Fresh Seafood Market Update

Weekly Seafood Market Report:
Week of January 30, 2012

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 Wahoo (Ono) is available for the week.  Troll caught out of Hawaii, "Ono" means "sweet" or "delicious" in Hawaiian.  Our fish are air-freighted whole and cut to order to produce the highest quality product available. Price remains stable.  Hawaiian Wahoo carries a Yellow sustainability rating from FishWise.

 Albacore out of Hawaii and out of Fiji will be available this week and the price is stable. Fijian Albacore is surface long-line caught by Soolander Fishing, bled live for the ultimate in quality and is flown in daily for top notch freshness. Long-line Fijian Albacore carries a Red rating from FishWise, while Hawaiian Long-line Albacore carries a Yellow rating.  Local Albacore carries a Green rating.

 Canadian Snapper and   Local Snapper are both extremely limited for the beginning of the week but should be available for the weekend.  Local product is rated Yellow for sustainability.  Canadian Rockfish carries a Red sustainability rating.

 Dover Sole and Petrale Sole will be available for the weekend. Prices are stable.  Both are rated Yellow.

 Local Trap Caught Black Cod (Sablefish) is limited for the week.  Price remains up due to reduced quotas.  Our fish are caught and held live on boats until off loading by local Morro Bay fishermen: Brett Cunningham from the fishing vessel Tommylynn II. The quality is incredible and Black Cod is exceptionally versatile. Black Cod carries a Yellow sustainability rating.

  Tuna is available throughout the week.  Quality and grade remains excellent.  We are offering long-line caught out of Fiji and Hawaii.  Longline Yellowfin out of Hawaii carries a Yellow rating and longline Yellowfin out of Fiji is Red rated.  Central Coast Seafood does not sell Bluefin Tuna.  All of our Ahi is cut from Yellowfin or Bigeye. 

  Swordfish is available.  Local Sword may be available during the week.  Hawaiian long-line sword is also available.  Local caught and Long-line Hawaiian Sword carries a Yellow rating.  Imported long-line Sword is Red rated.

 Opah is available for the end of the week.  Quality is beautiful.  Our product is long-line caught locally out of San Diego and from Hawaii as a by-catch with swordfish.  Long-line Opah carries a Yellow sustainability rating.

Escolar out of Hawaii is available for the week.  Escolar, known and sold in Hawaii and Fiji as Walu, is exceptionally rich and versatile.  Often marketed as White Tuna, Escolar is also often mistakenly called oil fish (a much lower quality and less expensive fish which is also misrepresented as Escolar).  Escolar features a high oil content making it extremely versatile and forgiving.  Escolar is not currently rated by FishWise.

 Mahi Mahi is available for the week and it remains a great value.  Our product is troll caught out of Hawaii and Mexico and long-line caught out of Hawaii.  This week we are also offering hand-line caught product out of Ecuador.  Mahi Mahi is rated Yellow for sustainability.

 Hawaiian Shortbill Spearfish (Hebi) is unavailable for the week due to limited supply on the Hawaiian auction block and a sharp spike in price.  Hebi is long-line caught out of Hawaii and the fish are usually between 20 to 40 pounds.  Hebi has an amber-colored flesh with a mild flavor and medium oil content.  The firm meat is great for any high heat cooking method.  We will only carry Hebi caught in the Hawaii-based fishery, which is rated Yellow for sustainability; all other imported-spearfish are not recommended.

 White Sea Bass out of Mexico will be limited for the week.  Average size is in the 20# range and fish are delivered daily to ensure top quality.  Local White Sea Bass out of Morro Bay is unavailable.  White Sea Bass carries a Green rating for sustainability.

 Black Grouper is unavailable for the week.  Wild caught out of Mexico, Grouper carries a Yellow sustainability rating.

 Long Line Black Bass is unavailable for the week.  The fish are long-line caught out of Alaska.  Black Bass is an excellent alternative for Sea Bass.  This exceptional fish is harvested in Alaska and flown in daily.  Black Bass is a large rockfish averaging 10 pounds and a member of the Sebastes complex.  It has a large flake, firm texture and moderate flavor similar to Grouper.  Black Bass is rated Yellow and is an excellent alternative to Gulf Grouper and Baquetta which are both rated Red.

 Farmed Striped Bass will be available by special request.  A hybrid of wild striped bass and white bass, farmed striped bass are raised in contained aquaculture. The meat of a striped bass is a happy medium between flaky and meaty. Its texture lies between cod or sole and swordfish or tuna. Its taste is rich and full in flavor with a slight mineral taste. Above all, striped bass are versatile. Striped Bass is Green rated. 

Baquetta Sea Bass is unavailable for the week. This fish is commonly found in Mexico and South America.  The fillets are dense and meaty with a mild, sweet flavor.  They are very versatile and forgiving, suitable for baking, poaching, smoking, steaming and frying.  Baquetta Sea Bass is currently unrated.

 Large Corvina is available for the week and the quality remains beautiful.  This fish is a large fillet sea bass that is long-line caught out of Panama.  This delectable fish has absolutely no "fishy" taste.  Corvina has a high fat content making it suitable for all types of preparations such as baking, broiling, frying or grilling.  The mild, sweet, delicate flavor makes it perfect for all types of marinades and ceviches.  Corvina carries a Red sustainability rating.

 Australis Brand Barramundi is only available by pre-order special request.  Prized for its exceptional taste and versatility, Australis Barramundi is Green rated.

 Fresh Alaskan Halibut season is closed.  We are thawing high quality frozen-at-sea Alaskan halibut with prices remaining reasonable compared to fresh product.  Alaskan Halibut carries a Green rating.

 California Halibut is available for the week in large and medium size fillets.  The quality is excellent and offers a nice, fresh alternative to Alaskan Halibut.  California Halibut is rated Yellow for sustainability.

California Yellowtail , also known as Amberjack, is a member of the Jack family.  It is a pelagic fish common in the waters around California and Mexico.  Our fish are net caught by the fishing vessel Playa Hermosa out of the Los Angeles Bay.  This is a medium and dark meat fish with a distinctive flavor.  The flesh becomes quite firm when baked, steamed or poached, though it is easily broken into large flakes.  Yellowtail is currently unrated for sustainability.

  Truecod out of Alaska is available this week.  The season has opened and the quality is beautiful.  Our fish is delivered whole and cut to order for the ultimate in quality. Truecod out of Alaska carries a Green rating and Canadian Truecod carries a Yellow sustainability rating.

 Lingcod out of Canada remains unavailable due to weather.  Our Lingcod is long-line caught, purchased whole and cut to order to produce the freshest product possible.  Lingcod carries a Yellow sustainability rating.

 Local Wild King Salmon is unavailable as the season has closed.  Local salmon is troll caught with extreme care.   Wild King Salmon out of Alaska is also closed.  Wild King Salmon caught from California and Canada are Yellow rated by FishWise for this season while Alaskan Wild Kings are Green rated.

Saikou Salmon is our newest, sushi grade Alpine King Salmon.  Saikou Salmon are fresh water farm raised in the remote mountains of New Zealand.  The glacial water is so cold and pure that the fish naturally resist disease and bacteria.  The flavor is excellent with no film or aftertaste.  The fish are about 5-8#.  They are excellent for sushi and sashimi and served to the emperor of Japan as one of his preferred sushi items.  Price is increasing due to exchange rate.  They are currently unrated by FishWise.

 Wild Sockeye Salmon is unavailable as fresh due to close of season.  We are offering thawed product for the week.  We thaw whole Alaskan fish that has been frozen at sea and fillet to order resulting in an excellent quality product.  The whole fish are ranging from 6-9#.  Alaskan Sockeye carries a Green sustainability rating.

Wild Alaskan Keta Salmon is unavailable this week.  Keta is one of the best values in wild salmon and has one of the highest levels of Omega 3 giving them excellent flavor and versatility.  Alaskan Keta carries a Green rating and offers an excellent alternative to red rated farmed salmon.

 Farmed Natural King Salmon out of Canada are available for the week.  Product quality is excellent and fish are hormone and antibiotic free.  As with all farmed salmon, farmed kings carry a Red sustainability rating.

 Scottish Farmed Salmon is available and the market is stable.  Our product is from the Hidden Fjord Farm renowned for their quality and exceptional approach to minimizing environmental impact as well as being hormone and antibiotic free.  As with all farmed salmon, Scottish Farmed Salmon carries a Red sustainability rating.

 Farmed Atlantic Salmon is readily available.  As with all farmed salmon, Canadian Atlantic Salmon carries a Red sustainability rating.

Farmed Steelhead out of Washington is available for the week.  Steelhead is a good alternative to Atlantic Farmed Salmon and currently not yet rated by FishWise.  However, they are recommended as an excellent alternative to Farmed Salmon due to their excellent farming practices.

Bronzini out of Greece is available.  Prices have stabilized.  The fish are chill-killed to ensure maximum quality and farmed using environmentally sound practices.  Bronzini and Dorade are both not currently rated for sustainability.

 Regal Springs brand Fresh Tilapia is flown in from Honduras.  This exceptional mild whitefish is very versatile and provides a consistent quality product that is available year round. Tilapia is rated Yellow and provides an exceptional value.

 Arctic Char is only available by special request for the week.  It is being flown in from Iceland.  Moist in flesh and delicate in flavor, Arctic Char is described as a cross between trout and salmon.  Farmed Arctic Char is also rated Green for sustainability.  Slightly more mild than salmon, Arctic Char can be used in all applications suited for salmon and is an excellent alternative to farmed salmon.

 Rainbow Trout farmed by Clear Springs Foods in Idaho is an excellent source of natural sources of DHA and EPA Omega-3 fatty acids. Clear Springs is a non-consumptive user of spring water from Southern Idaho’s Snake River Canyon and continues its commitment to the environment with effluent water quality and by reducing its carbon footprint. Farmed Rainbow Trout is rated Green. With a mild and nutty flavor, Rainbow Trout pairs perfectly with other foods and flavors.  Due to an increase in feed and production costs, the price of Rainbow Trout has gone up.

 Local Thresher Shark out of Morro Bay will be available for the week.  Due to recent studies indicating significant improvement in fisheries management with Thresher Shark produced on the west coast of the U.S., the sustainability rating has been upgraded to Yellow.  U.S. West Coast fisheries that capture common thresher sharks operate under a suite of state and federal conservation and management measures to maintain healthy stock numbers.   We also only receive Thresher and Mako as an incidental catch species and do not ask our fishermen to target shark.

 Fresh Picked Dungeness Crab Meat out of Oregon is available in 5# and 1# containers. The price continues to climb due to low catch numbers this season.

 Fresh Whole Cooked Dungeness Crab out of San Francisco is available upon special request.  The price continues to climb due to low catch numbers.  

 Laughing Bird Shrimp from Belize is now available in 8# tubs from their new processing plant by special request.  Laughing Bird Shrimp is not currently rated for sustainability. 

 Scallops will be available.  We continue to buy direct and fly our product in for top quality and value.  We feature Dry Pack (no preservatives added) as well as Processed product.  Please note that it is still spawning season which can lead to milky scallops and may affect availability, but this season is nearing the end.

 Mexican Mano De Leon Scallops are available for the week.  The prized giant deepwater scallop is named due to its size and golden orange coloration, resembling a lion's paw.  Mano De Leon Scallops are now Green rated for sustainability.

 Fanny Bay, Chef Creek, Dabob, Royal Myagi, Kumamoto, Blue Point, Hama Hama, Malpaque and Beausoleil Oysters will be available this week.  We are also offering the Effingham Inlet Oyster nurtured and grown in the deep waters in Barkley Sound on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, which has a plump cream colored meat with a vibrant briny flavor and smooth lettuce like finish.

 Grassy Bar Oysters out of Morro Bay will be reopening after the rain at the end of the week with product being available at the beginning of next week.  They are similar in size to a Large Kumo and are cultivated and harvested by hand resulting in excellent quality.  They are extremely environmentally friendly, low in contaminants, and a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids.  As with all farmed oysters, they are Green rated.