Week of October 14, 2024 - Small World Seafood Update

Hello everybody!!

I hope everyone had a great weekend! What a beautiful one to enjoy our marvelous city. Such a pleasant vibe all around. It's pretty special to see Philly though that lens..

Well, we are back to very windy elements out there and especially at sea. That hurricane ripping through Florida last week had significant effects on the eastern seaboard over the weekend and through the early part of the week. So, as per usual, we look to the outside sources for fish and, boy, did we get lucky!

So, the first bit of luck is that at the end of last week, all halibut boats decided to come in to avoid the nasty weather thereby flooding the market. However, it was a slow weekend for demand for halibut so the high supply combined with the low demand caused the price of this luxury fish to drop quite a bit. We, of course, couldn't resist the temptation to grab a bunch of it and go into blast freeze mode! The way we blast freeze things is unique and definitely (and some say surprisingly) results in an incredibly terrific product just like the fresh version before it was frozen. So, this week, halibut is going back up in price but we bought at the right time so you get the benefit of cheaper prices!!! Win, win, baby...

And then I got a call from one of our suppliers in Hawaii letting us know that they were landing a big shot of opah and we couldn't resist! Also known as moonfish, this is one of the more beautiful fish you will see in the ocean and, unusually, happens to be warm blooded! it also has a meat makeup very different than most fish. You see, most fish have a flesh that is pretty uniform in color, flavor, and usage if you think about it. Opah, happend to have several areas in it that are quite different and, therefore, get cooked and/or eaten differently. 

For example, there is the top rack which is sushi grade and meant to be eaten that way. A beautiful ruby color with a texture similar to hamachi. And then there is the large belly portion which is fatttier, creamy in color and is incredible to glaze and roast or grill up sort of like salmon. This fish is amazing and you rarely see it on the East coast so it is pretty special in and of itself. Now, we will be selling the top rack and belly portions separately so you can choose which you would like. We will also blast freeze and vac pack them so that you can decide when you want to eat them. Easy peasy.

And speaking of special stuff, a month back we featured AA Canadian uni from the West Coast and everyone flipped. Even us. In fact, a few of you who picked up at the shop got home, had a taste, and came right back to grab another tray! This stuff is that good. Equal to Santa Barbara uni and close to Hokkaido uni. This is really the good stuff...

We have more branzini butterflied this week as well as whole daurades scaled and gutted as well. Good on Faroe island salmon this week. The best of the best and sushi grade. Good on Hokkaido scallops this week. Also sushi grade and also the best of the best.

We have more smoked Ukrainian kielbasas and smoked all beef pastrami sausages so grab them while they last. More tuna arabbiata as well as shrimp and crab canneloni and the fresh pasta this week is organic campanelle. Good stuff..

Littleneck clams are the shellfish of the week. These would go great with some fresh organic linguini from Settantatre !!... Not sure about oysters yet.... We have bacon and lonsa and smoked fish...So many good things...

I know, I know..Lots of words...

Anyway, as usual, I have to thank all of you guys for being in our lives. What an incredible community we live in...

Look out for the order form Wednesday at 11am.

Robert Amar

Small World Seafood

Owner