New Canaan is one of very few towns in Fairfield County that still value the independent small business. If you were to walk into virtually any of the shops in town, you would soon realize that the person who is helping you with your purchase is actually the owner. It’s natural to assume that these shopkeepers are more invested in building a lasting relationship with you, rather than viewing you as one representative of an aggregate market, which they can take or leave (there’s always more of you). New Canaan is a small, tightly knit community offering personalized service that residents and visitors alike find refreshing. One such place happens to be located directly behind Aetheria Spa (accessible from East Avenue). I’ve been aware of Fish Tales Seafood's existence as the neighbor behind me since I began working here in 2004. I had assumed it was your average, everyday fish market. I had no idea of the treasure in my neighborhood until last fall when my kitchen was converted from this:
To this:
If you’ve ever experienced a kitchen renovation project, you know how absolutely challenging it is to prepare homemade meals without access to a stove, oven or running water nearby. My husband – an excellent cook and mild food snob – and I attempted to find restaurants offering quality food, yet in a price range that we could afford to eat on a daily basis. It was rough going for several weeks. Fast food was out of the question. “Inexpensive” family restaurants were seriously disappointing to our palates. (C’mon! Soup from a can served as home-made for $6.95?) In an act of desperation one evening, I stopped by Fish Tales on my way home to pick up something – anything – to eat that wouldn’t be offensive to my taste buds.
I was absolutely thrilled to find a wonderful selection of pre-prepared items of fresh fish, grilled vegetables, shrimp appetizers, quiches, bean salads, pasta salads, etc., in addition to an array of various fresh fish fillets, mussels, shellfish, and tuna steaks.
We had found nirvana and it didn’t break the bank!
Ever since that discovery, Fish Tales has become my go-to place for a quick healthy dinner when my husband and I don’t have time to cook. And since we began our Slow Food Sunday journey back in late January, the guys at Fish Tales have become an even more valuable resource. So I decided to seize the opportunity to speak with them in more depth about their business.
“I love to fish! I just got back from a 5-day fishing trip in the Bahamas,” says Dan Mallozzi, owner of Fish Tales Seafood. “My first job as a teenager was working in our sister store in Rowayton. I’ve been working with these guys for years,” motioning to his two-member crew. “We work really well together.”
Al Castronuov, resident chef at Fish Tales, loves to cook. “It’s a very creative endeavor nowadays,” he says. “Anything goes. There are no rules anymore.” After a short career in the business world, Al went to culinary school in Norwalk to make a change toward something he felt more passionate about. “Simple is always better. There’s a strong collaboration between me and the other guys here to create delicious meals that are easy to prepare.”
Houston Blackwell, General Manager, says “we use organic ingredients as much as possible. We have a strong base of customers in town who actually care about what they eat and are sophisticated food shoppers. So our attention to detail; our knowledge of the industry and of food are what they demand. And we believe it’s what they deserve.”
So what makes fish so good for you, I wonder? And how does someone like me decipher what is truth or mild fiction when I read about species that are being overfished, or contain dangerously high levels of mercury, or should be avoided because they’re high in cholesterol?
“Fish is better for you than land mammals because it contains little to no saturated fat,” says Houston. “And all meats contain cholesterol, but fish [including shellfish] have high HDL cholesterol, which is the good stuff. All fish has Omega-3 fatty acids that your body needs. Salmon has the highest amount, but any fish is better than no fish at all.”
Lisa Corrado, a nutritionist in New Canaan that I’ve been working with for a few months, backs up Houston’s claim about the Omega-3 acids found in fish. She adds, “they help ward off dementia and Alzheimer's disease; and reduce inflammation in the body. This is especially important as we learn more about the effect of chronic cellular inflammation and its role in diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease.“
And as for mercury, Houston says that not all fish contain mercury levels. “High levels of mercury tend to be in fish that are higher up the food chain, like Swordfish, Tuna, Shark and Tilefish. But you would have to eat these types of fish 6 days a week for years to achieve elevated levels in your system." (Of course, pregnant women, women who may become pregnant or are nursing should avoid these types of fish altogether.)
“You’re not going to find selections of endangered fish in a fish market, either” he continues. “Over fishing isn’t really an issue any more because there are clearly defined regulations in place to control the fishing industry.” While the Fish Tales team encourages people to choose wild fish for meals, if people prefer a farm-raised species, it’s important to make sure they’re selecting sustainably-raised farmed fish. And how would the average person like me know this, I asked? After a thoughtful pause, Houston responds, “you have to find a market you trust. One that’s straight forward, honest and builds a relationship with you.”
For instance, there’s a Monterey Bay Aquarium card out there to educate the public on fish that has the best of intentions, but it isn’t entirely accurate. There is no USDA standard for organic fish. Europe, however, has stringent guidelines on what constitutes “organic fish” or “naturally raised fish.” Certified naturally-raised fish in Europe takes “organic” to the next level. It’s the closest thing to wild that you can get, and that’s the criteria Houston uses when he buys Salmon for the store.
We all know that if fish smells “fishy” it’s likely a sign that it’s not the freshest cut of fish around. “If you smell a fish market before you see it, I definitely recommend avoiding the store,” Al laughed. “It’s one thing if the place smells like the ocean, or if you smell fish being cooked or grilled. That is what a fish market should smell like, but if it’s fishy? Steer clear.”
Houston explained to me that there are boats that go out for 5-day fishing trips, and bigger boats that go out up to a month or more. Those bigger boats pack the catch in ice in giant bins and as weeks progress, they just pile the new catches on top. By the time they get back to shore, a place like Fish Tales will purchase the “top of the catch” because it’s the freshest; whereas, a grocery store might opt for the less expensive catch from the beginning of the trip – maybe 3 or 4 weeks old by the time it returns to shore - and then they freeze it indefinitely until it makes its way to the seafood counter. Houston clarifies, “We go for the catch from the 5-day fishing trips first, but if we have to settle, we’ll go for the top of the catch from the longer trips. The fresher the fish, the better it tastes.”
Lisa Corrado offers some advice for anyone new to the concept of fish for dinner: “it's a good idea to try a mild-tasting fish. Tilapia is a good example. It's also important to buy from a reputable fish market to make sure you're getting the freshest product available. Too many people buy less-than-fresh fish from a regular supermarket, and are then turned off because their house smells fishy when they cook it. And with the weather getting warmer, why not try grilling fish for dinner?”
Try this simple recipe that is appealing to both adults and kids:
Marinade: ¼ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger root
½ teaspoon sugar
Four, 4-ounce wild salmon fillets
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (optional)
Preheat oven to 450º. Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean up. Mix marinade ingredients in a non-reactive bowl (ceramic or Pyrex). Add salmon, turn to coat and marinate for 10 minutes. Place salmon on large cookie sheet. Brush salmon with any remaining marinade. Roast salmon until cooked through, about 5 – 8 minutes depending upon thickness of the fillets. Sprinkle salmon with toasted sesame seeds.
Fish Tales Seafood is located at 53 East Avenue New Canaan, CT 06840 (203) 966-6300 and offers catering services, as well as fresh and pre-prepared items for sale. Consider them for your next dinner at home, or for your next party.
1 comments:
I love the photo of you and Houston! Maybe you have a future at the fish market. Thanks for a great article.
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