Week of December 2, 2024 - Small World Seafood Update

Hello everybody!!

Weeeeee're baaaaaack!! I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday wherever you went and whatever you did. Me and my wife went to Italy for the week and spent three days in Roma and three days driving around Umbria. A wonder region next to Tuscany with midieval villages all around and pretty much untouched by the opulence of the Renaissance. Incredibly charming. 

And I learned something about myself. In Europe, there have been four major classes of people. The royalty/rich people who owned the land. The bourgeoisie who were the doctors, the accountants, the bankers, the professors. The working class who built everything. And the artisan class who embellished everything. (i am leaving out the religious class since that doesn't apply much to any hierarchy we see today). 

What I learned about myself is that I loooove the artisan class. The people who make the art. The people who entertain us. The people who design wrought iron. The clock makers. The clothes makers. The cooks. The writers. The poets. The cheese makers. The butchers. The fishmongers. These are my people. All creative in their own way and I have nothing but admiration for those who make things that we need but also put an effort to make it beautiful as well. And I am proud to have been part of this class of people for my whole adult life. And there you go. We bring artisanal products to you, the artisanal cooks..My people.

One of the things that drew me to go to Umbria is my imagination revolving around something special that we sell every year right after Thanksgiving. Olive oil. One of our neighbors in Fairmount owns a family villa near Bevagna in Umbria and we've been bringing this very special olive oil to you. First press. Just two weeks ago. Unfiltered. Full of rich polyphenolic elements. Real and pure. And from one of our own. No one else in the ENTIRE world will taste this single villa 2024 harvest but you. Us. 

And every year, there is a frenzy to get one and we sell out so quickly. We've limited recent sales to one bottle per person so everybody could get one but this year was a bumper crop so we will increase that to two bottles per order. One for you and one for a gift. This is finishing oil. Put it on a plate oil. Drizzle it over veggies oil. And no where else practically, can you get a 2024 press this early in the season. Yet another artisan to love.

And as we get back some clarity after the post Thanksgiving haze, we have to be mindful that we have three weeks or so until Christmas. So we will start to feature some interesting things for 7 fishes. A ritual that so many of you have embraced with excitement. 

But first, it is time to cleanse ourselves from carb loaded, land animal fat rich foods. And what better way to do that that to have some sushi grade Tombo tuna from Hawaii!!! Tombo is albacore but from the Pacific Ocean around Hawaii, it is quite red in color as opposed the the lighter albacore we see along our shoreline. It is terrific. Get your poke bowl on or hand rolls. This stuff is the real deal.

What would the 7 fishes be with smelts?? We have the first draw from Lake Superior coming in which we will blast freeze and vac pack for you in one pound packs. Easy to prepare. You can pick up some of our dredge and use them on the fish. You can shallow fry or deep fry these little buggers and then just season with salt and pepper and squeeze some lemon juice over them. Best table snack ever!!!

And if you will be dredging anyway, how about some beautiful fresh haddock fillet from Massachusetts! This fish considered to be the prince of the cod family. Smaller, firm and flaky with a delish sweet taste. Makes the best fish and chips. I swear. But, you can also simply just roast it in the oven at 425F for 12 minutes with salt, pepper, olive oil, garlic and herbs. Heaven..

We have butteflied branzini and whole daurades this week. Cod cheeks. More pie dough. Also, I know that a few of you really like to dip into the caviar around the holidays so we are bringing in some Osetra for you all. 

Yes on Faroe island salmon and Hokkaido scallops. Both sushi grade whether fresh or frozen. Best of the best.

Lots of you really like the Maine oysters from few week ago so this week we will go back there for more. This time. we are bringing in Nonesuch Cocktails from the Nonesuch river. Another winner. 

Littleneck clams are the shellfish of the week.... We 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...

Robert Amar

Small World Seafood

Owner