Now I know what capers (for fish) are // Info about opah added
Kaiserhof, my favorite San Diego restaurant, offered grilled opah (fish) today. I’d never heard of opah before, but it was delicious. It came with tarter sauce and capers. I’ve always liked capers on fish dishes, but it suddenly occurred to me that I didn’t know what they were. According to google, they’re a kind of flower bud. I was surprised.
If you're goin' through hell, keep on going. Don't slow down. If you're scared don't show it. You might get out before the devil even knows you're there.
You can also get the pickled berries from the same plant (usually labeled "caper berries"). They're usually very sour and full of crunchy seeds.
November 17, 2019, 10:10 PM
sigmonkey
Copper Clapper Capers can be fishy...
"the meaning of life, is to give life meaning" ✡ Ani Yehudi אני יהודי Le'olam lo shuv לעולם לא שוב!
November 17, 2019, 11:13 PM
Rey HRH
“Until someone had the bright idea of pickling them”
I am always fascinated by imagining how we came up with what to eat and how to cook them.
I also think of the many pioneers who died and showed the rest of us what not to eat.
"It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life – daily and hourly. Our answer must consist not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual." Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning, 1946.
November 17, 2019, 11:23 PM
P220 Smudge
quote:
Originally posted by Rey HRH: I also think of the many pioneers who died and showed the rest of us what not to eat.
I forget the exact details, but we can thank the Romans for mushrooms as an established modern food source. They identified (IIRC) hundreds of edible species by force-feeding them to slaves and observing and cataloging the effects. Today, we generally see three or four species in the grocery store. White button mushrooms, then brown mushrooms (same species as Portobello, just less mature), shiitake are generally what you find.
Seems like at some point or another, someone, somewhere has probably eaten any example of any living or formerly living thing one can imagine.
______________________________________________ Endeavoring to master the subtle art of the grapefruit spoon.
November 17, 2019, 11:27 PM
joel9507
I ran into capers a couple decades ago when I first had Veal Piccata.
November 17, 2019, 11:41 PM
Neel
If you're ever abroad, they grow along the Mediterranean and are are used in a lot of dishes. All the ones you find in the states are packed in a vinegar brine, in Europe they're fresh, the difference is amazing.
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November 18, 2019, 12:06 AM
sigmonkey
quote:
Originally posted by Neel: If you're ever abroad..
I've never been a broad, but was asked that question before embarking to Keflavik Iceland in 1970...
I told them, I had always been a guy.
The man asking was not amused.
"the meaning of life, is to give life meaning" ✡ Ani Yehudi אני יהודי Le'olam lo shuv לעולם לא שוב!
November 18, 2019, 12:12 AM
LS1 GTO
quote:
Originally posted by joel9507: I ran into capers a couple decades ago when I first had Veal Piccata.
My wife makes chicken piccata with them when her son is here. I won't touch them. To me, they are just plain nasty.
Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
"If dogs don't go to Heaven, I want to go where they go" Will Rogers
The definition of the words we used, carry a meaning of their own...
November 18, 2019, 06:25 AM
cne32507
Capers (just a few) are tasty in a salad.
Wasn't it also the Romans who first ate oysters? Must have been REALLY hungry. Did they have Tabasco sauce back then? I love 'em, though.
November 18, 2019, 08:10 AM
Pipe Smoker
A little more about the opah that I mentioned in my OP. I recommended the dish to another Kaiserhof regular. He’s an ocean fisherman, and knew of them. He said that they’ve become abundant in the San Diego waters in recent years. He said that part of the fish is darker, about like corned beef, and even tastes a bit like corned beef. But my serving was lighter colored.
