Although I was supplied products and/or compensated for writing this post, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
I was born and raised in Iowa and the only true fresh seafood we had was what my brothers and I caught whenever we went fishing. Everything else was shipped in and never really tasted that great. So when I moved to Connecticut I was a little hesitant to try anything that was made with seafood.
Then the family I worked for as a nanny took me on a trip to Boston. On the way to their in-law’s 5-bedroom Queen Anne home close to Harvard Square and the Charles River, we stopped at a local fishmonger and picked up some bouillabaisse (French fish stew) for dinner.
I really didn’t want to try it, but I didn’t want to be rude so with great trepidation I tasted the stew.
That bouillabaisse was probably the best tasting ANYTHING I had ever eaten. We ended up going to the same fishmonger three more times that week to pick up the bouillabaisse. Each time is was slightly different, because you never knew what kind of seafood he would use, but it was still the most amazing food I’d ever tried.
I spoke to the fishmonger about his delicious bouillabaisse, explaining how it was my first true love and I’d name my firstborn after him if he gave me the recipe. He told me it was a very old family recipe that he wouldn’t share–it’s not even written down it’s so sacred–but the real secret of the dish was the fresh seafood. It was caught that morning and made into the bouillabaisse that evening.
And that is where I began to develop my love for seafood. I have been lucky enough to live in a state located on the coast for the past 25 years. While some places were better than others when it came to fresh seafood, in my opinion, North Carolina is the best!
If you are like me and have a love affair with seafood (and are going to be in the New Bern NC area on March 9th) you need to check out the North Carolina Aquaculture Development Conference (NCADC) Cultured Seafood Festival! All you can eat seafood crafted by Chef James “Smoke” Boyd, one of New Bern’s top chefs and owner of The Flame Catering and Banquet Centre. I hope to see you there!
Cultured Seafood Festival
The NCADC is excited to announce the culminating event of the conference, the Cultured Seafood Festival. Held at the New Bern Riverfront Convention Center on March 9, 2018, this ‘all you care to eat’ festival is open to the public from 6pm to 9pm and will feature a variety of aquaculture raised seafood.
Aquaculture is the business of farming aquatic plants and animals. North Carolina prides itself as being one of the most aquaculture respected states in the United States. The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is the lead agency for aquaculture, and farmers grow a wide range of products: trout, catfish, hybrid striped bass, prawns, crawfish, clams, oysters, and more.
Designed to educate the public about aquaculture species, the Cultured Seafood Festival offers a fun, family-friendly environment with an abundance of delicious food crafted by Chef Boyd. The Cultured Seafood Festival plans to offer different variations of aquaculture raised seafood including North Carolina oysters, crab cakes, clams, tilapia, hybrid striped bass, crawfish and catfish.
Tickets are $50 per person and are available online.
When:
Friday, March 9, 2018
6pm to 9pm
Where:
New Bern Riverfront Convention Center
203 S. Front Street
New Bern, N.C. 28560
About the North Carolina Aquaculture Development Conference
The North Carolina Aquaculture Development Conference (NCADC) is designed to bring together the general public, current and prospective fish farmers, scientists, and personnel from regulatory agencies to share information and ideas about the development of aquaculture in North Carolina. This four-day conference is now celebrating 30 years and features classes on subjects like aquaponics, mariculture and aquaculture.
Connect with N.C. Aquaculture on Facebook.
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