Consider the Catfish

by duluth, May 15, 2009 | Permalink

Don’t get me wrong; I love aquariums. There’s something soothing about watching fish glide silently by in blue water, scales shimmering, eyeing the humans as if we were the ones on display behind the glass instead of them. Problem is, I have trouble telling them apart. One time I took my children to Sea World in Orlando and got busted, big time.

“What’s that one?” my daughter asked as she pointed at a fish in a spectacularly large tank.

“That’s a grouper,” I said definitively, then looked again. “Wait. No? A snapper. Wait. Flounder? Don’t they have two eyes on one side of their head? Where’s the species chart?”

“Mom, you’re supposed to know,” she declared. (This was back before she was 15 and knew everything.) She pointed at another fish. “How about that one?”

I looked at the specimen lounging at the edge of the tank and breathed a sigh of relief. “THAT,” I exhaled, “is a catfish. See its whiskers?”

“Cool,” she said, and my reputation for having all the answers was intact for another hour.

Catfish are cool. They’re one of America’s favorite fish because they’re mild and adaptable to almost any preparation medium. It’s hard to think of a Southern seafood buffet without a stack of them deep fried and steaming hot; they’re equally good grilled or baked en papillote with fancy parchment paper. Right now we’ve got a lot of great ideas on how to cook your catfish at Whole Foods Market.  Our catfish are never given land-animal by-products, they don’t float in ponds with synthetic algicides and our farmer-partner in North Carolina has worked hard to create a custom-designed operation that meets our aquaculture standards.

Stop by our seafood department and pick up a nifty sheet that has some cooking tips and recipes. If our fabulous demo team is in the department, you might get lucky and get to sample some catfish, too. To get you all excited and eager to come visit us, here’s a preview of one of my favorite catfish recipes. It’s easily adaptable to a fish taco dinner—just add some fresh tortillas from our Bakery, slaw from our Prepared Foods counter and pico de gallo and sliced avocado and you’re ready to eat.

Quick Cajun Catfish

4 (5-6 oz.) catfish fillets

2-3 tsp. 365 Everyday Value™ Blackened Cajun Spice seasoning

2 TB expeller-pressed canola oil

Lemon wedges (optional)

Sprinkle Cajun Spice seasoning all over catfish.  Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Arrange two of the fillets in the skillet and cook, flipping once, until cooked through and golden-brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to plates, wipe skillet clean and repeat process with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and remaining fillets. Garnish with lemon wedges and serve. Serves 4.

Welcome to Mother’s Day Island

by duluth, May 7, 2009 | Permalink

Several (okay, many) years ago when my children were small, I visited with a group of my peers on the Monday morning after Mother’s Day. After sharing stories of sitting in restaurants teeming with short-tempered spouses and wailing babies, we decided “our” day should be celebrated instead with a trip to Mother’s Day Island, a Bali H’ai of a place where we could recline on fat pillows, sip cool beverages and generally breathe in and out undisturbed for a few hours.  I remember that conversation not because we thought we could actually make it happen, but because it reflected a desire that I think is common for all mothers—to have a moment to rest, reflect and rejuvenate—then to come back and recommit ourselves to our world once again, and to be all the better for it.  

So now that the perfect Mother’s Day gift has been revealed, how to go about wrapping it? How do you give your mother the gift of time? It can be as creative and far-reaching as your budget and imagination will allow.  We have some great ideas here at our store. If your mother is dedicated to the art of gardening, a peony bush,  some berry brambles or even a flat of herbs can give her a couple of hours alone in the fresh air. Maybe she fusses about having to come up with dinner every night. Fix Mother’s Day dinner for her—we happen to have the good stuff for that, or you can pick up one of our fresh and easy meals to go—but banish her from the kitchen with a book and some chocolates (trust me, she’ll go.)

But perhaps the perfect gift may be a gift card. I (of course) like the ones we sell at Whole Foods Market. They’re easy to find, they fit the budget you set and it’s simple to slip one into a card for a mom who lives out of town. As impersonal as they may seem, those little pieces of plastic are actually gifts of time. They say “Here. Go forth and wander. The perfect place is Whole Foods Market at Johns Creek. Spoil yourself, get exactly what you want and come back to us happy because I can’t find my socks, your computer’s frozen and the cat threw up on the rug.”