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There are many good places for seafood, or fish, across the country, from Maine to Florida, from the Pacific Northwest to the Gulf Coast.
Of the regional cultures/areas, which one or ones do you think would rank at the top? Where would be the center/centers of "seafood" culture, for you personally, where many seafood items/foods are consumed most regularly and are mainstream or there are tons of it available in restaurants, stores etc. and it plays a part in the culture of the area?
I'm talking all around, all and any kinds -- fish, shellfish, crustaceans, etc. anything harvested from the ocean!
There are many good places for seafood, or fish, across the country, from Maine to Florida, from the Pacific Northwest to the Gulf Coast.
Of the regional cultures/areas, which one or ones do you think would rank at the top? Where would be the center/centers of "seafood" culture, for you personally, where many seafood items/foods are consumed most regularly and are mainstream or there are tons of it available in restaurants, stores etc. and it plays a part in the culture of the area?
I'm talking all around, all and any kinds -- fish, shellfish, crustaceans, etc. anything harvested from the ocean!
Where do you think it'd be?
Fish is not only harvested from the ocean, but also from lakes.
Fishing is extremely popular in Minnesota, considering that we have well over 10,000 lakes, including a very large one which is inhabited by many "Atlantic" fish. Almost everybody "up north" has fished, and I would dare to say that most other Minnesotans have too. Not only that, but Minnesota is the top-ranking state for boat ownership, and fishing opener (which is coming up here soon) is a major holiday across the state. Even trailer parks here that look like something out of the third world will have an old motorboat or two. Lakes vary from Lake Superior (which is almost so cold as to be classified as an Arctic lake) to (relatively warm) urban lakes like Lake Hiawatha to large, again cold lakes like Red Lake and Lake of the Woods to water-filled mine pits that have been stocked with fish by the State, which are small in surface area but extremely deep (400 feet).
However, that doesn't mean that you'll necessarily find the fruit of our lakes at any given restaurant. I know that some years ago a lab tested supposed "Walleye" (a very popular local fish) ordered off the menus of various restaurants and found a significant number to be Canadian pollock (!) Lake Superior trout or salmon is excellent, but even here in Duluth, right on the lake, it is also expensive. Commercial fishing is limited, probably in part to preserve the fish stock for recreational fishing.
I'm sure there are a lot of places that hold seafood in high regard, but in my own experience I've never been to a place where just about every single person, residents, tourists, and seasonal workers alike, were as completely obsessed with fish and other seafood as in coastal Alaskan fishing towns. You can tell a place is really serious about fishing when the local grocery store stocks lots of frozen bait fish, but hardly any fish to eat.
Fish is extremely popular in the upper midwest. Anywhere in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota you will find alot of restaurants that sell local fish like perch and Walleye. We have alot of water and we do alot of fishing. We also eat alot of that fish. Im not claiming we have the seafood culture of the northeast, I know we dont but fish is a very popular thing here.
Do any of these places have a culture of eating fish RAW? Like sushi and poke? Anyone can eat it cooked but what about raw? Gulf Coast, New England, etc..all seem to cook it but places like Hawaii seem to eat it cooked and raw.
Do any of these places have a culture of eating fish RAW? Like sushi and poke? Anyone can eat it cooked but what about raw? Gulf Coast, New England, etc..all seem to cook it but places like Hawaii seem to eat it cooked and raw.
I love sashimi. I go for sushi here in Chicago and get it at least once a week. The place I normally go loves me, and gives us up to 40 pieces when we get the 20 piece plate I could eat it every day.
Sushi and raw fish have gotten a lot more popular the past 10-15 years when you can basically fly fresh fish in within hours to almost any restaurant in the country.
My hometown of Iowa City had one Japanese steakhouse growing up, and I just looked and they now have 13 sushi restaurants. I went to one of them last time I was home, it was packed and had good food. I asked the manager how they get their fish, and he said they have multiple distributors who load up fish at different points and immediately make the 10 hour drive to the Midwest and unload them at the restaurant. They have a few shipments a week so the fish is always as fresh as possible. The place I go to in Chicago has it come in on a plane from the distributors and trucked to his restaurant, so it's as fresh as possible and never frozen.
One of the things that surprised me most was seeing a flatbed truck in Iowa City selling all sorts of shellfish to people downtown. Turns out this guy lives along the gulf coast and will load up his truck with shellfish straight from the water, leave at 9pm and arrive in Iowa City at 9am to sell it to people. He then makes stops in towns to the north of Iowa City and then heads back home to Louisiana.
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I could eat it every day.
