Wild Edibles Seafood Update

By -
Good morning Chefs and Buyers,
 
You may have noticed some instability in shrimp prices lately. There are any number of reasons that shrimp prices are beginning to climb after a very long period of stability. Last year unexpectedly high domestic wild shrimp production kept prices low for white shrimp even as we saw black tiger prices increasing. White shrimp from the Americas were being made available at prices to compete with the lower priced US shrimp. Now those large reserves of domestic product are quickly dwindling down and forcing prices up on white shrimp. In the meantime we have a new ban on wild Mexican shrimp set to start on April 20th. On the Asian front you have many farms actually switching from black tigers to the more profitable vanamei white. Vanaemei whites grow quicker and farms are able to get two harvests vs. one with tigers. Unfortunately these shrimp do not grow to the larger sizes, and most are harvested at a 26/30 market size. Bigger size tigers are in very short supply in the market and prices are on the rise. We hope new domestic shrimp will start to arrive on the market in a month or two and help keep prices in check for the summer.
 
Todays best fish are Florida pompano (mostly 2lbs), Irish organic trout, Portuguese sardines, Golden corvina, and we have a big "marker" sword that was landed on the return trip from a Jersey boat.
 
Also available: porgies, whiting, uni trays, 20+ varieties of oysters (east and west), Mahi-mahi, farm king salmon, and GIANT CULL LOBSTERS.
 
"I'm sick and tired of people saying that we put out 11 albums that sound exactly the same. In fact, we've put out 12 albums that sound exactly the same."
~Angus Young, guitarist for AC/DC
 
Be consistent,
 
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

Wild Edibles Seafood Update

By -
Image
Chefs and Buyers,   The local waters, however cold they may be, are still giving up some great fish: We have sea trout (weakfish) 4-6lbs that are extra firm and in rigor from this side of the Mason-Dixon.   Jumbo black sea bass with candy red gills from Rhode Island.  Boston and Spanish mackerel that are both crudo worthy, just off of some short trip boats into Jersey. Since we had so many requests we acquired some local silver Dory from a Long Island boat, these dory are in the 2-5lb size range. Cod prices have dropped to very reasonable levels and makes it a great buy for the next few days. If cod isn't a menu item why not make this versatile fish your fresh catch of the day?   From the West coast we bring you wild Sturgeon, fresh black cod (sablefish), a wide selection of oysters and  Manila clams.   Cockles from New Zealand are likely to remain in very short supply until next week. We will have ample Manila clams available to substit
Read more