Serena’s Travels

This afternoon Pike’s Place Market was a bustling crowd of people, hung with an aura of sweet pea flowers bursting in bloom. I was driven towards the fish – there are several stalls that sell seafood, not just the one famous for throwing them, aptly named Pike Place Fish Market. I eyed the lot, keeping a look out for fish still bent with rigermortus, clear eyes, local fish species, and herring, preferably kippered. I found a match at the keystone of Pike Place’s fish, the aforementioned market, and not the other smaller purveyors that I thought would be better bets. I choose two packs of their kippered herring, which was then shouted for the throngs of watchers. A frozen tuna was chucked over my head to applause as I picked out a golden trout to take back to the kitchen. I hadn’t seen this sunset-colored fish at a market before, and it seemed a more interesting choice than the classic rainbow variety.

Back in the kitchen I took the whole fish and stuffed the cavity with sweet onions (grown in my aunt’s friend’s garden), lemon slices, my aunt’s chives, and a little olive oil. The results were marvelous. Not only was the fish as fresh as can be, and the preparation simple but appropriate, but the flesh was a tasty-looking light salmon color. I wondered if color had been added, but then my uncle chimed in, not knowing what type of fish we were eating, that he used to catch golden trout in the Western Sierras and that it was a salmon colored fish he found in high elevations, but could never find at a market. After hearing his tale I was even more excited about my dinner find. Next time you venture into the busy shopping atmosphere that makes Pike Place what it is, I highly recommend you try something new, ask the fish monger what’s just come in, or just follow your eyes toward what looks freshest and most interesting. You never know what will come of it!

I had the fish mongers at Pike’s Place Fish Market leave the fish intact, rather than have them fillet it, and this head will be yummy fish broth for other uses later. (I’m tempted to do a fiery hot East Indian fish head curry that I recently learned, but not today)

The prettiest fish!!

It was done after about 35 minutes on 375-f oven, first 10 minutes were covered

A sauce of sauteed onion, a little whole milk, black pepper, toasted flour and fresh chives and parsley for the trout

zucchini with garlic and tomatoes (frozen from last summer’s harvest) were an ideal side dish