DOCK TO DISH, A COOKBOOK THAT CELEBRATES THE GREENMARKET AND MORE
by FLORENCE FABRICANT
To Savor: A Timely Catch for Restaurants
The kitchen at Gramercy Tavern, where 50 pounds of fish were delivered from Dock to Dish. Credit Sara Krulwich/The New York Times
When the waiter at Gramercy Tavern describes a seafood dish not on the menu, pay attention. It may involve a catch from Dock to Dish, a community-supported-agriculture-like system for chefs who prepay for seafood and receive fresh-from-the-ocean deliveries. Michael Anthony, at Gramercy (whose kitchen is shown above), is one of about a dozen chefs who have signed up for the new service organized by Sean Barrett in Montauk, N.Y. For a fee of $2,500, chefs get weekly deliveries, from May through October, of 50 to 80 pounds of fish, within 24 hours of when it’s caught by more than 20 fishermen on Eastern Long Island. The fish comes with details about how it was harvested, a factor that affects quality. “It’s the kind of information we now get about carrots and pork, so why not fish?” Mr. Anthony said. Chefs usually do not know until the day before delivery what they will get. “I have to create dishes around these fish,” said Dan Barber of the Blue Hill restaurants, who recently received 50 pounds of sea robin, a trash fish suited for bouillabaisse. “It’s a game-changer. It gets your back up against the wall in a very inspiring way.” Docktodish.com.
(ORIGINAL ARTICLE)
A TIMELY CATCH
