Local Seafood Resources

Cooking Seafood at Home During the Stay-At-Home Era: FAQs

Where can I purchase local seafood?

Great news: it is now easier than ever to find local seafood in the marketplace! As a result of supply chain disruptions during the Covid-19 crisis, the New England seafood industry has actually increased shopping opportunities for New England consumers looking to get their hands on local fish or shellfish. Many traditional seafood markets and grocery store seafood counters are open for business, and they are making a big effort to offer a variety of local seafood species. Some businesses that previously only sold wholesale to other businesses have adapted their businesses by adding retail sales. Others are offering additional consumer-focused sales channels such as home delivery services or shipping. And one big change has been that local fishermen all over New England are increasingly selling their catch directly to consumers from their boats or docks. As a result of this flurry of innovation, there are many options for consumers to buy local seafood. Visit Eating with the Ecosystem’s Where to Find Local Seafood Page for resources on finding local seafood during the COVID-19 crisis.

Can I buy seafood directly from fishermen?

Yes! But certain restrictions apply and it varies by state. In May 2020, Rhode Island passed an emergency regulation allowing fishermen to sell seafood directly to consumers. This regulation is temporary, so take advantage of this opportunity while you can! However, buying seafood from a fisherman is a bit different from going to a seafood market. First, you may only buy from the fishermen at their boat. The exception to this rule is lobsters and crabs; for a limited time, fishermen are allowed to sell crustaceans in locations other than dockside. Second, all fish sold from the boat must be whole - so this a great time for you to brush up on your filleting skills or learn to cook with whole fish! Third, fishermen can only sell you lobsters, crabs, and certain species of finfish. They are not authorized to sell shellfish (quahogs, oysters, scallops), bluefish, tuna, or striped bass.

In Rhode Island, you can find fishermen selling seafood dockside in Point Judith, Newport, Westerly, Wickford, Bristol, Block Island, and elsewhere. Fishermen usually return from their trips sometime between midday and afternoon, and you are less likely to find fresh catch available on windy days. To find out who’s selling dockside near you, consult the FishLine app, RI Seafood, or New England Seafoodies. Many fishermen also post daily updates on their Facebook pages. 

When you visit the dock, you may see people or signs directing traffic to ensure that social distancing practices are followed. In busier ports, you may be expected to stay in your car and pop the trunk, and on some days, car lines may form. Leave plenty of time and remember that unless you pre-order seafood from a fisherman, it is not guaranteed that you will be able to find the species you are looking for. To make the most of your trip, treat dockside seafood sales as an adventure that is just as much about meeting and supporting your local fishermen as it is about purchasing seafood.

Can I pre-order a specific species?

Many fishmongers are happy to try to locate specific species for you if you give them advance notice. Just call and let them know what you’re looking for, and ask them if you can place a pre-order. You may also be able to place advance orders by forming relationships with fishermen who are participating in the dockside sales program. Just keep in mind that nature is variable and fishing is weather-dependent. There are no guarantees that you will find the species you are looking for, even if you plan ahead.

What if I can’t find the species I want?

If you are unable to find the specific species you are looking for, you can usually substitute another species. There are over a hundred edible species in New England waters, and many of them share similar body shapes, sizes, flavors, and textures, and can be substituted in cooking. For example, if your recipe calls for a fluke (summer flounder) and you can’t find it, try swapping in another flounder (flatfish) such as winter flounder, blackback flounder, lemon sole, yellowtail flounder, plaice, dabs, grey sole, witch flounder, windowpane flounder, or brill (some of these names are synonyms for the same species). Or if your recipe calls for cod, you can use pollock, haddock, or hake instead. Go to www.eatingwiththeecosystem.org/recipes to view recipes categorized by fish type.

Can I get fish scaled or gutted by my fishmonger?

Scaling and gutting your fish is not difficult to do at home, but it is the messiest part of dealing with whole fish, so some consumers prefer to have it done at the point of purchase. Some fish are sold with their scales and guts already removed, but if not, many fishmongers are willing to do this step for you while you wait. At busy markets, this may be an inconvenience, so it’s a good idea to call ahead of time to give the market a heads up if you’d like them to scale or gut your fish. If you are participating in our Cook a Fish Give a Fish online cooking classes, we will walk you through the steps to scale and gut your fish.

How do I keep seafood fresh and safe during transit and storage? 

According to the URI Food Safety Education Program, “The most important considerations in safe handling of seafood at home are cleanliness, temperature, and time. Keep your hands, preparation area, and utensils clean. Never let raw seafood come in contact with cooked seafood or other raw (or cooked) foods. Seafood is highly perishable. If you are buying seafood at the supermarket, make it one of your last purchases. Use your eyes, hands, and nose when selecting fresh fish or shellfish. Your purchase should feel cold to the touch. And it shouldn’t smell ‘fishy.’ The odor should be similar to that of a sea breeze. Be aware of temperatures—of the air, of your refrigerator and freezer, of cooking. Keep foods out of the danger zone (40 degrees F- 140 degrees F). Be aware of time—limit how long the fish and shellfish are refrigerated.” We recommend bringing a cooler with ice to your local market or down to the docks when picking up your fish. Find more information at https://web.uri.edu/foodsafety/seafood-safety-what-consumers-need-to-know/.

How long does raw seafood last before it goes bad? 

Most people know that fresh seafood is a highly perishable product, but many do not know how this perishability varies across seafood products or how to keep seafood as fresh as possible for as long as possible before eating it. The first thing to realize is that the length of time that your fish or shellfish will stay fresh depends on several factors, including the condition of your seafood when you bought it, the type of seafood you bought, and how well you take care of it. A complete set of guidelines can be found at https://www.eatingwiththeecosystem.org/seafood-shelf-life.

What tools will I need to cook seafood at home? 

The tools you need will depend on how you plan to prepare your seafood. If you eat seafood regularly, it is good to have on hand a sharp knife to cut the fish (preferably a fillet knife), a scaler tool to remove scales (but the back of a knife, spoon, or clam shell will do in a pinch), fish tweezers (or regular tweezers) to remove pin bones, and a plastic cutting board. We have also put together a list of some of our favorite tools for preparing seafood at home which can be found at https://www.eatingwiththeecosystem.org/tools-for-preparing-seafood.

What should I do if I buy too much? 

If you have extra fish that you aren’t going to be able to use right away, we suggest freezing it. You can find a guide on how to freeze seafood at home at https://www.eatingwiththeecosystem.org/how-to-freeze-seafood. Of course, as an alternative, you can also give extra fish away to family and friends to help everyone share the joy of local fish!

Where to Find Local Seafood

WHERE TO FIND LOCAL SEAFOOD DURING COVID-19

Great news: it is now easier than ever to find local seafood in the marketplace! As a result of supply chain disruptions during the Covid-19 crisis, the New England seafood industry has actually increased shopping opportunities for New England consumers looking to get their hands on local fish or shellfish. Many traditional seafood markets and grocery store seafood counters are open for business, and they are making a big effort to offer a variety of local seafood species. Some businesses that previously only sold wholesale to other businesses have adapted their businesses by adding retail sales. Others are offering additional consumer-focused sales channels such as home delivery services or shipping. And one big change has been that local fishermen all over New England are increasingly selling their catch directly to consumers from their boats or docks. As a result of this flurry of innovation, there are many options for consumers to buy local seafood.

We have put together and shared lists compiled by other sources of places you can find local seafood during the COVID-19 crisis. These lists are being updated the owners of the lists and so if your market or business isn’t on the list, contact the list with your information to get added. If you know of other lists that we should include, please share by emailing kate@eatingwiththeecosystem.org.

National or Regional

• LocalCatch.org’s Local Seafood Finder

• National Fisherman’s Buy Local Fish

• Our Wicked Fish’s Where to Buy Local Seafood (mostly MA focused but includes shared posts from other New England states)

• Join New England Seafoodies to see fishermen and businesses posting local seafood sales opportunities

Maine

• Seafood From Maine’s Maine Seafood Supplier Directory

• The Maine Seafood Connection Facebook Group

• Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association’s Maine Seafood Resources

• United Fishermen Foundation Find a Harvester

• Maine Fish Direct

• Maine’s Working Waterfront-Seafood Connect

• Gulf of Maine Sashimi

• Give Maine Seafood

New Hampshire

• New Hampshire Sea Grant’s Local Seafood Finder

Massachusetts

• Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries’ Find a Seafood Retailer

• Cape Cod/Southeastern Mass. Businesses Offering Online Orders with Delivery or Pick Up

• South Coast Direct Source Seafood

• New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center’s List of Local Markets

• Source What’s Good App

Rhode Island

• CRC’s Local Seafood Finder StoryMap

• Rhode Island Seafood’s Find Rhode Island Seafood

• Rhode Island Monthly’s Where to Get Local Seafood for Pickup or Delivery

• Rhode Island Sea Grant’s Ways to Get Local Seafood in RI

• East Coast Shellfish Growers Association’s where can I buy shellfish?

• Eat Drink RI’s Shop Local

• Source What’s Good App

Connecticut

• Connecticut SeaGrant’s CT Seafood Sales

Long Island

• Cornell Cooperative Extension Marine Program’s Choose Local F.I.S.H.

Download the FishLine App

WHERE TO FIND LOCAL SEAFOOD NORMALLY

During regular times, i.e. non global health pandemics, most local markets including supermarkets, have at least some New England seafood species for sale. If the market you shop at doesn’t offer local seafood or much of a diversity of species, ask your market for local species! You asking creates demand which encourages the market to carry more local seafood and they may be able to special order the species you are looking for. If you find a local species you are particularly excited about or think others may be interested in, let us know and we will share so that we can send people to go support that market and their efforts to sell local seafood! You can let us know by emailing us at kate@eatingwiththeecosystem.org or tagging us on social media.

New England Seafoodies

JOIN NEW ENGLAND SEAFOODIES!

New England Seafoodies is a place where local seafood lovers of all levels can come together to learn, share, enjoy, and nerd out about our local seafood and fisheries. Through the New England Seafoodies facebook group and instagram hashtag (#SeafoodiesNE) you will be able to hear from local fishermen about what they are catching, share with your fellow seafood lovers where you have had luck finding these species, share and receive tips and recipes for preparing local seafood, and ask us and each other questions!

We especially encourage sharing your local seafood shopping successes. Sometimes finding a more diverse array of local seafood species can be difficult. Markets mostly carry the more popular species because they know that is what will sell. However if customers can show them that there is demand for a wide variety of local seafood species especially the underrepresented ones, markets will carry more of them. We ask that when you find local seafood in your shopping adventures that you share with the group, so that more customers can go and show support for these markets by purchasing these delicious but underrepresented species.

We also love to see what meals you create! Show off! Share with us a photo of your fish or shellfish and a recipe or technique you used to prepare it. We will applaud your attempt at filleting a fish, droll over your seafood stew, and give you tips for picking a crab.

If you are selling local seafood you may also post to the group opportunities to buy local seafood such as (but not limited to) dockside sales, retail market specials, or delivery options. Please keep all posts New England seafood specific.

To participate, join the New England Seafoodies Facebook group and follow/ use the hashtag #SeafoodiesNE on Instagram.

HOW TO FILET A ROUND FISH

Round fish refers to any "regular" fish that swims upright vs a "flat fish" which would refer to fish like flounders. This method can be used on any round fish. The images show a black sea bass.

There are many ways to filet a fish so if you have a preferred way of doing it, feel free to share with us. This method was taught to us by Johnson and Wales professor chef Rizwan Ahmed! Each step corresponds with the photos below.

HOW TO FILET A FlatFISH

“Flatfish” refers to fish such as flounder, sole, dabs, plaice, or halibut that are, as their name implies, flat. Unlike the “regular” round fish which swim upright by moving their tail from side to side, a flatfish swims horizontally by moving their bodies in a wave like motion up and down. There are right and left facing flatfish which refers to the side of the fish that the eyes are on. This method for filleting works on both right and left facing fish.

There are many ways to filet a fish so if you have a preferred way of doing it, feel free to share with us. This method was taught to us by Johnson and Wales professor chef Rizwan Ahmed! Each step corresponds with the photos below.

How to Freeze Seafood

Courtesy of Cathy Pedtke, Eating with the Ecosystem

Cathy is our board vice president and she is also a chef and recipe developer! We asked her for some help with producing a few how to guides for the home seafood cook.

It’s always great to be able to get fresh, locally caught seafood while it’s in season, but with the very short shelf life of fresh seafood, it’s not always practical. Most frozen seafood options you find at the grocery store aren’t locally caught, so we suggest buying extra local seafood when you can and freezing some for later! We’ve laid out what species to look for and how to Individually Quick Freeze (or IQF, as restaurants and suppliers refer to it) seafood at home for the best freshness and flavor preservation. 

Best seafood to freeze raw:

• Fatty fish like mackerel, tuna, salmon, and swordfish

• Large fillets like halibut, monkfish, cod, pollock, and haddock 

• Scallops, lobster, shucked clams, or squid.

Seafood to freeze pre-cooked:

• Crab meat (pre-picked)

• Lobster (pre-picked or in shell)

• Smoked fish

Individually quick freezing:

For most seafood, it’s easiest to freeze individual portions so you can defrost the right amount later. You can do this by wrapping or packaging each individual portion separately before freezing (if you have a vacuum sealer this works really well), or you can use the IQF method to freeze seafood portions before packaging them.

Seafood Shelf Life

How long your fish or shellfish will stay fresh depends on a couple of factors: The condition of your seafood when you bought it, the type of seafood you bought, and how well you take care of it. 

The condition of the fish or shellfish when you purchased it

You want to buy the freshest seafood possible. This will help ensure longer shelf life and make your seafood taste better as well. Ideally you will be purchasing seafood within a day or two of when it was landed. Handling of the seafood by your fishmonger (whether you buy from a fish market or direct from a fisherman) is very important. The fish should be kept cold (40°F or lower). Ideally the fish has been kept on ice and for some species it's important that it was bled and gutted. For crustaceans such as lobsters and crabs you want them to be alive and moving, the livelier the better (however some species such as Jonah crabs are naturally very calm and docile). And for shellfish such as clams or mussels you want them all to be alive and for most, their shells should be closed (you can tap a clam or mussel with an open shell and they should close their shell. Some species such as steamer clams or razor clams have a naturally open shell and that is okay.)

The type of seafood you bought and how to store them

Crustaceans

Live crustaceans such as lobsters and crabs should ideally be used the same day you bought them. However if you need to keep them for a day they should be kept cool and moist. You can keep them in your fridge (in a paper bag or bowl) or a cooler and keep them moist by either covering them with seaweed or newspaper/towels soaked in salt water. Do not store them in buckets of freshwater (they are marine animals so fresh water will kill them) or any water for that matter (they will quickly use up the oxygen in a bucket of salt water if you don’t have the proper aeration system which most of us home cooks do not have). 

Shellfish

Shellfish such as mussels, clams, or snails should be bought from a fish market or dealer (some fishermen are also dealers) and should have tags that indicate the shellfish were harvested from safe waters. When storing live shellfish, you want to keep them in a bowl or dish with wet towels or paper towels over the top. Never store live shellfish in water or in an airtight container (they will die). You can also put the bowl of shellfish into a larger bowl with ice to keep them extra cold. Mussels, steamer clams, or razor clams can be stored up to 3 days. Hardshell clams and oysters can be stored up to ten days (or longer). If the shell is closed and the clam or oyster doesn’t smell dead then it is alive and can be used.

Fish

The shelf life of fish depends on the species and its quality at the time of purchase. In general you want to use a fish fairly quickly. Ideally within one to two days of purchase however if you bought a really fresh fish that has been handled properly it may last up to 5 days or longer. Store your fish in a sealable plastic bag, removing as much air as possible before sealing. To maintain the optimal freshness store your fish on ice in the fridge. I find covering your bag of fish with ice in a colander and then placing the colander in a large dish that can catch the melting ice works really well (replacing the ice and draining the water once a day). The colder you keep the fish the better.

• Lean white fishes and pelagic fishes (tuna and swordfish) can be kept between 3-5 days. 

• More oily fishes such as mackerel or bluefish should be used within 3 days of purchase. 

• Skates and dogfish should ideally be used the day you bought it. 

 Tools for Preparing Seafood

People often think that you need fancy seafood specific tools to cook seafood at home. You don’t. You probably already have all the kitchen utensils, cookware, tools, etc. you need in your home for preparing a delicious seafood meal. However we do have some favorite seafood tools that make preparing seafood at home easier and as seafood nerds, we enjoy a nice kitchen tool. For all the tools and listed below, we will also suggest alternatives that you may already have at home.

A sharp Knife

This is probably one of the most important tools you can have in your kitchen (whether preparing seafood or not). There are many different types of knives and ultimately it comes down to what you are using the knife for and your personal preference to determine which knife is right for you. The most important thing is that your knife is sharp. This will make cutting your fish much safer and much easier. Below are a couple of different types of knives that are useful when preparing seafood, particularly for cutting fish. You do not need each type of knife, though maybe knife enthusiasts would disagree (by the way we are not knife experts).

Fillet Knife: Probably one of the most popular types of knives for filleting a fish, is the aptly named fillet knife. They tend to be very thin, flexible, and sometimes are curved. They work well for removing the skin from a fillet and getting close to the bones when filleting. Your fillet knife doesn’t have to be expensive or fancy as long as you keep it sharp. You can pick up very inexpensive knives at bait and tackle shops or fishing supply stores.

Boning Knife: Boning knifes and filet knives are pretty similar from what we can tell. However boning knives, while thinner than most kitchen knives, tend not to be as thin as a fillet knife blade and are not always flexible (though they do make flexible boning knives). They also tend to be straight vs curved (though once again, there are exceptions). Boning and fillet knives are used to cut around bones, not typically through them. They are very practical for filleting and removing skin.

Deba: A Deba is a Japanese style knife used to cut fish or meat. The Deba is heavier than the fillet or boning knife and is sharp and thin at the front and a bit thicker towards the handle. It is versatile and can be used to fillet but is also particularly good at cutting through the bones of the fish such as to remove the head or cut through the ribs (you want to do this with the thicker back part of the knife). We’ve been told that you can also use the Deba to score or crack open crab claws or legs.

Chef’s Knife: A chef's knife is a multi-purpose knife. It is designed to perform well at many differing kitchen tasks, such as chopping vegetables or slicing meat, rather than excelling at any one in particular. Most of us own a chef’s knife and they are great for seafood. Chef’s knives come in various sizes, we recommend when filleting using a knife that feels comfortable to you, seems appropriate for the size of fish you have, and you feel you have control with.

A Fish Spatula

In our honest opinion, a fish spatula is the best, and really only, spatula you need. Not only is it specifically designed for getting under and easily handling your delicate filet of fish but it is also incredibly versatile. It’s thin edge and flexible blade make it perfect for flipping a pancake, burger, or crab cake! The slots allow hot oil to drain right though and its thin edge also works well for cutting a fillet of fish in half, to serve when cooked. We also like that the blade is a bit longer than the typical spatula which is helpful when dealing with delicate fillets that threaten to break apart. If you don’t have a fish spatula any regular spatula works however.

Fishbone Tweezers or Needle nose Pliers

Fishbone tweezers are a pair of kitchen tweezers designed for removing the pin bones from a fillet of fish. They are inexpensive and are way easier to use than trying to pull the bones out with your hands. However, needle nose pliers work equally well and are easy to find at any hardware store (we recommend keeping a separate kitchen pair).

A fish Scaler

Scaling a fish can be messy, scales will fly everywhere. We recommend doing it outside if possible, or in a trash bag if you are doing it inside. There are many tools you can use to scale your fish. The back of your knife is an easy tool that you should already have on hand. A spoon is another great option or you can even use a clam shell to scale your fish (a tip we learned from Jacque Pépin,)! But our favorite tool is a fish scaler. It just seems to grip the scales a little better and work more efficiently. Since scaling the fish isn’t our favorite task, anything that speeds up the process is a win for us.

silicone tongs

Silicone tongs are not necessary but they are useful. We prefer them when dealing with fish because they tend to be more gentle than regular metal ones and they also won’t scratch your non-stick pan. However if you don’t have silicone tongs, any pair of tongs will do. They are great for turning over pieces of fish while pan searing or picking up hot shellfish.

Kitchen Scissors

One of our favorite kitchen tools for seafood, kitchen scissors are great for so many tasks. In particular, they are very helpful when dealing with a whole fish. Use them to trim the fins (so you don’t get impaled), cut out the gills, cut through thin bones such as around the ribs when filleting, or open up the belly to remove the guts without slicing open the stomach. They are also very useful when picking lobster or crabs. You can slice through the knuckles on a lobster or the legs on a crab to access the hard to get meat. Some kitchen scissors also have a nut cracking part between the handles that you can use to crack the thicker shells of lobsters and crabs, like the claws. They are also great for peeling shrimp and slicing herbs. If you don’t have kitchen scissors, you can use a knife for most of these tasks.

Lobster picks and crackers

Lobster picks and crackers are great to have on hand for eating lobsters and crabs. The crackers are used to crack the shells open and the picks are great for extracting meat from the tight crevices. They are pretty inexpensive and can be found at most seafood markets, grocery stores, or even some local hardware stores. If you don’t have picks you can use a small fork and nut crackers or your kitchen scissors are a great alternative to the lobster crackers. You could also use a small hammer to crack the shells or crack them with a knife.

A Large Cutting Board

You want a cutting board that is large enough that you can fit the entirety of whatever you are cutting on it. For example if you are cutting a whole fish, you want the whole fish to fit on the cutting board and not be sliding off the edge. Cutting boards come in different materials. The most popular are plastic and wood. For working with raw fish, we prefer the plastic because its durable, inexpensive, easy to clean, and generally won’t absorb bacteria as easily as wood. Its recommended that you have a separate cutting board for seafood vs raw vegetables or fruit.

Oyster and clam knife

An oyster knife and clam knife are essential for shucking oysters and clams. The clam knife is thin with a flat blade for sliding between the closed shells and the oyster knife is generally thicker and sturdier with a pointed tip for boring into the shells hinge to pop it open. We aren’t going to suggest an alternative knife here because it could be dangerous to use a sharp knife to open an oyster or clam. But if you don’t have an oyster or clam knife, you could try a flat head screwdriver or your could try the oven method. Place the oysters or clams in a hot oven for just enough time (a few minutes) for the shellfish relax and their shells to open slightly. You can then easily slide a butter knife in to cut the abductor muscles.

Kitchen or Bar Towels

When the chefs we work with show up at our events to cook, they always have a stack of kitchen or bar towels with them. They use them for everything from wiping up a mess, to a pot holder, to holding a clam when shucking, to placing under their cutting board to prevent it from slipping around. These are not your decorative dish towels that hang nicely in your kitchen, these are inexpensive, come in bulk packages, and are something that you won’t mind wiping down a fish with.

Rubber Gloves

We want to start off by saying that you don’t need rubber gloves to prepare seafood at home. Often you see chefs using them at events or in their restaurant kitchens because of food safety rules related to commercial kitchens and serving the public. However, as long as you wash your hands, it is perfectly safe to handle raw seafood at home without gloves. That being said, if you don’t like the slick feel of a whole fish or raw squid, rubber gloves can be very helpful. They also prevent any fish related smells from getting on your hands which can be nice for easy cleanup.

 From Boat to Plate Video

FROM BOAT TO PLATE: LEARN HOW YOUR SEAFOOD IS CAUGHT AND GAIN INSPIRATION FOR HOW TO PREPARE IT

This video showcases a variety of New England groundfish species being caught, sold at market, and then prepared at home in some delicious dishes! Inspiration for this dishes are posted below.

The dishes in this video were loosely inspired by these recipes. In the video we took applied our own twists on the recipes based on what we had at home or were able to find at our local marketplace. We encourage you to do the same and share with us how your recipes turn out by either sending a photo of your dish to kate@eatingwiththeecosystem.org or by using the hastag #SeafoodiesNE and tagging @eating_with_the_ecosystem on Instagram or @EatingwiththeEcosystem on Facebook.

Fishermen’s stew with haddock, flounder, squid, and littlenecks inspired by Food 52’s Dad’s Favorite Seafood Stew

Changes we made:

• We added onions and leeks. (The onions and leeks were added at the same time as the garlic.)

• We added extra fish (about 1.5 lbs vs 1lb) and used haddock and flounder.

• We subbed shrimp and scallops for squid and littlenecks. (Scallops would have been great too we just didn’t have them).

• Used parsley and thyme vs basil (again just didn’t have basil).

Pan seared monkfish with silky braised fennel in pink sauce

Changes we made:

• We had monkfish filet so there were no bones. (The filet is just half of the loin)

• We made our own sides.

Haddock in Tomato Curry

Featuring footage from FV Lisa Ann III and Eating with the Ecosystem

Recipe adapted from https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/cod-poached-in-tomato-curry

 Ingredients

• 3 Tbs. vegetable oil

• 1-3 chili peppers (we used fish peppers) halved, seeded, thinly sliced (very the amount depending on how hot you want your curry)

• 1 1" piece fresh ginger, peeled, grated or thinly sliced

• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 Tbs. Curry powder

• 2 pints cherry tomatoes (about 1¼ lb.)

• ¼ cup unsweetened coconut cream

• salt

• 1 lb Local haddock fillets (you can substitute other local flaky white fish such as pollock, hake, cod, or monkfish)

• 1 cup basil leaves, torn if large

• Serve with cooked rice

Intructions

• Portion your Haddock by cutting it into about 5 oz pieces. Season with salt.

• Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add chili peppers, ginger, and garlic and cook, stirring often, until garlic has softened but not taken on any color, about 3 minutes.

• Add curry powder and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds to a minute.

• Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the tomatoes have burst and released their liquid, about 15 minutes.

• Stir in coconut cream; taste and season curry with salt.

• Reduce heat to medium-low. Nestle Haddock into curry. Cover and cook at a bare simmer until fish is opaque throughout and beginning to flake, 5–7 minutes (thicker pieces will take longer to cook).

• Gently transfer haddock to shallow bowls with rice.

• Stir basil into tomato curry, then spoon over fish and rice.

Salt Cured Rhode Island Butterfish

Video by John Lee and Kate Masury for the Fish Forward Initiative

 Ingredients

• Butterfish

• Salt

• Oil

Intructions

• Gut your butterfish.

• Butterfly the butterfish and cut out spine.

• Pat dry and lightly salt butterfish.

• Cover with paper towel and place in fridge for about 24 hours (allow air to circulate, don’t place in air tight container).

• Remove butterfish from fridge. Lightly oil aluminum foil on a baking sheet.

• Move oven rack to so that it is close to the broiler. Turn broiler onto high.

• Place butterfish on baking sheet. Broil for about 7 minutes and enjoy!

Rhode Island Black Sea Bass

Video by John Lee and Kate Masury for the Fish Forward Initiative

HOW TO POACH FISH IN OLIVE OIL

Our friend David Dadekian from Eat Drink RI shared with us how to poach a piece of local halibut in olive oil at home. This simple method prevents the fish from drying out and allows the fish to take up the flavors of whatever you add into the oil, in this case garlic, sage, and lemon. Yum!

How to FRy SKATE WING

Our friend David Dadekian from Eat Drink RI shared with us how to prepare chicken fried skate wing at home. This mouthwatering dish can be adapted to your own flavor preferences and can also be used on a variety of other fish such as butterfish, pollock, haddock, acadian redfish, or whiting.

How to Make New England Clam Chowder

Thanks again to our friend David Dadekian from Eat Drink RI for another great home seafood video, this time featuring his recipe for New England style clam chowder made with fresh local cherrystones! 🥣

Did you know that cherrystone is the name of a size category of hard shell clams? Mercenaria mercenaria, also known as Quahogs, are the classic hard shell clam that is native to New England. They range in size from (smallest to largest) littlenecks, topnecks, cherrystones, and quahogs (or chowder clams).

How to Prepare a Whole Scup

Courtesy of Cathy Pedtke, Eating with the Ecosystem

Cathy is our board vice president and she is also a chef and recipe developer! We asked her for some help with producing a few how to guides for the home seafood cook.

WHOLE SCUP FOR GRILLING OR BAKING

Servings: 2 Total time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 whole scup

•  0.5 lemon (fresh or preserved)

• 1 cup herbs (Use what you have: chives, thyme, rosemary, parsley or basil all work great!)

• 2-3 cloves garlic, smashed

• 2 tbsp salt

• 1 tbsp oil

  
  

  Directions:

• Clean and scale your scup, trimming off top and side fins but leaving tail and head intact (Many fishmongers will do this step for you)

• Rub the scup inside and out with salt - use finely ground salt for best results

• Open the scup belly and fill with sliced lemon, herbs, and mashed garlic. Use a knife to cut further down the belly to make a little more room if needed.

• Press the fish closed and brush the outside with olive oil. If you’re grilling the fish, add extra oil and lightly grease the grill grate as well to prevent sticking. This is less of a problem if baking the fish. 

• To grill, lay fish on the grill grate over low heat and cook 6 to 8 minutes per side, until fish is firm and flakes easily. You can also wrap fish in a single layer of foil to make it easier to maneuver on and off the grill, but this will prevent the skin from charring and lessen the smoky flavor.

• To bake, lay fish in a baking dish and bake at 375 for 10 to 15 minutes, until the fish flakes easily.   Carefully flake meat directly off the fish bones with a fork: scup has lots of small bones, so be wary while eating. Serve with rice and steamed or grilled veggies, and top with extra lemon juice and herbs! 

Grey Sole Species Feature w/ Recipe

footage from FV Lisa Ann III and Eating with the Ecosystem

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