hey
@Sativied , isn't smoked eel still kinda popular in the Netherlands?
we have this here, based in denver. really great salmon too.
Freshness is kind of a big deal with salmon. That’s why we marinate and hot smoke ours shortly after it leaves the water and seal it up right away.
honeysmokedfish.com
That looks and sounds pretty good. It's one of those thing I genuinely think I could eat every day. Just too many good other stuff to put that to the test.
Yes eel is still kinda popular in NL. Only "kinda" cause it's expensive nowadays, almost double the price of the salmon. There was a whole bunch stacked on the counter next to the mackerel but roughly $25 for a US pound, closer to $40 if I don't drive to get it. Usually served on a bun or used in salads with other fish. I kinda regret not getting at least one. Most of those classic herring fish stands and every fish shop sells smoked eel though.
Back in the 80s many neighbors used to have a diy eel smoker in their tiny backyard (in the city) and we often caught them in local waters. Poor man's fish. So many people did that there isn't nearly as much swimming around as there use to be and laws on catching them are pretty strict. There was even a black market for a while. I drop a pound (traditional amount of eel) in my dad's nearly 80 y/o lap once or twice a year, makes his eyes light up every time. Nostalgia I guess.
This is where I usually buy fish, Urk:
That's in 1920, now it looks like this:
They had their own little island for over a thousand year until we reclaimed so much sea they became mainland. We still say 'on' Urk instead of 'in' as if it's still an island. Aside from a few supporting businesses it's still all about fish.
those just look more natural than the ones at our supermarket. sucks. we're going to our farmers market tomorrow luckily
I didn't really know what a farmers market was until a few years ago when I visited Australia. Turns out it's very similar to what we call 'the' market. Opposed to a supermarket (major chains). Regular market is twice a week in the center of a city, often on a square called 'marketsquare' or 'the market', same place they've been for hundreds of years. Fresh and much cheaper than supermarkets. If I wake up in time tomorrow I'll try to score some eel and flowers and cheese and more strawberries. No I won't be wearing wooden shoes
I usually don't get the strawberries cause it's too much. "3 boxes strawberries for 5 bucks", probably the most common phrase on a market here - the veggie and fruit stands still actually shout out what they sell like it's the middle ages.
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