We finally made it to the scallop boat at Rye Harbor. The boat comes into the harbor to sell fresh-caught scallops . There were several cars of people waiting with us - I thought maybe we'dd be the only ones there, but everyone else was a regular. Why didn't we know about this sooner?? Here is the Rimrack, motoring into the harbor around seven o'clock this evening.
F/V Rimrack is a family-operated business, run by Padi and Mike Anderson. Their motto" "Know your fisherman; know your fish". Mike fishes off the Isles of Shoals to bring fresh scallops to locals and several area restaurants. He makes daily trips out and back, so these are some seriously fresh scallops. Bigger boats that stay out for days have to either freeze scallops or soak them in this ominous-sounding chemical - sodium tripolyphosphate (TSP). Rimrack's are "dry" scallops; scallops soaked in nasty chemicals are "wet" - bloated with extra water that makes them hard to sear.
Scallop fishing is not for sissies. Mike told me he went out at two in the morning - that's a seventeen hour day - and it was cold and blustery. I was freezing just standing on the dock!
Last month, Mike pulled up a wolly mammoth tooth with the scallops:
Mike and Padi weighing and packing up scallops. This is a low-budget operation - scale set up on the tailgate, plastic bags for transporting scallops, cash-only please and thank-you. They keep up a running commentary about the scallops and have an amazing amount of energy after a very long day on the water.
The Captain paying for our scallops.
Aren't theses some beauteous scallops? We bought five pounds - two bags went into the freezer like Padi directed - add a bit of milk to the bag, press out all the air and freeze flat. Apparently the milk gets into all the little air spaces so there isn't any freezer burn. We also have some in the fridge -glass bowl with theses big beauties covered with a damp towel. Mike is big on wanting his scallops to "breathe".
Thursday is The Captain's night to cook and tonight was his best -in-show!!
Notice the colorful sprinkles on the carrots? We brought this back from Scotland - flowers, herbs and seeds. It's tasty and decorative .
Local seafood with a dash of the Highlands - a great dinner and a fun way to shop for seafood. Also something to be thankful for - I don't have to spend hours fishing in the cold and dark. Support local fishermen - they work really hard!
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ReplyDeleteI live near the sea and I keep meaning to go and buy fish off the boats - must do it.
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