Comments on: Correcting the record

By: Scott Martens

Scott Martens — Fri, 19 Sep 2003 16:20:35 +0000

Maria… well, I would think that the North Sea bleeds out into adjacent waters, but I stand corrected. I remember reading a paper once about measuring the level of Prozac in the North Sea and discussing the potential environmental consequences, and I’ve hesitated before buying Scandianvian fish ever since. (Although since we’re talking parts per trillion, I usually go ahead and buy the fish anyway.) I agree that farmed salmon just doesn’t cut it though.

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 19 Sep 2003 08:53:54 +0000

I’m sorry to have to report that the British supermarket chain Waitrose is currently running a series of TV ads for Scottish smoked salmon with Thin Lizzy’s version of “Whiskey in the Jar” playing as soundtrack. Shome mishtake shurely.

By: Maria

Maria — Fri, 19 Sep 2003 07:12:45 +0000

North Sea? Check a map Scott – we fish for our salmon in the Atlantic. But from anywhere’s fine,I suppose, as long as it’s not farmed.

By: zizka

zizka — Fri, 19 Sep 2003 01:25:42 +0000

Around here in Oregon we still have salmon caught locally and smoked by Native Americans using traditional methods*, but I really don’t care. If it’s not too dry or too greasy, smoked salmon is always good. *Methods are traditional to someone or other—possibly native Americans, possibly Norwegians, possibly pioneers from Missouri. But definitely low-tech.

By: zizka

zizka — Fri, 19 Sep 2003 01:20:22 +0000

Rye crackers. “Ry Krisp” is the generic US version, but much better actual Swedish rye crackers are still exported from Sweden and can be found under various names.

By: Scott Martens

Scott Martens — Thu, 18 Sep 2003 22:43:27 +0000

Brown bread? Nonsense. Russian Mennonite peasant rye bread is the only way to go. And Irish wild salmon? Please! Do you know what they put in the North Sea? Arctic char – a breed of salmon particular to places like Canada – is easily the best. Irish butter though… you may have a point there. And it really isn’t the same if you don’t have alfafa to put on your smoked salmon.

By: Pete Guither

Pete Guither — Thu, 18 Sep 2003 20:27:17 +0000

I’ll have one of each, please. (and give me a chunk of that salmon on the pavement, too)

By: clew

clew — Thu, 18 Sep 2003 19:08:35 +0000

Cream flour, in the States, seems to be “short patent” milled flour: http://www.hudsoncream.com/about.taf and can probably be approximated with all-purpose and cake flour http://www.aces.edu/dept/extcomm/newspaper/dec3c01.html From experiments with a home mill and James Beard’s Irish-soda-bread recipes, using soft wheat is as important as the sifting after milling. With the right wheat, the bread is rich straw-yellow and tender, even using whole unsifted flour.

By: Terry

Terry — Thu, 18 Sep 2003 15:26:21 +0000

I’m with Mark: Without capers you may as well be eating that salmon off of the pavement.

By: Avram

Avram — Thu, 18 Sep 2003 15:12:06 +0000

The difference is that lox isn't smoked, it's brine-cured. And it's very difficult to find outside of NYC. (Not all that easy to find inside either, unless you know where to look. Try Zabar's, or Russ and Daughters, or Murray's Bagels. Ask for "belly lox" to be sure of getting the right stuff.)

By: Jeremy Osner`

Jeremy Osner` — Thu, 18 Sep 2003 14:12:36 +0000

Thanks for the info—here in New Jersey and New York, “Irish Soda Bread” refers to a nasty dry whitish stuff. It is good to see there is an actual traditional recipe lurking behind the corrupted terminology—I will endeavor to make some soon and try it out. You ought to try sometime, a good bagel (see my last night’s blog entry for specifics) with lox and cream cheese and onion—the distinction between “smoked salmon” and “lox” is critical, I am not sure how the process of making lox differs but it is much saltier and has a coarser texture than smoked salmon.

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 18 Sep 2003 10:17:40 +0000

Can I have some capers on mine?

By: Maria

Maria — Thu, 18 Sep 2003 07:14:03 +0000

And the salmon? None of that Scottish or Norwegian farmed stuff; full of sea lice (when alive), does nasty things to the environement (whatever the economist says), has the texture of striated rubber and tastes like the bottom of an ash tray. It’s got to be wild Irish salmon, ideally from Cromane, Co. Kerry. Plus, beware the labelling. Smoked Irish Salmon is what you want. ‘Irish Smoked Salmon’ only means it was smoked in Ireland – the thing probably speaks Norwegian.

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 18 Sep 2003 07:10:50 +0000

If a product endorsement from me is worth anything – here it is!

By: Kieran Healy

Kieran Healy — Thu, 18 Sep 2003 06:55:13 +0000

I was with you until the bit about your mother making it. You need to meet my granny. But leaving that aside, we can add the following: For god’s sake don’t knead the mixture. It isn’t sourdough you’re making. And you could also make a round loaf, scoring it with a cross before you put it in the oven.