Chinese New Year celebrations have been and gone. We are now in the Year of the Rat. But that’s another story for a later article. But back to the theme, ’seafood culture’. In Hong Kong there has been an abundance of seafood over the festive season, and that is essential to the Chinese culture. So how do other nations and cultures perceive seafood. Well I have to say in most cultures’ seafood is a culinary essential.
Over the next few weeks I will look at some wonderful recipes from different cultures. We will see fish and shellfish preparations from around our region and then explore recipes with reef fish and northern hemisphere fish, such as salmon and cod; shrimps and prawns in their various incarnations; stews and scallops and then exciting items such as crab cakes, fisherman’s pie, grilled tuna and halibut, and much more. But here in South East Asia, we’ll look at some indigenous seafood and what you can do with that. Now is not the time though, as they really come to the fore later in the year. Later we can explore the snappers and the groupers.
My usual rant is about sustainability and seasonality. Within these constraints you can still enjoy your seafood and enjoy it at its best. So, don’t waste time, get on the band wagon. If you are a ‘seafooder’, one who likes seafood, I wondered if there was a proper adjective to describe us. This is the world of binary thought and nomenclature. But I don’t think there is! The nearest term is pescatarian, but that is to describe someone who does not eat meat, only fish. So, a seafood lover, is just that a ‘seafood lover’. Go on google search ‘seafood lover’. The search engine goes into overdrive on restaurants for seafood lovers. Marvellous. Wherever you are, take advantage of that.
At this time of year, shrimp is King. Or should I say prawn. You’ll have to go back to another blog to find the difference. But there are some other goodies currently and ‘yes’ I’m back to the Northern hemisphere fish. Get your hands on the remnants of the Canadian seasonal items. They are out there. Then look for the Icelandic and generic Atlantic produce. Skrei is the one to get your hands on if you can. It comes from the coldest waters, during the darkest nights of the year, and is an exceptionally light and delicate wild-caught fish. It is a true wonder of nature and a culinary delicacy unlike any other. Look out for it., and I’ll give you the recipe
Chris has lived in Pak Sha Wan, Sai Kung for many years. He has been in Hong Kong since 1982, and is now in the family business, Pacific Rich Resources.
He is passionate about preserving the oceans and his blog, where this article was originally published, came out of his frustrations in dealing with supermarkets and them not being responsible. So he’s blogging, and working with others, to try to create change through social media.
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