Weekend Specialties 2.09.12

Our favorite head-on blue shrimp won't be around for some time, so we're trying hard to find a suitable companion to our current offering of head-on mayan shrimp.  Wild head-on prawns from the Mediterranean should be just what we're looking for!  These jumbo (U8) shrimp caught off the coast of Tunisia, are coming in larger than the mayans, but just as tasty.  They're perfect with a little olive oil and salt, either pan-seared or on the grill.

Please read below for a complete list of specialty items and oysters for the weekend and on Valentine's Day.   

Arriving Thursday February 9th, 2012
Head on Prawns (U8), Mediterranean
JC David Smoked Haddock, France
Black Drum, NC
Trigger Fish, NC
MSC Norwegian Arctic Cod, Norway
Live California Sea Urchin, Santa Barbara, CA
Diver Scallops, MA
Tilefish, FL

Arriving Friday February 10th, 2012
Live Dungeness Crab, WA
Atlantic Dory, MD
Smelts, Prince Edward Island
Stone Crab Claws, FL

Oyster Lineup February 9th-11th
Wiley Point, Damariscotta River, ME
Watch Hill, Winnapaug Pond, RI
Salt Pond, Point Judith Pond, RI
Indian Creek, Prince Edward Island
Montauk Pearls, Montauk, NY
Beau Soleil, Mirimichi Bay, NB
Wellfleet, Wellfleet, MA

Valentine's Day Oyster Lineup
French Kiss, Mirimichi Bay, NB
Wiley Point, Damariscotta River, ME
Mystic, Noank, CT
Indian Creek, Prince Edward Island
Beau Soleil, Mirimichi Bay, NB
Wellfleet, Wellfleet, MA
Kushi, Deep Bay, BC
Fanny Bay, Baynes Sound, BC
Malaspina, Malaspina Inlet, BC

We hope you'll stop by this weekend and take advantage!  Stay tuned next Thursday for another addition of specialty items.  Please note that occasionally items listed will not make it to our store due to weather or unforeseen supply issues.

Sincerely,
The Lobster Place

Chili Crab

There are few things we crave more than a well-prepared sweet and spicy Chili Crab.  This version is our own family recipe that we’ve tweaked and perfected over time.  Aside from finding the freshest crab, the key component to this recipe is in the homemade chili oil.  A little bit goes a long way in developing that heat!  We’ve tried this recipe using both Dungeness and Stone Crabs and you can’t go wrong either way.  Whichever one you choose, dig in, get your hands dirty and enjoy one of our all-time favorites!  Oh, and be sure to serve these crabs white rice on the side to sop up that extra chili sauce. 

3 Tablespoons Chili Oil, or to taste for heat (recipe follows)
4 Garlic Gloves, minced
2 Tblsp Ginger, minced
1½ Cups Chicken Stock
½ Cup Rice Wine Vinegar
2/3 Cup Ketchup
2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
2 tsps Salt
2 Tblsps Sugar
1 tsp, Szechuan Peppercorns, crushed into coarse pieces
5lbs of live Dungeness Crab, cooked whole, cleaned & broken down into pieces
(Substitute: 4lbs of cracked Stone Crab)
4 Scallions, thinly sliced

Place a large wok over medium-high heat and add the chili oil, garlic and ginger.  Sauté for 30 seconds and then add the chicken stock, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, sesame oil, salt, sugar and peppercorns.  Mix the ingredients together and bring to a boil.  Once the sauce is seasoned to taste and has the right amount of heat, add the crab and continue to toss until it is well coated and the meat is heated through.  Transfer the crab and sauce to a large serving bowl, sprinkle with scallions and serve with white rice on the side.

Chili Oil
½ Cups Canola Oil
1/3 Cup Sesame Oil
1 Cup Chili Flakes
1/3 Cup canned Black Beans, rinsed & chopped
4 Garlic Cloves, minced
2 Tblsp Ginger, minced

Add the canola oil and sesame oil to a pot and heat over low heat until it reaches and maintains a temperature of 200 degrees.  Add the remaining ingredients and let everything simmer for approximately 15 minutes.  Once it’s done simmering, remove the pot from the burner and allow the oil to cool to room temperature.  After it’s cooled down, transfer the oil and the other contents in the pot to a jar or container with a tight sealing lid and store in your cabinet for up to 6 months.

JC David Smoked Haddock

We're pleased to announce the newest addition to our smoked fish section: JC David Smoked Haddock Fillets.  The JC David Smokehouse is located in the center of French maritime activity in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France.  It is here that they have maintained France's rich tradition of smoking fish, brining it for a minimum of 21 days before they delicately smoke it in their wood-burning ovens called "correses."  In fact JC David is one of the last French smokehouses to smoke exclusively in this traditional manner and have been doing so for over 40 years.  In addition to their steadfast commitment to quality and tradition, JC David is committed to producing a sustainable product, using Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) certified oak in the smoking process as well as sustainably caught Haddock from the Northeast Atlantic.  This all adds up to produce a smoked haddock with light salt content and a delicate smoke flavor. 

Never used smoked haddock before?  Try swapping out smoked salmon and placing it on your favorite bagel or check out these recipes:  Smoked Haddock Kedgeree, Omelet Arnold Bennett

Market Insights February 7th, 2012

So far the winter season has been mostly cooperative in not causing any major supply disruptions.  However, prices have been up and down of late due to scarcity and fishery closures. 

Tuna – Recently, the Tuna quality coming out of Hawaii has been far superior to that of Central and South America, and as a result, we’ve been sourcing our Tuna from the Pacific.

Cod – Domestic Cod prices have soared, and as a result we’ve switched all supply to Norwegian product.  The Norwegians are big on futures for fish, so we’ve been able to lock in a good price comparatively to domestic Cod until spring.

Halibut – East coast halibut has become more available, however due to lack of supply because of Pacific closures, the price still remains high.  Look for this trend to continue until March or April when Pacific fisheries come back online.

Striped Bass – We saw limited supply during January as many state fisheries were closed.  Now, Virginia and Delaware have opened up, bringing more supply to market.  Virginia is primarily catching fish via Gillnet and in turn is supplying bigger fish.  Delaware, on the other hand, is primarily using hook and line fishing methods and as a result, catching smaller 6-8lb fish.

Black Sea Bass – We’re seeing the predominant amount of fish come from New Jersey at the moment.  Smaller fish are plentiful, however 2-4lb fish are a little tougher to come by.

Snapper, Grouper, Mahi and Mackerel – Southern fish are in good supply at the moment, and we don’t anticipate this changing any time soon.

Swordfish – Atlantic Swordfish remains tough to come by.  However, with a full moon expected soon, we expect to see much more Sword.  Fishermen usually go out more around the full moon and find it easier to catch Sword at this time.

Cod – Domestic Cod prices have soared, and as a result we’ve switched all supply to Norwegian product.  The Norwegians are big on futures for fish, so we’ve been able to lock in a good price comparatively to domestic Cod until spring.

Scallops – U10 scallops have been much harder to come by.  Expect to see smaller scallops in the 10-20 range.

Maine Shrimp – The Maine Shrimp season was a pretty big bust this year.  Supply was very light and most product didn’t make it out of New England.   We weren’t overly impressed by the quality of the product that did make it out.

Lobsters – Lobster prices are inching their way up after a nice period of low prices.  The Canadians are loading up on Lobsters and not selling in hopes of driving up prices and Domestic lobsters will begin to molt soon making hard shelled product scarcer.

Crab – Blue crab prices have been higher than we’ve seen in a long time due to lack of supply along the gulf coast.  The bright spot is that Jonah Crabs are finally showing more consistency and much more abundance.

Blue Shrimp – Our favorite shrimp are going to be disappearing from the market for the foreseeable future due to farming problems in New Caledonia.  We’ll be the first to tell you when they’re back.

Valentine's Day Ordering Policy

Valentine's Day is around the corner we’re already in full gear here at The Lobster Place making sure we have a full selection of the freshest and finest seafood available to make you look like a pro. Please note we will be open during normal hours on Tuesday the 14th of February 9:30am - 8:00 PM

Due to the increased volume in our store on Valentine's Day, please note the following policies for placing advanced orders:  

HOME DELIVERIES:

• $150 Minimum for all Manhattan deliveries on 2/14/12. This includes local deliveries
• All Home Deliveries will be made between 1pm & 5pm – due to the volume of deliveries we will not be able to provide a tighter time window
• The cutoff for home deliveries will be 12pm the day before

PRE-ORDER PICK-UPS:

• We can only accept Pre-Order Pick-Ups on 02/14 for Clambakes & Platters

Rest assured that we will be stocking up heavily on all items forValentine's Day and will have plenty of inventory on hand.  However, there is a possibility that we may run out of certain items later in the day so, if possible, we encourage you to get your seafood shopping done earlier.

Stay tuned and check back on our blog for further updates on specialty items that we’re in the process of sourcing for Valentine's Day.  We have a number of interesting items on tap.  And of course, feel free to give us a call at 212-255-5672 or send us an e-mail at info@lobsterplace.com if you have any question and we’d be happy to assist you.