Eat Fresher Fish.  Support Our Local Fishing Industry.

Dear %%user-firstname%%,

Welcome to our Week of 14 our Spring/Summer Session. This session runs for 2 more weeks and then we take a week off and our Fall Session starts September 15-January 2.

If you are a 16-week Member and would like to continue for another 16 weeks for Fall, simply update your membership here. 

Our Catch of the Week next week will be Monkfish, please try and give Monkfish the credit it deserves, I know it's a unique fish!  And I know it looks funny and has an awkward shape, but it is really quite delicious!

Some tips for cooking are in our Cooking Instructions section below! And we have a lot of great recipes on our Pinterest Page too!

Important things to know:

• We will have a different variety of fish for Fall Session, including Flounder and King Whiting
• If you are both a Fish and Shellfish member, you cannot hold just shellfish or just fish for the week, if you do a hold, both will be held for the week
• When you double up on your Fish and Shellfish due to a hold, make sure you are doing it on a Shellfish Week

CATCH OF THE WEEK-MONKFISH

Monkfish, aka "Poor Man's Lobster" is really good tasting, but not such a good looking fish

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, shrimp and squid, is lined with layers of stubby white teeth.

 

 

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

View recipe here, in The Telegraph

(Photo courtesy James Murphy) 

 

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. Try Monkfish Tacos, they are great!

 

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, sauteed, 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. 

 

• Lobsters are on the menu for our Shellfish Share next week. All lobsters will be soft shell, as they are shedding (changing their exoskeleton or shell) this time of year! 
• All lobsters will be sourced from our Portsmouth Lobster fishermen, see names and boats on our Facebook Page Monday!
• Shellfish Share members get 2-chix lobsters. 
• Add-ons come in 2 and 6-chix lobsters. Orders opened today and end Sunday at midnight. 

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

Thank you for your support again this week for our regional fishing community! Enjoy your Monkfish and local Lobsters!

All the best,

1 Peirce Island Rd-Portsmouth-NH-03801