fishmonger

I started writing here over four years ago about seafood and fish and sustainability. The content has sometimes been personal, and at times has also served as a way of letting customers know what wares I am selling. Lets face it at the end of the day I just buy and sell dead fish in boxes. Or is it more than that? With over 20,000 visits and counting to this site I would like to believe that some good information has been shared. I sit here today miles and years removed from many good colleagues back in New York; I remember you all well and sincerely wish you all a joyous and prosperous New Year and a Merry Christmas. Today's challenges are the same as they were those four years ago: secure the last wild food source from points distant, on routes you have little control over to clients that often don't know or don't care about real circumstances that make that desired fish unavailable. So after a brief stint at a position I had the luxury of dressing nice and working the ...

It is not often that something new comes along. Alright, so maybe soft shell crayfish are not new, but it has been at least 5 years since I last saw them. In the early 90's more than a dozen operations were set up to produce these crayfish. Unfortunately the economics of it did not pan out for most. There is a lot of waiting and intensive labor involved to bring soft shell crays to market. The range of sales for them has been limited to a few hundred miles of origin because of low yields and limited marketing. I recently purchased a good amount from the producer being only second in volume to Buckhead Beef in Atlanta I was told. I took home a couple dozen in the spirit of quality control, cooked them simply and was very happy with the resulting dish. Soft Shelled Crayfish with Sun dried Tomato and Anchovy Mayonnaise 2 dozen soft shelled crayfish 1 cup flour paprika, old bay, salt & pepper as desired neutral oil for frying for the dipping sauce 1/4 cup mayo 2 pieces sun dried to...

As you may know I was a recent judge on 'Throwdown with Bobby Flay', but I did not get to judge any of these chowders. Judged as one of the cities' best from the following link is none other than Wild Edibles own Chef Paul Jambor. New York City’s 10 Best Bowls of Clam Chowder So if you are in the city stop in and check out Wild Edibles Oyster and Wine Bar in Murray Hill. I guarantee that all the seafood is definitely hand picked and of the highest quality. Posted using ShareThis

Hello Chefs and Buyers, We hope you had a great weekend. The fishermen in Florida certainly did. This morning we received a great mixed shipment of fish and shellfish from the sunshine state. Starting off the list is mahi-mahi, the fish are weighing in around 12-15lbs headed and gutted and still showing off their iridescent yellow coloring that earned them the Spanish name dorado maveriko or 'golden maverick'. Speaking of Spanish, we also have sushi quality Spanish mackerel, these fish are around 2lbs each. Red grouper is available, these firm fish with the big white flake would make a great special if not already on your menu. We have a very limited quantity of a very special fish called trigger fish, also from Florida. Trigger fish is a cousin of the blackfish (tautog), and hog snapper, and a member of the wrasse family. Like their cousins these fish feed on shellfish and crustaceans. This diet imparts a very sweet quality to the meat and combined with the...

We have a really nice mix of specials for the weekend. One or more sure to fit your menu needs. The quality of fresh shrimp from Florida has been great all year, but todays shipment seems to be even more firm and sweet. And at these prices you cannot go wrong. Size is 16/20 per pound. And this is just the tip of Florida's bounty because we also have stone crab claws , black grouper and available Tuesday we are taking orders for diver caught live spiny lobster. Just landed at JFK this morning and only hours out of the water we have three specials from Iceland. Big sustainable Arctic char are here, they are running 4 to 6 pounds and we have a few hundred pounds. Get your order in early to get these bigger fish. Dayboat Icelandic cod is available as well as halibut from this island nation. We are always excited to get this shipment and the fish never disappoints us. This country's respect for the sea shows in their fish. Jersey boats are starting to produce an...

Now here is todays seafood news: We will be getting our direct Portuguese sardines that are always great and growing in popularity, thanks for the support. We also have some nice larger sized rouget they are running 1 to 2 per pound, and should have a good yield. We just got in a nice short trip Jersey boat with huge bloody monkfish, and technicolor golden tilefish (3-7 lbs each). Both are limited to a hundred or so pounds. Black sea bass finally made an appearance today so we have a small amount of mostly jumbo sized black sea bass for Thursday. Onaga came in like baseball bats, if you haven't tried this fish yet you will be not be disappointed. Wild striped bass had a few additional limited openings and along with Maryland we now have tagged fish from the PRFC (Potomac River Fisheries Commission), and VMRC (Virginia Marine Resource Commission). We hope the additional fish will start to bring prices down over the weekend. The National Restaurant Associ...

Every once in a while someone takes a look at something and sees it in a new light. When it comes to photos of fish in ways never seen, that man is Marc Dimov . Marc came to our warehouse last week with a vision and a proprietary system to create some intriguing photographs of fish . After seeing his final product I realized that these images capture what the fish would look like as viewed underwater with all the suns radiance lighting them from behind. Or simply sublime. Either way I think I need to get at least one to hang next to a Denton lithograph of fish from the turn of the century. Photograph courtesy of marcdimov photography

I think this is brilliant, and a harbinger of things to come. Maybe some of our East Coast fishermen will try this here. If you are a local fisherman here in the Northeast give me a call I want your well handled hand-lined fish. Story below from Seafood Source. Tagged sea bass, lobster deliver price premium By Lindsey Partos, SeafoodSource contributing editor, reporting from Paris 8/5/2009 11:03:46 AM - South East England fishermen participating in a trial tagging scheme are receiving premium prices for their line-caught sea bass and pot-harvested lobsters . Under the aegis of the South East Seafood Group, the trial is designed to promote the region’s inshore fishing fleet as a source of high-end, locally caught seafood. “The main driver for the tags is full traceability,” David Marshall of fisheries consulting firm Fathom Marine, which is leading the initiative, told SeafoodSource. Consumer demand for traceable seafood products is accelerating, he added. “Up until now,...

Wild Artic Char comes tonight! The fish was featured in yesterday's New York Times and is hand caught by the Inuit Tribes in CA. Limited supply. Watch out for slight price increases in Cod, Sword, Wild Stp Bass, and Fluke. Weather is affecting the landings out there as whitecaps and wind prevent guys from going out. Right now the increases are weak, but could continue into next week. Onaga is in house today. The fish are running 2-4lbs and looking stunning. They are caught off of Hawaii and are sushi quality. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFz9h_hin-8 Wahoo is in from Florida, we have one fish available, 35lbs Softshells are coming down in price, WhiteBait is available, and the Escolar is looking great Blackfish is in house, fish came in covered still in slime and rigor, Tile fish is running pristine and it is the Gray variety http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWPzGalENrY Wild Kings will not be available tomorrow, but we will have Wild Sockeye and Wild Steelhead available Scal...

The rule making boards of NOAA's Fishery Management Council are getting just a bit more diverse. In an effort to address some real or perceived bias on the board a small minority of seats have been recently filled by new members that have no financial gains to be realized or lost based on recommendations. One of these new appointments is Steve Schafer. I know Steve personally and I am confident that he will bring fresh insight and a new outlook to the council. He is a person of great integrity and reason. I think that any fears that might be raised by the commercial fishing industry will be allayed when they get to know this intelligent and thoughtful person. Steve's focus has always been to help to educate the consumer on the benefits of moving seafood to a more sustainable resource. Based upon the press release below from NOAA, I would say that Steve fills that role well. Congratulations are in in order and well deserved. June 25, 2009 The Commerce Department today ann...

Wild striped bass season opened July 1st for New York commercial fishermen. While we have had striped bass in the New York market for some time the opening of the local fish will help drive prices downward. Look for prices to drop after Independence day. Striped bass ( Morone saxatilis ), also known as rockfish to some are one of the east coasts most valuable species. Striped bass was once over fished but over the past ten years most states have implemented strict guidelines for the commercial sales of this fish as well as fair catch limits for the recreational fisherman. However this fragmented regulation from state top state has made enforcement difficult. Below is a list of some Northeast state regulations. Rhode Island trap: 26" min general category: 34" min New York 24" - 36" Delaware 28" min 20" special spring season 3/1-3/30 Maryland Bays and Rivers: 18"-36" Ocean: 24" PRFC ( Potomac River Fisheries Commission ) 18" min al...

Mother's Day is coming this weekend and early week rainy weather could upset catches for the weekend. Try to get orders in by Thurs. especially for items such as Halibut, Softshells, Lobsters, Fluke, Wild King Salmon, Turbot, and Dover Sole. Mt. Redoubt erupted again this weekend in Alaska, no problems yet on Halibut, but prices are going up. Wild Striped Bass is coming from Delaware right now, prices went up over the weekend due to weather. Wild King Salmon is coming from the Columbia River right now, the fish are around 15lbs and look great today Fresh White Bait is hitting the market this week, Fresh stuff is available day to day Black Cod is fresh and in house, live Steamers are beautiful, and Live Crayfish are coming tonight Mahi prices dropped drastically, Lobsters are dropping, and Tuna and Swordfish prices are trickling down We have New Zealand Snappers available for tomorrow, also known as fagri, and our cod is Icelandic Day Boat. These ...

I am always glad to see seafood sustainability in the public realm. I was inspired by this recent New York Times editorial .Like many issues today there is, as the author points out, a lot of confusion and bad information being bantered about. There is unfortunately a perception that farmed is bad (sometimes true) and that wild caught is better (not always the case). I am a fishmonger in New York and even some of the most savvy chefs are just starting to address this issue. Much of the problem of seafood sustainability I think is the general disconnect that the American consumer has developed with food. When I try to sell some sustainable species like mackerel (a small oily and relatively abundant fish) I hear that people do not like it. The truth might be that they won't try it. My advice: 1. Get a seafood guide for your local. Blue Ocean Institute is great for the Northeast. Monterey Bay is better if you live near the Pacific . 2.Get to know your fishmonger. Ask lots of questio...

Razor Clams are in house and beautiful John Dory is coming tonight, the price has dropped for imported fish, lately they have been beautiful New Zealand Pink Snappers sizes 2-4lbs are available, they are much less expensive than the domestics Escolar is in this week, Fresh Maine shrimp is here now, Med. Mussels, are available, and Dungeness crab is looking good The Spanish Mackerel is sushi quality, The Tile Fish is golden, the Rouget are bright red, and our Cod is Day Boat and from Iceland Fresh Octo is available but Domestic and Wild Stp Bass is creeping up "Earth is a flower and it's pollinating." - Neil Young It's a beautiful Pollination, and right now there's about 8inches of it in Manhattan Have a great break from the good weather MJ

Every year thousands of seafood vendors come to Boston to meet and greet and sell every imaginable species of seafood to the hundreds of thousand that attend the three day show every March. This year looks to be a little less grand. I was surprised last week when I was sent an unsolicited free registration. My first thought was that they must be having a hard time filling the aisles. Intrafish is running the headline Sour economy dents Boston Seafood show attendance . Asian seafood exporters are evaluating their financial problems. Seafood Exporters Prepare for Crisis . Part of their plan is to increase sales at expos like The Boston Seafood Show . They might want to adjust their expectations. The New York Restaurant show is having the same difficulty, as I just received a free badge for this show too.

V-Day is upon us, so order up, there will not be much left on Sat., just some small fill ins. We will be open on Mon., for Presidents Day There will be high winds tonight, so items out of the Atlantic may be problematic, and imported items may be difficult due to flower shipments, they get the dibs on flights We do have HUGE shrimp on special, they are 3/4 to a lb and make for an impressive plate Fluke is still running beautiful, the Stp Bass went down, and Nantucketts will be available The mahi, grouper, hake, and Skate are money makers Swordfish is very tight right now, fish are not around but we do have East Coast Halibut available, large and small fish The Rouget are great, sardines pristine, and Crayfish are alive Cod is going to be Icelandic Dayboat, really beautiful stuff, and New Zealand Pink Snappers are a wise inexpensive sub for Domestics For last minute specials for the sweethearts we have Gorgeous Stone Crab Claws and Fresh Chilean Sea...

Fresh Main Shrimp are in house, Live Sea Urchin from the East Coast are available, and the Nantucket Bay price has come down The baby grouper special are still available, the fish are 1-2lb and only 3.65/lb, and the Fiji snapper special is around, fish are 2-6lb, H/G and have a great flavor Grouper will be closing for a month. This happens every year, Grouper goes away for about a month and prices sky rocket. I recommend taking them off the menu and waiting for the return. Wild Stp Bass and Fluke should hold at the low price for the week, Black Sea Bass is spotty, and Skate is creeping up Watch out for Swordfish, it's tight right now and the price is way up Boston Mackerel is a steal and the Spanish is pristine The Maine Shrimp and Nantuckets are on a quota system and it looks like those seasons may last a little longer this year, as there are plenty of more tags to be harvested "He who can suppress a moment's anger may prevent a day of sorrow." - Tryon Ed...

Ja pan is the world leader in seafood consumption and most of that is frozen. So does the entire country of Japan know something we here in the States don’t? The simple answer, yes they do. But we all may have good reason to doubt. Many chefs simply have not had good experience with frozen seafood, and even those that use frozen shrimp or frozen squid on a daily basis are reluctant to try frozen fin fish. What gives? Well for so many years frozen was synonymous with low grade waterlogged commodity fish that gave frozen fish as a class a real bad rep. But today there are a few products that equal or surpass the quality of fresh, or as Bruce Gore a leader and pioneer in boat frozen wild salmon likes to call” fresh”...refrigerated. I remember that first conversation with Bruce as he constantly corrected me every time I told him about the fresh wild salmon we were bringing in. Although it is possible to have very fresh west coast product in New York because of the miracle of flight....

John Dory is special!! The fish look great and the eyes are glistening Fluke is back on the special, the price has dropped again Stripe Bass is making its way back down the ole price ladder, the fish are coming in enormous from MD, the price is dropping as weather gets better and supply comes back, they do have big bellies as they are feeding voraciously right now, so watch your yields Monkfish, Skate, Spanish Mackerel, Mahi Mahi, Grouper and Cod are all money makers. The price has come way down on these items and the outlook is good for a while Jumbo Black Sea Bass is around from the North, the fish are mostly the 2-3lb size Triple Tail - Buoy Bass is available, the fish are around 6-10lbs, The Tile Fish is Golden, and Nantucket Bay Scallops will be available this weekend, as well as Fresh Maine Shrimp "Sometimes I get the feeling the whole world is against me, but deep down I know that's not true. Some smaller countries are neutral." - Ro...

From a New York fishmongers perspective, how things have changed. Since it has been nearly two months since my last musings here so much has happened. The market for seafood has gotten quite dismal with the wholesalers at the New Fulton Market in Hunts Point reduced to working on nickels and dimes when they can. Many companies have put crews on 4 day schedules, and games of cards and the occasional chess match fill the empty late night hours for lack of buyers. Not a day seems to go by that I here of fish being sold at ridiculously low prices, just so companies can avoid an outright loss. Many fish like Halibut have simply become too expensive an option for most, and restaurants have removed them from their menus. Back in favor Atlantic Salmon (a particularly great bargain with the ISA issues in Chile), tilapia, catfish, and skate. We are most of the way through Restaurant week here in the city (Restaurant Week is actually two weeks, many establishments are even extending it further.) ...