Iron Chef America and Fresh Kosher Fish
Just caught some “Iron Chef America” on Food Network… an egg battle between Wolfgang Puck and Masaharu Morimoto. Puck won handily (his dishes best reflected the surprise ingredient and the tastes of the judges), but during the competition, Morimoto pulled out this delicious looking slab of fresh tuna. Instantly, I thought — I must have some tuna like that!
Problem is, as far as I know, we don’t have great, fully Kosher purveyors of fish in the Boston area, despite our proximity to the sea. The major supermarkets carry a limited selection of packaged, fileted Kosher fish from North Coast Seafoods; I’ve seen cod, sole, salmon, and haddock sporadically at both Stop & Shop and Shaw’s/Star.
The Butcherie maintains a small fresh fish case. Given everything else that’s going on around the butcher counter, and the fact I never see much quantity or variety in the fish, it feels like it isn’t a priority, so I’ve generally steered clear.
Naturally, my curiousity has gravitated toward the prominent fishmonger on Harvard Street, Wulf’s… which isn’t kosher. But it’s only fish, right? Not so fast. Here’s a quick overview of my nearby kashrut sources. From the Orthodox Union website:
Therefore, filleted or ground fish should not be purchased unless properly supervised, or the fillet has a skin tab with scales attached to the flesh. Furthermore, purchasing fish in a non-kosher fish store is problematic, even if the scales are intact, because the knives and tables are not kosher, and Rabbinic guidance should be sought.
From The Laws of Kashrus (Forst):
Purchasing fish from a non-kosher store: Since the matter is controversial, one should not purchase cut fish from a store that sells non-kosher fish, even though the fins and scales of the kosher fish are recognizable (skinless fish or fillets may, in fact, be non-kosher). Since the proprietor cannot be believed that the knife is used exclusively for kosher fish, we must be concerned that the knife may have had non-kosher residue. In the event that one has no alternative to purchasing cut fish from a non-kosher store, the fish should be thoroughly washed and the cut surfaces lightly scraped with a knife edge. If the store sells only kosher fish, one may purchase cut fish (if the scales are recognizable) although one has no assurance that the knife is kosher.
The 21-year-old How to Run a Traditional Jewish Household (Greenberg) suggests matters were more lenient in the past:
In all but very intensive Jewish neighborhoods, the fish store will sell both kosher and non-kosher fish. However, if there is a Jewish clientele, the fishman will keep two sets of knives for cutting and cleaning.
I’ll defer this matter to our rabbinical authority and report back.
If you must have the freshest fish and the greatest variety, buy a whole fish and avoid the knife issue entirely. The Gorton’s website, believe it or not, has some good guidelines on cleaning and deboning whole fish and tips for buying fresh fish that are applicable in any situation.
what we used to do when living in boston was bring our own knife/cutting board to a store that sells fish and have them fillet a fish in front of us.
While the topic of fish was up, I just wanted to point you all towards a wonderful and super easy salmon recipe that I found on FoodTV.com this week: Salmon & Avocado with Sesame-Soy Dressing. It was one of the best salmon recipes I remember having in a long time. You can find the online recipe here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/...
For those in the NJ area, the Kosher Experience Shoprite locations have kosher fish sections, where they carry a nice selection of fish (tuna, red snapper, trout etc) and can usually get stuff if you are able to pre-order with them.The other basic approach is a Alyssa mentioned. Just get yourself a cutting board and the appropriate knife and most good places will be happy to cut using that. In the absence of being able to make use of either of the above, first of all anything is subject to CYLHA (consult your local halachik authority), but basically if you are just having them clean the fish and leave it as a large piece where you will cut steaks from it later, that is your best approach. Once home, you only need to cut a thin piece from each cut end and then wash the fish well (this is basically the more stringent opinion). Fillets are much more of a problem.
Or like my father– purchase it intact from a non-kosher place and scale and filet/steak it at home.