Fish!

Interestingly enough I'm not talking about the fish I've been talking/writing about for a year now but haven't actually posted. What I mean is that when anyone even mentions the word fish, I automatically think of this:

I've been knitting fish day in and day out for a year now I think. Ok, a bit of an exageration, but there have been a lot of knitted fish in my life recently. I finally finished the blanket this weekend and it now belongs to the proud yet oblivious new owner, baby Braun. I didn't leave Sunday until it was done. I'll post pictures soon and release the posts that I had blogged over the months.

No, what I'm talking about today is real fish. Real, fresh, local fish. When I first moved to Boston I was so excited to have fresh fish. But I couldn't figure out where the fish market was. The best I could figure is to go to my local Whole Foods which just doesn't seem right. I wanted to go to the source. Granted I didn't do a lot of research, but I did ask around. Don't get me wrong, I've managed to enjoy a lot of great seafood - especailly my favorite clam chowder. But all at restaurants. Looking back, this might be for the best as I don't really know how to cook fish. I'm not really a meat/seafood cooking kind of gal. My strength is the baked goods and I subsist mostly on vegetarian fare in the house (with some bacon on the side). That is why I'm on the fence and have decided to sleep on it before deciding.

'It' being a local CSF that was passed on by my local CSA. New to me, CSF is Community Supported Fishery. And the one recommended was Cape Ann Fresh Catch (CAFC). I started reading and thought, absolutely this is wonderful, just what I want/need, sign me up. But then I read some more and realized I didn't know exactly what I was getting into. Still maybe a good idea but nothing to rush into (although these things have a tendancy to fill up fast). The questions I have are:

1. When they say "the fish will be dressed - cleaned and gutted, NOT filleted", what exactly does that mean? I think I figured out that means they'll still have the scales. I can deal with scales, I think. I've done scales on some fish before. Will they have heads and eyeballs? Will there be bones? Will there be a tail? What do you have to do with a cleaned and gutted fish before you start cooking it? I have really no idea.

2. When they say the fish will be placed on ice, how much ice? There's really only two pick up sites for me to consider - one in Boston and one two towns over from where I live. Boston is handy if the location is near work, but maybe not if I need to lug a bunch of ice home. Can I leave the ice? Will the fish be ok? Do I need the ice? I don't have any ice at home? I live in a fairly ice-free apartment. I don't really want to hop into my car every week and deal with rush hour traffic to pick up fish but maybe that's the easier way to go.

3. What do they mean when they say "half share of whole fish: 4-6 lbs per week"? Is that a lot of fish? Do I get several different types of fish each week? You can freeze fish right? All types right? I do like fish don't I? I hope so.



So those are the big three I need to wrestle with. I think I'll do it. It supports a good cause so won't be completly wasted if it doesn't work out. Plus I bought a seafood cookbook last year I really should try out. It doesn't really matter that I've only cooked fish probably less than a dozen times. I'll manage. Plus who wouldn't enjoy "a variety of the freshest haddock, cod, flounder, hake, dabs, grey sole, monkfish, pollock, and redfish - and possibly other seafood such as clams, lobsters and scallops." I hope the lobsters aren't still alive. I recognize I need to deal with my food having a face, but still don't want to deal with the death part.