A seafood dish served on Galveston Island is more than fish on a plate for the Kritikos Brothers. It’s a reflection of the truly American immigrant experience of a Greek seafaring family who ultimately became a successful family of restaurateurs.
“Our family originated in Patmos and Sparta, said Larry Kritikos. “We had always owned fishing boats, but had to leave our homes several times due to war and invasion. Finally in 1916, our uncle came to the United States to see the frontier and our father came to Texas in 1920”.
Tikie and Larry Kritikos worked with their father in the seafood business from a very young age. Older brother Tikie started at 9 and younger brother Larry started at 12. Both learned how to handle fish safety, how to identify species and how to cook those species perfectly. Their apprenticeship began during an era when the Galveston Ice House on Harborside Drive was the primary source of refrigeration for fresh fish and the fishing boats literally brought freshly caught fish to a restaurant owners door for inspection after a day at sea.
Despite the death of their father while they were still young they continued to work, grow and thrive in the seafood industry. The family evolved from supply side vendors to restauranteurs by 1946. In 1950, their uncle opened the Golden Greek which operated from 1950-1967. The Kritikos Brothers opened Olympia Grill on the Seawall in 2004 and Olympia Grill on Pier 21 in 2009.
In short, the Kriticos Brothers, now both in their early 60′s have spent their entire lives engrossed in serving Gulf seafood. While most of us can only sort the fish in front of us by how well it tastes, Larry Kritikos can explain that Red Snapper has larger flakes than Flounder and both have different sizes of “bloodlines”.
Certainly both brothers acknowledge that times have changed. There are rules and regulations from both the state and the federal government.
“We only purchase fish from government certified vendors – the days of buying directly from an independent fisherman are over,” said Tikie.
Indeed, Texas Parks and Wildlife, one of the primary regulatory agencies in Texas is deeply involved in conservation and regulatory efforts in Texas. This regulation supports Tikie’s assertion:
Restaurant owners, operators or employees may purchase aquatic products (only for consumption by the restaurant’s patrons on the restaurant premises) only from persons or entities in this state who hold a valid:
- general commercial fisherman’s license;
- wholesale fish dealer’s license;
- fish farmer’s license;
- commercial shrimp boat license;
- commercial shrimp boat captain’s license;
- commercial crab fisherman’s license; or
- commercial finfish fisherman’s license (TPW, 2012, 13)
The Kritikos Brothers also acknowledge that the rules and regulations do affect what you have or can’t have on your plate. “We can serve you Red Snapper that we buy fresh, but we can’t serve you Redfish right now,” said Larry. Redfish, which is actually Red Drum, was suddenly thrust into the culinary spotlight when the highly, spiced blackened cooking method quickly resulted in overfishing.
In order to preserve the stock, Texas Parks and Wildlife induced regulations and embarked on a restocking program where red fish fingerlings were bred in facilities like the Marine Fishery at Sea Center in Lake Jackson, Texas. Redfish, like some other popular species including Speckled Trout are currently subject to commercial and recreational restrictions until those stocks fully rebound in the Gulf.
Tikie and Larry Kritikos take that same care about local Oysters: “We serve them in season, at their peak, or we don’t serve them that month,”.
Due to restrictions, many eateries must resort to farm raised or imported seafood in order to fill the menu. According to NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in 2011, about 91 percent of seafood consumed in the U.S. was imported, up five percent from 2010.(NOAA).
Even so, the Kritikos Brothers, are bound by their experience and family tradition to mitigate what they regard as unnecessary short-cuts. “I pay more for fresh seafood because I want to limit the amount of polyphosphates in the food,” said Tikie. “By buying absolutely fresh seafood, that doesn’t have fillers, I am able to fully marinate our food in herbs and spices.” He illustrates, by pointing out the color of a cooked shrimp and how the meat has clearly absorbed the spices from the surface.They take the same tact toward all of the fish, scallops, shrimp and even chicken they serve.
Although, there has been a great hew and cry in the popular media recently about the lack of controls in the fishing industry, Texas has been on the forefront of protecting Texas fisheries for quite a while. Subsequently, eateries, commercial and recreational fisherman bemoan their inability to to keep large quantities of endangered fish. However, it should be noted that unlike many other states, Texas fisheries are not facing collapse due to depletion as are some other fisheries in the country.
Current U.S. Department of Commerce data supports the conclusion that those efforts continue to pay off:
Catches throughout the Gulf of Mexico rebounded in 2011 to the highest volume since 1999, following a curtailed 2010 season due to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The full fishing season in 2011 produced commercial landings of Gulf menhaden that were 42 percent higher than 2010 landings, with Gulf fishermen bringing in more than 1.4 billion pounds of menhaden valued at $104 million. Gulf shrimp landings rose 20 percent, from 176 million pounds valued at $338 million in 2010 to 212 million pounds valued at $418 million in 2011.(NOAA).
That being the case, coastal fishing towns like Galveston still offer residents and tourists fresh seafood in abundance. It’s is a powerful factor when the question of authenticity arises for consumers who now worry about current media coverage concerning “bait and switch tactics” being used by some other vendors.
Certainly in these tough economic times, there will always be those who attempt to circumvent the regulations. Larry Kritikos explains that all Texas fishing areas like Galveston are replete with stories about someone in the seafood chain caught with that one redfish that cost him massive fines. Moreover, environmental conditions continue to wildly fluctuate causing the costs of food to rise: “Prices really went up due to the drought,” said Tikie. Additionally, because the Kritikos Brothers operate from Galveston Island, Texas, they are also now highly subject to the seasonal ebb and flow of the tourist trade.
These combined pressures would seem to indicate the need for compromise in the way they’re doing business. Yet in the course of a conversation, Tikie will still complain about his father’s determination to have him do every grungy job in their families business. And Larry will rave about his newly discovered love for a fish called “Scamp Grouper”. He kisses his fingers and says “you have to try it – its Candy of the Sea.” And both excitedly talk about a Japanese Epicurean Festival where Galveston Oysters received high praise. Between explaining how wonderfully the fish flakes off of the Flounder backbone, to pointing out how just the right flour dusting enhances the crisp of the fish skin, their pride and passion clearly resonates. Like their Greek ancestors, these times might be a challenge, but compromise in their tradition will never be an option.
Marsha Wilson Rappaport is a local author and free lance writer.
Olympia Grill on the Seawall
(409) 766-1222
4908 Seawall Boulevard, Suite B
Galveston, Texas, 77551
http://www.olympiagrill.net/
Olympia Grill at Pier 21
100 21st Street
Galveston, TX 77550
(409) 765-0021
http://www.olympiapier21.com/
Both Locations:
Credit Cards Accepted
Free Parking
Family Friendly
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