From the IntraFish archive of nearly 190,000 articles stretching back 20 years, we're digging out some gems for our readers.

When Hapa Sushi restaurant in Colorado advertised its new marijuana and sushi pairing menu it instantly gained worldwide notoriety, thanks to countless news stories generated by the unusual marriage of fish and pot.

The tongue-and-cheek ad was a publicity stunt, the restaurant’s owner later admitted on a local news show, but that didn’t stop customers from streaming in hoping to sit down to some Pakistani Kush with Pakalolo Shrimp.

It's early days, but as more US states legalize marijuana the emergency of cannabis cuisine seems more likely, which would give a whole new meaning to stone crab, smoked salmon and lobster pot.

As more US states legalize marijuana the emergence of cannabis cuisine seems more likely, which would give a whole new meaning to stone crab, smoked salmon and lobster pot.

With the widespread legalization of marijuana across US states and now Canada, chefs are quietly exploring the combination of seafood and pot. In a 2012, article in GQ magazine, writer Jesse Pearson details a private dinner he enjoyed at Roberta’s in Brooklyn that featured a cannabis-friendly seafood meal: “Catering chef Ryan Rice began our meal with Long Island bluefish, accompanied by a weed yogurt sauce and a salad of Roberta's-grown greens and blood oranges, dressed with marijuana oil and dotted with house-made pumpernickel-marijuana croutons. After scaling and boning, Rice had seasoned the fish with salt, crushed fennel, Meyer lemon zest, marijuana oil, and Sour Diesel kief” (a strain of marijuana).

One of Aspen’s top chefs, Chris Lanter of Cache Cache restaurant, is known for adroitly combining seafood and pot, infusing salmon, crab and other popular dishes with a range of marijuana strains. In the video below, Lanter serves Alaska king crab with a sweet avocado puree infused with cannabis.

With the relaxation of pot laws and the growing acceptance of medical marijuana in the United States, the use of cannabis in cooking and the market for edible marijuana products is expected to surge in the coming years. Currently, the product category is dominated by pot brownies, cookies and other bakery items, but marijuana-infused drinks and other products are now appearing. So far, anyway, there’ve been no reports of pot-infused surimi or “special” smoked salmon. “I’m still not seeing a whole lot of seafood preparations,” said McDonough. “Anything that is fresh, anything that is plated basically is done for special events, rather than something that would be constantly available [at a restaurant].”

Jane West of Edible Events in Colorado produces private events and fundraisers that showcase “the very best Colorado has to offer in the culinary, cannabis and art scene.” Her company has organized many events centered on the enjoyment of pot, and while none of her events to date have featured a cannabis-infused seafood menu, she has a good grasp on how to and not to use marijuana when preparing seafood.

One key misstep, she said, would be to sprinkle pot on a piece of fish and toss it in the oven to bake. High heat deteriorates the Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the principal psychoactive component of cannabis. Infusing butter with marijuana or creating a tincture that can be used in aioli, sauces or dressings are the two best ways to marry pot and a seafood dish, she said.

Munchies

“I think we all know how well butter goes with items such as lobster, seafood or clams. So, for instance, at a lobster bake it would be an excellent option to have individual butter at each table in little butter dishes.” This is an excellent way to evenly portion out the infused butter and control just how much each person ingests, she adds. Overindulging in cannabis-infused foods can cause stomach aches, vomiting, headaches, and day-long highs, and doctors in Colorado report seeing an increase in people admitted to the emergency room after over-consuming edible marijuana items.

“What a lot of people like to do is just put their butter on when it is ready to be served,” said McDonough. “Whenever you consume cannabis you have to be very careful and wait at least an hour before you consume another significant portion. It takes a while for it to work through your digestive system, so you won’t fully feel the effects of what you’ve eaten for at least and hour, sometimes two hours afterwards.”

Tom Coohill, chef and owner of Coohills restaurant in downtown Denver, Colorado, isn't a fan of infusing cannabis into food, in part, because it doesn't enhance the flavor of the food, as does wine or other alcoholic beverages. He suggests it is much better for folks just to get high and experience the flavors of a meal.

"I’ve never had a problem serving any of our stoned customers,” Coohill told the website Munchies in an April, 2014, article, “and I think they do probably experience their meals in an enhanced way. I would certainly enjoy eating food like this, like that."

Of course, there are many legal and regulatory hurdles in the way of opening a restaurant featuring pot-infused foods, but that could change and change quickly say marijuana enthusiasts. Is the day approaching when you might enjoy a nice king crab leg with cannabis butter drizzled over it -- much the same way you now can enjoy that same crab leg with a nice buzz-inducing bottle of wine or cocktail?

“I think you will find more and more chefs having it be an element of what they’re doing, what they’re cooking with and planning, whether or not it is in the food,” said West.

Experimenting with cannabis cuisine

Whether you inhale -- or didn't inhale as former President Bill Clinton so famously denied -- smoking pot is sure to give you the munchies, that irresistible urge to eat whatever is in you path. Fast-food establishments in Washington, in fact, began clearly appealing to the stoner crowd in ads that began appearing after pot was decriminalized there.

But the evolution of culinary cannabis goes way beyond satisfying the munchies with tacos or pot brownies. Is the time coming when you will enjoy a nice cannabis-infused seafood meal at a restaurant and leave with a similar relaxed feeling as you might get now after enjoying a nice bottle of wine at dinner? Who knows. But just in case you need some culinary cannabis inspiration, here are some links to pages with seafood-specific options.