The United States Department of Agriculture says twice a week, make seafood the protein on your plate. Increase the amount and variety of seafood consumed by choosing seafood in place of some meat and poultry.
I honestly cannot believe it is Friday AGAIN. The weeks zoom by so quickly. We have absolutely no plans this weekend, so maybe time will slow down just a hair.
Last night I went to an event called Jewelry Bar, which involved local made Hawaiian Jewelry + cocktails. It's kind of a cruel and unusual combination for people who are trying to refrain from unnecessary purchases. I compromised by buying a couple gifts for family instead of myself.
When I got home, Lloyd had water boiling for his scallop piccata on angel hair. I chipped in with some of the chopping (it called for ¼ cup garlic!) and the whole thing came together in less than 20 minutes. The end result had a kick - very piquant, true to its name.
I just surfed around to double check on the true meaning of "piccata," and it turns out someone else had the same question. Sure enough, according to this answer, it does mean "tasty, savory, spicy, piquant" - there are no better adjectives to describe our meal.
"In a context of food, for example ‘veal piccata' (in Italian, ‘piccata di
vitello'), i.e. a tender veal cutlet quickly sautéd in the butter, then
dressed with lemon juice and parsley [+ capers sometimes], the word
‘piccata' means ‘tasty, savoury, spicy, piquant,' as this dish is tasty, thanks
to lemon juice, parsley and capers.
As for its origin, the past participle ‘piccato' (‘piccata' in the feminine, as
it agrees with the term 'carne' or ‘fettina' which are feminine in Italian)
derives from the verb ‘piccare' literally meaning ‘to wound someone with a
pike, to prick, to sting' and therefore metaphorically to stimulate the senses,
especially taste and the sense of smell.
The verb ‘piccare,' as well as the other verb ‘picchiare' derives from
the noun ‘picca,' meaning ‘pike ,' i.e. the tip of a spear.
The verb ‘picchiare' however does not mean ‘to wound someone with a pike, to
prick, to sting,' but simply ‘to hit, to strike, to beat,' and moreover
its conjugation is different from the conjugation of ‘piccare,' except two
forms, i.e. ‘tu picchi'(2nd person singular ) and "noi picchiamo" (1st.person
plural) in the present indicative. In this case it is the context that explains
the meaning of the verb.
Finally in the best Italian dictionaries we find 2 entries for "piccata" :
1-"piccata"(feminine noun) meaning "stroke of pike"
2-"piccata"(feminine noun) meaning "veal dish".
Alsk you can find "piccato"(masculine-Past participle of "piccare") which
has two meanings:
1-tasty, piquant, etc.(see above)
2-touchy, irritable.
So, to conclude, American menus do not confuse "piccata" with
"piquant" as the Italian term "piccata" related to veal
really means "tasty, savoury, spicy, piquant".
Hope all is clear enough.
Best regards
Maria"
I am a registered dietitian with the National Fisheries Institute, so fish is my nutrition forte. I earned my BA in Communication from Southwestern University, just outside of Austin, TX. During college, one of my very favorite evening outings was a leisurely trip to the grocery market. My passion for food was undeniable, so I combined both of my interests by earning my MS in Nutrition Communication from Tufts University in Boston, MA. As well as my Registered Dietitian (RD) credential through the University of Delaware.
Beyond reading scientific studies about docosahexaenoic acid and selenium, I love to entertain, travel, watch reality TV, grill outdoors, and go to spin class. I live in Kailua, HI on the island of Oahu where my husband serves as a US Marine Corps JAG.
People in Hawaii eat more fish and shellfish than average, but over 80 percent of typical Americans don't eat seafood at least twice per week. Doctors and dietitians like me say that's the goal, so BlogAboutSeafood is here to show you just what plenty of seafood looks like in an RD's real-life diet.
Photo by Marco Garcia
