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FOR PISCIVOROUS PEOPLE...
Soft Shell Crab Anyone?
APRIL 2008
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April showers bring...great food!
April is a wonderful month with much anticipation for sunny balmy days, spring flowers, and great seasonal food. Wild Alaskan halibut and salmon, Florida soft shell crabs, fiddlehead ferns, morels, and ramps to name a few.
April 2nd is our 6th anniversary of being Chicago's premier fishmongers! It's hard to believe that the years go by so fast. We couldn't be the best without your support and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
Don't forget the Gefilte Fish!
We have a busy week ahead with Passover, Good Friday, and Easter all bunched together this year. If you need something special for your holidays, please call us ahead so we can be sure to take care of you. We will be making our fresh gefilte fish for tasting this weekend. Stop by for a taste.
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Don't forget that we are closed Easter Sunday.
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April Events
We have a Cuban cooking class, a sushi class and a sustainable dinner with the Shedd Aquarium. See the schedule below.
We will also be at the Marriot Lincolnshire doing a fundraiser for the Center for Enriched Living on April 20th.
April 25th 12:00
Fresh pasta tasting presented by the Pasta Puttana, Jessica Volpe. We will have the grill out and be pairing grilled seafood with Jessica's wonderful fresh pasta. She may even have a few new flavors for us to try! Don't miss it.
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Celebrate Earth Day April 22nd: Be good to our Mother!
The days are getting longer and warmer, now is the time to check the gas, buy some charcoal, dust off and clean that grill!
Resolve to try a new fish for grilling and/or check out a new recipe. We are here to help and guide you to healthy eating. We have many simple and tasty recipes (108 last count) on our website.
With your busy schedules and little time for cooking, don't forget to try some of our ready to go meals and fresh soups for home and our sushi and lunch menus for on the go! Call ahead and we will have your order ready and waiting for you.
Take advantage of our weekly specials and every day in-store specials. Be sure to use your "Dirk'$ Dollar$" and get a few bucks off your purchase!
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FISH AND SUSTAINABILITY
We became partners with the Shedd Aquarium last year so that we could coordinate our efforts in educating people about fish, fishing practices and health. We felt that once people had gone to the Aquarium and soaked in the sustainability message that they would need a place to go to purchase fish and seafood that they could feel was procured in ocean friendly manner. Fish that they could feel good about eating. Dirk's Fish is such a place.
I research all the fish that comes through our doors with a close eye on the various "Fish Lists", Monterey Bay Aquarium and Shedd Aquarium in particular.We really try to stay current on all sustainability issues to insure that the fish you buy from us is from a viable and renewable resource and one that you can feel good about eating. I will be adding a sustainability page to my website soon that will be more in depth on all the issues. We are also going to be working with the Shedd Aquarium to promote their Rite Bite program. Pick up one of the Shedd's wallet card at the shop when you come in. It's a great place to start looking for your new favorite fish!
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On Tuesday, April 21st, 7:30 to 9:30
Dirk's Fish and the Shedd Aquarium will be hosting our first
Sustainable Underground Dinner.
We will be highlighting the best of sustainable fish and seafood in a casual learning and dining experience.
Kassia Perpich, Shedd Aquarium's Sustainable Seafood Coordinator, will be giving a presentation and handing out information and free Shedd passes. We will provide species information and the recipes you will be tasting. As usual, it's BYOB and come hungry (I'm not kidding!).
$75.00 per person limited to 25 people.
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Here are some links to a few websites to further your knowledge...
I encourage you to call us with any questions or concerns you may have.
Dirk Fucik |
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Dirk'$ Dollar$
APRIL COUPON #1
Bring in this coupon for $5.00 off on your purchase of $25.00 or more during the first half of the month.
Limit one coupon per customer per purchase.
Coupon good April 1st thru 15th.
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Pacific Cod
Gadus mmacrocephalus
These fish are found swimming from Monterey Bay, California to Northern Alaska with our fish coming from the Bering Sea. Pacific cod are a fast growing and prolific species with females producing from 225,000 to 5 million eggs per year. A big cod would be about 45 inches long with most of them coming in at a much smaller size. The Bering sea fishery is certified by the Marine Stewardship Council as a very sustainable and viable resource. Our cod are caught by trolling, a hook and line fishery that impacts the environment in the least possible way. With the fish being caught this way also insures that the fish are landed one at a time and such handling practices produce a better quality fillet for your plate. Pacific cod is endorsed as an ocean-friendly product on all the conservation fish lists too!
Pacific cod has a very mild taste and a delicate flakey texture that lends itself well to most cooking applications. This fish will replace the east coast cod, haddock, or even halibut in any recipe with outstanding results. We love it in chowders, soups, in the oven or even pan suateed. Try marinating it in our miso marinade for a few hours then wrap the fillet in some foil and steam it ion the grill for the most succulent piece of cod you have ever had! If you like fish and chips this is the fish.
Beautiful white cod fillets
Regular Price:$14.00 per pound
Special Price:$12.00 per pound
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Rainbow Smelt
Osmerus mordax 
Smelt, head and dressed
Rainbow smelt are originally native to the Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans. They were introduced to the Lake Michigan in the 1930s when fish that were stocked in an inland lake escaped. Since then they have expanded their range throughout the entire Great Lakes and St Lawrence River basin.
Smelt spawn in the warmer shallow water in the spring. I have fond memories of catching and cooking smelt every spring off the pier in Wilmette back in the 1980s. These days the cyclic habits of fish have reduced the frequency of the local smelt catch. Also another invasive species, round gobies, may be having an impact on smelt populations.
Smelt are commercially caught mostly in Lake Erie on the Canadian side. They are caught with open water trawls with little bycatch issues. Smelt are considered an "undesirable species" in because of their impact on native fish populations and are a good sustainable choice.
I think the best way to cook smelt is to fry them in veggie oil. First dredge them in a flour, salt and pepper mixture, dip them in a bowl of beaten egg and then rolled in panko bread crumbs. Fry until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Serve with tartar sauce or my favorite, spicy mayo.
Breakfast @ Dirk's
Regular price: $8.00 per pound
Special price:$6.00 per pound
April 6th thru 12th |
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Dirk'$ Dollar$ APRIL COUPON #2
Bring in this coupon for $5.00 off on your purchase of $25.00 or more during the second half of the month.
Limit one coupon per customer per purchase.
Coupon good April 16th thru 30th only.
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Alaskan Halibut
Hippoglossus stenolepis
Halibut fishing is good in our cooler!
It's a sure sign that spring is upon us when you start seeing halibut on our fish counter! Halibut cheeks, one of our favorite delicacies won't be far behind. If you haven't tried the cheeks, you are missing out.
Alaskan halibut is the preimer white fish and a poster fish for sustainability. The fishery is well managed and in great shape. Halibut are long line caught on small boats, processed at sea and quickly flown down to the lower 48 states. They can be as big as 400 pounds but we prefer fish around 20 pounds each which make for a tender prime fillet.
Halibut can be used in almost all recipes but we love it grilled best, maybe even on a cedar plank for the ultimate in outdoor flavor.
Or try a halibut roast
Regular Price: Fillets- $26.00 per pound
Special Price: Fillets- $22.00 per pound
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Atlantic Croaker
Micropogonias undulatus
crocus, drum, grumbler, hardhead...
Atlantic croaker are found up and down the Atlantic coast and into the Gulf of Mexico to Texas. They live in estuaries, bays, and are found mostly near the shoreline. They are a very abundant species feeding on crustaceans, and small fish and they in turn are preferred prey of many larger fish. Croaker grow to about 18 inches long (for a big one) and weigh about 3 to 4 pounds with the most common size harvested being 1 to 2 pounds. Harvested with gill nets or sandy bottom trawling there is little impact on the environment or other fish. They are abundant and fast growing making these fish a Best Sustainable choice.
As kids, we used to surf fish on the Outer Banks of North Carolina and croakers were one of the most frequently caught fish. They were about a foot long and when you brought them up on the beach they would emit a "croaking or grunting" noise. Very entertaining for us kids! The noise is from the stomach muscles beating against the swim bladder. We would clean them at the beach (the seagulls loved us) and back at camp would flour and pan fry them. They were so good!
I had a request from a customer for croakers and it brought all this back to mind so here we are with croakers on sale at Dirk's. Being small fish, we can either fillet them for pan sauteing or my favorite is to clean them and grill them whole just like a small snapper.
This is a chance to try something a little different and its cheap! I like to see customers expand their fish horizons.
Regular Price: $7.00 per pound, whole
Special Price: $5.00 per pound, whole
April 20th thru 26th
Pasta Puttana Tasting
Organic pasta demo with our favorite pasta diva, Jessica Volpe. Join us at 12:00 Saturday April 25 for some good eating. We will have the grill out and be pairing various fish and seafood with Jessica's great pastas. You probably never had croaker on your pasta, I bet! See you there.
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King Salmon
Oncorhynchus tshawytscha
No one is safe form the "King"
Wild Alaskan king salmon is back in the house! This has to be one of our favorite fish of the year. All the other salmon we carry are great and have their own attributes but king is in a class of it's own. There is nothing like king salmon grilled on a cedar plank to bring the flavors of the Alaska and the Pacific Northwest right into your plate.
King salmon is also know as, chinook, tyee, blackmouth, and hook bill. They are divided into groups with "spring king", "summer king", and "fall king", being the most common designations. These fish are the largest of salmon species growing up to 100 pounds plus. The one in the picture above was 35 pounds dressed out. Copper River spring kings are know for their bright rich color, intense flavor, and high omega-3 content. Larger fish make for thicker and more succulent fillets which make it such a great addition to your menu.
Wild salmon from Alaska is one of the most intensely managed fisheries in the world with both the fish and habitat being constantly monitored. The Alaskan salmon fishery brings approximately 10 times as much salmon to the market as do California, Oregon, and Washington combined! The pristine environment and good fishing practices make Alaskan salmon a Best Sustainable choice and is certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council. This is a fish you can really feel good about eating and that's not even including the taste and health aspects of salmon in general!
We have many salmon recipes on our website and there are many more out there. Be sure to try something new this year. Our whole salmon comes to us daily and is cut to order. Stop by and we will slice one up for you!
Grilling salmon on the Pilgrim River, Nome, Alaska
Regular price: $30.00 per pound
Special price: $25.00 per pound
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| OUR NEXT CLASSES...
Start off the spring season with one of our classes/dinners.
You will find that our classes are different from most other cooking classes. People are starting to call them "underground dinners", sign up up and find out why. We are kicking up our presentations for 2009! Bring a friend, your favorite bottle of wine and your appetite for an evening of educational fun and great food. Sign up for a class soon!
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A CUBAN DINNER:
Empanadas to Flan!
Terry is the great all around chef who creates most of our fantastic recipes. Tonights class really lets her show her culinary talents as she falls back on her Cuban roots. She is famous for her authentic Cuban cuisine and tonight is a rare chance for you to find out why we never go out for Cuban food! There is NO place in Chicago that compares to her cooking. The only way to sample Terry's awesome recipes is to come to this class (or get a personal invite to our house). Here's the menu...
Conch Empanadas with Garlic Aioli
Mariscado: Mixed Seafood Soup
Bacalao a la Viszcaina
Bring a date or your mate!
Bring your appetites and eat!
Bring a bottle of wine and drink!
Enjoy some great educational culinary fun in a casual atmosphere.
Call ahead for reservation. Class is limited to 16 people.
Tuesday, April, 7th 7:30 until 9:00ish
$65.00 per person
773.404.3475
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THE ART OF MAKING SUSHI
This is a great class for the person eager to learn about making their own sushi at home. We will be demonstrating five maki and two nigiri, while you are sampling our homemade miso soup and fresh tuna/avocado salad. After that it's hands on and you will be rolling on your own.
Bring a friend or two, and your appetite because it's all that you roll, you eat!
Bring a bottle of your favorite beverage (sake maybe) and be prepared for an evening of fun and food! Class is limited to 20 people
Tuesday, April 14th 7:30 until 9:30ish
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Celebrating Earth Week in Chicago An Underground Dinner:
Featuring Shedd Aquarium, Dirk's Fish and Sustainable Seafood
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Join us for a rare evening of education, food and fun as we host our first sustainable seafood dinner. There will be a presentation by Kassia Perpich, Shedd Aquarium's Sustainable Seafood Coordinator on the issues of fish, seafood and your choices. She will also have goodie bags for all.
We will present 10 original dishes, family style, ranging from appetizers to main courses of only sustainable fish and seafood. It's not a cooking class though we will give out the recipes and product information. We want you to try some new foods, learn about what we can do to help the aquatic environment, eat and have fun. BYOB your favorite wine and we will provide the rest. For an added bonus, if the weather cooperates we will be doing some cooking on the grill at the same time, just for kicks.
This dinner is limited to 25 people so call soon.
$75.00 per person
$10.00 of each fee will be donated to the Shedd Aquarium.
Tuesday, April, 21st 7:30 until 9:30
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(We have a 48 hour cancelation policy for all classes)
773.404.3475 |
"WHEN ONLY THE VERY BEST WILL DO"
If you want to try something new or impress that special person, we can get you almost anything you wish from the water; fish or seafood. If you need some special attention or a great recipe, our friendly and knowledgeable staff can provide that too.
If you are looking for something in particular, give us a call and we will do our best to get what you need.
"LIFE'S NOT PERFECT...
BUT YOUR FISH SHOULD BE!"
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