The Generous Fisherman

One of the unseen and often under-estimated joys of living in on a small island is the local fisherman. When you think of the taste of fresh food, often thoughts turn to the farmer’s market. Who can deny those lovely tomatoes of summer, so sweet and juicy they hardly make it home before they are consumed. How about the lettuce that is crisp, cool and sweet. The carrots that may not be the straightest, but taste like a carrot should. The benefits and joys of a farmer’s market are well known to all, and if they are not, then you should definitely rise early and explore some of the best food you will ever see outside of your own garden. When you think of local, of sustainable eating, often we do not think of our local fisherman.

The local fisherman is every bit as sustainable as the market gardener or local farmer. They are as local as the free range beef, pork or chicken that comes from friends around the corner. They harvest and manage their ‘crop’ just as much as all the others, and they often know when things are at their best, advice which is well heeded. Sometimes you are lucky and you know just such a fisherman. Sometimes you are extraordinarily blessed and this fisherman is your neighbor.

David is our neighbor, and you have read about him around this time last year when I had the chance to go lobster fishing with him last spring. He is a fisherman, and he fishes in the spring and through the early summer. He also farms mussels and oysters, but his first love is lobster. In order to fish lobster, you have to have bait for the traps. Often this bait is cut fish that has been caught elsewhere. Many of the lobstermen will purchase mackerel or flounder for bait for their traps, but some fish their bait to ensure freshness and a steady supply at a reasonable cost. David fishes his own mackerel.

Tonight, David brought over three lobsters for a cooking lesson that Nancy will be having in our house in two days. As usual, we called to ask him if we could purchase a few lobster form him, and as usual, he refused to take our money. Normally he will cook the lobster for us as he steams in to shore, in the sea water. The quick steaming of lobster in sea water and rapid cooling in the same imparts a flavor to the lobster I have never had in any other setting. Tonight, he chose not to steam them as he thought that part of the lesson would involve the cooking of the lobster. You can imagine Nancy’s surprise when she reached into the bucket for the lobster and they were still kicking. Having never cooked lobster before, the lesson commenced, and David taught us the best way to steam lobster (if you are not doing it in seawater). Whenever we have cooked and eaten something that had recently been kicking around, and their demise was at our hands, we take a moment to give thanks for the life that is given for us.

David was full of surprises, in addition to the lobster, he had brought two 8 ounce mackerel that he had caught earlier in the day. He was kind enough to clean and scale them for us, and he provided us with a couple of recipes that he often used when cooking mackerel. Neither of us has ever had mackerel that we can recall, and it is not a common item on the menu at the local restaurants. However, David assured us that it was a really good fish, and aside from just burning it all to heck, it would taste lovely. So, despite the chili that was in the slow cooker, the lobster that was to be saved for the cooking lesson on Friday, we turned our attention to the mackerel.

Mackerel is an oily ocean fish that is high in omega-3 fatty acids, and is best eaten fresh. There are many different types of mackerel and the Spanish is supposed to be of the lightest flavor, the Atlantic the most savory. Well, ours was Atlantic, and savory was the order of the night. A quick call to Judy (the chef who will be giving us lessons) and we had a quick and dirty recipe for the mackerel. We elected the grill, to help render some of the oil, and allow the flavor to intensify a little bit. Since our herb garden is in full swing, a little fresh Greek oregano, English Thyme, and rosemary made a lovely bouquet. A quick Google search yielded a basic recipe (minus the olives) to compliment the one from Judy and it provided a nice lemon pepper sauce for the fish.

To say that this was the best fish I have ever had may seem a bit over the top, but consider that it is 22:45 at night, after a long day, and I am writing about this fish because it was so wonderful and that should give you a bit more perspective. The flesh was firm yet tender, and the taste was savory but not overwhelming. It did not taste strongly ‘fish’, and with the herbs and lemon-pepper sauce, it was quiet simply the best meal we have had in a long time. The season for mackerel is roughly four week in our area, so we can enjoy this fish from the end of May through June and then it is gone. It is a fish stock that is strong and has not been stressed by production fishing. Given the health benefits of this fish, the lovely flavor, and the ease with which it was prepared on the grill, it is beyond my understanding why it is not more popular.

So, as our night comes to a close, we give thanks to the local fisherman. He has once again brought us a joyful meal, local, sustainable, and yummy. May you all be so blessed this week.

What are you doing to slow down?

It is an unusual question. Have you been asked this before? Have you considered it in your daily life? Most folks do not actively think about slowing down, and to do so is contrary to everything that has value. No one wants a slower car, and the microwave tells us all we need to know about our desire to slow down in the kitchen. How about those handy time saving devices- food processor, ice maker, ice crusher, blender, dishwasher, etc. The presence of these devices in our lives informs the casual observer of our “need for speed”. The unbridled desire to get things done faster is all in the name of giving us free time to spend as we choose, to loosen the reins on our lives so that we can carve out a niche (after work, prior to bedtime, following dinner, pre-TV part of our world) to spend some quality time with those around us and the world in general. Is that what we do? Is that what we enjoy? Is this speed bringing you closer to your dream life, to the happiness and joy in your living? If not, why?

In the last two years, Nancy and I have taken the slow lane in life. We are the folks who are headed up the big hill with our blinkers on, windows down, looking at the world as we cruise by slowly. We have changed our concept of time, and in so doing, of the quality of the time that we spend. In preparing to move, we looked at things we could live without, and discovered (as the microwave that was 15 years old died) that you can get by without a fully stocked modern kitchen full of appliances. To be sure, we still have some, but we have asked ourselves if they are truly necessary, or simply convenient. It is the same question we apply to any new (or new to us) purchase. Is it needed or wanted. In doing so, we have found that many things really are wants, and that the promised time savings that is provided is really fictional. Sure you save time grating the cheese in the food processor, but the time spent cleaning it up afterward consumes the time saved. What have you saved? What have you lost?

In the kitchen, part of the joy of our time together is talking as the meal is being prepared, discussing the ingredients cleaning up after each other and generally making it a communal event. The time is not saved by the microwave; it is savored over the stove. It allows us to immerse ourselves in the moments. To smell the meal as it comes together, to enjoy watching someone cook, and reveling in their presence. It allows us to show our love for another. We take joy in our meal, the preparation, consumption, and clean-up; the entire process, together, as a family.

Our lives slow down when we take time to look at the world around us, take time to see the world as it is, right now, in its full beauty. We could do things more expediently on our farm with a tractor, but there are times when the use of a pitchfork and wheelbarrow is more satisfying. The way the mist lays over the trees like a blanket, the manner in which it alters the smell of the earth, the sound of the seagulls, is difficult to perceive from the seat of a tractor. The rich smell of the loam as the manure pile is turned and moved, the sight of the worms, fungi, and beetles rummaging through the compost is missed as the front end loader dives for the next scoop. That time to connect with the senses, to connect with the world cannot be appreciated at Mach-1.

So, what are you doing to slow down?