With the crazy weather we’ve had the last few days, a hearty chowder using rockfish, a staple of the Monterey Bay, is just what the doctor ordered. Check our Local Catch Guide for tips on how to find local rockfish right off the boat, or from one of the local seafood businesses, such as Sea Harvest Monterey or Moss Landing, H&H Fresh Fish Co, Ocean2Table, or Real Good Fish (who shared this amazing recipe with us!).
Read MoreThere is no better (and delicious) way to support local fishermen this spring than by buying fresh dungeness crab. Chef Michael Rotondo, executive chef at the Coastal Kitchen of Monterey Plaza Hotel, shares his recipe for crab linguine, with flavors that will let the sweet, buttery flavors of the crab shine through, and an easy one to make at home with your family. Rotondo got into pasta at a very early age, with some of his first cooking memories making fresh pasta with his mom.
Read MoreFresh local seafood feels like a celebration on its own. This recipe amplifies the celebratory feeling—by way of both timing and treatment.
The timing is Lunar New Year. Different parts of the world greet another dance around the sun—and/or with the moon—in various ways. Many in the global East celebrate this month (starting Feb. 10).
Read MoreTim Obert, veteran Monterey Bay fisherman and captain of two boats, is hoping area eaters consume Dungeness crab whether or not it’s local.
“I tell people it helps maintain the ocean environment in Oregon, and helps us with our market,” he says. “Anyone buying from anywhere is a good thing.”
With that in mind, the Fisheries Trust headed over to Moss Landing’s new Sea Harvest dockside market for some crab harvested from Oregon, and prepped one of the simpler and most satisfying crab dishes going: a sourdough crab melt.
Black cod goes by many names, sablefish, butterfish and blue cod among them. Its indulgent texture and mild flavor also benefit from any number of preparations. But few will tempt with the type of name or tastiness of what Mario Garcia, executive chef at Carmel landmark Grasing’s, does with black cod.
Read MoreSeaside’s own Lance Koehler is many things: an avid fisherman, an entrepreneur, a restaurant general manager, a chef and a dog lover, to start. A single passion runs through each of those identities: deep appreciation for Monterey Bay seafood. That guides much of his work as the driving flavor force at Louie Linguini’s on Cannery Row, and helped inspire he and his wife’s popular business Pacific Pet Treats.
Read MoreMyra Goodman and her husband founded now-international organic superpower Earthbound Farm after it started as a roadside produce shack with a couple of acres to grow on in Carmel Valley. Her first cookbook, Food to Live By, remains a treasured resource… One favorite among them delivers simple, easy and satisfying tuna. The crust seduces with a shift from Kosher salt to fennel sweet, best enjoyed with fresh local albacore, now in season—but not for long!
Read MoreFisherfolk categorize white sea bass as a ghost fish because they are so elusive, which makes them all the more prized when their fleeting season comes around—as it just might in September. (Or might not.)
Read MoreChef Tim Wood, the big personality behind Woody’s at the Airport and Woody’s at Del Mesa, has so many great hookups in the local foodscape the original recipe read like this: “Step one: Call the Crab Man Dave, see if he's fishing halibut; Step two: Call [farmer] Dick Swank and Peter the Lemon Guy…”
It also involved expert skills (“Clean the halibut!”) and quantities better scaled for one of his restaurants.
For practical purposes, that version has been rendered more realistic for mere kitchen mortals, in terms of procurement advice and portions. Wood recommends MBFT favorite Robbie Ocean Fresh Seafood on Wharf Two in Monterey for the fish, Country Flat Farms for the lemons and Swank for the bell pepper.
Read MoreTalk about an incredible summer barbecue. Last year around this time, two dozen spearfishers hunted and foraged in the morning then prepped their harvest for judges in the early afternoon. The inaugural Catch & Cook by Fin + Forage at Del Monte Beach netted a bunch of incredible recipes, including this one by contest finalist, spearo and home chef Dan Silveira. (This recipe first appeared in Edible Monterey Bay.)
Courtesy Dan Silveira
Simple and Delicious - this local rockfish recipe will wow your tastebuds and is coming to us straight from local fishers, Austin Walker and Liza Star of Omega Gold Seafood based in Moss Landing, CA. Try it tonight for dinner!
Read MoreToday’s Sustainable Seafood highlights a local favorite of ours, Dungeness crab!
Not only can you walk down to your local seafood market to find these delicious critters, but you can usually find them for sale LIVE off the docks too!
Read MoreA special treat from our friend, Colin Moody, Head chef at The Club at Pasadera. Shown here is a locally sourced abalone dish that you can make at home like a Pro. Keep reading to find out how!
Read MorePicking which of Cafe Fina’s owner-operator Domenic Mercurio crab recipes to feature here is as easy as selecting Cafe Fina for a crab splurge. Sicilian style is the way to go for three reasons. One, it’s profoundly easy and features accessible ingredients. Two, it’s delicious, and reason three is that’s the way his family has always done it. “It’s the way I was raised to eat it,” Mercurio says, smiling.
Read MoreAnthony Davi, godson of cioppino legend Phil DiGirolamo of Phil’s Fish Market & Eatery fame, can riff about how regional and familial influences make each individual batch its own adventure. Phil’s recipe proposes its own combination of seafood, but home cooks are encouraged to embrace what’s fresh and available from your local fisherfolk, ideally on the same day you want to prep it!
Read MoreShared with us from our friends at Real Good Fish: “This recipe is adapted from chef Gabriela Camara of Mexico City, who made her mark on the food world with her restaurant Contramar. For those in the San Francisco area, she has another fabulous restaurant, Cala.”
Read MoreFrom LifeSource Natural Foods: Locally-Sourced Rockfish Cakes
Read More(from The Spruce Eats) - Beer-steamed rock crab with a sweet and spicy seasoning!
Read MoreYum! This simple preparation lets the buttery flavor and texture of California Spot Prawns, a West Coast delicacy, shine. Give it a try at home!
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