Montauk

Connecting Communities

Congress has been debating disaster relief to fishermen in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. This concept of ‘fish aid’ reminds us of Farm Aid, which helped put the family farmer into our collective awareness. We think the family fisherman deserves an honored seat at the table of the sustainable seafood movement, and to have the concept of ‘know thy farmer’ applied to the way we source our fish.

Fifth generation fisherman Captain Manley Doughty has been running the F/V Dianne Lynne II out of Portland, Maine since he was fifteen years old. Doughty will long remember one March day “of going into Portland and averaging $3.22 a pound for the fish," after being pummeled by the weather during a three-day offshore trip in the Gulf of Maine, expecting low prices for his catch. He loves that the hake, pollock, and haddock he lands ends up in the hands of top chefs creating delicious dishes.

Oklahoma is cattle country, and is known accordingly for its beef. Good seafood is hard to find. Chef Jonathon Stranger grew up in rural Oklahoma on a catfish and perch farm. He spent his summers in Montauk and Narragansett where he fell in love with the ocean and fresh fish. He opened Ludivine in Oklahoma City wanting to serve fresh underutilized seafood caught by real fishermen. "I love Atlantic wild hake; that fish is the jam. I serve it super simple and let the fish be the star." Recently, Chef Stranger served the hake with potato puree, roasted baby tomatoes, broccoli and cauliflower, a meal Captain Doughty would be proud to eat.

Even if you live inland, your choices still impact our oceans and waterfront communities. As chefs and diners, we must negotiate between the desire for local food and the reality of a globalized food system. Whether its backyard vegetables or fair trade coffee, we all want the ability to reach through the supply chain and touch the origin of our food. A beauty, for us, is that a fisherman can now know how the fruits of his hard labor are enjoyed. The connection between communities near and far is a wonderful thing.

Cod in Hot Water

NOAA has released data showing that for the first six months of 2012, sea surface temperatures and bottom temperatures on the Northeast Continental shelf were the highest ever recorded. Many species of fish change their locations in response to temperature. This is a well known phenomenon with Atlantic Cod, where 'cod distribution continues to be dynamic, with northerly shifts detected in the spring 2012 data, consistent with a response to ecosystem warming'. “Two years ago we did have a good biomass of codfish off Montauk (NY) and even here and then those fish just disappeared,” said Capt. Jimmy Elliott of the Golden Eagle in Belmar NJ. In essence, US Atlantic Cod stocks appear to be moving to Canada.

As maybe the alarming upward temperatures are not solely in man’s purview, declining Gulf of Maine cod populations are not just the fault of fishermen. Our friend Jen Levin of Gulf of Maine Research Institute’s Responsibly Harvested program says that “New England was built on Cod”. Luckily as Atlantic Cod swim north, populations of their close cousins, Atlantic Hake and Pollock, remain healthy and sustainable. We need to enjoy Maine’s best eating fish, and support New England fishermen.

NOAA had some better news as U.S seafood landings reached a 17-year high in 2011, thanks in part to rebuilding fish populations, and increased value of landings. Yet even with the improved catch last year, the U.S. still imported over 90% of the seafood consumed here in 2011, with the majority being farmed fish from Asia. We all need to eatbetterfish.

In another interesting development, scientists have discovered that sharks are colorblind. Kinda wish everyone was.

Food as Diplomacy

The State Department is deploying a new, elite force in international diplomacy. More than 50 top chefs from across the nation were inducted into the first-ever American Chef Corps on Friday. The State Department will use food as a bridge across cultures. With all of the conflicting interests in our ever more diverse world, it is always good to break tension by breaking bread. Sea to Table partnered with celebrity chef Amanda Freitag at the event, where she served a red, white, and blue plate : red sockeye salmon from Bristol Bay, wild white shrimp from Florida, and Chesapeake blue crab. Patriotic and delicious work well together.

We think this a big deal for the cultural power of food. Speaking of big, at opening day at UMass-Amherst, Ken Toong and his team went big when they prepared and served a world record 6658 pound sustainable seafood stew. And folks at this year’s Maryland state fair were treated to a 300 pound crabcake, another world record.

There have not been any reports of world records, but great schools of swordfish have arrived at Hudson Canyon off Montauk, NY. The rebuilt Atlantic Wild Swordfish stock is a shining example of a successful global conservation effort. Beautiful fish are now landing daily and should be with us through October. Now is the time to support our swordfishermen.

Heritage Radio Network is throwing a party this afternoon starting at 5PM at Robertas in Brooklyn. Evan Hanzcor will be serving our Bristol Bay sockeye at what should be a pretty good time.

The passing of Labor Day marks the beginning of the new fall season. Sea to Table is most excited to introduce three new team members; Camilla Abder, Travis Riggs and Lindsay Haas. Talk to us about planning new fall menus with beautiful seafood, next day from docks across America.

Don't hate me cause I'm bluetiful

Here in the dog days of August, off beaches from NY to Cape Cod swim bluefish that gather together in schools that can cover tens of square miles of ocean, equivalent to 10,000 football fields. Fecund and flavorful, they are a summer dock favorite. However it seems the further you get from the dock, like Rodney Dangerfield, they don’t get no respect. All jokes aside, bluefish are an abundant but underappreciated species.

As in all extremely active predators, the digestive enzymes of bluefish are powerful and their meat deteriorates rapidly. The real issue is they are best eaten within days of catch. The most efficient old school delivery systems take almost a week to get fish from the boat to the plate, where our unique distribution model allows fresh bluefish to arrive next day in your kitchen, offering a delicious, low cost, sustainable choice.

Anthony Bourdain’s hero, Cape Cod chef Howard Mitcham, was among the first to give bluefish adequate respect. In NYC, Katie O’Donnell prepares olive-oil-poached-bluefish crostini. From Brooklyn, Evan Hanzcor reminds diners that NYC is a coastal town. Some of our friends at Chef’s Collaborative are showing how fin to tail eating can get the most out of whole fish. Bluefish are now landing daily in Montauk, NY, Point Judith, RI, and in Cape Cod, MA and should be plentiful into the fall. If you are lucky enough to cook between Boston and DC, they can be delivered FedEx Next Day Ground to your kitchen for $3.90/lb, or anywhere in the country via FedEx Next day Express for $5.90/lb.

Over the past few years we have become friends with some amazing fishermen around the country. Take a minute and meet a few here.

Summertime in the Northeast

As a heat wave baked most of America, some fishermen found cool breezes in the Northeast where both recreational and commercial anglers wait patiently for their favorite time of the year, striped bass season. While recreational guys have been able to live line bunker since April, the commercial season for striped bass finally opened in July.

There is no mistaking the feeling of hooking up with a striper. They slam into bait with such force and abandon your line whirls away in a fury until you’re able to set the hook and the fight can begin. The power that awes fishermen is the same reason striped bass is prized for its firm meaty flesh where it’s diet of bunker, eels and clams gives it a sweet delicate flavor. Open a box of these fresh line-caught stripers and smell the ocean. It’s taken a little time for everyone to get over their initial excitement, and dock prices have come back down to earth. They are landing both in Montauk and Cape Cod, and are a highlight of every summer season.

Small boats are running out south of Martha’s Vineyard with hopes of landing local yellowfin tuna. The steam to Hudson Canyon is not short, but the reward is usually well worth the time and effort. In the style of our friends in Tobago, Massachusetts fishermen are dropping metal jigs on hand lines with hopes of hooking up with yellowfin. The sustainability of a hand-lining is unmatched - one man, one hook, one fish - almost a zero by-catch fishery.

In NY and PA the controversy surrounding fracking of the Marcellus shale for natural gas is heating up. A new study is concerned with chemicals seeping into Pennsylvania drinking water, while chef and goodfood advocate Mary Cleaver discusses Fracking and Its Dangerous Effects On Local Farms. If you are in Brooklyn this week you can enjoy some delicious food from Mary, Michael Anthony of Gramercy Tavern, Peter Hoffman of Back Forty, Zak Pelaccio of Fatty 'Cue, and a host of others at a benefit called Taste of the Marcellus to raise fracking awareness.

As the Bristol Bay sockeye season winds down, awareness of the Pebble Mine threat increases. This week the Huffington Post asked people to share Sea to Table’s videos, as the EPA comment period ends. Remember, the best way to save a salmon is to eat a salmon.

Shucking Succulent Scallops

In the early 1990s, the fishery for Atlantic sea scallops (Placepten magellinacus) in the northeastern U.S. was not sustainable – the population was near record lows and fishing was at a record high. Today, the Atlantic sea scallop population is near record highs, the fishery operates at sustainable levels, and is the most valuable wild scallop fishery in the world. The collaborative work of scallop fishermen, scientists, fishery managers, and environmentalists is responsible for this incredible turnaround.

In addition to the New Bedford, MA scallop vessels that land 52 weeks per year, the warmer weather has day-boat scallopers working out of both Point Judith, RI and Montauk, NY. From both docks we can ship sea scallops, next day from the water, in a box together with a wealth of other species now landing. They are shucked at sea, touched only by sea water. And from Cape Cod, now that the squid fleet is changing their gear over to scallop, we are seeing a regular supply of live scallops, landing almost daily off the F/V Jessica Susan captained by Rodney Aveila. When you shuck a live scallop, you will notice scallop coral nestled around the adductor muscle- a real chef's treat.

Truly dry day-boat scallops are a special treat not many enjoy. Unfortunately almost all scallops are treated with sodium tripolyphosphate. STPP extends shelf life and adds water weight to the scallops, while the FDA declares it "generally recognized as safe". We insist that all scallops we ship are completely untreated. By getting scallops to your kitchen next day from the dock, and knowing they were only touched by the sea, you can delight your diners daily. We recently got a box of scallops from Montauk, and they were so good we didn't bother to cook 'em, just ate 'em like apples. They were that sweet.

Summer Season

Memorial Day marks the start of the summer season, and fish everywhere are jumping.

Alaska salmon season began last week with an unexpectedly strong run of sockeye at the Cooper River, driving prices down to $10/lb in the first week. We will be landing sockeye next in Prince William Sound, then in Cook Inlet and finally in Bristol Bay by the end of June.

Gulf of Mexico fishing continues strong with red snapper and grouper, mackerel and mullet. Off the Carolinas, greenstick boats are landing yellowfin tuna and swordfish, before they begin to migrate north. A wide variety of species are finding their way to the dock in Montauk, NY and Point Judith, RI, while monkfish and scallops are landing multiple times per week in New Bedford, MA. From Portland, ME lobster pricing is beginning to back down, and the harpoon fishermen are anxious for the swordfish to return.

A NY Times article this week discussed the value of eco-labels. Although well-intended they often do not reflect the latest science, and without helping the fish stocks, harm the traditional communities the fish support. A recent study found that many of the species certified were in fact over-fished, and expressed “growing concern among scientists about the effectiveness of seafood eco-labeling”. 

ABC World News tested imported farmed shrimp from Asia, with disturbing findings. Three different banned antibiotics were found in the shrimp: enrofloxacin, an antibiotic banned in animals that Americans eat because it damages the immune system; chloramphenicol, suspected to cause cancer in humans; and carcinogen nitrofuranzone, which was banned in the U.S. 40 years ago. The Alaska Dispatch cites rampant slavery and human trafficking issues in the Asian seafood industry. A Louisiana seafood processor was charged in federal court in New Orleans last week with mislabeling shrimp. With over 90% of all shrimp consumed in the US imported, people are eating some bad shrimp.

The key to the right seafood is traceability. Know where your seafood came from.

The Whole Fish

The trend of chefs butchering and utilizing everything from snout to tail reaches from coast to coast. Now we are seeing some amazing dishes from parts of fish that rarely see the plate. Michael White is serving sablefish collars at Marea in NYC. Yoshi Tome, owner of Sushi Ran in Sausalito, describes the Japanese delicacy monkfish livers as "very rich and creamy, but yet at the same time very light and delicate, feeling silky and velvety to the palate". When grouper fishermen came in from sea, they used to put the grouper cheeks aside for themselves; the cheeks are that good. We like no waste.

Things have gotten very challenging in the tuna world. US imports of treated yellowfin tuna fell almost 30 percent last year. The word from Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam, is that the fish are nowhere to be found. Moon Marine USA Corp. of Cupertino, CA is voluntarily recalling 58,828 pounds of imported yellowfin tuna that has been linked with an outbreak of salmonella. It has sickened more than 100 people in 20 states, federal health authorities reported Friday.

Our boys in Beaufort, NC have been steadily landing line-caught yellowfin, but high market demand has been forcing prices steadily higher. The lack of fresh yellowfin has pushed prices of 2+ loins above $15/lb. As spring turns to summer the fish will migrate north, and we will see steady supply landing in Montauk, NY. We are grateful that the well managed US fishery is allowing a sustainable yield, and that our chefs can serve a safe and delicious product.

Cardinals fans should join us on Tuesday afternoon at St Louis’s Sidney Street Café where we will be hosting an event along with Chef’s Collaborative, enjoying Bristol Bay wild sockeye and Florida wild white shrimp with a glass of wine. Promises to be delicious and fun.

Crawfish season is back in swing, and we are shipping live bugs from Natchitoches, LA. From Martha’s Vineyard, MA we are landing live scallops and beautiful steamer clams. A golden tilefish boat will be landing in Portland, ME this week, and will be shipping whole fish at a special price. Beginning next week we will be working with a mid-water trawler from Prince William Sound landing twice weekly at Seward with the famous Alaska side-stripe shrimp. These are the super sweet shrimp that the Japanese call ebi, and most of his catch will be headed for Asia. They can ship together with beautiful halibut, pacific cod, or trolled king salmon.

“Stick to American fisheries, and ‘wild caught’ is best,” Fox News quoted 'Deadliest Catch' Captain Keith Colburn. “When you start buying from overseas without the same health regulations, the quality issues can become scary. There are places that raise chickens above the fish pans, and use the excretions as a food source.” Yum.

Carolina in My Mind

Sun was shining brightly in beautiful Beaufort, NC this week, and I was lucky enough to spend a day with Jack Cox and other fishermen there. Jack is a member of the South Atlantic Management Council and is most concerned with an inability to implement the catch-shares programs that have been benefitting traditional fishing communities around the nation. Still operating under the old “derby” style system, the Carolina grouper/snapper complex is closed to fishing until May 1. “I can’t make enough money to pay for gas keeping only trigger and amber” said F/V Sea Mint Captain James Holden, whose Lumbee ancestors have fished these waters for centuries. “I won’t even go back out until May”. Until then Captain Mike Santos of the F/V Iron Maiden will land summer flounder, and we will see a steady supply of sword and tuna from two boats that will head to their Montauk, NY summer home by June.

On our way home we visited the Raleigh/Durham area, home to a vibrant, growing food scene. We met a great group of chefs at Lantern Restaurant in Chapel Hill, where chef Andrea Reusing put her magic touch on some wild Bristol Bay sockeye salmon and some big wild Florida Gulf white shrimp. An impressive group in an impressive place enjoyed some impressive seafood.

Up north in the Gulf of Maine there is renewed concern for the health of Atlantic cod populations. A step in the right direction happened this week when Whole Foods committed to stop selling all “red-listed” fish by Earth Day 2012, a year ahead of schedule.

Just a few years back the Chesapeake blue crab fishery was in trouble, but strict management has lead it back to where they are now seeking MSC certification. Blue crab season opens today, and when you taste Maryland blue crab in comparison with the Asian product that has flooded the market, it makes you doubly glad that it will be around for our grandkids.

Down in Destin, FL, Chatham Morgan reports that in addition to the steady tuna, snapper, and grouper landing there, mullet, mackerel, pompano, cobia and sheepshead are now being caught within a mile of the beach. These delicious, under-utilized, under-appreciated species, next day from the dock, are a true chef’s delight. Your diners deserve them.

America's Favorite Seafood

Salmon, shrimp, and tuna are America’s three most consumed seafoods.

I used to like salmon. For years it was my go-to menu choice, not even realizing it was farmed. Then on my first trip to Seattle, I ordered wild king salmon. It was a revelation, tasting unlike anything I had eaten before. Now between genetic engineering, disease, and pollution, I just can’t eat farmed salmon. Reports of resurging wild salmon populations off California, and the threat up in Bristol Bay remind us that the need to support wild salmon fisheries has never been greater. Wild salmon season is coming soon, and the best way to support them is to eat them.

I can no longer eat shrimp without asking where they came from. Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture reports that ‘shrimp have been dying in masses’ from farms ‘seriously polluted with high pesticide residues’. With over 90% of America’s shrimp imported, this is not very good news. Thankfully some chefs are getting the message, like Farm 255’s Whitney Otawka who sources wild for her shrimp and grits.

I have eaten my share of tuna sandwiches, but these days can’t help thinking about how they are caught. With imports skyrocketing from the Eastern Pacific, the FDA has begun stopping yellowfin shipments for histamine concerns. These days yellowfin tuna are scarce with prices rising, and we are lucky to work with line-caught tuna boats in Destin, FL, Beaufort, NC, and Montauk, NY, allowing our chefs a steady supply.

Sea to Table is featured in the March issue of Food Arts magazine. Makes us proud.

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