I love having a seafood shoppe nearby

In The Sticks

In The Sticks

Friend of Frank
Location
Central Virginia (Charlottesville/Richmond)
A few years ago, a seafood shop relocated from some obscure business park to a road I often travel. I had no idea he was around here. Keep in mind I live in a very rural area. The new location is hidden behind the saw mill with a few tiny second hand shops. He has road-front signage.

The seafood is always fresh, never frozen. He gets deliveries several times a week from ports in Maryland and Virginia, and does a really good business for the size shop he's got. The guy cuts it up and breaks down bulk paks, puts it in Ziploc bags, then stores them under ice in ice chests...there are no display cabinets for the raw seafood. His prices are the same as (or better than) grocery store prices, but the quality is way better. Last time I bought swordfish at the grocery store, the guy brought the cryogenically frozen log from the back, tossed it on the counter and hacked off a piece with his band saw. Mmmmmmmm.....

The owner also gardens and sells canned goods, plus a variety of other locally-grown stuff (honey, smoked ham, local beef, etc.)

I bought these yesterday. I had never heard of dry scallops before buying from him.

Frozen and vacuum-sealed by me.
shrimp.jpg

scallops.jpg

I usually eat shrimp & scallops as a side to other foods, rarely as the main course, so this will last a good while eating 2-3 at a time.

I can't begin to list all the different fish I've bought here.
You can take away my chicken, you can take away my beef, but leave my fish be!
 

In The Sticks said:
A few years ago, a seafood shop relocated from some obscure business park to a road I often travel. I had no idea he was around here. Keep in mind I live in a very rural area. The new location is hidden behind the saw mill with a few tiny second hand shops. He has road-front signage.

The seafood is always fresh, never frozen. He gets deliveries several times a week from ports in Maryland and Virginia, and does a really good business for the size shop he's got. The guy cuts it up and breaks down bulk paks, puts it in Ziploc bags, then stores them under ice in ice chests...there are no display cabinets for the raw seafood. His prices are the same as (or better than) grocery store prices, but the quality is way better. Last time I bought swordfish at the grocery store, the guy brought the cryogenically frozen log from the back, tossed it on the counter and hacked off a piece with his band saw. Mmmmmmmm.....

The owner also gardens and sells canned goods, plus a variety of other locally-grown stuff (honey, smoked ham, local beef, etc.)

I bought these yesterday. I had never heard of dry scallops before buying from him.

Frozen and vacuum-sealed by me.
View attachment 103746

View attachment 103747

I usually eat shrimp & scallops as a side to other foods, rarely as the main course, so this will last a good while eating 2-3 at a time.

I can't begin to list all the different fish I've bought here.
You can take away my chicken, you can take away my beef, but leave my fish be!
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Yum! Love seafood!

And nothing beats homemade seafood sauce!
 
Aunt Marg said:
Yum! Love seafood!

And nothing beats homemade seafood sauce!
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I spent my career just outside of Washington DC and have eaten at some really nice restaurants on my employers' dime, and the best meal I have ever had was from items I bought from this guy.

I made a stuffing with crab meat/bread cubes/mayo/spices, rolled it up into a rock fish (striped bass) filet, and baked it. OH EM GEE!!!! I have never had anything that tasted so good!! I was astonished that it actually came from my crappy little toaster oven!

Regarding sauces: I have several that I've made, then frozen in ice cube trays, popped out and vacuum sealed. I just defrost a cube or two for dinner.

When I was a kid we would camp on the bay outside of Ocean City Maryland. This is in the 60s. I would crab the old-fashioned way: a bunch of twine lines with chicken parts, sinkers and a net. Every time the tide was coming in (twice a day), I would be out there crabbing. I cannot imagine how many hundreds of crabs I caught over the years. If the tide came in after dark, I'd put the crabs in this little plastic 1-boy boat I had, throw wet seaweed over the top, drag it to the campsite, and let them stay there overnight. We would cook them after breakfast, sit around the table and pick them for future meals.

When there were storms and the tide was exceptionally high, fish would sometimes follow the chicken parts as you pulled them to shore, and we would net them as well.

Good stuff. And all for the price of chicken necks.
 

ITS. I was thinking back to my early childhood, and how every now and then mom and dad would splurge on a purchase of shrimp, and how I loved them!

We'd use toothpicks to stick them and eat them, and just thinking about right now, I remember it as though it was yesterday!
 
You know you've had a blessed life when so many fond memories are food-centered.

We moved to Virginia from Indiana when I was 9 years old. We'd only get catfish in the mid west.

Our treat here would be the occasional bushel of blue claw (Maryland) crabs. I have no idea how much those cost back then. They were sure more plentiful than they are these days. I've bought them for $50 a bushel as an adult, but these days they'll go for close to $300.

This is making me hungry!
 
In The Sticks said:
You know you've had a blessed life when so many fond memories are food-centered.

We moved to Virginia from Indiana when I was 9 years old. We'd only get catfish in the mid west.

Our treat here would be the occasional bushel of blue claw (Maryland) crabs. I have no idea how much those cost back then. They were sure more plentiful than they are these days. I've bought them for $50 a bushel as an adult, but these days they'll go for close to $300.

This is making me hungry!
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I recall it like yesterday, I was in grade 3, and a fellow student had gone to Nova Scotia (Canada) with his family and brought back lobster for the class to try, and I've never forgotten it. So sweet and delectable.

As for the likes of caviar, I've never had the pleasure of trying such, and I'm not really sure I'd want to, but as for all of the regular stuff like shrimp, prawns, scallops, etc, sign me up!
 
The only thing along the lines of caviar I've ever tried has been escargot.

It was a work event...I'd never pay for something like that out of my own pocket. As people say, tastes like garlic erasers. At least I can say I've tried it.

Now, I've used fish eggs as bait...I believe they were jarred salmon eggs.
 
In The Sticks said:
The only thing along the lines of caviar I've ever tried has been escargot.

It was a work event...I'd never pay for something like that out of my own pocket. As people say, tastes like garlic erasers. At least I can say I've tried it.

Now, I've used fish eggs as bait...I believe they were jarred salmon eggs.
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How could I fotget! Escargot!

We made them in high-school (Foods & Nutrition Class), and yuck, never again!

You hit it right on the head, ITS, rubber pencil erasers they were! LOL!

Yes, the fishing variety is indeed salmon eggs.
 
Aunt Marg said:
How could I fotget! Escargot!

We made them in high-school (Foods & Nutrition Class), and yuck, never again!

You hit it right on the head, ITS, rubber pencil erasers they were! LOL!

Yes, the fishing variety is indeed salmon eggs.
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Did you de-snail the shell, or was that already done for you?

Actually, that lunch made me quite popular because I shared my snails with anyone who wanted to say "I ate snails!" I even got the picky eater to try one as her lifetime Badge of Courage. THAT was worth the price of admission!!
 
In The Sticks said:
Did you de-snail the shell, or was that already done for you?

Actually, that lunch made me quite popular because I shared my snails with anyone who wanted to say "I ate snails!" I even got the picky eater to try one as her lifetime Badge of Courage. THAT was worth the price of admission!!
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If I remember correctly, they were shell-less, but don't quote me on that, it was nearly 40 years ago, but I do remember we sautéed them in garlic and butter.

LOL, about you sharing the escargots with others!
 
ITS, What about the escargot you prepared, shelled or unshelled?

I don't know where I'm coming up with the image of using toothpicks to dig out the snails from the shells, but it seems that's how I've seen it done before, or am I imagining things? 🤪
 
Aunt Marg said:
ITS, What about the escargot you prepared, shelled or unshelled?

I don't know where I'm coming up with the image of using toothpicks to dig out the snails from the shells, but it seems that's how I've seen it done before, or am I imagining things? 🤪
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You kinow, I don't really recall myself. I was thnking about that meal...it was over 10 years ago. It must have been in the shell...they wouldn't serve it any other way. Just little erasers on a plate would be so anticlimactic.
 
Love lobster, shrimp, crawfish and scallops. Us Louisiana born folks can cook all of them. I really love crawfish cornbread served with a big bowl of shrimp gumbo with an extra splash of hot sauce. Have to have a big glass of sweet tea to drink with it. Live in Texas now but still cook that Louisiana way!
 
terry123 said:
Love lobster, shrimp, crawfish and scallops. Us Louisiana born folks can cook all of them. I really love crawfish cornbread served with a big bowl of shrimp gumbo with an extra splash of hot sauce. Have to have a big glass of sweet tea to drink with it. Live in Texas now but still cook that Louisiana way!
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I need to add "crawfish" to my bucket list.

I don't now that I've had authentic Cajun (or Creole) cookin'.
 
That's MY idea of fishing.

I go into the seafood market, wave my credit card over the display case, and something "bites" every time. Amazingly, the fish scale and gut themselves, roll themselves up in paper and jump into a plastic bag. Amazing! None of this silly stuff about sitting in a boat in the sun and casting expensive bait out for ungrateful aquatic lifeforms to ignore.

My late husband was an ardent fisherman. Occasionally I'd go along. Frankly, I found it only slightly preferable to being poked in the eye with a sharp stick. Slightly.
 
the only fish that passes these lips is tuna, polluck, cod and talapia. usually in the form of breaded/frozen except for the tuna. starkist here i come.
 
MarciKS said:
the only fish that passes these lips is tuna, polluck, cod and talapia. usually in the form of breaded/frozen except for the tuna. starkist here i come.
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I only buy frozen fish. The only exception was many years ago I lived near a French Market and they sold fresh catfish. I was kinda creeped out when they said most people buy them whole- couldn't for anything figure out what anyone would do with fish heads. :eek:
 
JaniceM said:
I only buy frozen fish. The only exception was many years ago I lived near a French Market and they sold fresh catfish. I was kinda creeped out when they said most people buy them whole- couldn't for anything figure out what anyone would do with fish heads. :eek:
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You can make stock out of them.
I've not.

You should go into an Asian or Latino market and see how many packages of chicken feet walk out of the place.
 
All seafood is good but a lot of styles destroy the natural flavors like Creole or BBQ only smother the natural flavors.
 

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