I'm Hitting the Road for U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish!

If you know me, or have seen me on TV, chances are you know that I'm big time supporter of U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish (partly due to the fact that my husband, Steve, has been in the fingerling business for a long while - but also because it's just GOOD!) I swear, I prepare as many catfish recipes as I do prawn recipes! It's a versatile fish, with a mild taste that compliments every dish - and it's sustainable and all natural! What could be better?!

The Catfish Institute is a wonderful organization that has enlisted me to spread the good word about U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish across the Southeast U.S., and I'm very excited! I will be traveling for the entire month of August to promote and prepare USFR Catfish on local TV stations. I'll be sure and let you know what cities I will be in so you can tune in, or tell family and friends that live in the area to watch! This Friday, August 1st, I will be in Shreveport, Louisiana, on KTAL at 5 pm.

And don't forget ....if you're ordering/buying Catfish at a grocery store or restaurant, please be sure and ask where it comes from. Stay away from those polluted imports, and make sure you are eating only U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish!

One of the best prawn dishes - hands down!

You haven't lived unless you try this dish. I promise it is wonderful and way too easy to prepare! It's so light and healthy, and all of the flavors taste amazing when mixed together. I promise you won't be disappointed - I know my family wasn't!

(PS: This recipe is a really good way to use all of those fresh herbs that you have growing like wildfire in your garden!)

Prawn Diavolo with Lemon Parmesan Pasta

1 lb. freshwater prawns, peeled
1 to 2 teaspoons salt (Kosher salt if you have it)
1 to 2 teaspoons dried crushed red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus 1-2 tablespoons
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 (14 ½ oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 cup dry white wine (or chicken broth)
4 cloves garlic, chopped
¼ teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crushed
3 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley (or 1 tablespoon dried)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (or 1 tablespoon dried, crushed)

Toss the prawns in a medium bowl with salt and red pepper flakes. (Remember that prawns are freshwater and have very low sodium. Adjust salt to taste.) Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the prawns and sauté for several minutes, turn, and continue cooking until just cooked through. Transfer the prawns to a plate and set aside.

Add the onion to the same skillet and add 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil. Sauté until translucent or about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices, wine (or chicken broth), garlic, parsley, basil, and oregano. Simmer until the sauce is reduced and thickened slightly or about 10 minutes. Return the prawns and any juice to the tomato mixture and toss. Cook for a minute so that the flavors blend. Add more salt to taste. Serve over plain pasta or lemon pasta.


Lemon Parmesan Pasta

1 lb. pasta (we used Dreamfield’s low-carb spaghetti)
2/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves (or 2 to 3 tablespoons dried)

Cook the pasta in salted water until tender but still firm. Meanwhile, whisk the oil, cheese and lemon juice to blend.

Drain the pasta reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the pasta with the lemon sauce. If it is needed, add a little of the reserved liquid. (We did not need any liquid with the low-carb pasta and sauce. Refrigerate the liquid and use it to add moisture when reheating leftovers.) Season with salt and pepper.

Chef Christopher Janian

Chef Christopher Janian is now the Executive Chef at the Eastern Yacht Club in Marblehead. Chef Denise Graffeo has retired and turned over her hat to Chef Christopher Janian. We wish Chef Denise a wonderful retirement, and Chef Chris a bright future.

Angelfish

Emperor Angelfish

The emperor angelfish, Pomacanthus imperator, is a species of marine angelfish. It is a reef-associated fish, native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans, from the Red Sea to Hawaii and the Austral Islands.

Juveniles are dark blue with electric blue and white rings; adults have yellow and blue stripes, with black around the eyes. It takes about four years for an emperor angelfish to acquire its adult colouring. They grow to 40 cm in length. Juvenile to adult transition may not fully occur in an aquarium.

Royal Angelfish

The royal angelfish, Pygoplites diacanthus, is a species of marine angelfish of the family Pomacanthidae, the only member of the genus Pygoplites. It is found in tropical Indo-Pacific oceans from Red Sea and East Africa to the Tuamoto Islands, north to Ryukyu and Ogasawara islands, south to the Great Barrier Reef and New Caledonia, at depths down to 48 m. Its length is up to 25 cm.

The royal angelfish occurs in coral-rich areas of lagoon and seaward reefs, often found in the vicinity of caves. It feeds on sponges and tunicates. It is solitary or in pairs, or in groups.

Coloration of the royal angelfish is sides with alternating dark-edged bluish white and orange stripes which narrow and angle backward in dorsal fin, the posterior portion of the dorsal fin black with close-set blue dots, the posterior portion of anal fin with alternating yellow and blue bands running parallel to body contour, and the caudal fin yellow. Juveniles have a large ocellated dark spot on the basal portion of the soft dorsal fin.

Although it is frequently exported through the aquarium trade it rarely survives in the aquarium.

Usually specimens abused during shipment, more likely caught by drugging, will refuse to eat anything, including live fare.

However, given the right environment, specifically with smaller and docile tankmates like gobies and dwarf angels, it will start feeding within days when fed brine shrimp, brine shrimp plus flakes, and further progessing to regular frozen foods and a certain brand of cichlid pellets which this species seem to crave.

With a hostile environment with fellow large angels, puffers, and triggers, and certain clowns, it will almost certainly fail to acclimate and slowly die of starvation due to its shyness to start feeding.

Survivability of feeding specimens seem to equal to the other Pomacanthids.

Fresh water dips may be required to rid newly arrived specimens of flukes and ick which this species is especially prone to.

The prior myth that only yellow-bellied variations from Sri Lanka and the Red Sea will survive points to the fact that species from the Philippines and Indonesia are often abused when collected.

King Angelfish

Swell Shark

The swellshark, Cephaloscyllium ventriosum, is a catshark of the family Scyliorhinidae found in the subtropical eastern Pacific Ocean between latitudes 40° N and 37° S, from the surface to 460 m. It grows to about 1 m in length, and can expand its body by taking in air or water to make it appear larger to predators.

The swellshark is found on the continental shelves and upper slopes from inshore to deeper waters, preferring rocky, algal-covered areas of kelp beds. It is nocturnal and feeds on bony fishes, alive and dead, and probably crustaceans. Reproduction is oviparous. Swellsharks can live in aquaria for several years and females can lay eggs in captivity. In their natural state they can occur in aggregations while resting, sometimes piled one on top of the other. Sometimes they are caught by sport divers but they are not used.