MY UNINTENDED EDIBLE JOURNEY #7

BOATS GRAY AND SEAFOOD NEWBURG

As a chef, I am often asked how my culinary career started. And I always respond by sharing that my culinary career started when I was in the Coast Guard because cooking was much more enjoyable than scraping a buoy or working on navigational markers covered in pelican poop.

But what I have never shared with anyone, is the day that I decided to make cooking my career.

While I have previously shared that I first started cooking in a manner to get out of nasty work, I looked at cooking as a way to get through the Coast Guard enlistment so that when my enlistment ended, I could work in at a restaurant while I completed my bachelor’s degree (probably in journalism). Upon completing a four year degree, I would then embark in a different professional career. Those were my true intentions.

But little did I know that after about a year of cooking my attitude about cooking as a profession would change. Call it a lightning bolt moment, the realization of divine serendipity, or a moment of clarity, but whatever happened, I specifically remember the moment that I realized that I wanted to pursue a career as a chef.

Every Friday while I was stationed in Rockland, I served seafood for lunch. So appropriately, I almost always made clam chowder and some type of fish, lobster, shrimp, etc. as my main course. On this particular Friday in February of 1991, I had decided that I would make a dish called seafood Newburg, a dish made with shrimp and scallops simmered in a creamy white sauce, that is flavored with shery wine.

I remember taste testing the dish moment before serving time and was really happy about how it came out. And when everyone at the station tried it, I received a unanimous approval that it was really good with everyone giving my Seafood Newburg rave reviews.

Then Boats Gray came in for lunch.

Now to understand Boats Gray, you have to know that he was by far the saltiest sailor that I have ever known. Not only was Boats rough around the edges and highly sea weathered, he also had the mouth and vocabulary of a salty sailor as well. Whenever Boats talked you could be assured that he was going to use a certain amount of four letter words.

So, Boats Gray comes into the station’s mess hall, looking at my culinary creation and asking “What the #%&*#? are you serving today cookie?

I smiled and responded, “I made a dish called Seafood Newburgh Boats! It has shrimp and scallops cooked in a white sauce”.

“Sounds pretty fancy cookie”, he said. “I guess I will give it a $%^@# try”

I served Boats a nice sized portion of my Seafood Newburgh which was served with white rice. He took his plate, sat down to eat. My serving time for lunch was almost over, and I started my routine after lunch clean up duties. After about 5 minutes, Boats Gray had eaten his serving of Seafood Newburg and had come up to the serving line and asked, “Hey cookie! Can I get another serving of that @#%&*$ Newburg stuff?

“Sure thing Boats!”, I responded, and gave him a second healthy serving.

I went back to washing dishes again. After another 5 minutes, Boats had finished his second serving and walked up to the dish washing station and gave me his plate to wash.

“Hey Cookie!, That Seafood Newburg stuff was absolutely delectable!”.

“ I responded, “Why thank you Boats. I’m glad that you enjoyed it.”

Walking away he said it again, “I mean it cookie! That was absolutely delectable.”

My whole interaction with Boast Gray only lasted maybe 10 seconds, but it was 10 seconds that changed the course of my life.

First of all Boats completed a sentence without using any foul language.

Secondly, he used the word the word delectable to describe what I was serving.

While I was rinsing off the last of the plates, and was thinking about Boats Gray”s comments. Every day, people would tell me how much that they enjoyed my cooking, but for whatever reason, I found that Boat’s admiration for my culinary effort was exceptionally special and really made me aware of the effect that my cooking was having on others. The saltiest sailor that I have ever known, had just found the word delectable within his vernacular to describe my Seafood Newburg. And to think that it was good enough that at least for the moment, he didn’t think about using any four letter words.

I was honored, humbled, jazzed, pumped, and enlightened to have a word like delectable attached to my food.

Later that afternoon, while I was starting to prepare supper, I still was thinking about what Boats Gray’s use of the word delectable. And then I had a moment of personal revelation, the thought came into my mind that if my cooking could inspire such a response from Boats Gray, then maybe I should my culinary talents could be used to inspire others. Perhaps my life’s calling is to be a chef. I was proving to myself and everyone that I served that I could consistently cook great food. The business and workflow, of the kitchen suited me just fine. I didn’t mind the heat put off by the ovens and stove tops at all. And I especially loved working in an area where I could listen to the radio all day. And every day, someone with the greatest amount of enthusiasm and sincerity, would tell me how much they enjoyed my food. And at the end of every day, I always slept incredibly well knowing that I was using my talents and abilities to fulfill the role a person who was feeding others.

At that moment I realized that there was no other profession for me to pursue but that of a chef. At that moment, I realized that the past year was like a process of culinary serendipity. One year ago, I didn’t know that there was a Coast Guard station in Rockland, Maine that was in need of a cook. I had no idea what Seafood Newburg was, or that I could prepare it exceptionally well. When I reported to the station I wasn’t planning to be a chef. But there I was, standing in that kitchen, realizing that I had discovered a sincere passion for great cooking, and that I wanted to spend the rest of my life to create the finest meals that I could possibly cook I was going to pursue a culinary career and follow that road wherever my culinary career would lead me. With about a year left in my Coast Guard enlistment, I decided what when my Coast Guard enlistment ended, I needed to attend a technical college and complete a degree in culinary arts.

____________________________________________________________________________ Seafood Newburg Recipe

4-5 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1 1/2 pounds Tilapia, cut into 1” pieces

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deviened

3/4 pound small sea scallops

1 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. black pepper

3 Tbsp. lemon juice

6 Tbsp. butter

6 Tbsp. shallots, minced

3 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning

6 Tbsp. flour

3 cups whole milk

1 1/2 cups half and half

1/2 cups sherry cooking wine

1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

Directions: Place all of the seafood in a medium sized bowl. Heat the olive oil in a large cooking pan over medium heat. Add the shrimp, fish, and scallops to the pan, cooking them for about 5-6 minutes. When the seafood is cooked, season with the salt and pepper. Remove the seafood from the pan and place back into the bowl. Pour the lemon juice over the seafood and set aside. Using the same pan, heat the butter until it is just melted. Add the shallots, paprika, and Old Bay Seasoning, blending the spices with the butter thoroughly. Add the flour to the pan, and whisk the ingredients together until a smooth paste forms. Continuing to use the whisk, add the half and milk to the pan stirring continuously and creating a smooth sauce. Add the sherry, cooked seafood, and parsley to the sauce and gently stir. Adjust flavoring with salt and pepper to taste and serve with cooked rice.