May 2010

  • Grilled Fresh Pacific Northwest Oysters

    By lisala on 5/31/10 8:06pm
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    It's spring in the Northwest, and local fresh oysters in the shell are readily available, and fairly affordable at about $5.00 a dozen. It's perfect weather for grilling oysters and it's a fun and easy way to enjoy them. You want to get the freshest possible oysters in the shell, and it's crucial for them to be alive. If the shells are open, and they don't close when you tap them, don't use the oysters. It's dangerous to use an oyster that isn't absolutely fresh. Grilling oysters on a barbeque or charcoal grill essentially poaches the oysters in their shells; when they're cooked through (five or six minutes or so on a hot grill) the shells pop open, so it's very easy to know when they're done. When I say "open, " I mean that a definite crack appears, one that wasn't there before.

    The basic method is simple:

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  • It's Shark Week at Seafood Talk!

    By sarajean on 5/31/10 6:46pm
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    Have you ever had a close encounter with a shark in the wild? How about a strange shark meal? Have you ever touched a shark—and if so, what’s the weirdest shark you’ve ever touched? Share your stories at Seafood Talk!

    While I’ve never touched, eaten, or seen a shark in the wild, I have seen a few in an aquarium here and there. They’re pretty amazing animals, don’t you think? For my shark story, I’m going to tell you about how to take action against the mass killing of sharks. Did you know that about 100 million sharks are killed annually by fisherman—73 million of which are killed for the shark fin trade?

    That’s likely much more shark than anyone could ever eat. Because of this mass killing, some shark populations have declined by up to 99% within the past four decades—leading, of course, to extinction. Many shark species now face the threat of extinction due to overfishing.

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  • Save the Sea Lions

    By sarajean on 5/24/10 8:32am
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    As a pacifist, any execution makes me feel nauseated. I hate that we kill to show that killing is wrong. We are in league with so many countries with countless human rights violations when it comes to this practice, as many more developed nations have seen that it is barbaric to offer killing as a punishment for any crime.

    This stance against violence, at least for me, extends toward animals as well. I was shocked to discover that at Bonneville Damm, located in Cascade Locks, Oregon, California sea lions are being killed in order to preserve the salmon the area fishermen make their living off of.

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