Whole and Fresh, Please !

Black-Lung Rockfish

You'd think it would not be hard to find fresh whole fish in a big harbor city like San Diego. Unfortunately, it is not an easy task. The average Joe has a pretty dismal choice of fillet, fillet, or fillet at the grocery store. Unless you are looking for a rainbow trout, prepacked whole and ready to go. Maybe it's a consequence of mass markets, the consummer does not want to know where the food is coming from. Everything is precut, prepackaged with a sticker on it so you know what you are buying. It's fast and convenient, but it disconnects the consummer from the food he's eating. And in some cases, it removes any clues on the freshness of the product.

Fish is the perfect example. I grew up near Marseilles, where seafood is an important part of the diet. Think Bouillabaisse, Soupe de Poissons, Loup au Champagne, Moules Meunieres, Fruits de Mer...There freshness is what ranks fish shops, and hearsay can make or break a reputation. Owners proudly display whole fresh fish on beds of ice to attract shoppers. I was always told to find a fresh fish you have to look at its eyes. A clear eye means fresh, a cloudy eye means it is old (basically the proteins in the eye have started to degrade, creating a cloudy residue). That's it ! It's a simple rule. If only the fish was not sold with its head chopped off....

Fish Shop in Aix-en-Provence

I had a very pleasant surprise on Friday. I just happened to run into a recently new farmer's market in the Mission Valley area in San Diego. There I met a very nice man from Poppa's Fresh Catch, selling, gasp !, fresh fish, both whole and filleted. Their slogan "any fresher and it's underwater" made me laugh ! But I have to agree, the whole rockfish they sold me, descaled and gutted, was caught today. The eye was absolutely clear, and the meat, once cooked, was still clinging to the bones (another sign of freshness). The local company operates at many other farmer's market in the San Diego area. Make sure you stop by their booth, it's worth a look and it's good for the tummy :)


With fresh fish in a bag, I gleefully went home and started the oven. A fresh catch does not need much to taste good. A dash of olive oil and rock salt, a few slices of lemons in the gut (or dried fennel, as my mom would do), and a piece of aluminum foil on top to keep the juices in. In the oven at 360F for 30 minutes and it was ready. Moist and firm. Served with the juices in the pan.

The hardest part ? Waiting for next friday !