Seafood Recipes
Learn New Ways to Cook San Diego-Landed Seafood
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Photo by Oriana Poindexter
Peruvian Tiradito with California Yellowtail
Peruvian Tiradito is a highly photogenic dish - a fusion of Japanese sashimi and Peruvian ceviche, featuring thin slices of fish drizzled in a tangy citrus sauce that adds just the right kick. This Peruvian-Japanese fusion was born out of place-based cultural creativity when Japanese immigrants, who first arrived in Peru in 1899, began adapting local ingredients to recreate the dishes of their homeland.
Pacific Bluefin Tuna Crudo with Seasonal Stonefruit
Pacific Bluefin Tuna is the fattiest of tunas, giving it extraordinarily rich flavor and velvety soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Raw preparations allow those culinary characteristics to shine, and this Summer Stonefruit Crudo is a great example. Because Pacific Bluefin Tuna is a fish that is especially abundant off the San Diego coast in the summertime in San Diego, it makes sense to feature another seasonal summer delight - a ripe peach, nectarine, or plum - alongside the fish. "Crudo" is Italian for "raw," and this simple preparation for local seafood, combined with high quality olive oil and freshly squeezed citrus, is a timeless classic in Italian fishing villages.
California Yellowtail Ceviche
Ceviche prepared with fresh California Yellowtail is an iconic seasonal delicacy in Southern California. California Yellowtail in its raw form is a translucent pink, and gradually becomes white and opaque when "cooked" in citrus juices. Yellowtail is firm, and holds up well under the acidity of the preparation.
Sautéed Yellowtail & Summer Salad
Anyone looking for a way to eat more fish for their health should take a look at the simple steps for this recipe. California Yellowtail in its raw form is a translucent pink, and cooks white. It is firm and dense, with a milder flavor than tuna, but is richer tasting than most “white” or lean fish. It holds up well to a variety of bold marinades. This recipe is inherently customizable to the season, as ingredients can be exchanged for whatever is available. The Hot Honey Basil Marinade pairs well with any white fish available from San Diego’s commercial fishing fleet.
Teriyaki-Pineapple Yellowtail Burger
Making a burger using the trim meat (scraps that are left over from filleting a fish) and the spoon meat (anything you can scrape off a fish backbone with a spoon) is an immensely rewarding way to reduce your intake of red meat, and reduce waste in your kitchen. This recipe features the California Yellowtail, a beloved local fish purchased from San Diego commercial fishermen, but it is adaptable to other local species, too.
Kinilaw with Local Fish
Kinilaw is a traditional preparation of raw fish native to the Philippines, either eaten with rice or on its own. Refreshing and entirely distinct from Latin American ceviches, to which it is often compared, kinilaw combines bite-sized pieces of raw fish with coconut milk, coconut vinegar, and various aromatics. It is adaptable to many species of San Diego-landed commercially caught marine fish, provided the fish is freshly caught and well-cared for, as is necessary for safe (and enjoyable) raw consumption.
Simple Oven-Baked Collars
One of the richest and most flavorful cuts around, fish collars can be hard to find unless sourcing directly from the fisherman, or buying from a business which processes fish in-house. Collars vary in size, depending on the fish, so you may come across very large collars that can feed small groups, or dainty collars suitable for personal appetizers. Use your judgment with the seasonings, which are simple and scalable.
Simple Grilled Collars
One of the richest and most flavorful cuts around, fish collars can be hard to find unless sourcing directly from the fisherman, or buying from a business which processes fish in-house. Collars vary in size, depending on the fish, so you may come across very large collars that can feed small groups, or dainty collars suitable for personal appetizers. Use your judgment with the seasonings, which are simple and scalable. You’ll want to have enough to coat the fish in marinade and baste while grilling. This recipe also adapts well to an oven broiler.
Whole Fish with Black Bean Garlic Sauce
The recipe suits any small whole fish you can get your hands on - from the many rockfish species available in San Diego to shortspine thornyhead and ocean whitefish. Black bean garlic sauce is a paste made from salted and fermented black soybeans, available at most Asian supermarkets. This flavoring is a traditional Chinese staple, and this preparation of whole fish is a popular dish to celebrate the Chinese New Year.
Korean Spicy Braised Mackerel (Godeungo Jorim)
This is a traditional Korean recipe, godeungeo jorim that can also be used for black cod (eundaegu jorim). Jorim, meaning “braised,” is a cooking style that is widely adaptable to many types of fish available in San Diego. A one-pot dish, it combines a simplicity of preparation with complex flavors.
Fish Amino Acid - Food for the Garden
This is an excellent method to turn all the fish waste produced locally into an organic nutrient rich amendment your plants will love.
The practice is environmentally sound, closing the loop by preventing the loss of valuable organic matter to landfills.
Kristina’s Home Canned Tuna
If you end up with more fresh fish than you can handle, try out this home canning method to preserve the meat to enjoy later.
You can use meat from any part of the tuna for canning, including all the oddly shaped bits & pieces trimmed from the lion, head, or carcass. Or, try with other species you have in abundance, like swordfish or salmon!
Basque Inspired Tuna Head Soup
After you’ve used the rest of the tuna - this stock recipe is the perfect way to continue enjoying the flavor of the fish.
Pull out your biggest stock pot for this one!
Tuna Hoedoep-bap | Korean Sashimi Salad over Rice
Hoedoep-bap is distinguished from other raw fish salads by the overlying sauce, a blend of the Korean pepper paste gochujang, which is thoroughly mixed into the bowl before the first bites are taken. The gochujang sauce is spicy, a little sweet, and bold in flavor, making it an excellent option for diverse cuts of fish with characteristics like sinew, irregular shape, or oxidization.
Local Fish Poke
Poke is a feast for the eye as well as the taste buds, with the attractive variety of vegetables and seafood that can be used. It’s a very approachable way to eat raw fish, and inherently customizable. Curb your habit of purchasing poke, and learn to make it yourself, if you have the luxury of access to locally landed, high quality tuna, opah, or yellowtail.