Wild Edibles Seafood Update

By -
Good morning Chefs and Buyers,
 
Heavy winds in the area kept local boats in over the weekend, but with the exception of bluefish we were able to get product from other areas. The closest areas not affected produced nice black bass from Rhode Island and Fluke from Delaware boats. The forecast looks to be more of the same in the next 24 hours, so it is likely many local fishermen will choose to wait it out.
 
The weather has been much nicer in the south and we have in today a boatload of wild striped bass from Virginia. These particular bass are from a limited ocean fishery that catches well fed and rested fish. The end result are big and in rigor stripers that will all be over 28 inches long.
 
West coast halibut is available today with most fish being caught in British Columbia, Canada right now. Sizes are generally 10-20lbs with a few bigger fish around. Prices are pretty flat for the time being with expected catch volumes not being met. The quotas for the season were already lowered from last year, it may be too early to predict any kind of trend here. We will just have to wait and see.
 
From Central and South America we have king clip from Costa Rica and escolar from Ecuador. King clip is similar in body shape to cod, hake and ling with a tail that is tapered like an eel. The meat of the king clip is firm like grouper and makes an excellent substitute. Escolar is sometimes called white tuna, and because it runs with tuna the name seems appropriate. This super rich fish is best served in small portions, and can be particular good when well seared.
 
From New Zealand the pink snapper is the star. Also called by the name tai snapper or pargo these 2-3lb fish are bright, vivid, firm and fresh.
 
Two special treats from Maine arrive tonight: the first is our favorite mussel from Pemaquid, with its full sweet and meaty contents this is superior to so called 'bouchot' mussels. From the finest urchin picking houses in Maine we have fresh uni trays that combine the richness of the see with an essence that reminds one of Springtime fruit. As a raw treat or a recipe component uni's unique flavor profile cannot be duplicated.
 
Also available: Soft Shell Crayfish from Louisiana, Shad Roe from South Carolina, Sustainable California Sturgeon bullets, and large Florida Pompano.
 
"If you're ridin' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there."
~Will Rogers
 
Stay grounded,
 
 
Matthew Hovey http://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewhovey
718-433-4321 ext.121 / fax 718-433-4616 cell 718-679-0641
"Hand picked specialties from the Seas"
www.wildedibles.com 
http://sustainablefishmonger.com

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fish Yields - or - How Much Does This Really Cost Me?

By -
Image
I often find it necessary to explain the yield (amount of usable flesh) off of various fish. By knowing what percentage of meat will be available when a whole fish is filleted one can make an accurate analysis of; A. how much whole fish must be purchased and B. what is the true fillet cost. Knowing how to correctly perform these calculations will benefit not only seafood suppliers, restaurant chefs, but also the casual cook. Below is a list of some common fish and the net yield percentages. Actual percentages may vary depending on skill of the butcher. Salmon (head-on gutted) yields 75% skin-on fillet Snapper (head-on gutted) yields 40% skin-on fillet Mahi (headed and gutted) yields 65% skin-on fillet Monkfish (tail) yields 70% skinless fillet Cod (headed and gutted) yields 60% skin-on fillet Grouper (head-on gutted) yields 35% skinless fillet Halibut (headed and gutted) yields 66% skin-on fillet Tuna (headless bullets) yields 75% untrimmed loins Sword (headless bullets) yields 80% cen
Read more

Flounder and Sole: or A Fish By Any Other Name Would Still Taste as Sweet.

By -
Image
Ever wonder what the differences are between Sole and Flounder? Some customers recently asked me the question so I thought I would take a moment to shed a bit of light on the subject. Here in North America we have no true sole only flounders. When Europeans came to the Americas they called flounders soles because they looked like the fish they knew in the "old world". This has led understandably to much confusion over the years. The only true sole would be Dover Sole, Solea solea . Lemon sole is one of the names given to winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus , (also known as black back). Usually at the retail level when multiple flounder sku's are sold; flounder is the name given to the refreshed less expensive product, and sole (or lemon sole) is the name given to the more expensive fresh cut product. Fluke, Paralichthys dentatus also called summer flounder can also be sold as sole fillet. Sometimes there is a distinction
Read more

Sugar Toads, What? : Blowfish Tails Check

By -
Image
So Friday morning I am on the phone with one of the good old boy fish sellers in Maryland, and after hearing about how the Maryland DNC might be the ones "poaching" all those rock fish (wild striped bass) in ghost driftnets he finally gives me his catch list, and he just says it 'sugar toads'. So I had to look at the calendar and make sure it wasn't April 1st, because I hate to admit it but I have no idea what this is. He says "..you know theses little puffer tails". The lights go on in my head: BLOWFISH TAILS.....send me 50 lbs to sell and a couple for testing. I have to say these are one of this Fishmonger's favorite appetizing seafood specialties, and no they are not poisonous that is a different fish. I cannot wait until these jewels arrive Monday. I did a little research and it looks like they are a 'micro-trend' according to a recent article in Grubstreet declares this, who knew. So if you get the chance try some at the next chance you
Read more