*grumbling*
It’s never ending, this cold. We, and the Oyster, are sick of it. However, it’s not all clouds and gloom. Dean, our waterman, was out on our leases in 9 Mile Creek PEI this week, and he says that winter Oyster losses looks very low, especially compared to other fishermen on the Island who are seeing 30% mortality on their leases. But he says the oysters are still very strong tasting – they are stressed during the cold season (not eating), and you can still taste that character – and that there is still some ice so the waters remain cool. He’ll be looking at them again in a week to see how they’re bouncing back, but the signs are good for a bountiful year of Rodney’s Oyster Depot oysters.
Until the Maritimes warms up some, and the oyster gains a little weight, we’re still seeing the best oysters coming out of New England right now. John Wagner down at Foley in Boston hosted some of our crew for a Fish Seminar – we came away feeling very good about the approach Foley takes to their product, and with some great new ideas for preparing and serving fish. We’ve found some gorgeous, never frozen U-10 scallops (“U-10” means under 10 to the pound, so nice and big). We’ve found some great haddock that we’ll be frying, tail on, for our Friday fish and chips. And in the next couple of weeks we’ll be seeing Cobia, Wild ramps, Skate Wing, Tuna Loin, Monkfish, Fiddleheads and Halibut. Spring is coming! Even if we can’t wear a tshirt to work quite yet.
The Crew