An Icecube's Chance in Hell

As many of you probably already know, food and cuisine occupy my thoughts for a large part of the day. Take today for instance. In the morning, I was thinking about the schnitzel and spatzli that I was going to make myself for dinner. On further contemplation (and as a result of the painful recollection of the morning's blood test) I resolved myself to a more healthy dinner of schnitzel and veggies.

On the way home from work (stay with me, this story does have a point...) I decided that fish was in order, and I went over to Valu-Mart (I guess e's are too expensive in Deep River) and bough myself what I thought was a fresh piece of Atlantic salmon. I could almost taste those Omega-3's.

You can imagine my horror when I returned home to discover that my fish was, shall we say, less than fresh. I had been deceived by the lies of a pack-on date of today and a best-before date almost a week in the future.

And now the point: This exercise in food frustration finally convinced me that it was time to start writing a food blog (for lack of a better term). Jenn has been trying to convince me to try this for some time, so if you don't like it, it's her fault. The entries will contain musings, opinions (if I can manage to get a couple....I'm usually so passive and non-opinionated.........no

t sarcastic either) and fun food facts. The current working title is "An icecube's chance in hell", inspired by yesterday's snow.

In case it wasn't obvious, this entry (besides introducing the premise) is about fresh fish. The selection of fresh fish at Valu-Mart is always....limited. For over a year, I have avoided it as I felt my principle that fresh fish takes a watchful monger is not to be hastily discarded. However, recent concerns over my "elevated" blood pressure convinced me that it was time to sacrifice my ideals and go for pre-package "fresh" fish. You know the result. My faith in open-mindedness, while always limited, has been completely shattered. Never again will I venture in the unknown to try the unfamiliar, to sear the unknown.....

Maybe I exaggerate...bottom line is that there are certain necessary conditions one should be looking for when shopping for fresh fish. Firstly you should always get your fresh fish from a supplier that has a lot of turnover and deals exclusively, or almost exclusively, in seafood. The store should be busy, clean and odor-free. Next, the fish should be properly stored. Whole fish (with their beady little eyes, always staring at you....following you...) should be stored on ice and cut fillets should be in trays on ice, or at least on plastic on ice, separated by type.

Now, when you walk up to the counter, you must rely on your senses. The eyes, seeing that the fish is moist but not slimy or that the eyes have a healthy shine with no cloudiness tells you that the fish is fresh and properly handled. Your nose, detecting nothing but possibly the faint smell of the ocean tells you that the fish hasn't been sitting around for too long (any fish that smells like ammonia, or any other cleaning product, should be avoided...). The flesh should feel firm. Lastly, your ears should tell you how qualified the monger really is. Ask him a question like, "What would you take home today?" If all you get is a 16 year-old myspace/ipod induce coma stare, maybe you should shop elsewhere...

That's it, it's really that easy.

I have to end my little rant, as my pie is almost finished. Assuming that I don't get hate-mail from the pre-packaged fish association of the upper ottawa valley, or a prime-time tv spot on the Food Network where I co-star with Alton Brown, I will endeavour to write these on a weekly basis. I just have so much knowledge to share....the world needs me.....