A FISH STORY

[HostDave]

We all try to eat balanced meals and, admittedly, often fall off the wagon on vacation. But no matter where you are, there are ways to eat both healthy and heartily. We’re talking about fish, which is not only good for you, but every lunch and dinner on the American Queen features a mouth-wateringly delicious seafood choice.

According to the Harvard School of Public Health, fish “is a very important part of a healthy diet. Fish and other seafood are the major sources of healthful long-chain omega-3 fats and are also rich in other nutrients such as vitamin D and selenium, high in protein, and low in saturated fat. There is strong evidence that eating fish or taking fish oil is good for the heart and blood vessels. An analysis of 20 studies involving hundreds of thousands of participants indicates that eating approximately one to two 3-ounce servings of fatty fish a week—salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies, or sardines—reduces the risk of dying from heart disease by 36 percent.”

“Eating fish fights heart disease in several ways. The omega-3 fats in fish protect the heart against the development of erratic and potentially deadly cardiac rhythm disturbances. They also lower blood pressure and heart rate, improve blood vessel function, and, at higher doses, lower triglycerides and may ease inflammation. The strong and consistent evidence for benefits is such that the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the American Heart Association, and others suggest that everyone eat fish twice a week. Unfortunately, fewer than one in five Americans heeds that advice. About one-third of Americans eat seafood once a week, while nearly half eat fish only occasionally or not at all. “

That may be the norm for the population at large, but that’s not true aboard the American Queen. Our menus features so many tempting fish and seafood menu selections that our guests usually end up eating fish almost every day! The key is to make fish dishes flavorful but not too “fishy.” Our guests tell us that our chefs excel at the art of creating delicious seafood entrées each night in the elegant two-deck J.M. White Dining Room.

For example, we take a simple cobia but turn it into Sautéed Cobia served with Louisiana lump crab, roasted asparagus and tarragon sauce. Our Sautéed Red Snapper Creole features wild-Harvested Gulf snapper, grilled jumbo shrimp, Creole-style tomato sauce and steamed jasmine rice. A guest favorite is our AQ Cioppino, a fennel and saffron laced hearty tomato broth with assorted seafood and garnished with rouille toast. Our culinary masters elevate salmon to new heights with our Salmon in Potato Crust. We take a wild salmon fillet, crust it with golden Yukon potatoes and serve it with roasted sweet corn-tomato butter sauce. Deviled Lobster with Crab Dressing is just as good as it sounds: a crown of lump crab dressing surrounded by a split lobster tail is finished with Dijon mustard glaze.

The innocent pan, a staple in every kitchen, is put to good use on the American Queen. We like to get a pan nice and hot and then sear fish, sealing in the juices and the flavor, in a nod to traditional Southern seafood preparation. Our Pan-Seared Catfish with Smoked Tomato Coulis takes a fresh piece of farm-raised Mississippi catfish which is then seasoned and cooked to a golden brown, served on a bed of smoked tomato coulis and topped with black-eyed pea vinaigrette. Move from rivers and ponds to the open ocean with our Pan-Seared North Atlantic Salmon. A wild salmon fillet is brushed with black pepper-brown sugar glaze and then served with succotash and Yukon gold mashed potato and a sweet potato crisp. We all know that scallops are always best prepared with a nice pan-sear and our Pan-Seared Sea Scallops are no exception. Lightly seasoned and seared to a golden brown, they are served with braised fennel and artichoke ragout alongside creamy polenta.

Lunch on the American Queen offers just as many choices as dinner, whether dining in the J.M. White Dining Room or the airy Front Porch Café while watching the world slide by the huge windows. There are Louisiana Crab Cakes served with a nest of cole slaw and Creole remoulade sauce, and our St. Francisville Shrimp Salad which sets seasoned grilled shrimp over fresh spinach with bacon-molasses vinaigrette, garnished with hard-boiled egg and tomato. Stay on the lighter side with a Chilled Poached Salmon Salad served with seasonal greens and cucumber-dill dressing or ramp things up a bit with our Smoked Catfish BLT. We take a lightly smoked catfish fillet, set it on toasted French bread, add spicy aioli, smoked bacon, lettuce and tomato and then serve it with cole slaw and crispy fries. For that quintessential Southern dish, try the Crispy Fried Catfish. Farm-raised Mississippi catfish is deep fried to a golden brown and served with yellow-squash hushpuppies, creamy cole slaw and tartar sauce. While we know that the deep frying might negate a few of the health benefits, remember that you’re on vacation, after all. And speaking of classic Southern dishes, a lunch portion of Shrimp and Grits, savory grits topped with sautéed Gulf shrimp and smoked tomato cream sauce, always hits the spot.

Even if you’re not in the mood for fish or seafood as a main course, we can whet your appetite with an appetizer. You just haven’t lived until you’ve tried our Crawfish Beignet. A golden brown beignet is topped with savory mushroom cream sauce and seasoned crawfish tails. For a taste of the crawfish’s larger cousin, order a bowl of our Lobster Chowder featuring rich and creamy red skinned potatoes, smoked bacon and a hint of saffron. Shrimp takes center stage with our Shrimp Dumplings stuffed with succulent shrimp mousse and served with a fennel-tomato cancasse and Siberian caviar butter, and our Shrimp and Avocado Tower with gulf shrimp and a fresh avocado salad served with crusty toasted French bread. Those guests who enjoy sushi always order our Yellowfin Tuna Tartar highlighting diced sushi grade tuna seasoned with soy-ginger dressing. Siberian caviar enhances our Smoked Salmon Pocket served with boursin herb cheese and crème fraiche. Trout takes on a new role in our Smoked Trout Canapé. We simply take smoked Rocky Mountain trout, horseradish cream and arugula and serve the savory concotion with thick-cut truffle scented Saratoga chips.

We admit that the Harvard School of Public Health’s fish recommendations don’t take into account the many wonderful ways they can be seared, fried and served with everything ranging from remoulade to caviar. But what we find is that even guests who claim not to be fans of seafood end up ordering at least one or two menu items that feature lobster, salmon, trout, shrimp, catfish, tuna, crab, scallops or snapper during the course of their cruise. And why shouldn’t they? Everything tastes better on the American Queen!