You are currently browsing the tag archive for the 'Seafood' tag.
against the backdrop of picturesque New England autumn. After some early morning showers, the day brightened beautifully, allaying my initial concerns of being soaked and being grumpy as a byproduct of being soaked. I was still grumpy, but only then because that’s just who I am 
I digress. Today I lost my virginity. My apple picking virginity, to be precise. I tagged along with a buttload (nearly a full hayride’s worth) of Asian people to Russell Orchards, in Ipswich, MA, about an hour’’s drive from Boston. Unfortunately, the Honeycrisps were long gone but there were still plenty of Macouns, Cortlands, Galas, and MacIntoshs to go around. I enjoyed sampling all the varietals, indulging in the freedom to bite and toss as I please. It’s only recently I’ve cultivated a deeper appreciation for apples and the incomparable first bite of a fresh, crisp, clean, juicy specimen. I think the reliable Galas and Fujis are still my preferred snacking apples, although I discovered today that the Macoun is nice as well, firm and crisp with a gorgeous white flesh. I also picked up a few Cortlands that will hopefully make their way into an apple crisp on tomorrow’s brunch menu.
The last stop on my Easter vacation was Phu Quoc, a small, relatively undeveloped island in the Gulf of Thailand off the coast of Vietnam. PQ is famous for its fish sauce and beaches, and has yet to be overrun by tourists and tourist-driven establishments. In the early mornings I practically had the beach to myself, and would take a leisurely dip before breakfast while the sun lazily meandered its way over the horizon. The complementary breakfast at the hotel was one drink and one item off the menu, and I mostly stuck with hot coffee, an omelet, and baguette. In the spirit of laziness, I didn’t bring my camera to the breakfast table or whip it out as much as I usually do. Here are some of the highlights:
Yesterday I hit up my aunt’s place for a belated Chinese New Year’s meal.
This still taken while fiddling with my camera’s features as my aunt was preppping the food. Unintendedly nice photos are happy. I also realized that I need to start taking better advantage of my camera’s capabilities…So expect a higher standard of photos in the near future!
The spread. At the end of the day, Chinese food made by the family, for the family, puts all my other food cravings to shame. It resonates with every part of my being. This particular homecooked meal was especially therapeutic for my spirits, as I’d been feeling out of sorts of late.
Steamy claypot stew of sea cucumbers, abalone, mushrooms, dried shrimp, and other delectable items. Loads and loads of umami.
Amazing chicken wings, and photogenic to boot. The aroma stopped me dead in my tracks and had me scrambling to the dining table and seated in no time. I coaxed the recipe from my dear aunt — basically boiling the meat in a simple combination of traditional Asian ingredients and then letting it rest in the cooking liquid (kind of like a reverse marinade).
Beef stir fry with crisp asparagus and red onions.
Over the years, experiences like these have won me over to the idea that nothing says home like sitting down to a meal o’ love. That and getting some thick ‘hong bao’ 
Taking advantage of one of the numerous public holidays that Hong Kongers celebrate, I finally caved in and headed out with some folks to Sai Kung, where fresh seafood abounds. After getting into the main town area, we walked around for a bit along the boardwalk, checking out restaurant after restaurant with gorgeous sea creatures on display:
Check out the size of those clams (upper right)!
Here, a man is removing the spines off fob sea urchins (haha i crack myself up)…but yea, a spine in one’s throat would not be a laughing matter.
Needless to say, we soon sat down for some seagrub. We made our pickings and eagerly waited. Dish numero uno was lobster in ’soup’, which actually turned out to some kind of viscous sauce, which was fine by me.
This dish was pretty darn tasty (please excuse my use of plebeian adjectives; I’m almost a week removed from this experience). Most of the lobster pieces were still shelled, which was a good thing because the shell fragments trapped the lobster’s juices and sauce, which were, in turn, just begging to be slurped out. The lobster meat was plump, sweet, and juicy, nearly on par with the insanely creamy, melt-in-your-mouth lobster tail meat I downed in Cozumel. I generally have a personal preference against meat that’s described as ‘melt-in-your-mouth,’ but that lobster tail was one for the ages.
Next dish: fried cuttlefish, which was not bad. The breading was not overbearing, and I enjoyed the mild sweetness of it. Not sure how wrong one could go with frying fresh seafood.
Dish three: sea scalloops topped with vermicelli and garlic…and some more garlic…and some more. I’ve had this dish a few times in Hong Kong already, so I’m assuming it’s quite popular here. Can we all please look at those heaping mounds of garlic?
As a garlic zealot, it took all I had within me to restrain myself from doing a jig on the table. I could have done without the vermicelli, although the noodles were useful for picking up the excess garlic that didn’t make it in with my scallop. I really like the simplicity of this preparation, especially since that simplicity translates into such a delectable dish.
Oh, did I mention the garlic?
We next laid eyes on some gigantic prawns fried in oily, garlicky goodness. The skin was crunchy and edible, and while the meat was good, it was on the meager side. I think these prawns might have been underfed, poor things.
Last, and least, was our steamed fish with scallions and ginger:
I have yet to have steamed fish comparable to my dad’s back home, which disappoints me greatly. This fish meat was bland, lacking the naturally sweet flavor that I’m accustomed to, and I believe that fish is frowning because s/he let me down.
I thought this was a solid meal, though slightly disappointing in light of our high expectations for it. We reckoned it might have been the restaurant we selected, so I look forward to going back and trying again. After walking around for a bit, we took a sampan to a strip of ‘beach’, where we leisurely occupied ourselves for the remainder of the afternoon. I’ll leave you with some pictures.
Seafood for sale:
A sampan:
The ‘beach’: pint-sized, in true Hong Kong fashion.
