Did you pay attention in biology when the teacher covered taxonomy? I hope at least as much attention as Ms. Chicken in Every Granny Cart. It comes in handy. Case in point? Escolar, aka Snake Mackerel , aka Lepidocybium flavobrunneum, which is sometimes passed off as Chilean Sea Bass (another misnomer as they aren’t even bass), aka Patagonian Tooth Fish, aka Dissostichus eleginoides and I believe also Butterfish of which there are three kinds, Alaskan (Anoplopoma fimbria), American (Peprilus triacanthus) and Pacific (Peprilus simillimus), but may actually be a kind of Oil Fish (Ruvettus pretiosus). Savory, with a Side of Sunshine [A Chicken In Every Granny Cart]... More

If you like halibut, rejoice! The time to eat it is upon us! Karen Gaudette of the Seattle Times says the first shipments of the new season have begun to arrive from Alaska. "Halibut should continue arriving until late fall, when fishermen reach their permitted limits. Prices likely will fluctuate throughout the season, depending on the size and quality of shipments, but right now are between $18 and $20 per pound for steaks and $20 to $23 per pound for fillets."... More

Last month I wrote about a British study that found the children of women who ate more fish while pregnant than the suggested USDA guidelines had significantly more advanced fine-motor, communication and social skills than those born to women who ate less or no fish at all. The Daily Telegraph's Xanthe Clay makes the point that we'd all benefit from eating more fish, especially the oiliest kinds: Oily fish contain Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which lower blood pressure and raise levels of "good" HDL cholesterol, while reducing "bad" triglycerides in your blood. There's increasing evidence that these fatty acids also protect against heart attacks, since they make the blood less sticky and prone to forming clots. Put simply, eating lots... More

"In 1962, Lou Groen was desperate to save his floundering hamburger restaurant, the first McDonald's in the Cincinnati area. His problem: His clientele was heavily Roman Catholic. In those days, most Catholics abstained from meat every Friday, as well as during Lent, the 40-day period of repentance that begins this week with Ash Wednesday. His solution: He created the Filet-O-Fish -- a sandwich that saved his restaurant and eventually would be consumed at a rate of 300 million a year." I've never really given much thought to the classic items on the McDonald's menu so it was a trip to discover that the Filet-O-Fish was invented by a franchise owner and not headquarters--the same is true of the Big Mac... More

I love fish but I don't buy it to cook at home very often, mainly because I don't really know how to pick the freshest one out. CeCe Sullivan over at The Seattle Times interviewed a few experts and wrote a starter guide to picking fresh fish out and also what to do once you've gotten them home: "Once home, "all fish, whether fillets and steaks or whole fish, should be unwrapped and released from their packaging," said Dale Erickson, owner of University Seafood and Poultry Co. in the University District. "The foul air that collects can produce bacteria quickly." He suggests covering the fish with a wet tea towel or loose piece of plastic wrap, refrigerating it, and eating... More

Yesterday marked the start of the Lenten Season, during which Catholics abstain from eating meat on Fridays to honor the Passion of Christ. Seafood is exempted and so in many communities with large Catholic populations, parish fish frys on Lenten Fridays have become a tradition. Nicki Britton of the Houston Chronicle visited parish fish frys in the area and talked to the people that run them: "The fries "build relationships,'' she says. "Many of the (volunteers) are retired. They may not have an organized plan for every day. But they know that every Friday for six weeks, they will be coming together and sharing an experience.'' The recipes for fried fish, coleslaw and potato salad come in two scales each:... More

Whole fish is a Chinese New Year tradition that comes from "Cantonese phrases associated with whole fish, that is, fish with heads and tails intact. They mean "happy endings and beginnings," "everything is perfect," and there will be leftovers every year -- a sign of prosperity." Kimberly Moy includes a recipe for steamed whole fish, which is pretty simple to make but requires that you use the best freshest fish possible, because "in old-school Cantonese cooking, steaming a fish with the barest of ingredients is the best way to show its freshness".... More