|
IS
SEAFOOD SAFE?
It
is if you buy it from Steve Bailey at Risky Business.
It seems like every time you pick up the newspaper these days or turn on one of those investigative television news programs, such as “60 Minutes” or “20/20,” you see a report questioning the safety of the seafood you buy. And the fact is that you do need to be concerned about where it came from, how it was handled, and from whom you buy it. That last concern - from whom you buy it is the most important. A good seafood retailer will worry about the first two for you. He’ll make sure that he buys his seafood only from reputable commercial fishermen or fish wholesalers who handle it with safety and quality in mind.  Take Steve Bailey, for instance. Steve, a commercial fisherman, has been in the retail seafood business on Hatteras Island for 22 years. He opened his Risky Business seafood company on Oden’s Dock, which is behind Nedo’s Shopping Center in Hatteras village, in 1986. In 2006, he and Beth opened a store in Avon, located next to the Village Grocery at the stop light. You can’t miss the bright yellow building Steve grew up in the mountains of North Carolina. Upon graduating from Atlantic Christian College and teaching school for a short time, he moved to Hatteras in 1979 and started life as a commercial fisherman. These days Steve, who is 60, lives in Hatteras village with his wife Beth, who runs his store in Avon. During the summer, he sells seafood. In the spring, he crabs, and in the fall and winter he plays and commercial fishes. Steve says his customers often ask him why he named his enterprise, “Risky Business.” The answer, he says, is simple. ”Anytime you buy anything fresh and have to sell it before it gets old, it’s a risky business.” He doesn’t have anything in his market that he wouldn’t take home and serve at his own table. Steve’s secret is buying his seafood from fishermen and dealers he knows handle their seafood carefully to keep it fresh and safe. All the local fishermen that Steve buys from know he is very picky about his fish. He demands the freshest fish and pays more for it and rightly so. “Ice is a necessity in the summer months,” Steve says. “All my fisherman carry ice on their boats.” Finally, Steve catches all his hard crabs himself. He gets up early each morning and fishes his crabpots in the Pamlico Sound before he opens up his store. Would you like to go along? Commercial crabbing with Steve is a lot of fun as well as educational. He leaves every morning before sunrise. All you need is old clothes and a desire for adventure. Space is limited to two people and you must work right along with him. Your pay is some crabs for dinner. Please call his Hatteras store for more details, 986-2117. The crabs, which reside in a large tank outside his store on Oden’s Dock, are somewhat of a tourist attraction. Kids love to watch them. Both stores also carry freshly steamed crabs by the dozen. For the best crabs, steamed or alive, Risky Business is the place. Sometimes shopping can be a real pain but you can make an adventure out of it at Risky Business. Come visit Steve at Oden’s Dock in Hatteras Village and walk the waterfront. You and your family can view the commercial and sportfishing boats and watch them unload their catches of large tuna, dolphin, and wahoo. Many people enjoy watching Steve clean the day’s catches. So pack up the family and come to Risky Business around 4:00 in the afternoon. You can entertain the family and get some of the freshest local seafood on the island. But if you can’t make it to Hatteras Village, you can still stop by and see Beth in Avon. A specialty at Risky Business is their famous spicy steamed shrimp. Pick up orders may be called in at both locations. Do you know what Beth and Steve’s best seafood seller is? It’s Risky Business’s homemade jumbo lump crab cakes which are made from fresh North Carolina crabmeat ... not from some imported Asian pasteurized tree crab. We use crabmeat as filler, not bread. Our crab cakes are 100% fresh crabmeat with herbs grown in our garden. Another specialty service that Risky Business offers is vacuum packing, freezing and storing fish for people who have been charter fishing. Probably half of the fish caught on charter boats is ruined by improper freezing. “Vacuum packing is the only way to go”, Steve says. “Every customer who has tried it has come back with praise about how great their seafood was!!” Several years ago, Beth compiled a cookbook with her and Steve’s favorite seafood recipes called “Risky’s Favorites.” Simply written, it makes cooking your fresh seafood enjoyable as well as delicious. A portion of the profit is donated to the Hatteras Island Cancer Foundation. It makes a great gift and a great addition to your kitchen. The cookbook is sold only in their stores and on their website. And if you need information on just about anything else - from fishing to sightseeing - to helping you enjoy your Hatteras vacation, look up Steve at Oden’s Dock (986-2117), or Beth in Avon (995-7003). Or email us. Check
out Risky's new
and . "Risky's
always more than
happy to help you"
|
HatterasVillage, Oden's Dock below the BreakwaterRestaurant ... 252-986-2117
Avon, Hwy 12 at Kinnakeet Corner ... 252-995-7003
Open 7 Days a Week ... Seasonal
website by Hatteras Designs, Inc.