNOW Rosie LOVES her oysters!

 Lionfish is white and flaky

and can be prepared as you would flounder or grouper.

 The chefs today simply pan-fried the fillets
and served them on a bed of rice noodles
tossed with slaw and an Asian-inspired dressing
and topped with a coconut lime sauce

For the noodle salad dressing:
1 cup soy sauce
 sesame oil
juice of 4 limes
3 TB sesame seeds

Mix all together and toss with noodles and slaw.
The slaw was composed of shredded red and green cabbage,
carrots, and red onion.

Now, I didn't put an amount on the sesame oil
in the above dressing recipe,
the reason being that on our recipe sheets
they printed "1 CUP sesame oil."
I'm thinking that is a typo,
because it sounds like a whole lot of sesame oil.
I might go with a few teaspoons of sesame oil.
Start there, taste test, and increase as needed.
But a cup???  I don't think so.
I didn't notice it at the time,
else I would have asked the chefs.

The lionfish was lightly seasoned and pan-fried,
set atop the bed of noodles and slaw,
and then topped with a Coconut Lime Sauce.

Coconut Lime Sauce
 1 15-oz. can coconut milk
1 cup sour cream
juice of 6 limes
salt and pepper to taste
3 sliced green onions
cilantro

On to the oysters.
 

I was in heaven today,
since Chefs Tim and Drew presented us with four
oyster preparations.

Our chefs are shuckin'!

Our first oysters were dressed with a mignonette,
which is basically a sauce or condiment made with shallots,
cracked pepper, and vinegar.

Mignonette
1 red onion, small dice or 2 shallots, diced
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup red wine
1 TB sugar
2 big spoons fresh chopped parsley
s&p to taste
And give it a squeeze of lemon juice on top.

Pineapple Salsa with Tobiko Caviar
1 whole pineapple, small dice
1/2 red onion, small dice
1 tomato, small dice
10 green onions, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper
juice of 3 limes
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 TB sugar
2 TB oil s&p to taste
Top with Tobiko.

I'm not a big fan of caviar.
Tastes like fish eggs to me...
BUT, this particular caviar wasn't bad at all.
In fact, I liked it.
It is Tobiko - flying fish roe.
And it's really pretty!

On to the Oysters Rockefeller.
As I've said before,
nobody knows the original recipe for Oysters Rockefeller
except someone at Antoine's restaurant in New Orleans,
(and they ain't tellin')
but everybody makes their own riffs on this dish.
However you make it, it's good.

Oysters Rockefeller
1/2 red onion, small dice
10 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 cup bacon, chopped
4 oz. sambuca or pernod liqueur
1/4 cup cream
12 cups spinach
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
s&p to taste

Sublime.

Our fourth and last oyster dish.

New Orleans Garlic Butter
4 oz. beer
1 pound butter
20 cloveds chopped garlic
4 TB parsley
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 cups Parmesan cheese
s&p to taste

 Heh...
I pulled this picture off of Blue Water's Facebook page.
This is from our class.
And would you look?
 There's Rosie!!!
(Back row.  Far left.  Behind the lady in red.)
And Mr. Hawthorne is to my right,
off the grid, so to speak.

The Hawthornes always sit in the back,
far right side of the table,
and there's a reason for this.
It's my strategy and it worked like a charm this time.

When the chefs started serving,
they brought two platters of oysters -
one to the front, left side of the table
and one to the back. left side of the table.
All the participants took one oyster of the platter
and then passed the platter to their right.
The person at the front table far right passed
the platter to the back table.
SO.....
what happened was that both oyster platters
ENDED UP WITH ME!!!!
MWAHAHAHAHAHA!
Naturally, being me,
I didn't pass the platters on to anyone,
so I ate about a dozen or so oysters.
Like I said, it worked like a charm!
Rosie is nothing if not resourceful.

Of course,
after class, I had to go speak to the animals.

The turtles are always happy to see me!

The Hawthornes Attend The Seafood Series At NC Aquarium.

Once again, the Hawthornes are back at the NC Aquarium

for their ongoing seafood series and cooking classes.

Today, Johanna and Justin Lachine of  Café Lachine 

are presenting the class.

 Lionfish, a non-indigenous species here,

is being featured again.

If you might recall,

Chef Andy Montero, of Montero's in Elizabeth City,

presented a class last November on lionfish.

The Aquarium's dive team went out to shipwrecks

off Hatteras Inlet and returned with their bounty - lionfish.

You can read all about the lionfish by clicking on the above link.

The lionfish are collected with pole spears

and then placed into sealed containers

to protect the divers from the venomous spines.

Here, Diver Shawn, displays a lionfish.

As I said, the lionfish is not native to Atlantic waters.

They are native to the Indo-Pacific area.

Lionfish in the Atlantic are voracious predators 

at the top of the food chain. 

They are an invasive species,

threatening native fish communities and fisheries resources,

disrupting the biodiversity of the reef and the marine ecosystem process.

The lionfish is a formidable, effective predator.

It is not a selective feeder,

meaning it will eat anything it can fit in its mouth,

including juvenile fish,

thus decimating many of the local populations.

By eating juvenile fish, 

the lionfish are diminishing populations of larger fish

who compete for the same prey.

Lionfish are also highly adaptable,

able to inhabit pretty much all marine habitat type.

They are found in coral reefs, mangroves, artificial reefs,

and grass sea beds.

They are also  able to survive at various depths

 by their great range of temperature tolerance.

 

The only known predators of the lionfish

are grouper and shark. 

Their breeding habits also affect the difficulty to control the population.

Lionfish have a 30-year life span and a high fecundity rate,

reproducing at an early age and producing

around 2 million babies a year.

There are no fishing regulations on size or limit.

The Atlantic lionfish population can be genetically narrowed down 

to ten fish released by aquarium hobbyists in Florida

during Hurricane Andrew.

Efforts are being made to control the lionfish population.

Lionfish "derbies" are held,

essentially fishing competitions,

 to catch as many lionfish as possible in a set period of time, 

with prizes awarded to teams for the biggest fish and the most caught.

The derbies, sponsored by REEF,

the Reef Environmental Education Foundation,

(an organization devoted to ocean conservation)

are trying to create media exposure so more people 

can be made aware of the growing problem of

the "invasion of the lionfish."

Hopefully, local restaurants will jump on the lionfish bandwagon,

and will offer this fish on their menus

and introduce it to consumers.

In order to do this,

seafood initiatives need to be developed

to compliment fishing efforts and make lionfishing more profitable.

Both restaurants and consumers need to be educated

for this to become feasible.

Chefs Johanna and Justin Lachine

begin preparations for our meal.

Our first course is lionfish with

rutabaga, brussel sprouts, butternut squash, and pecans.

Note:  Any white, flaky fish could be subbed for the lionfish.

Flounder or grouper would work just as well.

Lionfish  4 5-oz. fillets

1/2 cup pancetta, crisped, fat reserved

red onion, small dice

carrot, small dice

1 cup brussels sprouts, blanched and halved

1 cup rutabaga, medium dice, blanched

1 cup butternut squash, medium dice

1 cup toasted pecans

1 cup green grapes

2 cups vegetable stock

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp chili powder

1 tble rosemary

1/2 cup butter, chilled, cubed

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1/4 cup chopped chives

1/4 cup sliced green onion

Season fillets with 2 parts kosher salt and 1 part each pepper and granulated garlic.

Sear fillets in rendered pancetta fat.

Remove and set aside.

In same pan, add onion and carrot and lightly sauté.

Add brussel sprouts, butternut squash, and rutabaga

and cook about 2 minutes.

Add pecans, grapes, stock, paprika, chili powder, and rosemary

and reduce by half.

Add butter, parsley, pancetta, and chives.

Reduce slightly until butter is incorporated

and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Divide among plates

and top each with seared lionfish fillet.

This dish would be a great fall/winter dish

even without the fish.

The chefs are always ready

to answer our questions

and offer advice.

Next up was the Lachines' version

of Oysters Rockefeller.

Nobody knows the original Oysters Rockefeller

from Antoine's Restaurant in New Orleans.

It is a closely-guarded secret 

and it is said that Jules Alciatore, Antoine's proprietor and chef,

exacted a deathbed promise that the recipe ingredients 

and proportions remain a secret.

However, the "recipe" has evolved

 and has been adapted and imitated

throughout the years

in a myriad of ways.

Personally, I like 'em all.

Oysters "Rockefeller" with Creamed Spinach

36 oysters, cleaned and shucked

 Make Béchamel Sauce:

2 cups whole milk

3 TB flour

3 TB butter

salt

white pepper

1 lb blanched, dried spinach chopped

finely diced white onion

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Melt butter in saucepan, add flour, and cook 4-5 minutes.

Slowly add milk, salt and pepper to taste.  

Add sauce to chopped dried spinach.  Set aside.

Make Hollandaise Sauce:

1 lb melted clarified butter

5 egg yolks

1 TB hot sauce

1 TB Worcestershire sauce

3 TB lemon juice

pinch salt

pinch black pepper

Add all ingredients except butter to a blender.

With blender on high,

slowly drizzle in the butter until combined and creamy.

To plate, top shucked oysters with creamed spinach

and bake at 400° for 5-7 minutes.

Finish with hollandaise and chopped bacon.

Our last dish was a creamy pasta with shrimp and scallops.

Creamy Seafood Pasta

 2 cups heavy cream

1 cup Parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish

1/2 cup chopped bacon

1/2 cup caramelized onion

parsley and chives for garnish

4 cups cooked pasta

12 scallops

12 shrimp, peeled and de-veined

Heat heavy cream in large sauté pan over medium heat.

Add parmesan cheese and stir to blend.

Stir in bacon and caramelized onions.

Keep warm while you prepare the seafood.

Heat another large sauté pan over medium-high heat.

Add 3 TB oil and scallops and shrimp.

Cook about 1 1/2 minutes each side.

Turn off heat.

Add pasta to sauce.

Place in serving bowls and top with seafood, herbs, and Parmesan.

 This was plate-lickin' good!

Fortified by delicious food,

I always like to take a stroll through the aquarium.

The turtles are always happy to see me.

The alligators gave me the eye.

And the otters ottered.

Stay tuned for our next class in the seafood series -

Chef Jason Jordan from Black Pelican.

Seafood Series At The NC Aquarium. Lionfish!

Rosie is happy.
After a two-year plus hiatus, the seafood series cooking classes are finally back at the NC Aquarium!


Tuesday, November 14, 2017, Chef Andy Montero, of Montero's Restaurant in Elizabeth City, was on hand for the opening class.

Our featured fish today?  Lionfish!

Normally, the presenting chefs provide the seafood for our classes.  Not so today.  The intrepid dive team of the NC Aquarium provided the lionfish for today's cooking class.

(Stock photo)














First some lionfish information.  The lionfish is an invasive species here on the Outer Banks - it is not native to the ecosystem here. It has been introduced into the environment and is a threat to  existing species in our Atlantic waters.  The lionfish is indigenous to the Indo-Pacific area and was introduced to Florida waters in the early 1990s, perhaps released by pet stores or aquarium owners during Hurricane Andrew in 1992, and is spreading rapidly throughout the Caribbean and Atlantic regions.  It is an invasive carnivorous predator which can harm our ecosystems and negatively impact our native fish production.  The lionfish, since it's non-native to our waters, has few predators and is at the top of the food chain.  It's a successful invader with venomous spines; it's an efficient predator; it is a competitor to many NC fishery species; it has rapid growth and high reproductive rates.  Combined with the impacts of preexisting conditions, for example over-fishing, the lionfish is in a position to cause substantial damages in coral-reef communities.  Feeding on small crustaceans and fish, it can cause damage to our native species, particularly snapper and grouper.

 It is doubtful we can ever eradicate the lionfish population in invaded areas, so the question is - how do we manage their population?  The consensus is - if you can't beat 'em, eat 'em.  Soooo, the dive team at the NC aquarium ventured out to wrecks off Hatteras inlet (This is the Graveyard of the Atlantic, and for good reason.) and came back with the booty.  The dive team investigated three shipwrecks off Cape Hatteras - the Tarpon, The Dixie Arrow, and the Keshena.  They returned with almost 100 lionfish - from 5" to 18" which they dressed and filleted, and brought to Chef Montero for our class.

(stock photo)

 

In cleaning lionfish, it is advisable to wear puncture-proof gloves.  The dorsal spines are venomous.  Although not fatal, the spines can deliver painful stings causing a variety of symptoms - pain, swelling, tingling, headache, chills, cramps, nausea, and, in extreme cases, even paralysis and seizures.

 (stock photo)

The majority of lionfish were found by the divers on the Tarpon, a World War II submarine which foundered while under tow in 1957 and now rests in water 140 feet deep.  The other two dive sites were the Dixie Arrow, sunk by a German U-boat in 1942 and resting in 90 feet of water,  and the Keshena, a tug which was sunk by a mine (actually friendly fire, the Hatteras minefield being set to provide relief from attacking U-boats) in 1942.

Now, let's EAT!
(Recipes by Chef Montero.)

For our first presentation, the fillets were rubbed with a tangy and salty red miso paste (fermented soy beans) and simply seared in vegetable oil. These were served on a bed of cole slaw with a quick-chi dressing.  (Quick-chi, as in non-fermented, as opposed to kimchi, which is fermented.)

 

 Cole slaw with quick-chi dressing
shredded cabbage
shredded carrots
Dressing
7 TB sriracha
1/2 cup fish sauce
3/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup sweet and spicy Thai chili sauce
2 tsp lime juice
2 tsp lemon juice
4 tsp sesame oil
Mix together all ingredients and toss with cabbage and carrots to coat evenly.
(Dressing can be stored up to 2 weeks in fridge.)
     

Our next preparation was baked lionfish fillets, simply seasoned with salt and pepper.
These were topped with a fresh herb aioli or mayonnaise.

Fresh herb mayo

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 TB minced yellow onion, or shallot

1 TB minced chives

1 TB minced parsley

1 TB minced basil

1/4 tsp black pepper

pinch granulated garlic

Combine all ingredients.

Garnish cooked fish fillet with mayo before service.

This aioli with fresh herbs needs to be used up.  It's not something that keeps in the fridge.

Our final preparation was a Caribbean Ceviche.
The fish is chemically "cooked" by the acid, in this case lime juice.

Caribbean Ceviche
1/2 cup diced red onion
3/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup diced tomato
1 cup diced pineapple
2 jalapenos, minced
3 TB sugar
4 cups lime juice
(Yes...  4 cups.)
Combine all ingredients.
Marinate up to 2 1/2 pounds of seafood for 45 minutes.

 

Now, if only I had my own personal dive team to go out a spear lionfish for me.