The food thread

Is that what we south of the 49th parallel call a "clam-bake"?

No a clam bake is a steamed dish, a seafood boil is just that. Anything that lives in water, salt or fresh is put into a large pot of seawater, complete with smoked (or blackened) kelp fronds, eel grass or other sea plant life. Boiled and scooped onto a tray or picnic table lined with plastic table cloth or WHY.
The ingredients are the same I guess.
Clams, mussels, cockles but not oysters, they're too good to boil.
Crawfish, scampi, shrimp, crab and lobster are all popular.
Corn, potatoes and possibly some other vegetables.
Some people like to add sausage but you have to be careful to leave them whole so you don't boil all the flavour away.
And that's it!
The seawater imparts something special along with the smokiness of the sea 'vegetables' You can get those ready on the campfire ahead of time and add them just before the food.
 
I have a cheap Chinese (what else?) electric hotplate
Do you have access to these? MAXSUN Portable Gas Stove - 8000 BTU MS-2500 | RONA
Dirt cheap, as are the fuel cans and it's portable meaning you can go to the park or beach and be the star of the show. You can do things like wor wonton or even do noodles ahead of time, keep them warm in a cooler and do a stir fry to serve over them. Let me tell you, you sure do gather your share of attention when you are in a park, flipping a wok at lunchtime. Yes Grasshopper, many curious people.

"Are you that guy on that cooking show?"

- No I just feel like something other than a sandwich sometimes, (he says with a smile.)

We have a portable folding table and two folding chairs so Hanh and I can get that, and all the food and drink to a spot in one trip from the car. Even better if you can find an open picnic table but I'm not into getting there at 8 am just to reserve a table.
 
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No a clam bake is a steamed dish, a seafood boil is just that. Anything that lives in water, salt or fresh is put into a large pot of seawater, complete with smoked (or blackened) kelp fronds.
Cal, How many dishes are cooked kelp fronds in North America? Only vegetarian salad is usually made with seaweed (kelp). In our Far East, I saw kelp salads with sea cucumber salads and even sweets.
 
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Around these parts, the kelp we get is usually dried these days, including what I buy mostly as our local waters are not so good for that anymore. When I am a little further away, maybe sneaking away on a boat trip, then yes. What I am speaking of is things that were done in the past, or now done in places away from the city areas where the water and sea 'veggies' are still good. You don't see what I am talking about locally anymore. You have to fake it with coarse salt, kelp that you smoke, if desired and whatever you wish to add to the boil. Nostalgic stuff but still available if you have the means. Of course there would never be lobster here on this side of the pond but you did what you did with what you had here.

Ah, the memories...

...many of which are from when I was just the boy bringing back the sea veggies and water while the elders looked after the meal. Still, such fondness of our ability to do that. The other thing is that, it was not near as special while it happened as it is in the memory bank. ie: you don't know what you got till it's gone...
 
Cal, How many dishes are cooked kelp fronds in North America? Only vegetarian salad is usually made with seaweed (kelp). In our Far East, I saw kelp salads with sea cucumber salads and even sweets.

There is a very good restaurant in a rather remote corner of Nova Scotia, called Wild Caraway, that specializes in wild and foraged foods. They often include"sea vegetables" in their dishes.
 
Nice. I have one of those gas barbies out on the patio

We went and got one of those Weber tabletop models as it's rare we need anything more than that. We can cook for four on it (usually) and Weber seems to make some good stuff, so we are happy with that. It's only when company is over to we fire up the big Q. I think it really cuts down on the propane bill too, which leaves me with more beer money. :cheers:
 
fresh halibut with hoisin, star anise, and miso
Simple and delicious. The miso was a paste, yes?
after my wife asked me not to fill the house with fish smell.
Halibut doth not sully the house with fumes of discontent. Any occupants bringing forth such rubbish should be banished to the servant quarters or worse. I will abstain from this point forward, as times of culinary discussion are not whence we bring forth the potential for punishment or banishment. Let us move on Sir Scott of Maritimium.
Salmon on a cedar plank tonight,
Ya, lost that romance years ago. When I eat salmon, it's a little complicated for others to understand.
 
Simple and delicious. The miso was a paste, yes?

Yes, I've been trying for years to capture the taste of a dish I had in CA., Chilean black bass cooked with secret sauce. This was close, a little more miso paste (I use a low sodium red one) and a little less hoisin. The day boats are still bringing in wild never frozen halibut, super clean taste and cooks in a few minutes.
 
Halibut doth not sully the house with fumes of discontent. Any occupants bringing forth such rubbish should be banished to the servant quarters or worse. I will abstain from this point forward, as times of culinary discussion are not whence we bring forth the potential for punishment or banishment.

😱 What? I come from a fishing city and have worked with fish quite a lot, halibut is my favourite fish for the bbq. A couple years ago I stumbled across a good deal on super-fresh halibut in a coastal city, I bought 1 whole pretty big fish, took it back to the inland village or whatchacallit we live in now, fired up the bbq and invited the neighbourhood over.

It's a fantastic fish. In my book it's right up there with things like the atlantic wolffish and angler fish but they're all best served in completely different ways though. For fish'n'chips I prefer coalfish rather than cod (which is not the same as the black-cod you got close to you Cal, the linkcod is closer in flavor). Salmon can be good, but I usually prefer trout for everyday food, of "the three" my favourite would be arctic char.
Haddock is my favourite dried fish for beer snacks. Eat a lot of herring, anchovies and sardines on my bread.
 
I can't be sure what you are saying my friend. I was saying Halibut is not a stinky fish. When I was fishing for a living we caught 3 types of salmon, all of which would offer smells to the kitchen that might be considered unpleasant, but the while fish, lingcod, rockfish and halibut were not.

Okay, now we're on the same page. 😀
I was thinking that you where saying that it was a bad kind of fish and you don't want it in the house.

Halibut doth not sully the house with fumes of discontent. Any occupants bringing forth such rubbish should be banished to the servant quarters or worse.

Not intentionally misunderstood. Was just a bit surprised, wanted to defend the poor Halibut in question.