4.06.2011

Good-bye Seafood and Cake

Good-bye seafood, it's been fun. (Sort of.) As of this week, my dreaded three weeks of learning about shellfish and fish are over and I can breath a sigh of relief and feel satisfied because I did it. I'm sure by this point you're sick of me going on about my dislike for sea creatures so I'll spare you the details. But before I close the book on my seafood adventures at school, I'll share some fun facts that I learned along the way:
  • Scallops have 25 eyes. Freaky, right? But kind of cool too. Because they are shucked at sea, we only see them as those flabby disks.
  • Dover sole only comes from Dover, England and if you're not paying a boat load for it than it's probably flounder.
  • Scrod is not a particular type of fish. Instead, scrod stands for "School Catch Run Of the Day". So when you order scrod, you're getting a random fish of the day, usually cod.
  • Atlantic Salmon is only farmed raised and because of this, tastes the same no matter where you get it from. (This is usually a hot button argument with many people as they claim that they can tell the difference).
  • Pacific Salmon, on the other hand, does taste different based on where it's from because it's not farm raised (for the most part, although this is changing)
  • Let's not forget about lobster love..
  • It is highly illegal to harvest the body of a stone crab, you're only allowed to break the claws off then you've gotta toss 'em back.
  • Ocean water affects the flavor of oysters and Wellfleet Oysters are the hallmark.

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of my last seafood dish at school, I somehow managed to forget my camera on Monday. But to make up for that, I do have pictures from the last day of cake making; chocolate cake day. Yes, a day where by 3:30 PM there were 10 chocolate cakes and a positively fantastic caramel ice cream floating around the school's kitchen. I came home reeking of chocolate and buttercream, not too bad of a thing if you ask me. I was responsible for making a Chocolate Buttercream Kahlua cake, which I liked the look of but thought it was a little too sweet for my liking. In other news, next week is pasta. Can I even begin to tell you how excited I am about this?


12 comments:

Elizabeth @ Saffron Lane said...

Great seafood facts! I had no idea that scallops have 25 eyes. I love them but, must admit, I may not have them for a while now that I know this. :)

Glad you survived this segment of class. Can't wait to see what's next!

Boston Food Diary said...

Woooohoooo! Pasta time! COngrats on finishing Seafood- I know that is a major milestone and I am incredibly proud of your brave self :-)

Kristen said...

Forget the seafood, Pasta is more your thing anyways ;)Cake looks amazing though. and I'm glad you stuck it out with the seafood because I really enjoyed all those fun facts!

Aimee said...

GAH! I always use scallops as an example of why people might be onto something when they say that seafood isn't "the same" as meat. Knowing they have 25 eyes puts them firmly on the other side of that argument. BOOOOOO.

In other news, hurrah on finishing up seafood. You are a pro. Can't wait to see the pics of your pasta classes!

Joe G said...

Katie,

Congrats on getting through seafood class. You're right that learning to cook foods you don't particularly like is very important for the pro chef.

I admit that Wellfleets are by far my favorite oyster. I've had dozens of types and I always come back to those briny, mineraly specimens. I do find that if you're not an oyster fan, trying them cooked is a good way to try to change your feelings regarding them.

Jen said...

Love the seafood facts. Who knew scallops had so many eyes... This cake looks great. Do you have any leftovers?

Elina (Healthy and Sane) said...

Such fun facts! That cake looks beautiful. Can't wait to read about your pasta adventures. I'm sure they'll put my recent ravioli making efforts to shame :)

Delicious Dishings said...

No wonder I don't like scallops. That is creepy!

That is one gorgeous cake! And I can't wait to hear about your pasta-making adventures!

Mom said...

Thanks for the fun facts (I think...). I have always absolutely loved scallops, but I have to say I am a little nervous about ordering them now! And to think I always told you that I had eyes in the back of my head...hehe. BTW, your cake looks fabulous!!

Simone said...

I can not wait too for Monday... I am not going to be eating anything all weekend so I can super-fill up in class!

Barbara | VinoLuciStyle said...

See, I learned something...never knew about Scrod; though it's always sounded unappealing!

I would be delighted to do cake or pasta; the seafood course I could live without too! Love to eat it but admit I like it ready to prepare when I purchase it.

kitchen units said...

I've had dozens of types & I always come back to those briny, mineraly specimens. I do find that if you are not an oyster fan, trying them cooked is a great way to try to change your feelings regarding them..

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