Mothers Day connotes gifts, one of which is spoiler
her by making dinner. The problem is
that you are used to mom being the cook.
One great idea is to buy food with the preparations already taken care
of so all you have to do is cook. Take,
for instance Cross Bay Seashell Fish Market, located in Howard Beach where you
can opt for whole or fileted fish or get some with the proper seasonings to
minus the recipe.
Vincent Marinello is the co-owner of Cross Bay Seashell Fish
Market, located at 161-14 Cross bay Blvd. in Howard Beach. “My family comes from a small fishing village
in Sicily called Sciacca,” said Vinny. “As a teen my dad (Luigi) would work on
a fishing boat along with his brothers. He would be out at sea for days and at
times for weeks.”
Upon arriving in New York along with my mother, my dad
started working for a gentleman by the name of Ray Hart, who owned Crossbay
Seashell at the time. This was in 1974. My dad worked for Ray Hart until 1982.
Then in 1982 Mr. Hart sold Crossbay Seashell to my dad and to my uncle
(Salvatore Catanzaro). My uncle retired
around 10 years ago, and he sold his share of the business to Pat Marotta, who
is currently my partner.
My dad retired 4 years ago, and I took over his ownership.
As for me I never envisioned myself owning the business. I went to college, got
my degree, and worked in the Import/Export field as a sales associate for
around 6 years. When my uncle retired I went back to give my dad a hand, and haven¹t
left since.”
On the top of the list of “preparations” is a Maine
lobster, already steamed or stuffed with shrimp and scallops (and bread crumbs)
to bake it on your own. It is so worth ripping apart and getting every
little morsel. Keep in mind that if you
purchase lobster tails (anywhere) they are frozen and cooked There is nothing like having fresh lobster. As for the “gift” portion, how about your
taking it apart and less work for her.
It doesn’t just mean the two claws and tail. Meat is hidden in the tiny claws and inside
the body. I found that the lobster did not require added
butter. I don’t know where that
tradition began since the lobster itself should be juicy and sweet. Save the calories for some dessert, instead.
Stuffed flounder is a good choice for non-shell fish
as well as being “mild” in taste. Vinny
or Pat will stuff it with lump crabmeat, shrimp, cream of mushroom soup and
bread crumbs. Now, that sounds
delicious. How did it taste? As if it were served at a fine dining
restaurant (I followed the baking instructions that Pat gave me).
You can get two types of crab cakes. Vinny tells me that some people actually
prefer them with the imitation crab meat and are much less expensive. I prefer the real Maryland style that they
stuff with lots of lump crab meat, some bread crumbs and those Maryland
spices. Fish cakes are another option
using cod instead of crab. Easy tartar
sauce combines mayonnaise and relish.
For a spicier one use one with mustard or just add a bit of mustard to
the other two ingredients.
Baked clams oreganata uses the fresh clams with
olive oil and seasoned breadcrumbs as is an excellent appetizer. It’s not as if mom will be eating all of
this!
A Shrimp Cocktail presentation will wow mom. Pat tells me that the shrimp are wild and
come from South America. Buy them raw
and steam in beer…that’s right. It gives
a bit of sweetness and removes a bit of the fishy flavor. You can get cocktail sauce or make your
own. It’s now difficult. A combination of ketchup and horse radish
does the trick and gives mom the option of adding more horse radish if it further
tempts the palate. Line a martini glass
and place the cocktail sauce in the middle.
If you really don’t want to cook it, Vinny or Pat will steam it for
you. Important to note that the shrimp
has been frozen and thawed out. You
cannot refreeze but you can cook it up and freeze.
If you don’t want to make your own cocktail or
tartar sauce, you can purchase that at the market. However, if you want lemons or limes you have
to go next door to the grocer. While you’re there, I highly suggest that you
pick up a can of crabmeat. Get the one
that comes from the claw. It has both excellent quality and taste (I tried it
and loved it!). Use some of it with the
shrimp cocktail, add it to a salad with avocado and lime juice, concoct a crab
quiche, add it to macaroni and cheese or grilled cheese sandwich. Keep in mind that the can of crabmeat is
fresh and requires refrigeration. When you open the can, it stays fresh for 3-4
days. Best thing is to take out portions
of the meat, place in containers and freeze.
I suggest that you call ahead of time…like maybe a day or two before to make sure that all of the items are available when you get there. Phone: (718) 835-2987. Small parking lot on the premises.
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