Friday, March 29, 2024 Mar 29, 2024
59° F Dallas, TX
Advertisement
Publications

DINING Sole on Ice

How to buy good seafood when there’s not an ocean in sight.
By Charles Allan |

As our culinary sopnistication rises (and the price of beef soars), more Americans than ever seem willing to consider the merits of fish. Alas, the price of seafood is up sharply, too, but for those who relish the fruits of the sea, there’s no turning back now.

We visited a number of Dallas’ fish stores recently to see what’s cooking and what’s on ice. We compared prices, freshness, and hype, and concluded that the quest for good seafood – always an uphill battle in Dallas – has been aided by increases in both number of outlets and variety of inventories. Still, the fish business can be a bit slippery.

First, let’s retrace the route of, say, a shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico to a Dallas store. After being hauled aboard a shrimp boat, the little crustacean is beheaded and thrown on ice. With the half-million dollar price tags on shrimp boats today, the independent shrimper is a vanishing breed; as more boats are owned by large corporations, retailers complain that attention to detail (like getting the shrimp on ice quickly) has declined. But shrimpers enjoy a seller’s market, so they don’t worry – they’ll sell their catch anyway.

When the boat docks in one of the major seafood ports on the Gulf, like Brownsville, Aransas Pass, Kemah, or Freeport, the catch goes to a processing plant where our shrimp may be cooked and shelled, frozen with others into a five-pound block, or simply packed “fresh,” that is, iced but not frozen. (If our shrimp were a fish, processing would mean cleaning and perhaps filleting.) Meanwhile brokers, who may never see the catch, are on the phone arranging deals with wholesalers all over the country.

When a deal is made, the shrimp takes a six-to-eight-hour ride to Dallas in a refrigerator truck or, if “fresh,” it may be flown here. In Dallas there are two major seafood outlets that sell only at the wholesale level, Farmer’s Sea Food and Seafood Supply; a number of area stores combine retail and wholesale operations. Once the local wholesaler takes delivery of the shrimp, he stores it in a freezer or cooler and distributes it to a retailer, restaurant, hotel, or country club. In the neighborhood store, our shrimp can fetch a price of $3 to $8 per pound, depending on its size. In a posh restaurant, it can easily cost a dollar as part of a shrimp cocktail.

The same route is followed by other seafood varieties from the Gulf of Mexico, such as red snapper, flounder, crab, and oysters. Dallas-bound trucks also bring in crawfish from Louisiana, trout from Arkansas, and catfish from Missouri, Louisiana, and parts of Texas. Items from the Northwest (such as salmon, halibut, and Alaskan king crab), the Northeast (sole, swordfish, Maine lobster), and Florida (pompano, spiny lobster – a type of saltwater crawfish) are nearly always flown to Dallas, whether they’re fresh or frozen. In addition, Dallas stores may stock such exotica as lobster tails from Australia and South Africa, tiger shrimp from Taiwan, and frog legs from India.

Understanding the basics of the fish business helps, but it does not guarantee that you can locate the best deals with a few incisive questions. We found consistently good-to-acceptable quality around town, but our survey also elicited a few contradictory claims, some downright bluffing, and chronic competitive backbiting. The hype centers on the issue of freshness, naturally. You should not let retailers’ claims to buy “direct from the processor” or “direct from the boats” be your deciding factor. After all, a frozen shrimp can be better than an improperly handled “fresh” one. And there’s no sure way to know whether “fresh” fish has previously been frozen, short of discovering ice crystals in the flesh.

Of course, fresh fish display certain characteristics, including mild odor; full, transparent eyes; reddish gills; firm, springy flesh; bright, tight scales; and iridescent skin coloring. Avoid fish with strong odor; cloudy, sunken eyes; greyish gills; soft flesh; dull, faded skin and scales. Fillets should have a moist surface, without darkened edges. On shrimp, darkness at the shell joints, tail, and in the legs is often, but not always, a sign of age.

The problem with these comparative guidelines is that a store’s inventory of a particular item is usually all from the same batch. So your past experience with a dealer is probably the best yardstick. If your taste is satisfied by a retailer, stay with him, develop a relationship, and don’t worry too much about a dollar’s price difference here or there. Any of the following stores would be a good place to start looking for such a relationship.

Seacoast (5719 West Lovers Lane) is a bright, clean, respected operation run for 33 years by Johnny Varcasia, whose parents Joe and Mary founded Dallas’ first seafood store, Gulf Fish and Oyster on Bryan Street in 1927. Johnny keeps on ice a basic selection of fresh Gulf species – shrimp, crab, red snapper, flounder – as well as salmon, sole, and catfish. In freezer sections, he stocks swordfish, king crab claws, lobster tails, and cartons of both crawfish étouffée and gumbo from Louisiana.

Gulf Fish Market (2947 Walnut Hill Lane) is operated by Johnny’s brother Nick Varcasia and Nick’s daughter Mary Jo Varcasia Todaro. After fifteen years at Preston Royal, Gulf moved five years ago to its present location, where a fairly typical retail selection is often supplemented by live Maine lobsters at $7.99 a pound. Among its wholesale customers, Gulf counts Il Sorrento, Javier’s, and Seven Seas.

Now residing in Gulf’s previous location, The Seafood Co. (1005 Preston Royal Plaza) is the retail outlet of an enterprise that includes wholesale (to Royal Tokyo, Mimi’s, Chelsea Street, Bananas), catering, and its own restaurant, the Clam Cooker. The store offers the usual fresh items as well as a number of unique frozen products: clam chowder, stuffed shrimp and crab, and jumbo frog legs from India. And during the brief harvest season in April, the Seafood Co. offers live and boiled Louisiana crawfish, a treat at $1.29 and $1.49 a pound, respectively.

After 26 years at the same Preston Center location, tiny Christy’s (6139 Berkshire Lane) has amassed a loyal clientele. The limited selection includes the Gulf staples plus fresh sole and salmon, frozen lobster tails and king crab claws, and some delicacies whipped up right in the store, such as gumbo, devilled crab, and stuffed flounder. Christy’s also sells a bag of dried ingredients for jambalaya.

Ocean Side (138 Preston Valley Center) has been open four years, but owner Richard Thompson brings to it over 30 years’ experience in the fish business. His inventory, which runs from traditional fare to Arkansas rainbow trout and big South African shrimp ($7.99 a pound), fluctuates with the availability of salmon, halibut, swordfish, and Maine lobster.

The newest contender on the scene has arrived with quite a splash. Its young owner, Rich Polins, grew up in Boston, attended college in Texas, and a year ago started Landlock Seafood Supply, a wholesale business specializing in New England species. With its truck almost continuously in transit between D/FW Airport, where the fresh product is flown from Boston processors, and accounts such as the Anatole, Hyatt Regency and Marriott hotels, The Grape and Old Warsaw restaurants, and Tom Thumb stores, Landlock quickly captured a healthy market share (75 percent of the local market for live lobsters, estimates Polins). For $163, they provided the Anatole with “the biggest lobster ever sold in Dallas,” a 26 1/2-pound Canadian monster.

Five months ago, Polins opened New England Fish And Lobster (26 East Richardson Heights Center, at Beltline and Central), a retail store unlike any Dallas has seen previously. With an inventory of 25 to 45 varieties, New England touches the Gulf bases and goes on to offer such rarities as scrod, haddock, salt cod, and herring in sour cream. It carries up to six types of smoked fish, from lox ($10.95 a pound) through whitefish, trout, sable, and cod, to Finnan haddie (haddock) at $2.75 a pound. Behind the counter, David Rivest, formerly chef at Arthur’s, stands ready to give you a recipe for any item in the store. But the knockout punch at New England is the live Maine lobster at close to half the price found anywhere else in town (prices are expected to average around $4.95 a pound through the summer before rising next fall). Having just added two new lockers and another truck, New England sees a hungry Dallas market out there. Now all you need is a great big pot. . . .

Recipes: summer salads



Summer and salads go together like Mork and Mindy. Now that it’s too hot to cook and salad greens are at their freshest and greenest, we decided to ask three of our favorite salad-makers for their recipes.

The Bronx. Fresh lettuces (usually ro-maine, spinach, and iceberg), firm cheeses (cheddar, Swiss, and Parmesan), and seasonal vegetables make up the popular Chef’s Salad at The Bronx. One of the three owners, Ron McCauley, originated many of the restaurant’s recipes; his salad secrets include fresh chopped parsley mixed with the greens, grated Parmesan in the dressing, and cherry tomatoes (which usually have the best flavor year ’round). The ingredients:

Romaine, iceberg lettuce, and spinach

1 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley (mixed into the greens)

Sliced Swiss cheese (rolled and laid atop the greens)

Firm cheddar cheese, grated

Cherry tomatoes, halved (placed around the edge for color)

Cucumbers, mushrooms, or radishes, sliced

(depending on the season)

Smoked ham, thinly sliced

Guacamole (your favorite recipe dolloped on top)

Red onion, sliced

You might add sliced black olives for color or marinated artichoke hearts for variety. Shirley Hunter, the salad chef at The Bronx, assembles this feast so that every ingredient has its “proper place.” The dressing should be doused over the salad lightly, yet thoroughly. The ingredients:

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup vinegar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp powdered mustard

1 tsp dry tarragon flakes

1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup olive oil

1/3 cup salad oil

Using a wire whisk, blend the lemon juice and vinegar (at room temperature) with the seasonings. Whisk well. Slowly add the oils. The dressing should become a pale translucent yellow. Use it the same day for the best flavor, but it will keep a week either refrigerated or on the shelf.

Chiquita’s. C. Octavio Perales, Chi-quita’s young head cocinero, knows food. And the food he knows comes partly from his mother and grandmother, who revealed to him their cooking secrets as he grew up in a small village near Mexico City. He’s still learning recipes and techniques from them and another respected cocinero, Mario Leal, Chiquita’s owner. The restaurant’s menu is revised weekly but some things remain because they have become classics – the Pico de Gallo is one. Served as a side dish with the carne asada or tacos al carbon, it provides both color and picante. C. Octavio suggests using it as an appetizer served on crisp tostados. But warn your family and friends that it will water the eyes as well as warm the spirit.

1/2 white onion, finely chopped

1/2 red onion, finely chopped

2 fresh jalapeno peppers, finely chopped

2 average-sized tomatoes, finely chopped

1/2 bunch cilantro (Mexican parsley) or any fresh parsley, chopped

2 fresh limes

1 tsp white pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

Mix the chopped onions, jalapeno peppers, and tomatoes with the cilantro (you can buy it at the Farmer’s Market). Squeeze limes over mixture, being careful to remove seeds as you squeeze. Sprinkle garlic, salt, and pepper and stir until all the spices have blended and the juices have created a kind of marinade. Mixture should be made a day ahead for the fullest flavor. It will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Calluaud’s. When queried about his vinaigrette, Guy Calluaud seemed puzzled that we would seek instruction about something he finds so simple. But, as in all good recipes, no matter how simple, there is a secret. “It all depends on the mustard,” he says. “It must be a good, top-quality French mustard such as Desseaux or Amora, found at Marty’s or Simon David.” Try it, Guy suggests, over the freshest Boston or endive lettuce. Who needs anything else? Ingredients for an individual salad:

1 tsp French mustard (at room temperature)

2 tsp red wine vinegar (at room temperature)

3 tsp salad oilSalt (to taste)Pepper (to taste)

Whisk mustard and vinegar with saltand pepper. Slowly add the oil, whiskingthoroughly. – Connie Cooley

Related Articles

Local News

Leading Off (3/29/24)

Looks like we have a beautiful Easter weekend ahead.
Image
Business

Alternative Wealth Partners Launches $150 Million Investment Fund

Plus: Parking software and solutions company ParkHub merges with U.K.-based JustPark, Spark Spot acquires land for EV charging station in Carrollton, and more.
Image
Arts & Entertainment

Here’s Who Is Coming to Dallas This Weekend: March 28-31

It's going to be a gorgeous weekend. Pencil in some live music in between those egg hunts and brunches.
Advertisement