Ben Franklin had a famous rabbit stew recipe that began "First catch a rabbit..", likewise, before you can prepare a seafood dinner, you first have to acquire the appropriate ingredients. Some of us will go out and catch our own occasionally, but most of the time we all go to the market to purchase our seafood.
In fact it seems, more and more people are starting to include seafood into their diet, and more and more are deciding to prepare their seafood at home rather than the easy (and more expensive) way out of going to a restaurant. Not only is dinning out more costly, you are less certain that you are actually getting what you are paying for. Reports of news investigations revealing restaurants substituting cheaper fish for more expensive species is not uncommon and stretches from coast to coast.
So, my recommendation, to paraphrase old Ben is, when wanting to prepare seafood "First find a good fishmonger." A good fishmonger is one who has a true passion for seafood, they not only sell it, they cook it, they eat it, they know which wine or beer goes best with what you buy. More importantly, they take pride in their shop, (no odors), and can tell you what substitutions to make when you get sticker shock from the fish you were wanting to purchase.
If you live in an area where there aren't any good fishmongers, I will try and provide the information on this site so that you can become your own fishmonger. I will explain what to look for to ensure you are buying fresh seafood, and will discuss the benefits of certain species versus the risk that may be involved. There is almost always a better alternative, whether you have health or environmental concerns.
I hope this is enough of an introduction that you feel free to post any comments or questions that I can respond too. Until next post, as Julia Child would say, "Bon Appetit".
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