Jean Dao from Massachusetts

“Golden tilefish is so colorful! My partner purchased two pounds (!!!) of it from a Farmer's Market and we cooked one pound a night for two nights in a row in a cast iron pan on the stove. On the first night, we tried to make the skin extra crispy by taking a blowtorch to it after cooking, but it didn't hold, so we opted to just sear it longer the next night. Perfect. The tilefish reminded us a lot of monkfish in its texture both raw and cooked -- tender but makes you chew a little, a very clean and almost nonexistent flavor on its own (but would be fabulous in a curry or saucy concoction!), and made our teeth squeak against each other a little when chewing. Weird! Would buy and eat tilefish again in a heartbeat.”

Kirstien Davidson from New Hampshire

“My husband was visiting one of his friends in RI this weekend so I asked him to pick-up the clams this week. Being a native Rhodie, I was hopeful he could handle the fish project this week and he pulled through! I also left preparation of the clams up to him and he decided to steam them in beer. He used Sam Adam's lager, which made the house smell like a brewery but also made the quahogs very tasty! We enjoyed them out on the porch with a bottle of beer while our little one napped. It was a perfect summer lunch!”

Pamela Corcoran from Maine

“I was happy to see halibut on my fish list this week. I thought I could find it at my co-op (Belfast ME) and it would likely be sourced from another co-op, Port Clyde Fresh Catch. This is a great way to Eat with the Ecosystem: support my neighbors, keep my dollars in the local economy, and enjoy the freshest of fish from the Gulf of Maine. A triple win!”

Brian Haggerty from Rhode Island

“We had two good size cod fillets, we hit em with lil flour and then drizzled lemon butter on both sides and finished them off with wheat ritz crackers on top. Served with steamed broccoli and brown rice”

Rachel Hutchinson from Massachusetts

“Chatham Mussels are being caught wild in our waters every day. I was happy to find local Chatham mussels as I could have just as easily walked into the water and picked them up myself. What I was surprised about was the when I walked into the fish market there were no mussels on display. I had to ask if they had any mussels, "oh yes they are out back". And thinking about it, I have been to Chatham Fish and Lobster almost every week and I don't think I have ever seen mussels on display. They were easy, and they were delicious. I'm not sure why they wouldn't be out on the counter. I would prefer to eat them over a steamer.”

Michelle Nelson from Connecticut

Fried Haddock with onion rings and fresh tartar sauce

“This was the second time I had haddock on my list. My father-in- law can catch me a striped bass so I bought the haddock. I prepared it by coating and then frying. We topped it with homemade tartar sauce and onion rings. Alongside there was orzo salad, marinated green beans and caprese stacks. Of course there was a cocktail, raspberry and lemon sorbet floating in prosecco!”

Deborah Mager from Connecticut

“I thought I was going to strike out this week from finding my species, but low and behold the last store I went to had mussels and mackerel. I had overnight family guests visiting this weekend and I had already had a dinner menu in mind which did not include mussels. I had searched for mussels two other times before and could only find ones that came from P.E.I. so I couldn't count on them. I was very surprised to find the mackerel, both fresh whole and packaged smoked filets. I chose the smoked filets because I could make an easy appetizer with them. I would serve the smoked fish with Tuscan crackers and herbed goat cheese. It sounded good in theory since I have had mackerel before and knew it had a stronger fish flavor and thought the herbed goat cheese would offset the flavor along with some wine. I will definitely look up some recipes before I purchase mackerel and try it again, and I would try the fresh whole rather than the smoked filet.”

Mary Tanzer from New Hampshire

“I love tuna - seared, sushi, tuna salad, tuna casserole - any and every way! It was a treat to have it on the list and get to make a simple pan seared steak (in sesame oil). I served it with brown butter sautéed green and yellow beans from a local farm. So easy! So good! I was planning on making some stuffed clams because I knew I'd find steamers. But at $5.99/lb for the clams....no way. The price for the actual edible clam was probably more than lobster meat! So we enjoyed our tuna instead.”

Carolyn St Jean Gogan from Rhode Island

“I tried to find Mahi Mahi but was told by two venders that the price is too expensive right now and they won't buy it. They both said they didn't understand why it was so costly. In the 14 weeks we have been doing this project I have never seen Sea Urchin. So, I bought lobster. I have loved lobster since I was knee high to a grasshopper. It is my favorite food and if I have the good fortune of picking my last meal, it will be lobster! I like to prepare it very simply. Just steam it and have a small bowl of melted butter to dip it in. You can't get any better than that!”

Pamela Corcoran from Maine

“I was happy to see halibut on my fish list this week. I thought I could find it at my co-op (Belfast ME) and it would likely be sourced from another co-op, Port Clyde Fresh Catch. This is a great way to Eat with the Ecosystem: support my neighbors, keep my dollars in the local economy, and enjoy the freshest of fish from the Gulf of Maine. A triple win!”

Peter Gauthier from New Hampshire

“I hope what I purchased was "winter" flounder. I saw flounder was available, I like it alot, and forgot that my list specified winter flounder. Anyway, my guy at Beef and Seafood told me the fish was from the waters off Gloucester. And, he told me unlike some wholesalers of flounder, his seller did not dip the fillets in tri-sodium phosphate to help preserve freshness. I didn't expect fish from the docks to get treated with chemicals!”

Daryl Popper from Massachusetts

Chatham Hake with basil, onions and basmati rice

""There is nothing more authenticate in New England than eating native fish." The engaging fish monger at Boston Public Market's Red's Best said this to me while diving deep into the importance and value of seeking out local, wild fish. He was spot on. Every experience during this project with the team at Red's Best, whether at Boston Public Market or finding them out at a local farmer's market, has been so meaningful. I really value their genuine passion for what they do and how willing they are to share their experience (and tasty recipes too!) at the counter. I was able to purchase a lovely piece of hake for this week's assignment. It was fresh off fisherman Bob Eldridge's boat named Unicorn out of Chatham and the price was right. At $11.00 per pound, I have found my new favorite, local fish! I prepared the hake at home on a gas stovetop, first pan searing in olive oil with onions for approximately five minutes on medium heat. I then added small heirloom tomatoes to the pan and transferred all to a pre-heated over to broil for an additional five minutes. I topped the fish with fresh basil and served with Indian style basmati rice.”

Paul Anderson from Maine

“Only Herring and Sea Scallops were available from my list, and the herring was smoked. That didn't interest me, so even though I had already done Sea Scallops earlier for this project, I decided to go with them again. Only this time, I selected sea scallops as one of several local seafood species for a Seafood Pie. I made up this recipe a few years ago for a visiting colleague from Hawaii and he still swears it was the best seafood dish he's ever eaten. The seafood in the pie filling is scallops (cut in pieces), shrimp (cut in pieces...from the Port Clyde group), and minced clams (from a can). I sauté minced shallots, celery and the raw seafood just enough to barely cook it in butter/olive oil, salt, pepper, tarragon, sherry. Add to this beaten egg, panko bread crumbs, a little bit of sour cream, and clam juice. I made two versions of the pies: one with regular pie crust in mini pie plates, and another using a large patty pan squash from my garden (hollowed out and filled). In both cases, I added a little grated fresh Parmesan on top before baking for about an hour at 425. I would usually add some whole cream or half-and-half to the mix, but was trying to keep the dairy down. The patty pan (pictured) came out really nice and the stuffing stayed moist. The pastry pies were a bit dry, so next time I'd go ahead with a little cream in the filling.”

Kat Champigny from Maine

Aaron Whitman from Maine

“I bought this fish whole at harbor fish market where they cleaned and filleted the fish for me. Took it home and cooked it that night with some oil and lemon pepper seasoning. It was very easy to work with and was a flakey white fish that tasted absolutely delicious!” - Acadian Redfish