Tomorrow, from 10am until supplies run out: a traditional fish cakes & beans, along with Trupiano’s sausage, served fresh at the Rockport Farmers Market. Proceeds benefit the market. The brunch features Cape Ann’s heritage food. A big thank you to Rockport Farmers Market vendors Mike & Grace from Trupiano’s Sausage and Tim & Ruth Sullivan of Sullivan’s Sugarhouse, along with food writer Heather Atwood for providing the food for tomorrow’s brunch!
About that Fish Cakes & Bean Brunch…
Tim & Ruth Sullivan are Rockport Farmers Market vendors, selling their own maple syrup each week. Tim knows a lot about fishing and lobstering in New England, having experienced a considerable amount of both growing up in Lanesville.
Tim gives a little background on the traditional Fish Cakes & Beans meal:
“In coastal areas, especially commercial fishing areas like Gloucester or Cape Cod, Maine, and the Maritimes, fish cakes are a staple of a traditional New England hearty breakfast. These are usually made from a flaky white-meat fish, such as cod or scrod, breaded and pan-fried to give them a delicate golden, crispy crust. They are truly scrumptious! While baked beans are sometimes also a part of the traditional ‘Full English’ breakfast, Boston baked beans have a secret ingredient that gives them a deeper sweetness: molasses. The other secret to great Boston baked beans is slow cooking. The early colonists would make these beans in heavy ceramic beanpots, place them in the banked fire of their hearths on Saturday night, and let them slowly cook overnight until the Sunday breakfast. Ours will be on Saturday morning of course, and we have another secret ingredient…maple syrup!“
For more on the history of cooking beans in the traditional way, check out this article from The Fisherman’s Voice.
Good Morning Gloucester 