Gone crabbing
Friday, August 29, 2008
A few days ago I stopped by the little shack that sells seafood at the top of Calcon Hook Road in Sharon Hill. “What do you have that’s caught in Jersey?” I asked optimistically. The guy behind the counter asked me what I was in the mood for, and then led me to some shrimp. “Where is it from?” I asked. “Florida” he replied.
Oh boy.
After much negotiating, I think we finally came to an understanding and assured me the soft shell crabs were either from Jersey, Delaware, or Maryland. It’s not exact, but I’ll take it. Granted, I can’t help wondering if the guy was just trying to make a sale. That’s the problem with purchasing food from people who don’t quite get why anyone would care where their food is coming from: you just never know if the information you’re getting is accurate.
I pan-fried the soft shell crabs after soaking them in milk and dipping in flour. Having never cooked soft shell crabs before, I was slightly nervous but this tutorial helped me through. And they were delicious!
As a side dish, I served a gratin of cabbage, leeks, and carrot.
Where it all came from:
crabs, Jersey shore - 70 miles
flour, Daisy Flour - 60 miles
cabbage, Landisdale Farm - 100 miles
carrot, Urban Girls - 29 miles
leeks, Lancaster Farm Fresh - 90 miles
milk, Kingfisher Dairy - 99 miles
egg, Natural Acres - 100 miles
raw milk cheddar, Green Meadow Farm - 44 miles
Posted by Nicole on 08/29 at 01:15 PM
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I’ve had similar frustrating conversations with the fishmonger at our local whole foods. I asked where the “processed in the US” scallops actually came from and he replied, “um, maybe Massachusetts.” I assumed that meant Canada. On another occasion he told me the local Md. bluefish was disgusting and he would never eat it. Not the best way to sell your product but at least he was being honest!