March 10, 2015 — They fist-bumped a James Beard chef, knocked back pollock and mahogany quahog ceviche, and remarked on the wonders of a handheld lobster smoker.
Amid the heady discussions of shrimp regulation, advancements in clamming and the state of elver fishing, 70 fishermen, farmers and aquaculturists gathered at the Samoset Resort in Rockport last week to celebrate Maine’s marine bounty.
For the first time in 40 years, four top chefs joined the Maine Fishermen’s Forum to put on a dazzling display of new kitchen trends for familiar and emergent food from the sea.
Echoing farm to table, chef Barton Seaver whipped out a smoking gun to turn Maine lobster into a delicacy served atop gourmet seaweed salad — and the crowd went wild.
“That’s the first time I’ve had smoked lobster,” said Bruce Fernald, owner of Cranberry Isles Fisherman’s Co-op, who has worked in the lobstering industry for 41 years and has attended all but one forum.
At the end of the cooking demos, he and a group of fellow lobstermen all agreed this was one of the best forums they’ve attended. They saw the fruits of their labor in a new light. And it was tasty.
Inviting both parties who share a livelihood from the sea — producers and seafood chefs — was an attempt to “start a two-way discussion,” said Sebastian Belle, executive director of Maine Aquaculture Association, who came up with the idea.
Read the full story at the Bangor Daily News