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Crab Fest 2011 is Coming….

Friday, February 18th, 2011

Pescatores is proud to present their 16th Annual Crab Fest, coming in March 2011. This has become a much anticipated event in the city of Victoria. Seafood lovers and diners mark their calendars and line up at the door to feast on Pescatores fabulous fresh crab creations. This Fest is not only about Crab, it is a celebration of our beautiful West Coast, Seafood and Victoria’s Dining Scene.

Probably the biggest draw is our full Dungeness Crab Dinner offered for less than $20, an amazing deal that only happens once a year. Dungeness Crab are the local favourite, found fresh in the waters surrounding our fair city. Full Dungeness crabs are not all that’s on this year’s menu which is yet to be announced. Pescatores also offers gorgeous Alaskan King Crab and a number of delicious appetizers and entrees featuring this coveted seafood as an ingredient. Stay tuned for our full menu…

The Dungeness Crab

Scientific name:

Cancer magister

Taxonomy:

Cancridae

Region:

North America

At a glance:

The Dungeness crab is a highly prized sport and commercial shellfish well familiar to people living along North America’s west coast. This crab is one of the 35 true crabs living in Canada’s Pacific waters. Its scientific name, Cancer magister, means “chief crab.” Its common name, Dungeness, was inspired by the name of a fishing port near Puget Sound, Washington.

Curiosities:

People often mistake empty Dungeness shells strewn along beaches for dead crabs. Crabs shed and grow new shells regularly as part of their growth process. The old shell splits at the back and along the sides so the crab can back out. The shell the crab leaves behind is an almost intact replica of the crab.

About the Dungeness crab:

Dungeness crabs are typically light brown in colour. These creatures have one pair of claws and four pairs of walking legs. Their claws are serrated and so are the edges of their shells-from the eyes down to the middle of the body.

Crabs are measured by the width of their shell, which is also called the ‘carapace’. A male Dungeness crab can grow to a width of about 230 mm and can weigh up to about 2 kg.

The Dungeness crab’s slender, light-coloured claw tips distinguish it from other crab species, as does its relatively large size.

As a predator, the Dungeness crab eats clams, mussels, crabs and other crustaceans as well as some small fish. Crabs pursue prey more actively at night, tending to bury themselves in the sand during the day. When moving along the sea bottom, these crabs find and capture prey by probing the sand with their legs or claws. Dungeness crabs can move in any direction-quickly enough to give a scuba diver a run for his money!

http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/science/publications/uww-msm/articles/dungenesscrab-crabedesneiges-eng.html

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Sustainable Seafood at Pescatores

Friday, February 11th, 2011

Pescatores is moving forward, into the future, with a focus on fresh, sustainable food. Our new fresh sheets will be designed to showcase the best, sustainable seafood available in Victoria. We are concerned not only with the quality of ingredients and product we deliver to our guests, but with our impact on the eco-system, as well. You can actually taste the difference.

Here’s what we’ve learned about changing our perspective, we hope you’ll join us.

Sustainability:

“The movement towards sustainable seafood is about solutions for our oceans. Choosing sustainable seafood is a simple and effective action that you can take every time you eat at a restaurant or buy seafood. Whether you are an individual shopping for your family, a chef buying for your restaurant, or a supplier sourcing from fishing communities, your choices count. Voting with your wallet sends a strong signal to government and industry leaders, telling them that you support responsible stewardship of our natural marine resources.”

Overfishing is the greatest threat to our oceans today. The world’s marine life is quickly being depleted. An estimated 90% of all large, predatory fish are already gone from the world’s oceans. A recent scientific study predicted a world-wide fisheries collapse by 2048. The only solution is to turn back from the brink, and to begin consuming seafood in a sustainable manner.
Sustainable seafood can be defined as species that are caught or farmed in a way that ensures the long-term health and stability of that species, as well as the greater marine ecosystem.

Categories that determine ocean friendly fish:
1. Abundant and resilient to fishing pressures
2. Well managed with a comprehensive management plan based on current research
3. Harvested in a method that ensures limited by-catch on non-target and endangered species

4. Harvested in ways that limit damage to marine or aquatic habitats and negative interactions with other species

http://www.oceanwise.ca/about/sustainable-seafood
http://www.seachoice.org/

Suppliers and Product for current menu fresh sheet:
Sooke Trout
Albion – Grey Cod, Arctic Char, Hokaido Scallops
Sysco – Naturally raised Spring Salmon

**We try to use products/fish that are only in season or retain the seafood friendly choice from the guidelines listed above.

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Pearls of Wisdom: Symbolism, Myths & Legends of the Oyster

Tuesday, November 16th, 2010

As you’re probably gathering with this blog, there’s more to the half shell than meets the eye!  The oyster, and its partner the pearl, have been a part of folklore around the world for centuries.  In fact, the marine mollusc has more of a varied and symbolistic past than you may think, and we’ve ventured deep to find it!

Ancient Mayans and Olmecs used the concept of an empty oyster shell to express the concept of Zero. oyster is an empty shell, but also a giver of life, which produces a living thing or another ‘being’ almost magically, much like Zero.

Oysters and their pearls were once held sacred by the Celts.  The Cauldron of Regeneration is said to have been lined with pearls, and when Morgana  Goddess  of the Sea  appeared in the guise of the moon, she was called the ‘Pearl of the Sea’.  In fact, pearls were believed to have been created from moonlight and water, and so should only be worn at night.

Did you ever wonder just where the notion that oysters are an aphrodisiac came from?  As the story goes – the Greek love goddess Aphrodite rose out of the sea in an oyster shell, and the “guilty by association” rule kicked in for oysters, which century after century have gained by this association with Aphrodite the reputation of enhancing the feelings of sexual desire and performance of those mortals who eat them!

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