Fish last Friday

Stockton Market in Stockton, New Jersey, on the Delaware.

  

Inside I found Metropolitan Seafood Company,

and came home with a few savories for dinner.

This is why I always save shrimp shells in my freezer.

This may be overkill, but sometimes you just have to go for it.

3 1/2 inch Cotuit oysters on the halfshell with uni from Maine

and wasabi.  Briny, creamy, pungent, and ultra-fresh.

The beginning of softshell season.  

I absolutely could not pass these up.

Freshly shucked Maine diver scallops, seared and served

on top of roasted fingerlings, and asparagus from New Egypt.

That shrimp stock was reduced and mounted with some 

whole butter.  It's nice that the back patio herbs are here again.

Great Day, Great Dinner

Tuna Tataki.  And a third of it was already gone.  Huge portion.

The freshest salmon seared with chili powder, then served with

a chile/citrus juice and chopped scallions and chiles on top.

Olivia slayed the Dragon Roll and went California Dreamin'.

It's so nice to be appreciated and recognized by your local

favorite restaurant for being a good customer.  Unagi (eel)

in the foreground, then two spoons of ultra-fresh Uni

(sea urchin roe),  King Salmon sushi,  Tri-Me roll (fried oyster,

mango, avocado and shiso inside, then Tuna, Salmon, and

Yellowtail on the outside).  Last but not least, an overstuffed

spicy tuna roll.  If these guys ever close their doors, we're selling 

the house and moving to where they set up shop next.  

Now's the Time

At 1.69 a pound, we'll be having the 'royal vegetable' often this

time of year.  Boiled for 3-4 minutes in well-salted water,

all this needs is a little olive oil and lemon juice and you're good

to go.  Since the chives have been pushing up as well, chop

some and sprinkle on top.  And keep a clothespin next to the toilet.

"I stick to asparagus which still seems to inspire gentle thought."

-Charles Lamb, British essayist, in "Grace before meat"

I love asparagus with lamb.

A&P

Arugula and Prosciutto pizza with ricotta, mozzarella, onions, 

and basil underneath.  And nothing for dessert.

The Pie's the Limit

Time to empty out the fridge and make some pizza. 

Kansas and Connecticut.  Sounds like a Final Four match-up.

 These had oysters, spinach, cob-smoked bacon, and basil.

Earlier, I had grilled some vegetables so we wouldn't feel so damn

guilty just eating decadent pizza for dinner.  I'll be picking at this for

days to come.  Monday and maybe Tuesday.  Then it will be gone.

Mommy doesn't care for the fancy toppings, so mushrooms and 

basil are more than sufficient.  A nice tea towel helped to curb the 

heat.  Eventually we'll put it away before it gets too frayed.

By now you've realized that I don't give a damn about the shape

of the pie itself.  I've done extensive research on that subject in

particular, and I can confidently report that the shape has absolutely

nothing to do with how it tastes. 

Liv's pie had chicken-apple sausage and fried red potato slices.

And it was damn good, too.  We love you Hannah, but you had

to get back to school before we had dinner.  We'll do it again.

Not Kosher

Bay scallops and roasted pork tenderloin with Shanghai tips,

snow peas, and baby corn.  The sauce was ShaoXing wine,

Three Crabs fish sauce, oyster sauce, and sesame oil.  Sweet

sticky rice was underneath and some chile-garlic paste made it hot.

Open refrigerator material.

Olympic Village, Amsterdam 2028

There will be late-night snack venues located

throughout the Olympic Village in Amsterdam, 

the projected host to the 2028 Fall Olympics.  

The I.O.C. Foodservices Division have been

hard at work developing menus that will be

implemented during this 28 gra...I mean 28 day

event.  This item has been tested and re-tested 

and has passed with flying colors.  A crisp disc of

 Pancetta slices with sliced tomatoes and grated 

Parmesan, and then a whole egg cracked over the top 

and cooked under a lid until opaque.  And oh yeah, a 

few leftover potstickers thrown in the pan to re-brown. 

All of the 5 basic food groups:  Pork, Pork, Tomatoes,

Cheese, and Eggs.  And Dumpling Wrappers too.

I would classify it as Pan-Itasian.

  

These venues will be open 24 hours a day,

in anticipation of hordes of hungry athletes.  Some 

of the disciplines for which to be competed include:

Hacky-Sack, Ultimate Frisbee, Hacky-Fris 

(a kind of Biathlon), Horseshoes, Darts (baseball rules),

Quoits (Trenton rules), Wine Tasting,  Standard Laser,

Laser Radial, Laser Mini Rig (throwback),

Beer Bong, Beer Pong (impossible tickets),

Flip Cup, Sing-a-long with the Acoustic Guitar 

Dude on the Quad, and many more.  New to

the games in 2028 will be Quarter Bounce, although

this time it will be considered an exhibition sport

(medals to be awarded in 2033).  Stay tuned for updates.

The U.S. Ambassador to the 2028 Amsterdam Olympics.