This week we are happy to bring you all California King Salmon from the Monterey Bay harbors triumvirate: Monterey, Moss Landing, and Santa Cruz. Stan Bruno, John Hulliger, Jerry Foster, and Brian Lucas all came together to bring us this week’s treat from the sea. The fishing up to this point has been relatively slow with around 15 fish days when they can get out of the harbor (serious there were waves breaking IN the entrance to the Santa Cruz harbor yesterday). Up north in the San Francisco area there are reports of 40 fish days. That said the fishermen are very happy with the high price they are getting right now: the most they have seen ever between $8.50 and $9.50 a pound whole (filleted that comes to $15.58 wholesale). Unfortunately the incredibly high price means most of it is being sent to big buyers in the city, and little of it is being kept here. Local restaurants and markets are having an extremely difficult time getting a hold of these fish, but LCMB did. YAY!

Stan used a GoPro camera when he was fishing, and here is a video we put together for you all! CONTENT WARNING: This is fishing, and there is blood. That said, A few of you will be eating the fish he lands in this video…which is pretty cool! 

Caught by: Stan Bruno, Jerry Foster, John Hulliger, and Brian Lucas
Landed in: Santa Cruz, Moss Landing, and Monterey
When landed: Friday 5/3 (and kept in coolers on ice)
Filleted and bagged: Monday evening, 5/6, by Greg Young
Coolers packed: Tuesday 5/7, 10AM
Fillets shares vs. Whole fish shares: Same – all fillets this week
What to take: 1 share = 1 package
For best taste, eat by: Thursday

Most of you remember we did sablefish(black cod) last week, and some of you may also remember we gave Brett Shaw the heads, carcasses and guts to go crabbing. Well all those “left-overs” yielded dungeness crab for you all this week! Talk about reducing our waste stream and creating a sustainable loop…of deliciousness. Now we need to figure out what we can catch with the crab shells to continue to cycle. Until then, the most amazing thing you all can do is make bisque out of the crab shells, then compost the shells in your garden to grow veggies…More sustainability and deliciousness. Any other possibilities?

Regarding sustainability and the green cycle, folks from Green Heart Works invited us to participate in a film about efforts throughout Monterey to mitigate our waste streams and in some cases make energy out of it through the Monterey Regional Waste Management District. The idea of running a fishmobile on fish waste may be easier then we thought. We want to thank Anton for helping out and participating in the shoot and for all the Eco Carmel members for their patience during the filming activities!

Yesterday was Greg Young’s, 50th Birthday. Friends and family gathered last night at his restaurant “Sandabs” in Scotts Valley to celebrate Greg’s 18262.1099 days. The event included great food, a slide show, and a plethora of stories; mostly having to do with fishing.

It’s been blowing out there… Today the gusts are over 32 miles an hour! But don’t fret, with the seas churning we went to the protected waters of Tamales bay for this weeks local treat: Marin Miyagi Oysters.

The old saying used to be “Avoid eating oysters or shellfish in months that DON’T have an “R” in it.” The idea back then, presumably handed down by the American Indians, was to avoid eating wild oysters and shellfish during the hot summer months when there was risk associated with increased bacteria growth, red tides, toxic events in the waters where shellfish were living and feeding. Now that most shellfish comes from commercial operations with strict regulations in place, and we have refrigerators to keep them cold, we don’t worry about this saying too much. Plus our waters along the CA coast are cold all year round, not like New England where the temperature can fluctuate 30+ degrees! In this region we do worry about rain, nutrient loading, and subsequent bacteria growth associated with winter: If it has been raining a lot and water quality is not good, the shellfish operations are not allowed to harvest. As you all probably experienced, this has not been one of those winters to worry about too much rain, or nutrient loading in our bays and in our shellfish. Quite the opposite, the lack of rain is troubling.

Well….it is April, and growing up back east, this would be the last month of the winter season to enjoy these delicacies. It was a a sign that we made it through winter (with the oysters help) and on to better weather; a harbinger of spring of sorts. Just like the lupin that vividly accent our glowing green hillsides, MLB opening day…or the howling winds!

You should receive about 18 oysters (small share) and you will have many options – you can eat them raw on the half shell, grill them, bake them in the oven, steam them, or even drink them as an “oyster shooter” with a shot of vodka. LCMB member Robin, also provided this recipe and blog post for making Pan Pacific Oyster Po’Boy. Yum!

I almost gave up on finding local sablefish. Also known as black cod, sablefish was a tasty staple of our program last year, but unfortunately it has been extremely hard to come by this year. Although it’s a year-round fishery, we haven’t featured it since November due to the recent changes in regulation and rebuilding plan resulting in drastically lower quotas for the next 4-years. As a result very few fishermen are fishing for it. Sablefish is highly prized for its intensely rich, buttery flavor – hence the nickname “butterfish” – and for its surprisingly delicate texture. Although commonly called “black cod,” this deep-sea fish, which can live at depths over 5,000 feet (1,500 metres) is not part of the cod family. Sablefish have a charcoal gray body with a pale grey or white belly. Their sleek bodies are covered with very fine scales (no need to scale them) that feel vaguely furry to the touch. Sablefish inhabit shelf and deep-sea waters from central Baja California to Japan and the Bering Sea (where the majority are caught). Sablefish can live for over 90 years, but females reach maturity at only 3-5 years, meaning there is plenty of opportunity for them to reproduce over the course of their lives.

In addition, as part of our effort to reduce waste we will have close to zero waste this week! All the waste associated with filleting is being used by our crab fishermen!