In northern New Jersey, seafood lovers should start with reading labels

Inspired by a fish medley I bought at The Fish Dock in Closter, I prepared fresh, wild-caught flounder from Canada with spinach, pitted olives, tomatoes, Mexican-style salsa and Aleppo red pepper.

I also used extra-virgin olive oil, Meyer Lemon and a little sea salt on the fish before putting the pan into a preheated 350-degree over for about 12-14 minutes. The flounder fillets were $7.99 a pound at Costco Wholesale in Teterboro.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

One day, we were eating local Black Drum Fish, freshly shucked oysters and crawfish prepared in a spicy boil. 

But on our return from New Orleans, we found ourselves surrounded by imported seafood, including farmed fish from China and Vietnam, two countries with poor food-safety records.

New Jersey boasts several fishing ports, and you can find seafood from the shore at the Whole Foods Market in Paramus, including whole fish and clams.

But if you shop at Costco Wholesale in Teterboro, you'll see wild fish only from Canada and Iceland or just labeled "USA."

The Fish Dock, a small market owned and operated by Icelanders, specializes in wild and antibiotic-free farmed fish from Iceland, but also carries domestic shrimp and other items.

Restaurants and take-out present a special problem, because few places tell customers whether the fish, shrimp or other seafood they sell is wild-caught and, if farmed, whether antibiotics or preservatives were used.

The Costco Wholesale Business Center in Hackensack is aimed at restaurants, caterers and other small businesses, but carries no fresh fish. Frozen farmed catfish fillets from Vietnam -- called Basa or Swai -- will likely end up on restaurant or catering menus. A restaurant can buy a pound of this fish for just $2.40.

Aqua Star is a Chinese processing company, and although these frozen salmon fillets are wild-caught, they are from keta salmon, not the more desirable sockeye, coho or king. A pound of 6-ounce fillets costs about $5.40 at the Costco Business Center.

Aqua Star also offers frozen Coconut Breaded Butterfly Shrimp to restaurants and caterers for about $5.50 a pound (16-20 per pound). The box doesn't say whether they are farmed or wild, but I'm guessing the former.

In New Orleans, a Rouses Supermarket offered fresh wild-caught Gulf Shrimp for only $5.99 a pound. You also could find ready to eat spicy boiled crawfish, wild caught in Louisiana, for $2.49 a pound, below.

Back in New Jersey, nothing says welcome home better than a hearty dish of organic whole wheat fusilli in marinara sauce with wild-caught Moroccan sardines and anchovies from cans, the first dish I prepared on our return home.

I fried two organic eggs in olive oil for breakfast the next day and ate them over leftover fusilli. 

My wife seasoned sections of whole fresh King Whiting and pan fried them. I ate mine with sauteed cabbage and sweet peppers, and Meyer Lemon. Fresh, wild-caught whiting usually goes for $3.99 a pound at H Mart in Englewood and Little Ferry. A single center bone makes them easy to eat, even out of hand like a chicken leg.

I had leftovers of my homemade fish medley with sauteed spinach and organic quinoa, prepared in a rice cooker with organic beans and organic diced tomatoes.

Before we attended a performance of the Doo Wop Project at William Paterson University on Saturday night, we enjoyed a dinner of seafood, pasta and salad at Amore, 611 Ratzer Road in Wayne (973-595-7717). We split a special of Black Linguine with Lobster, Shrimp, Clams and Mussels in a light tomato sauce ($36.95), above and below.

Missteps by the kitchen included some overcooked shrimp, above, and a Trecolore Salad that was much too tart and didn't have enough extra-virgin olive oil in the dressing ($9.95), below. I don't know whether the seafood was local or imported, wild or farmed. 

We also had a Caesar Salad ($8.95) and a glass of Chianti ($8).

At Jerry's Gourmet & More in Englewood this afternoon, I picked up three takeout seafood dinners, including Shrimp Scampi, Linguine with Red Clam Sauce, Roasted Potato and Artichoke-Fennel Salad, above and below, marked down to $5.99 after 4 p.m. I don't know whether the shrimp are wild or farmed.

Jerry's is at 410 S. Dean St., Englewood.

Celebrating a movable feast of New Orlean's unique music and food

OH, THE HUMANITY! Thousands of revelers are on the move at the French Quarter Festival in New Orleans --an annual, four-day celebration of the city's distinctive music and food. Bands played on as many as 23 stages, and the city's top restaurants and bars sold food, beer and cocktails from more than 100 stands.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

NEW ORLEANS -- In a park next to the wide, muddy Mississippi River, we set up our folding chairs under a flowering tree, giving us shade and a three-quarter view of one of the main stages.

The city's annual French Quarter Festival is billed as the largest, free music festival in the South -- a showcase for local musicians playing every genre from traditional jazz to rhythm and blues, New Orleans funk, Zydeco, brass bands and so much more.

And the crowd must be the best fed with more than a 100 stands offering signature dishes and cocktails from the city's top restaurants and bars.

I concentrated on dishes made with crab, oysters, shrimp and fish, and found a few real winners.

Among the bands we enjoyed were Kermit Ruffins & the Barbecue Swingers; Irma Thomas, Soul Queen of New Orleans; and Walter "Wolfman" Washington and the Roadmasters.

The highly anticipated Buckwheat Zydeco encountered technical problems, but when they were resolved, the group bombed, and we left during the first song.

A refreshing Crab & Artichoke Citrus Salad ($8) from Jacques-Imo Cafe was the first specialty we tried on Thursday in Jackson Square, and it was one of my favorites.

In Riverfront Park, House of Blues' delicious Voodoo Shrimp ($8) was served over corn bread, above and below, for a deeply satisfying snack.

New Orleans offers seafood lovers an incredible variety of wild-caught oysters, fish and shrimp from the nearby Gulf of Mexico.

The sight of a po-boy sandwich makes my knees weak, and this Oyster Rockefeller Po-Boy from Desire Oyster Bar ($10) was no exception. I asked the server to hold the creamed spinach dressing and drenched the fried oysters with hot sauce.

Praline Connection offered some of the biggest servings, including Fried Jumbo Chicken Wings with Mustard Greens ($9), above, and a Vegetarian Plate of Mustard Greens, Crowder Peas & Okra ($8), below.

A spicy Fish & Chips from GW Fins was a big hit.

Mona's Cafe offered Greek and Middle Eastern food, including this lamb Gyro with Hummus, Greek Salad and Pita ($10). But there was no explanation for the mediocre pocket bread, which felt like cardboard.

This tomato-based Red Fish Bisque ($8) from Red Fish Grill is one of the best soups I have ever had.

Also in Riverfront Park, Pat O'Brien's Bar was pouring a Hurricane ($9) -- 4 ounces of Hurricane Rum mixed with 4 ounces of Hurricane Mix in a 26-ounce cup -- that made your head spin.

Lakeview Harbor Burger Restaurant served these wonderful Louisiana Blue Crab Cakes over Mixed Greens with Remoulade Sauce ($8), another one of my favorites. I enjoyed this treat on Sunday, the last day of the music-and-food festival.

Two of the food stands in Riverfront Park, above and below.

The line for the Louisiana Blue Crab Cakes and other dishes from Lakeview Harbor.

Monk Boudreaux and the Golden Eagles were among the many bands that played on the Abita Beer Stage in Riverfront Park. New Orleans Mardi Gras Indians are a "phenomenon [that] is part music, part heritage, part ancestry, part revelry, part fashion and often misunderstood," according to the festival Web site.

Sweet Crude is a band that embraces the region's French-speaking tradition.

American blues guitarist John Mooney, left, and his band, Bluesiana.

Tank and The Bangas was another young band with incredible energy. They performed on a stage at the Old U.S. Mint. 

Details

Planning for next year's free festival is underway. The dates are April 6-9 with more than 400 musical performances over four days.

Web site: French Quarter Festivals Inc.