Ankimo/Monkfish Liver- New Regs That Only Allow Frozen to be Sold?

[opinionatedchef]

Sushi Island is our go-to sushi place, and junji told me the other night that his supplier told him that new regs only allow fully prepared and frozen ankimo to be sold. Has anyone else heard about this? If you are headed out for sushi soon, would you ask your sushi chef about this? I know New Deal has sold it fresh in the past and i plan to call and ask them, but any field info from you CHs would also be v helpful. I don't know if seafood regs vary from state to state or are set by a national agency/FDA.

btw, i only discovered ankimo because of a CH rec a few years ago. It is a rich firm creamy monkfish liver that has been formed into a cylinder and steamed. It is often served sliced and room temp, typically w/ ponzu sauce. It makes a really unique and rich addition to a Japanese (or other) meal. I usually order it as an 'app' because it is quick to prepare and it takes off the hunger edge while i wait for the longer sushi preparation time.

[typhoonfish]

I bet they're sourcing it from intershell. I'll ask.

[Infomaniac]

Intershell sells Seafood Naturals which has always been fresh.

[opinionatedchef]

progress report:
carl at New Deal has heard nothing of a new regulation

junji's vendor is true world (and carl's vendor is not True World)

i have passed on carl's number to junji to pursue fresh ankimo.

[opinionatedchef]

chapeaux!typhoon. i just phoned junji san at sushi island and non-coincidentally, he had just found and bought some from steve at intershell!yay!thank you. i'm going to hope it takes many years for the FDA ankimo regs to make their way down to the smaller vendors.

in the meantime, for those of you ankimo lovers in boston, you might want to ask your sushi chef before ordering it. as so many boston sushi spots buy from True World and you may not be happy w that prefrozen ankimo.

[Chris VR]

Hmph I suspect Sake on Route 1 in Saugus got the memo because I recently had ankimo there that was still partly frozen inside. It tasted awful, too, besides the frozen bits, it was mealy and fishy.

[opinionatedchef]

that's too bad. the ankimo that junji served me(after the disclaimer) tasted good, just not as good as fresh;( like a 3 to a 5 maybe).But it was crumbly and i finished it off with a fork so i could get at all the crumbles.

[Chris VR]

I was just so surprised, it was so unexpectedly bad. I've only had it locally at Sushi Island and Sushi Corner (owner trained under Junji) and what I had didn't compare at all to what I've had from those two places. It would make me sad if that's not available any more.

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Sushi Corner
18C Essex St, Melrose, MA 02176

[opinionatedchef]

chris, just curious about sushi corner; is your going there(vs. sushi island) a matter of location?

[Chris VR]

Yes, location, convenience (takeout) and price, although these days the prices seem more on par with Sushi Island. It's a good local option for me but when I want to go out for Sushi, I prefer Sushi Island.

[opinionatedchef]

btw, it was fun to see a re-run of bourdain last night where he has a major sushi blowout in san fran, and refers to ankimo as 'the foie gras of the sea'. my sentiments exactly!

(gosh i hope no chef ever gets the idea to pair them. baaaad idea.)

[opinionatedchef]

i have been thinking more about ankimo and about how it might be used, other than steamed and served w/ yuzu sauce.I wonder if Oya and Clio do interesting things w/ it.

Foie gras is used by so many chefs; I hope more chefs will discover and play w/ ankimo soon.Flavor and texture-wise, I think it would go really well w/ lobster, as long as it was sauced w/ citrus to cut the (double) richness.

Or how about a seafood risotto w/ cubed ankimo and edamame......
or Island Creek Oyster Bar's lobster roe pasta w/ lobster, and subbing ankimo for the pork bits?....:-}

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Island Creek Oyster Bar
500 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215

[hotoynoodle]

clio was the first place i had it, many years ago. it was chilled, with urchin and caviar as a garnish. love the stuff.

[opinionatedchef]

eastxnortheast is doing, for their neat $55 NYEve 8 course dinner:

<Nori noodles, monkfish liver sauce, warm jonah crab salad>

:-} see you there?

http://exnecambridge.com/about/

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East by Northeast
1128 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02139

[hotoynoodle]

lol, i am in the business. can't remember the last time i had new year's eve off.

[opinionatedchef]

well then, i'll think of you when we're there, and may ankimo bless your lips often in the new year!

[typhoonfish]

I don't know if you saw my other post but Intershell definitely has it.

[opinionatedchef]

<re: typhoonfish opinionatedchef Dec 13, 2011
chapeaux!typhoon. i just phoned junji san at sushi island and non-coincidentally, he had just found and bought some from steve at intershell!yay!thank you. i'm going to hope it takes many years for the FDA ankimo regs to make their way down to the smaller vendors.

in the meantime, for those of you ankimo lovers in boston, you might want to ask your sushi chef before ordering it. as so many boston sushi spots buy from True World and you may not be happy w that prefrozen ankimo.>

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By opinionatedchef on Dec 13, 2011 03:44 PM

you must have missed my reply to you higher up in the thread!

[typhoonfish]

Cool, it's part of what I do in the fish business. Find hard to find items. I love wild goose chases. There's always an education to be had at the end of the chase.

I now have had a great lesson in ankimo.