Fish Markets I have Known and Loved

Friends incessantly tease me about my fish market fixations. Weekly I look forward to finding my dinner catch at the local markets. This shopping adventure of My Youth is gone.

On Sunday mornings my Dad and I would buy the family fish dinner at the Indian River Inlet Fish Market.

The shopping promised a delicious dinner and yet the shop itself was a place of horrors.

Trailing clouds of cigar smoke my Dad walked into the shop full of seaweed-y-fresh and ammonia-rancid fish remains. In the case we picked out the whole fresh fish. The fish was scaled, hacked, gored, filleted, wrapped in paper, thrown on a pile of huge ice-cubes all decorated with dashes of the fish blood.

The always cheerful fish monger worked on a butcher block and behind the slop decorated with fish heads and bits of rolling eyes landed on the floor in splashes and canal-rivers. I remember a hose flushed the remains out the store and into the canal. The floor remained painted, stained and highly scented.

I was equally scared and delighted. No need to plead for an evening at Fun Land's House of Horrors!

When I made my adult return to this same store I was again in shock. Delighted as I was to find again the best fish, soft shells and scallops to be bought for 100's of miles around: the House of Fish Horrors was now a classy stainless steel surgical operation.

Beach Blessings,

Small Kitchen Stories: Sunday Nite Mahi-mahi!

This Sunday Supper I wanted perfectly grilled fish!  Until now I've never had this opportunity as I do not have an indoor or outdoor grill. Pannini Grill to the rescue!

Dinner in 8 minutes flat!

Heat the Panini Grill with a little bit of olive oil.  Throw on the Mahi-mahi and cover with the press.

Wait just a few minutes and throw on a big handful of asparagus.

Cover again with the press.

Remember to turn over the fish, after 4 minutes.

Drizzle on a special salad dressing the last 4 minutes.  I used an Orange-Sesame Dressing. 

This was the most perfect Mahi-mahi I've ever made. Done to perfection, to the very second!

Small Kitchen Stories: Sunday Nite Supper Composition

Sunday Night Suppers are always a challenge.  I'm hungry but do not want to make a nice big lovely meal with the involved cleanup..... my small galley kitchen does not have a dishwasher..... as well I do want to use up whatever is "leftover"........ less to cart back to my PA home!

I wanted seafood... but did not want to cook it!  I stopped by Rehoboth Seafood and bought a small chunk of Smoked Bluefish.

Onto the dinner plate it went next to, deviled eggs stuffed with crab meat, sliced radishes topped with scallions.

Then I steamed up and buttered a big handful of asparagus.  Onto the plate it went with a slice of toast.

Sesame Ginger Dressing drizzled on all :-)

Dessert: sliced strawberries with broken up biscotti drizzled with sweet liquor!

Dinner!

Small Kitchen Stories: Flounder with Spinach

After a Day of Piping Plover Police at Cape Henlopen State Park I was ready for dinner and sleep!  On the way home to Dewey Beach I stopped at Rehoboth Seafood...... which seems to get better every year..... I chose a lovely Flounder filet and a bread pudding of mango and peaches :-)

Dinner was ready in 10 minutes!  In a large saute pan throw in the olive oil....heat up and place the filet skin down.  Pour in some Vermuth.  Then shred a big handful or two of spinach, mince spring onions, chop a tomato, and place on the filet.  Let simmer 10 minutes or until the filet is opaque!

Dinner was delicious and the leftovers were perfect for my Sunday lunch.