Cape Ann Fresh Catch

Photo: Landon Nordeman

Community-supported agriculture is popular for good reason, but how about community-supported fishing? Last year more than 1,000 people living in and around Boston, Massachusetts, including me, paid up front for 12 weeks' worth of delicious, fresh-caught fish from Cape Ann Fresh Catch, the first community-supported fishing program in the state. The program was started in 2009 by the Gloucester Fishermen's Wives Association, an organization that supports the area's fishing families. CAFC lets the rest of us help out as well. The more of us who buy fish from CAFC, the better it is for the fishermen: they get to sell whatever they haul in (as opposed to having to chase a single type of fish in distant waters), and they get more for their catches than they would typically get selling it on the market. And for a home cook like me, having a ready supply of seafood that's been caught practically outside my front door has been a huge inspiration in the kitchen. One day it'll be meaty cod, which I like to roast with garlic, parsley, and butter; another day it might be flaky pollack. The fish from CAFC comes whole, so I've had to learn how to filet and debone. I've also become a fan of cooking the fish on the bone, which keeps the flesh so moist and flavorful. —Michele DiPalo, Waltham, Massachusetts

This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #126

Subscribe now

Comments (4)

by mary c on 2009-12-30

Michele - Where do you pick up the fish, seeing as how the Waltham City Council blocked their efforts to have a pickup site at the Community Farm?
I want to enroll in this program, but I have not gotten any new info since this happened.

by silkpjs on 2010-01-03

Isn't the seafood fabulous? The first bite of the first cod I got made me put down my fork, lean back in my chair, and do a lot of what Meryl Streep does when Julia first tastes sole meuniere. And the Maine shrimp from this season, just given multiple rinses and thrown whole into boiling water for two minutes max, were a revelation, nothing like what you expect of shrimp, more like lobster, only better.

by elenacampana on 2010-01-04

The seafood is indeed fabulous! Every week I look forward to putting another fresh fish dinner on the table. And we never get tired of cod: baked whole, in ceviche, in chowder, in tacos or poached and covered with herbs - all delicious. As a fisherman I've been completely spoiled by the freshness of just-caught fish, but here in Boston in JANUARY, I'm very very grateful to have the intrepid CAFC fishermen bringing it to me!

by CT on 2010-01-06

Wonderful idea, and we signed up immediately! Unfortunately, we were promised a variety of fish, including cod, flounder, bluefish, striper, scallops, and maybe even lobster and/or shrimp. We got cod, cod, flounder, more cod, pollack, cod, cod, more cod, flounder, and twice we got some delicious whiting. Oh - and more cod and flounder. The fish was impeccably fresh and delicious, but I was very disappointed that we were given so much of a fish that is on the overfished list, as well as so little variety. I wanted to support local fisheries but am conflicted about having to choose between local fish/fishermen and sustainable fish choices.