edible notables
A REAL FISH STORY
Seafood company makes a splash at Lake Tahoe.
WRITTEN BY PAUL HOPPE
PHOTOS BY CANDICE NYANDO
Farm to table is all the rage, and for good reason: It’s fresher and more delicious.
Now, imagine ocean to table: wild salmon, straight out of the ocean and onto your table.
Meet Brand Little, fish entrepreneur and owner of The Little Fish Co. Brand was toiling away at a corporate sales gig in 2005 when he purchased, on a whim, his first fishing vessel, The Sunshine.
Despite an inauspicious beginning, during which he learned the horrors of seasickness, he continued to set sail. Early on, he hauled in a massive catch of wild, deep water Bodega Bay salmon. It was more fish than the commercial seafood buyer could handle.
Brand’s entrepreneurial spirit kicked in, as he wasn’t in the mood to throw away this huge catch of wild salmon. He called his wife, Laura, and together they loaded the fish into the van, dashed hell-bent to the processing plant, and within hours had beautifully cleaned, filleted wild salmon.
Next stop, the Auburn Farmers’ Market. The couple sold out within hours, and that night Brand and Laura laid out a business plan that would cut out the middleman. Each time they delivered a slightly larger load of wild salmon, which sold out every time. They decided to try their luck further up the foothills. Again, at each market, they sold out.
In 2007, Brand parted with The Sunshine (“a deathtrap”), and purchased a larger boat, The Fair Seas, the boat of his dreams. However, at the end of that year, a total ban was placed on wild salmon fishing in California waters, which lasted two years. Although the ban has been lifted, salmon fishing still is limited in California waters.
Licensed only in California, Brand sat in his new boat and watched from the dock as his fellow fishermen headed up to Oregon and other points far outside California waters.
The entrepreneurial wheels started spinning again. By now Brand was friendly with all the other boats and their captains, so he contacted them to sell part of their catch directly to him.
This bold idea was even more successful. With a greater supply and more variety, Brand and Laura expanded their territory, and now are feeding fish aficionados all over the Tahoe Basin.
The Little Fish Co. provides fresh fish fare from the Sea of Cortez in Mexico (wild prawns) to the Gulf of Alaska (Dungeness crab). Everything is delivered fresh and natural — nothing is flash frozen, farm raised, or with color added — from wild salmon to sea scallops, albacore tuna, California halibut, butterfish, petrale sole, and more.
The Little Fish Co. offers its straight-from-the-ocean wild seafood at the farmers’ markets of Tahoe City and Truckee, and will now make deliveries every Friday throughout the winter in both locations. Pre-orders receive a discount all year long.
And that’s no fish tale.
Paul Hoppe caught his first fish at 3 years old, and he’s been hooked ever since. His novel, The Curse of Van Gogh, will be available this summer.
Hours/Locations
Tahoe City Farmers’ Market
Commons Beach
8 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Thursdays (May through September)
Truckee Farmers’ Market
Truckee Regional Park
8 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Tuesdays (June through September)
At this time, The Little Fish Company’s seafood is not offered in the Reno area. For details, visit http://www.Wildlittlefish.com
Recipe
Honey Walnut Prawns
(courtesy of Brand Little, who says it’s his favorite seafood recipe. Serves 4 – 6 as an appetizer and 2 as a full meal)
1 pound large, wild, white prawns, peeled and deveined (15 shrimp)
½ cup walnuts
5 cups water
½ cup sugar
½ cup plus 2 cups oil
½ cup cornstarch
½ cup egg whites
2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ tablespoon condensed milk
Rinse walnuts, then boil in five cups water, continually changing water until clear. When clear, boil with sugar until sugar dissolves.
Heat ½ cup oil until almost smoking, then deep fry walnuts until they’re shiny and brown, no longer golden. Place walnuts on cookie sheet and let cool.
Mix cornstarch and egg whites together to form a thick, sticky texture and mix well with shrimp. Set aside.
Mix honey, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and condensed milk in a medium bowl until smooth.
Heat 2 cups oil until boiling, then deep fry the prawns until golden brown. Drain, then fold in honey-mayonnaise mixture. Mix well, sprinkle with walnuts, and arrange on a platter.
