Jacqueline’s right, Red Snapper is not a good choice. Unfortunately, it was one of the best looking fish in the market section and it was flying out the door. You can see that it still looks pretty fresh, compared with say, the white seabass. Check out NOAA’s FishWatch site for the details so I don’t bore myself with them here.

This is the first time I’ve seen parrotfish in an urban market. When they’re fresh, they’re surprisingly good. Kind of a shame, though – they’re so pretty. Also, they sleep in a mucus bubble, which protects them from predators (as a kind of warning device), but not from spear fishermen. They’re not eaten in many places because of ciguatera.

This lobster machine made me laugh out loud when I saw it at the market. It’s kistchy and campy all at once. But then I felt like maybe I should call PETA. I had to try it, even though all these claw machines are rigged for failure. For $2 I harassed a lobster and earned his loathing stare. He couldn’t even fight back properly, because he had bands on his claws.

Why do people eat Maine lobster out here? Well, I know why, because I’ve had Maine lobster at the Fontainbleu in Miami. It was expensive, I’d never had it before, and someone else was buying. They would not, however, stuff it with the second most expensive item on the menu. These days, I recommend more local species.

Red Snapper

Lobster harassment machine