How nice it must be to have a net and boat, and be able to catch and eat accordingly. Every day. During our stay with relatives in New Zealand, we were amazed to share the bounty of fresh, untarnished seafood.
My Uncle Steven uses his boat out to check his net. The tractor-rigged boat ride to the beach takes three minutes from their house. There are a line of tractors since no ramps are used to get boats in the water. This tractor approach is used throughout the country, and I wish I had thought to take pictures.
On one net checking trip, we found a "small" sting ray that he called an Irwin killer. He cut the stingray off and the bottom of the creature looked like a ghost as it slowly opened and closed its mouth. Another Irwin killer had already been de-rayed on a different day. Steven had caught one that had a span of over five feet. It weighed down the net considerably, and made it tough to pull up.
One of my favorite catches are scallops, which must be big enough to warrant taking. Steven's boat is rigged with a ruler and diagram detailing mandatory size limits from the New Zealand government. The sign reads, "Size does matter," which seems like an interesting term to see on a government sanctioned guide.
Eating the scallops with the roe sack attached yielded luxurious, buttery taste and a silky mouthfeel. Because the roe sack has a stronger, richer flavor and is highly fatty, it was recommended that we remove it after a few samples. Trying the scallop in its raw state seemed to be pure ocean: salty and a little sweet. Love at first bite.
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