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The Fish Guy
Proprietor John
Tierney
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When you live right on the coast, like I did on the California Monterey Peninsula, fresh fish means right off the boat. I watched the fishing boats come in and out of the bay and the lights from the calamari boats light up the night until early morning. Now that I am here in western Colorado, fresh fish means John Tierney, The Fish Guy. The Fish Guy has been selling fish on the Western Slope since 1994. Selling for Coast of Colorado, Tierney calls on residential customers every two or three months. His company buys directly from fish distributors on both coasts. The freshest fish we can buy is frozen on board ship within hours of being caught and not thawed until we are ready to cook it for dinner. For example, halibut is cut in half and flash frozen on board the ship within a few hours of being caught. When delivered to the processing plant the frozen side of fish is sliced into 6-ounce steaks and then sealed into cry-o-vac packaging while still frozen. To prevent freezer burn, fresh shrimp and scallops are sprayed with a mist of water to glaze them and then they are flash frozen. Freezing shrimp with split shells will allow water and air to get into the meat of the shrimp, which will cause freezer burn and also can affect the quality and taste. Before freezing, some scallops may be injected with tri-poly phosphate to prevent freezer burn and to plump size. These chemically treated scallops weep water when they are placed into a hot pan and then the scallops steam instead of searing or sautŽing. The Fish Guy's scallops are chemically free and known as "dry scallops." Tierney buys fjord fresh Norwegian farm-raised salmon because it is consistently the best quality year round, he said. Without question the best salmon are sockeye and king from the Pacific Northwest, however, they are available only during June and July when the salmon are running. The 6- to 7-ounce salmon fillets are boned, skinless and have the fat layer removed. To maintain this high quality, attention to thawing and preparation of the fish is essential. The Fish Guy provides thawing instructions and recipes. Water is your enemy when thawing any seafood. Always thaw with filtered water, as fish will pick up the taste of chlorine or any other chemicals in tap water. Thawed fish should have a clean, non-fishy almost briny, just-from-the-sea smell. The flesh is firm and has a translucency. The Fish Guy's chemically free fish thaw faster and absorb marinades faster. Limit marinating times to 15 or 20 minutes as the long marinade contact may start to cook the fish. For more information on The Fish Guy, call (970) 261-5203 in Grand Junction and Parachute or (970) 274-1994 in Aspen, Glenwood Springs and Rifle, or go to www.fishguyjohn.com. Tierney also sells a selection of steaks. THAWING Shrimp and scallops — thaw in approximately 30 minutes using this method. Lay in a single layer in a large plastic colander. (A mound of fish will freeze together and take much longer to thaw.) Run filtered water over shellfish for 30-40 seconds then drain for 10 minutes. Repeat three or four times until thawed. Fillets — orange roughy and catfish should be cooked in frozen state for more flavor. Steaks — halibut, salmon, swordfish or tuna should thaw 30-40 minutes in cold water. Immerse unopened separated cry-o-vac packs in cold water. Hot or warm water will adversely affect flavor and does not decrease thawing time. Oily fish will start cooking and change flavor at 90 degrees. Cook all seafood within 60 minutes of thawing. After opening original packages of shrimp, scallops or any product from a large bag, store remainder in a zip-lock bag labeled for the freezer. COOKING The best way to cook fillets and steaks is explained in detail by Pam Anderson in "How to Cook Without a Book." When sautŽing or searing, the pan should heat up slowly to maintain the heat and the fish should not be crowded or touching. Too much open space in the pan will cause smoke. SautŽ — frozen fillets such as orange roughy or catfish should be 1/2-11/4 inches thick to cook quickly but hold together in the pan. Heat pan over low heat and add 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon oil to a 10- or 12-inch skillet. Salt and pepper fillets and dredge in flour. When butter stops foaming and starts to smell nutty brown, increase heat in pan to medium-high. To test, flick a bit of flour into the pan and if it sizzles and turns brown the pan is ready. Carefully lay two fillets in pan. (Do not crowd, better to cook in two batches.) Cook fillets 2-3 minutes or until light brown and crust forms on one side. Using thin spatula, turn only once cooking 1-3 minutes depending on thickness. Place fillets into warm oven and prepare a pan sauce such as: White Wine Vinegar Pan Sauce 6 tablespoons chicken broth 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard Mix and pour into hot sautŽ pan reducing by half. Whisk in: 1 tablespoon butter. Spoon over each fillet. Do not use cast iron pan when preparing pan sauce. Sear — fish steaks such as tuna, swordfish, shark or scallops. Use a heavy bottomed 12-inch skillet and place over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes or medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Do not oil pan but drizzle oil on fish then salt and pepper. Turn heat under pan to high and turn on exhaust fan. Place steaks into pan and sear for 31/2-4 minutes, turn once and cook 2 minutes. Scallops cook 2 minutes per side. Serve with: Lemon Caper Sauce 11/2 cups mayonnaise 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon lemon zest 1-2 tablespoons capers Chives, minced Italian parsley, chopped Combine all of the above and chill until served. Poach — fish steaks or fillets 3/4-1 inch thick. Put 2-3 inches of water in a broad, shallow pan. Slices of lemon, herbs (parsley, dill, chives or bay leaf) salt and pepper can be added to the water before bringing it to a boil. Reduce heat, add fish and simmer until fish is opaque, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Ceviche — or Seviche is of Spanish origin and uses citric acid from lime and/or orange juice to "cook" the raw fish. The look and texture of the fish is changed from raw and translucent to opaque and firm. Rick Bayless, renowned Mexican cook, thinks ceviche is the epitome of refreshment in warm weather. The National Fisheries Institute recommends using fish for ceviche that is frozen at zero degrees Farenheit (this usually means commercial freezing) to completely wipe out chances of parasite contamination. Ceviche 1/3 cup fresh lime juice 1/2 cup fresh orange juice 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced 1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped 1 cup uncooked bay scallops or sea scallops cut into small pieces — keep fish very cold Combine all the ingredients and keep cold in refrigerator over ice bath for at least 3 hours. Drain marinade before serving in lettuce-lined cups or on tortilla chips. {M4 — Martha Stewart Fish Guy's Cocktail Sauce for Shrimp 1/2 orange 1 lemon 1 lime 1 10-ounce bottle Heinz 57 Chili Sauce 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon cumin 1/2 teaspoon Paul Prudhomme's Seafood Magic 2 teaspoons grated fresh horseradish 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1/4teaspoon paprika Tabasco to taste Squeeze juice from orange, lemon and lime, combine with other ingredients and allow flavors to blend in refrigerator several hours or overnight. Serve with cooked shrimp. Shrimp Scampi Serves 4-6. 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 pounds large shrimp (21-25 per pound) with shell or deveined & peeled 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 4 medium cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon dry vermouth 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves Pinch cayenne Salt and black pepper 1. Heat 12-inch skillet over high heat until hot, 2-3 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon oil and swirl to coat bottom of pan. Add 1 pound of shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until just opaque about 1 minute. Repeat with second pound. (Cooking shrimp with the shells on gives more flavor. Remove shells before step 2.) 2. Return empty skillet to medium-low heat; melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add garlic and cook stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. Off heat, add lemon juice and vermouth. Return to heat and whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, add parsley and cayenne. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add shrimp and accumulated juices to skillet. Toss to combine and serve immediately. {M4 — "America's Test Kitchen Cook Book" Coctel de Concha 11/2 pounds raw scallops, seared 3/4 cup fresh lime juice 1 small white onion, finely chopped 1/2 bunch cilantro, finely chopped 1 cucumber peeled, seeded and chopped 1 jalapeno seeded, finely chopped 1/2 -3/4 cup tomato sauce or ketchup Pepper sauce (Tapatio brand) Quickly sear both sides of scallops in a very hot skillet. Cool and roughly chop scallops. Combine remaining ingredients and add pepper sauce in increments to desired taste. Add chopped scallops and chill for 30 minutes. Serve in tortilla cup or glassware for more formal presentation. Other additions are chopped green onion, tomatoes, avocado or jicama. Shrimp, snapper or crab can be substituted for scallops. We would like to thank PATRICIA MEYER and the Grand Junction Sentinel for this article. To contact the Gradn Junction Sentinel please click on the link below: © 2003 Cox Newspapers, Inc.
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