Week of Jan 10, 2022 Update
Well, at least it's sunny.....
First off, I am going to crowdsource a little here. If anybody is a web developer that has a bit of time to help us revamp our website, we would love to talk to you. If you have been buying from us, you will understand better what we want to do in the end. Email us. Thanks.
As for fish for this week, once again, things are up in the air. So many boats are idled from Rhode Island down to the Carolinas. Gale force winds have brought fishermen in to safety. So, once again, I have no idea what we will be selling yet as far as features but, as always, if you hear a loud popping sound tomorrow, that's from me pulling another something out of my.......eh, hat. Yeah.....hat...
You know, from my end of things, I get to see things that most of us don't think about in the normal course of purchasing food. There may be better seasons for certain fish and we kind of want what we want when we want it but the reality is that lots of factors come into play when it comes to getting fresh fish. Weather, certainly. Omicron has affected fishermen but also processors of fish that have staff called out due to illness. Truck drivers, warehouse workers, etc. We are so connected globally that even a situation happening many thousand miles away could affect us here.
For example, as we start to approach Chinese New Year season, many people hoping to travel around China may not due to fear of Omicron(or may not be allowed to). Some major cities there have already been closed down and with the Winter Olympics coming up, more restrictions may come into play. What does that mean? Well, this is the time of year in China when consumption of salmon goes way up and prices follow upward as well all over the world. If things shutter more, that extra product that was anticipated to sell there may have no place to go but to flood markets in Europe and the US causing the price to tumble. Will that happen? Who knows. Can it happen? It did two years ago when the novel coronavirus caused China to shut down in the very beginning of this mess. Everything is connected folks..
What we do know is that salmon from the Faroe Islands will be around this week. Mussels will be around this week, finally! Frozen cod loins will be available along with all the other usual suspects.
We are so glad that many of you really enjoyed the fish spread that we created along with our friends over at El Camino Real in Northern Liberties. We will work on making another batch in the next few weeks. In the meantime, another little experiment we worked on was taking Faroe Island salmon, curing it and hot smoking it with an eel sauce glaze. Now, the process of smoking salmon and cooking it through is called 'kippering'. So, we made our own kippered salmon and it is delish! It is vac packed and has a month shelf life in the fridge but can be frozen and last for a year. Anyway, a great way to taste a smoked fish that can simply put on a bagel or used to cook more elaborate dishes. For example, one of my favorite things to do with kippered salmon is to make a quiche with it. Also, favorite, make some of my own eel sauce (recipe on our website), heat up the salmon and eat it over rice with veggies and a drizzle of eel sauce. Yum!
Also round this week is fish stock from Pierre Calmels from Bibou. This is top notch stock made using only fluke bones, no shellfish. As we get into possibly limited selections this time of year, it is a great component to use to clear out some of your freezer fish and make bouillabaisse, cioppino or fish stews. In fact, how about making a nice Fisherman's Pie. That is the seafood equivalent of Shephard's Pie. Oh yeah. Good comfort food right there. Here is a recipe for that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IY-KRIb1if4
Anyway, let's see what happens this week with fish.
I know, I know.. that's a lot of words....
Look out for the order form Wednesday at 11am for Fairmount/444 N 4th St
or Thursday at 9am for Fitler/Rittenhouse/Washington Sq
Peace
Robert Amar
Small World Seafood
Owner