Week of Feb 14, 2022 Small World Seafood Update
Gorgeous spring like Saturday, snowy Sunday and now I'm freezing my nips off..February and March can be so weird..The good thing is that, I don't know how many of you have noticed, the days are getting longer! 5:30pm and there is still light in the sky! So, I know there is more winter to be had but it definitely feels like we are getting closer to the end than we are from the beginning..And that feels good...
Well, in the world of seafood, the big story right now is what is going on with salmon. Major storm knocking off Faroe Islands production two weeks ago, higher demand with generally lower supply and then last week a major alga bloom in Chile forced the elimination of 11 million fish. Densely concentrated algal bloom can deplete oxygen in the water due to the high respiration rate of the algae, or by bacterial respiration during their decay. In effect, the fish suffocate. That's a lot of fish to remove from supply causing prices to shoot waaaay up (and, in my opinion, quality to generally go down). By the way, the fish are removed before dying at sea in order to not exacerbate the problem. Then it is turned into fish meal or fertilizer. So they do find a place for it.
So, this week, we are going to jump off the salmon salmon train that has been coasting along and visit a cousin. We will be featuring Artic Char from Iceland this week. Yup, we love this fish for its beautiful coloring and creamy texture. Looks like a smaller piece of salmon but has some softer texture to it. It is also sushi grade so terrific as a crudo or poke bowl. But, as with salmon salmon, great in the oven, stove top or on the grill..
As for other fishies, we are not sure yet. Lots of boats beginning to come back in and we want to see what stands out.
What we DO know is that it will be fresh clams this week. Chebooktook oysters from New Brunswick this week. Love those. Crab meat is around. Scallops are around. Uni butter will be around for a few weeks. We made a large batch that we froze so you can use when you want. I made an uni butter cream sauce to go with my scallops last night...I scored points on that one..
Speaking of scoring points, this time with our wee loved ones, we will continue to sell those 'Coddy Canes' cod skin dog treats that we make in collaboration with one of our suppliers right here in Philly. We gave some out to some pups last week and they went bonkers.
So, what do you do when you anticipate salmon maybe not being available? You cure it and smoke it so you have some at those times. Okay, it's not 1854 and we have refrigeration and access to a lot of things, mostly, so that is not the primary reason to cure and smoke fish anymore but why ruin a good story with the truth, huh? Anyway, as we play with our food constantly, we took a batch of Norwegian salmon last week and decided to hot smoke it (or kippered as it is known) with a pastrami cure! Yup, pastrami smoked salmon. By the way, you can definitely heat this stuff up, sear the skin to crisp it up or even toss it on the grill. We are quite proud of how it turned out..
Lastly, I hope everyone have a nice weekend with the people they love. It was so nice to walk around the city and see people smiling and enjoying the company of people that they care for. Yesterday being Valentine's day, I would like to wish my amazing wife, Eszter Kutas, a very happy Valentine's day. I love you very much. So, I dedicate this song to you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxTdz3hw9Xo
And for those of you who have someone that believes in you no matter what and even when you yourself may not, give them a call and thank them and tell them that you love them too. There is no deeper love than someone who stands by you at all times, despite yourself...
Anyway, 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 for the order form Thursday at 9am for Fitler/Rittenhouse/Washington
Peace
Robert Amar
Small World Seafood
Owner