Eat Fresher Fish.  Support Our Local Fishing Industry.

Merry Christmas Week to you and welcome to Week 15 of our Session! We have a special Shellfish Add-on treat this week from Virgin Oyster Company, live oysters and our Christmas fish is the iconic Monkfish!

Monkfish is a unique fish, that looks very awkward, but tastes like lobster and cooks up firm like a lobster tail. While you are giving Peace a chance, give Monkfish a chance this week! We have lots of great recipes on our Pinterest Page!

Important things to know:

• You have helped us have a RECORD year in sales for 2020, thank you! Not all bad!
• This Session ends on January 2, the week after Christmas is our last week
• We will start again in April 2021 with new software and a brand new website

CATCH OF THE WEEK-MONKFISH

Once caught as by-catch by trawlers and gillnetters, Monkfish have quickly become one of the world's most popular fish. In the west, usually just the tail meat is eaten, but there is a large market for whole monkfish in Asian countries. Also known as "Poor Man's Lobster", monkfish tail meat has both the consistency and distinct taste of this famous crustacean. If you like lobster, you'll love monkfish! And if you don't like lobster, the firm, white fillet when cooked also tastes like a sweetened fish. The flesh is distinct and a purplish-brownish color when raw and turns white once cooked. 

Not at all attractive on the outside, Monkfish should not be judged by their outward appearance! They are a brownish color mottled with white spots on top and white on the underbelly. Their habitat spans from the Grand Banks and northern Gulf of St. Lawrence along the Atlantic shoreline south to Cape Hatteras, NC. Monkfish are voracious predators. They lurk on the sandy, muddy bottom and lure their prey with the spiny extension on their head. This "lure" attracts the prey, like bait on a fishing line, bringing the victim close in for the lunge of the monkfish. The unusually broad mouth, adapted to swallow whole fish, lobster, shrimp and squid, is lined with layers of stubby white teeth.

 

 

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

 

 

 

Monkfish has the consistency of a lobster tail and should be treated as such, when handling. You can even substitute Monkfish for lobster in any recipe. 

 

Cook Monkfish as you would any other fish, and remember the cardinal rule, 10 minutes an inch! The monkfish tails are wide and thick, because they are the tail meat. Marinating the tails and seasoning before cooking adds to the flavor. Baked, sautéed, broiled, roasted or grilled, these tails are fantastic!

 

The Purple Membrane

There is a pesky purplish membrane found on some of the tails of our Monkfish, even after it has come from the processor. Simply cut a long slice in the membrane with a sharp knife and peel it off before cooking. 

 

There are some great recipe ideas for Monkfish, including tacos, on our Pinterest page here. 

 

 

RESTAURANT SUPPORTED FISHERY

We have a growing Restaurant Supported Fishery (RSF), where Chefs and Retailers order fish through us, directly from our Fishermen. They are able to give customers local Catch of the Week Fish, the Captain and Boat name and the day the fish was landed! Check it out here on our website and visit one of our many restaurants and retailers that support serving locally sourced fish! We partner with Three River Farmers Alliance for our RSF. 

 

If you haven't already done so, please send us a check for your balance over $50 to: NHCS, 1 Peirce Island Rd, Portsmouth, NH 03801. If you send a check, it saves us the 3% charge from Paypal! If you choose to pay online with a credit or debit card, do it here.

THANK YOU and MERRY CHRISTMAS

Thank you for your support on this Holiday week and for supporting our local fishing industry in New Hampshire this year. We have seen a tremendous amount of support and patronage from our NH communities for our fishing industry in NH and we truly appreciate it!

Enjoy your festive Monkfish and local Oysters and have a wonderful Christmas. See you next week!

All the best,

1 Peirce Island Rd-Portsmouth-NH-03801