Lyme — Eating with the Ecosystem launched the first of three Food Boat events planned for Connecticut this fall with a cooking demonstrations and tasting at the Lyme Farmers Market on Sept. 8.
“If you end up liking our sample,” said Kate Masury, program director for the nonprofit group, “go out and ask for it at your local market. By eating these local species, you’re helping reduce carbon emissions and you’re supporting local fishermen.”
Speaking atop the organization’s Food Boat — a colorfully painted vessel equipped with a mobile kitchen — she told an audience of market-goers that scup, also called porgy, is becoming an abundant species in local waters, but too few people are eating it. Chef Charlie Bailow demonstrated how to prepare fillets from whole scup, then sautéed them. Masury and Eating with the Ecosystem volunteers passed out servings of the scup, encrusted with pesto made from basil, Parmesan cheese, garlic and pine nuts, and served over a warm salad of quinoa with vegetables from the market — eggplant, zucchini, corn and tomato.
Eating with the Ecosystem’s Food Boat project began in Rhode Island, where the group is based, but was expanded into Connecticut with support from Connecticut Sea Grant. The grant supported the cooking demonstration and tasting events as well as the creation of an educational brochure about the relationship between healthy habitats and seafood in local waters. .
Eating With the Ecosystem is planning another Food Boat event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 20 at the Westport Farmers Market. A third event is slated for a New Haven farmers market, at a date to be announced.
Story and photos by Judy Benson