By Seared Lightly

 Salmon is the standard bearer for seafood wherever salt water runs cold, and a Pacific Northwest icon.  However, we opt for any of three other denizens of the briny over the  salmonids when seeking tasty sustenance.  Don’t get us wrong…we love properly prepared Salmon as much as the late James Beard…and we’ve earned modest acclaim for our own unique smoked version.

Let’s look at our most favored trio under the trident:

Sablefish…aka Black Cod.  High oil content is a key to the most flavorsome finfish and this citizen of the North Pacific outdoes them all in this regard.  Not a true Cod, this species has deservedly earned another moniker: “Butterfish.”  It inhabits the cold depths off the coasts of northernmost California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alaska.   This toothsome treat averages 7-10 lbs. apiece, can grow to 40 lbs. 

The Oregon Sablefish season runs 8/15-10/31 and a favored fishing method off the local shoreline is baited pots, just as in crabbing.  The quarry inhabits the depths down to 1,200 feet.  This month, you’ll find fresh Alaskan Black Cod at your seafood purveyor, since the northern season extends from 3/15 to 11/15.  Alaskan Sablefish seekers generally use long lines (short baited lines are attached to a main line trolled very deep).  The Makah native American tribe dwelling on the northwest corner of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula has been credited with initiating Sablefishing long before our ancestors arrived.  The Makahs braved the open ocean in dugout canoes to hunt whales and reportedly sunk kelp lines with baited hemlock wood hooks to the depths where the Black Cod lurk.

Don’t disdain frozen Black Cod if fresh is unavailable.  The oily nature of the flesh stands up very well to freezing.  These fish are not afflicted with small bones, and are usually cross-sectioned by your fish monger into steaks when sold fresh.  This species is unexcelled for moistness when smoked.  New York delis catering to the Jewish trade utilize smoked Black Cod for their finest Whitefish Salad.

Our favorite Black Cod treatment has a Japanese origin.  Sake is the secret….

      Miso Black Cod

  3 tbsp. Water   3 tbsp. Sugar
  2 oz. Miso paste*  1 oz. Mirin (sweet rice wine)
  2 oz. dry Sake   4 Black Cod steaks
 Stir sugar and water in a small pan, bring to a boil.  Let cool, then stir in Miso,  Mirin and Sake.  Coat each Cod steak with this mixture and marinate in the refrigerator at least 8 hours.  Place the marinated Cod (do not remove marinade glaze) on a baking pan with rack.  Preheat oven to 500 degrees, then switch to broil and place your fish under the broiler unit for 5 minutes or until top surface is browned.  Hot oven prior to broiling will ensure steaks are done through.  This preparation is complimented when served with Savoy or Napa Cabbage leaves very lightly sauteed in Toasted Sesame Oil, with Soy Sauce added to taste.

   *a fermented soy paste readily available at oriental grocers 

Chilean Sea Bass…this native of Antarctic waters also goes by the exotic name of Patagonian Toothfish.  The fishery was developed in the late 1980’s with the leadership of Chilean vessels.  Overfishing soon earned endangered species attention as the market price rose to high altitude.   Strict international regulatory cooperation has taken effect, the supply has stabilized, and the current market price is reasonable ($8.99/lb.).

This is a long line fishery, from relatively large vessels able to negotiate the stormy far southern seas safely.  Baited hooks are trolled at depths in excess of 1,000 feet.  The species averages some 20 pounds apiece, but can reach gargantuan proportions of over 200 lbs.  It is prepared for retail sale as filet sections.  The flesh is a pearly white and remains so when cooked.  Since this fish inhabits some of the coldest saltwater on the planet, it, like the Black Cod, has a very high oil content.  This creates a smoked product prized on the Chilean and Australian markets, but not found to date in U.S. retail cases.  This species will be included in the emergency food supplies of shuttlecraft utilized by the first Earth FTL starship, the Enterprise, according to Hollywood writer/producer Rick Berman.

No elaborate preparation is necessary.  Do the following:

   Roast Chilean Sea Bass

  Sea Bass filet cut into 4-6 oz. portions 2 tbsp. Lemon Juice
  2 tbsp. extra virgin Olive Oil   2 tbsp. Dijon Mustard

Marlene Delkin, one of our favorite ‘foodies,’ treats Patagonia’s finest in the following manner:  In a bowl, stir together Olive Oil, Lemon Juice and Mustard.  Using a glass baking dish, thoroughly coat the fish pieces with your mixture.  Meanwhile, let oven reach 450 degrees.  Place fish in oven and roast until no longer translucent, 7-10 minutes, depending upon thickness of pieces…during cooking, press fish with your finger to test firmness…as soon as you feel the flesh tensing up, you’re about ready to feast. 

Dungeness Crab…the world is blessed with hundreds of crab species, but the Dungeness inhabiting our local waters is the tastiest of this type of crustacean that we’ve ever met.  The sweet, moist and flavorful flesh is in peak season as we write.  While you can sport fish for Dungeness in Oregon coastal bays year ‘round, the local commercial season extends from December 1 to mid-August and the first 8-10 weeks feature the biggest catches, meatiest crab and lowest prices.  Winter Dungeness fishing is a dangerous pursuit and Oregon’s harbor communities experience weather-related fatalities in the crab fleet on a regular basis.  As fall winds down, the largest local crab emigrate from bays to open ocean and gain their peak weight.  Fresh Crab brought in from Alaska and northern British Columbia has now extended the retail availability of this treat to the full calendar year.  A good thing, since no processing method has been found to enable frozen Dungeness to be anything but a faint and chewy reminder of fresh, boiled live-in-the-shell crab.

Principal crab fleet home ports in Oregon are Astoria, Warrenton, Newport and Garibaldi, with smaller contingents based in Bandon, Port Orford, Charleson, Winchester Bay and Brookings.

Packaging techniques for shipping live Dungeness by air have enabled gourmets around the globe to buy the crab in prime condition from retailers’ aerated saltwater tanks.  The fishery was created in the late 1800’s at the namesake site of Dungeness Bay on the northern coast of the Olympic peninsula.

Today, in offshore waters from northern California to southeast Alaska, the Pacific coastal commercial catch averages well over 40 million pounds per year.  The Oregon harvest has ranged from 3.2 to over 18 million pounds a year, and averages 10 million.  This species remains a marine biology mystery, and its cyclical population variations seem unrelated to fishing pressure.  This decapod is a favored food of Dogfish, Hake, Ling Cod, Wolf Eel, Halibut and Octopus, in addition to ourselves.  It in turn dines on its own as well as fish carcasses falling to the saltwater floor.

There really is no substitute in our cookbook for enjoying Dungeness in the most classic manner…boiled live-in-the-shell in sea water enhanced with packaged Crab Boil seasoning powder or our own additions of Worcestershire Sauce, Cayenne Pepper, Mustard Seeds and a few bottles of Beer.   When consumed still warm from the boil (10-12 minutes) and dipped in melted butter, this crab will renew your faith in God’s goodness.

There are also tasteful things to do with shelled crab meat.  We shell our own for these recipes to avoid the astronomical market cost of the shelled product…and besides, we believe, as did Northwest native tribes, that the yellow guts lurking under the crab’s main carapace are the beast’s best eating!

We also favor Crab Cakes as the best way to utilize shelled meat.   You can substitute coarsely chopped Oregon Shrimp for half the amount of crab called for if you’re budget conscious.  We are also indebted to the aforementioned Marlene, a fisherman’s daughter, for the following:

    Marlene’s Crab Cakes

  ½ tsp. dry Mustard powder  ½ cup finely chopped Celery
  ½ cup finely chopped Onion  ½ cup finely chopped Green Pepper
  6 oz. can minced Green Chilies 1 lb. (2 cups) Dungeness Crab meat
  ¾ cup Mayonnaise   ¾ cup seasoned Bread Crumbs
  1 Egg

 Mix all the ingredients, using half the Bread Crumbs.  Form mixture into 3”  diameter, ½ inch thick patties.  Coat patties with remainder of Bread Crumbs.  Place patties on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes in an oven pre- heated to 350 degrees.