The Big Event

And so it came to pass... that the dream became a reality. I had my night. I got the peeps to see that you don't have to eat the same seafood everyone else is eating. You don't have to drag the oceans with nets, you don't have to travel miles offshore, you don't have to fish for species that are getting slammed by every other commercial fisherman in California. You can actually go down to the local pier/beach/tide-pool and catch things worthy of a gourmet meal. Lucky for me I found La Trappe, and it's owner, Mike. I've been trying to make this concept happen for over a year, actually two years. But it keeps falling through (I take full responsibility for this).

But Mike decided to make it two things: affordable and fun. And having it coincide with beer week wasn't a bad idea either! (A happy marrying of two of my favorite things: fish and beer). Anyway affordable and fun was exactly what it turned out to be!

Goddess of sustainability Bea Johnson gets up close and personal with Cebidichthys violaceus. Please check out this link to see the awesome stuff Bea and hubby Scott are doing in Marin: Zero Waste. {Beyond just being very funny, I think this photo illustrates the kind of wild energy and exuberance that was going on Tuesday night).

It also didn't hurt to have a hard working wait staff, and an awesomely talented kitchen that treated the surf smelt, manilla clam, rock crab and monkeyface eel with profound delicacy and playfulness. I mean seriously. It was a dream come true to see all those items on a local menu, but to see them honored with such skill and originality almost turned me into a weeping mass of snot and tears.

The author presents the eel

Anyway, here's the menu:

The menu for the big event 02/14/12

Not sure if anyone out there has ever had to catch fish for a big event but I will say this: it ends up putting a lot of pressure on a fisherman. I mean at this point I'm pretty good at monkeyface eels... but 20 in one day... that was a serious challenge. Luckily I have Mikey D., to follow me into all my crazy misadventures.

But unluckily for both of us the weather turned foul the day before the event and we were forced to endure some nasty stuff out there (see movie at the bottom of this post). This is why it's a lot safer for a small boat fisherman never to make promises. The ocean doesn't give a hot damn about anybody's sustainable fish dinner.

I'm not sure I really gave Mikey D. his props. But the truth is there wouldn't have been any dinner without Mikey. He busted his ass for me and I am forever indebted.

And another person I need to thank is Kenny B., our beloved fishmonger and lender of "the boat." Without his continued generosity we'd be dead in the water.

There were a lot of cool things that happened that night but for me, the eel skinning and smelt de-boning demonstrations were tops.

The lovely "Katie" debones her first smelt

If "the lovely Katie" ever reads this post, I want to offer my apologies. "Knead" was the wrong word. You want to simply press the spine into the palm of your hand. Kneading, done by someone who's actually kneaded bread, (unlike me), will result in a mooshed smelt.

Another lovely attendee learns some basics of fish preparation: skinning the eel. Note the curious red mark on face of instructor.

I dunno, I'm sure there's some disgruntled old fisherman or fishmonger out there who scoffs at all this. Making a big deal about twenty eels and 70 pounds of rock crabs. Oh well, that's fine with me. I'm perfectly happy being the guy who makes a big deal about small quantities of under appreciated fish. And anyway, I'd like to see any other fisherman on the planet stand up in front of packed house and sing Molly Malone without getting thrown out on his face.

And so now I go to bed feeling pretty damned good about life. Happy visions still dancing across the inner vault of my eel-obsessed brain. Although it doesn't make sense outside the context of the event, I thought I'd include the following video (see below) which I showed at the beginning of the night. (Yes, several years ago I used Henry Thomas' Fishing Blues in a video about drain fishing, but I figured for my own event it was excusable to use it again).

Molly Malone statue, Dublin

Looks like we're going to do one of these events for every season... ooh think about what wonders await us in April! July! October!

Anyway, thanks to everyone who attended. It was a truly wonderful night. And every single person contributed to it.

From deep in my happy place this is Lombard of the Intertidal... signing out.

Comments

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Congrats!!!

Suggested adventure #233 : catch some MFE's at Ft Baker jetty. Walk into Farley bar, order some Eagle Rare and slap those bad boy MFE's on the bar. Ask for the 'damn cook' and tell him to cook up some fritters. Convince them to make it a local sustainable organic bar appetizer. The peeps at Cavallo Pt might like that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Rk1DKyKJXE

Maybe add crawdads to the menu?

Posted by: Rene | 02/17/2012 at 12:04 AM

What's the fish-wife have to say about Ms. Johnson licking yer eel like that? LOL, dude - this post alleviated my cubicle-drone blues for at least the next hour or two!

Posted by: Finesmall | 02/17/2012 at 06:38 AM