About Seafood

I am not a history buff. In fact, my history knowledge is borderline embarrassing. But I think I have just found a piece of the past I could sink my teeth into – the history of sushi. Author Trevor Corson, an academic/lobster fisherman, explores this topic in his book The Zen of Sushi. And discovers that, “the sushi that we know today almost never came into existence at all, and it’s just a series of historical accidents that it did.” Yikes! For all the fascinating details, listen to the author discuss his book here.

I have mentioned before that the stresses of wedding
planning are all worth it to me for the fabulously fun opportunity to pick the
food. Today I am excited to report that
our caterer has officially been selected and the menu is shaping up
nicely. Here is a sneak preview of the
seafood selections

-sushi bar

-dim sum including pan-fried swordfish dumplings

-mini lump crab burgers served in Old Bay
profiteroles

What do you think?
Im so excited and will probably only get the chance to eat two
bites.

Here is my delicious sushi dinner from Friday. For appetizers, we split a tasty roll and an even tastier soft-shell crab. In Lloyd’s words, “the average soft-shell crab is about the best thing I’ve ever eaten, and this is ten times better than the average soft-shell crab.” Granted, we don’t eat deep-fried foods much, so the rarity only enhanced his excitement. The crab really was the treat of the meal, and got me wondering if I could ever pull such a thing off at home. I happened upon this article that says yes, I can, and with ease. I will have to try it sometime. Back to our sushi dinner…to balance out the rich, decadent crab, we shared a board of assorted sashimi. Pictured is one of my favorites, tuna.

It has been a loooong week, so I’m happy to report just a few simple words…

Going out for sushi tonight!

I’ll let you know how it goes.

My Mimi (grandma) sometimes sends newspaper clippings that
remind her of me. A recent letter
contained this full page
spread devoted to ramen noodles making a comeback. Growing up, ramen noodles (with cheddar
cheese on top, to boot!) were my go-to afterschool snack for a solid six
years. Though Ive cut back since
thenand switched brands to the steam-cooked rice noodle varietyand usually
add plenty of veggies, beans, and fishtheyve never really gone out of style
in my mind. Im excited to try this
particularly hip ramen recipe, Ramen
Noodle Sushi.

I was recently traveling by air, and happened across a handy
little sushi guide in the airlines magazine (which I promptly ripped out and
tucked in my purse). Today I see my
article theft was totally unnecessary, because the same guide is available online. A few things worth noting

1) Proper sushi etiquette dictates dipping the fish, not the
rice, in soy sauce.

2) Americans eat just over 16 pounds of fish per person per
year, while the Japanese eat 154 pounds.

3) There is a sushi spot in Boston that serves tequila and plays salsa
music (this could be my heaven).

I would probably pick sushi. It tastes so good, and you feel so good after eating it. No island fantasies necessary, though — I am lucky to live less than a block away from what must be one of the finest sushi restaurants in the country. Last night my fianc and I stopped in to share our usual Chefs Omakase. It turns out omakase means entrust, as in hand over control to the chef to choose the best fish he or she has to offer. This is a gamble we have never lost. Pictured is one of the hand-picked pieces we received a gorgeously fresh tuna and avocado roll.