Week of March 7, 2022 Small World Seafood Update

Ok...so winter IS over after all. Geez, angels. Can you all get on the same page please???

Hahaha..Well, I know what you are thinking. I am going to jinx things by talking about. Like I have so much power over the fate of the universe with my mere utterings. It doesn't work that way. First of all, to all of those who are describing this wonderful weather as a tease, let me replace your blue tinted glasses with pink ones. This weather in February and March isn't supposed to happen! Don't look at it as a tease. Look at it as a GIFT! Because that's what it is. A pleasant reward for good behavior gift from the angels.

You say you don't believe in angels, eh? Well, my wife didn't either until I proved it to her early on in our relationship. You see, I have something called parking mojo. That's the power to always find a parking spot. Well, sort of.

I explained to her on one of our early dates that I happened to be walking along in my neighborhood one day when I came across three angels sitting in a tree. I stopped to chat. They were in a good mood so I thought there would be no harm. As a note, if they happen to be in a bad mood, lower your head and keep walking. Trust me. They had nice things to say about how I'd been conducting my affairs lately and so I thought I would take the opportunity to ask for some kind of reward like world peace or an end to starvation. Don't ask, don't get, right?

They told me that that was too big an ask because there would be a lot of moving parts, consequences to consider, and blah, blah, blah and they weren't too keen on working hard. You know angels..

So, I said, "Look, how about giving me some parking mojo? That would be nice." I as living in South Philly at the time and parking, ugh...

They thought about it and discussed it amongst themselves and came back with a counteroffer. They told me that I could choose between either having parking mojo when I leave home to go somewhere else or I can have it when I get home but not both. I know they are angels but those little ones could be devilish sometimes.

Knowing that negotiating with angels is never the best idea, I thought about it. Which one did I value more? Well, I am one to not be late for appointments or reservations and getting home and circling around for a bit never really bothered me. So I picked the parking away from home and that's what I have. Parking mojo anywhere I go. Don't believe it's true? Just ask my wife. She'll tell you I always find a spot. Proof. And there you have it. Angels.

Aaaaaanyway, I guess I have to get to the fish eventually so here is the skinny. First of all, so much fun with the rainbow trout and Hokkaido scallops last week!!! Great pics on Insta by you all!

We will be going back to salmon salmon this week with a nice shot of beautiful Norwegian salmon fillets!! This sushi grade has been part of so many pokes lately. So proud of your adventurousness! Great for roasting too, of course!

The first featured fish this week is one we haven't seen in quite a while and so glad it is back. Local Black Bass fillet!!! Whereas Striped Bass is so identifiable, Black bass is typically the favorite of most chefs to cook. Firm, sweet in flavor, this is one of the best bass around, for sure. We have a great recipe on our site for pan searing by a New York chef. Easy and amazing, classy and top notch.

Second up is a fish we have been seeing a lot of lately for good reason. It is the best time of year for it. Local fluke fillet! Now, this is our flounder variety but better than most sole flounders you will ever get. One of the great things about fluke, as well, is that it can be eaten raw so you can make carpaccios, crudos or ceviches with it!! Or dredge it, pan fry it and top with Bibou butter. Amazing. We have some recipes for that on our website, smallworldseafood.com you could check out.

Everyone was so happy with the Hokkaido scallops last week that we will bring more in again!! Pan sear-able and is sushi grade as well! These Japanese farmed scallops are the prize of sushi restaurants so have fun with it!!

Another nice surprise is a shot of fresh Jumbo Lump crab meat from Venezuela!! This is fresh crab meat from Blue crab, not pasteurized so the shelf life is only a week to 10 days but it is delish! At $35lb, it will be the cheapest Jumbo lump crab meat we have seen in a long while!! Now, it needs to be refrigerated and cannot be frozen but the hack to shelf life is that you can make crab cakes and freeze those! The binding protects the meat. That's what every large restaurant does. Believe me.

As a special featured item this week, we are featuring Roast garlic Lonza from Aaji foods. This local family makes a coastal Indian tomato base that explodes with flavor. You can use it simply as a topping for your fish, spread some on some bread or use it as a base in preparing dishes that need simmering. I am going to use it with mussels this week for a powerfully aromatic Indian mussels dish. Grab your naan and go with it!!

As stated, mussels are the shellfish of the week. Oysters are Savage Blonds from PEI. Ocean fish is around. Clam juice is around as is shrimp stock and all the other usual suspects.

Anyway, I know, I know.. that's a lot of words....this email in particular. But hey, you need to slow things down once in a while . The world has been speeding up and it's making us all a little crazy...

Look out for the order form Wednesday at 11am for Fairmount/444 N 4th St

Look out for the order form Thursday at 9am for Fitler/Rittenhouse/Washington Sq

Peace

Robert Amar

Small World Seafood

Owner