VANCOUVER IS becoming a
more fishy place.

By Anna Marie D'Angelo
News Reporter

So says Kosta Zogaris, owner of
an unique fish . store called
Screaming Mimi’s Seafood Deli
and Steamer. in Lonsdale Quay
Market.

. > “With the influence of the
Oriental trade coming in and the
way they eat and appreciate fish
and all kinds of. ethnic communi-
ties and the way they eat fish, the
whole. attitude towards fish is
changing big time in Vancouver,”

said Zogaris.

Zogaris has been in the fish
business in Europe and North
America for 24 years,

Screaming Mimi's, started
abdout two years ago, is named after
his four-year-old daughter who had
a penchant for emitting loud noises
as a baby.

Zogaris, 38, explained that
Vancouverites who don’t fike fish
usually have had a “bad fish expe-
Tience.”

“Some older people have lived
in places where fish was not avail-
able and had access to fish that was
not of good quality,” said Zogaris
who also has owned the Salmon
Shop for six years in the Market.

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He said that fish cating is a tra-
ditional thing with people who
have roots of living near the sea,

The Greck-born fish entrepre-
neur said sea bass from Chile was
the current hot item in the fish
department,

The exotic fish is a cousin to the
black cod, said Zogaris.

Zogaris sells live lobsters (from
the Canada’s cast coast), crabs,
prawns, clams and mussels at his
shop.

Tanks of live crustaceans stare
back at shoppers in the store.

' During the News’ recent visit, a
youngster was heard to have
remarked, “This is sa gross” to his
mother.

Zogaris says that type of com-
ment is not heard often as cus-
tomers like to buy five fish and
have it cooked in the store in front
of them.

Why are bought fish better alive
than dead? :

“That’s a simple question, but
the answer is not that simple. .” said
Zogaris.

“Why do people from the

Crient pay $4 or $5 more: per :

pound of fish to get it live?” said
Zogaris.

Zogaris explained that “true
fish eaters” can tell a fresh fish
without doubt.

He defined a fresh fish as one
that has been dead for one to two
days.

“To ensure it is fresh, the only
way is to take a fish out of a live

‘tank and put it into a cook pot,”

said Zogaris.
He said fish like clams, mus-

‘sels, crabs and oysters should

always be cooked “minutes after
death” or cooked alive.

“If not, it loses its sea flavor, its
freshness is effected,” said Zogaris
who sells numerous varieties of
shelifish at his store.

An exception to ‘cooking fish
when it is fresh relates to halibut
and sole cooking. :

Those fish should be ccoked
five days after being caught to pre-
vent 4 strong ammonia taste, said
Zogaris.

NEWS photo Cindy Goodman

SCREAMING MIMI’S owner Kosta Zogaris holds up one of many
crabs which can be bought live or cocked inhis Lonsdale Quay

Market store.

Zogaris said lemon or vinegar

enhances fish by fusing the taste .

and slighUy marinating it.

He said the best way to cook
white fish (sole, snapper, cod, sea
bass) is whole (on the bone) and on
the grill with a “Greek marinade.”
(The marinade is also known as a
“Sicilian marinade,” _. noted
Zogaris).

The marinade consists of equal
parts of }emon juice and extra vir-
gin olive oi! along with a pinch of
oregano.

The marinade is whipped up
until creamy and then poured over
the cooked fish while it is warm.

The fish should soak ‘up the mari-

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nade.

Zogaris adds salt - and pepper
only to the fish before placing it ont
the grill. ;

He said a Canadian fish quirk is
the use of the word ‘ “prawn” which
is only used here and, in Great
Britain to describe a large shrimp. !

“It’s not an American .word..,:
Americans say shrimp or crawfish
or whatever, but there is no, such -
word as ‘prawn’,” said Zogaris.

He acknowledges that some fish
is expensive, but a good fish meal
of barbecued whole snapper, for
example, is not expensive. | | :

Pregnant women should not eat
raw fish.

The juice |
on lemons

A FRESH
squeezed over fish adds: four
calories, a trace of sodium and
about 6% of the Vitamin C rec-

lemon wedge :

ommended for the - day.
Lemons are also a good source
of potassium, according to the
Sunkist company.

How to buy a lemon
Choose lemons with smooth,
firm skins, free of soft spots.

The freshness ef lemons
Lemons will stay fresh at room .
temperature for about a week.
They will stay fresh for as long,
as six weeks when stored in a
partialiy closed plastic bag in
the refrigerator. ; :

How to get the most juice”
A lemon yields more juice
when left at room temperature
and roiled on the counter with,
the palm of the hand before
squeezing.

Another . way’ involves
microwaving “briefly? on high ©
for 20 seconds.

— Source: Sunkist Lemons’
How to Better Fish