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Ahh, the bane of the expensive ingredient. What so many cultures eat for nearly free, because they go out and catch it, Americans typically buy at the store and pay dearly.
I once decided to make a Mexican dish that is often found on the pacific beaches down there, called pescado zarandeado. For this, I needed a fresh whole fish, a red snapper was appropriate, so I dispatched the spousal unit down to the market to buy said fish. She returned with a 10 pound fish, which was quite nice, but it came at a price of $15 a pound. I will let you do the math on that one.
Some years later, I decided I needed to make a wild boar ragu, so I ordered a wild boar shoulder from a pricey meat supplier on the East Coast. Had I been a hunter, I could've shot one for free on land owned by a guy I used to know, but sadly, I'm not a hunter. That pasta dish cost me probably in excess of $75.
Every winter I make a French cassoulet and the duck, pork parts, tarbais beans and everything else I need to set me back at least $50. It's also a two or three day production, so that's why it's once a year.
I miss the days when of my kids lived in Alaska and would send me free, vacuum packed, fresh caught salmon .
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