Tides and Currents - September 29th, 2011

Greetings chefs, buyers, and lovers of seafood - things are quiet in the finfish market this week and fish availability remains good across most of our key species. Tuna prices remain elevated but our difficulty in sourcing "NY" #1 fish with bright red color has abated. In addition, we're receiving excellent deliveries of North Atlantic groundfish (Cod, Hake, Halibut, Pollock, Monk, Fluke) from short trip and day boats landing from Maryland up to Canada. Southern fish such as Mahi, Grouper, and Red Snapper are readily available at affordable prices. Finally, we continue to receive beautiful locally landed Striped Bass that is of superior freshness.

Being that The Lobster Place will be hosting "The Oyster Bash at The Standard Hotel" (http://www.nycwineandfoodfestival.com/2011/index.php) as part of the New York City Wine and Food festival this weekend, I figured this entry to Tides should focus a bit on our oyster program. Our oyster and shellfish buyer, Michael Vernon, has gone spanning the globe to pick out what we feel are the best oysters that can be had here in Gotham. He just returned from the Prince Edward Island Shellfish Festival where he met with Oyster farmers from Maine up to New Brunswick to sample their wares and help us stay at the cutting edge of the bi-valve craze. Here's what he's picked out - trust me, he knows his oysters:

East Coast:
Small Malpeque (Cooke's Cove, Prince Edward Island Canada): Moderate shell strength, exceptional meat yield, moderate liquor volume, strong salinity.
Watch Hill (Watch Hill, Rhode Island): Moderate Shell strength, moderate meat yield, exceptional liquor volume, moderate salinity.
Beau Soleil (Miramichi Bay, New Brunswick, Canada): Hand packed in wooden boxes, very strong shell, exceptional meat yield, moderate liquor volume, moderate salinity.
Blue Point (Nowalk, CT): Very strong shell, excellent meat yield, moderate liquor volume, strong salinity.
Wellfleet (Wellfleet, MA): Moderate shell strength and meat yield, exceptional liquor volume, mild salinty.
Pine Island (Mt Sinai, NY): Very strong shell, excellent meat yield, moderate liquour volume, strong salinity.

West Coast:
Hammersly (Hammersly Inlet, WA): Full flavored and fat - strong cucumber finish.
Eagle Rock: (Totten Inlet, WA): Creamy and saltier than their brethren from Little Skookum Inlet directly to the north.
Baron Point (Little Skookum Inlet, WA): Soft texture, sweet, and smoky with mild salinity.
Eld Inlet: (Eld Inlet Washington, WA): Creamy, buttery, and sweet with a delicate shell.
Quilcene: (Quilcene Bay, WA): Clean, mild flavor with little salinity - very refreshing.
Kumamoto: (Humboldt Bay, CA): The classic west coast oyster - sweet, cucumber-y, and approachable..great for beginners.

In general we try to stock around 12-16 varieties of oysters year round. Cold weather and different harvesting procedures interrupt stock of certain types from time to time - but Michael's always quick to find a great substitute for any oyster you may have grown fond of. Give us a call if you want to say what's going to be available this winter and fall....

Tides and Currents - 9/21/11

Good Afternoon Chef's, Buyer's, and lovers of seafood, here's what's happening in the marketplace this week.

BRONZINI/DORADE: This story is getting pretty stale but sourcing these menu staples continues to be a challenge. I just got off the phone with our importer who is now saying that he can't confirm that Greek economic instability is the culprit here, but rather he's blaming slower than expected grow-outs on the current crop (meaning the fish aren't as big as they'd hoped they'd be by this time) for the supply disruption. The good news is that we're seeing prices start to fall on the smaller fish (400-600g) and I'm now being told there will be plenty available by the end of the first week of October. In the meantime, our buyer is working overtime to source product where can - filling in the gaps for our orders that are being cut.

TUNA: The good news is that we're finally getting our hands on ruby red #1 loins from Big Eye's and Yellowfin with some consistency. The bad news is that prices remain elevated and are promising to stay as such through the next 6 weeks or so.

FRESH SQUID: We've been sourcing this product in the New Fulton Fish Market in Hunts Point for the past week or so after a 2 week hiatus. When the fresh supply dries up, we substitue a Frozen At Sea Dirty Squid that we refresh. Look for an RF on your invoice and you'll know the product is defrosted or "re-freshed."

OYSTERS: Now is as good a time as any to talk a little bit about our Oyster program here at The Lobster Place. We feature as many as 16 varieties of oysters from the mid atlantic up to New Brusnwick and PEI (Canada) as well as California up to Puget Sound. Right now we're featuring the following:

East Coast:
Beau Soleil (New Brunswick, CA)
Small and Large Malpeque (PEI, Canada)
Flying Point (Bagaduce River, ME)
Wiley Point (Demariscotta River, ME)
Pemmaquid Point (Demariscotta River, ME)
Indian Creek (PEI, Canada)
Blue Point (Norwalk, CT)
Pine Island (Long Island, NY)

West Coast:
Hammersly (Hammersly Inlet, WA)
Kumamoto (Humboldt Bay, CA)
Baron Point (Baron Pt, WA)
Eld Inlet (Eld Inlet, WA)
Little Skookum (Little Skookum Inlet, WA)

Give us a call for prices.

LOBSTER: Here's some background info on how the lobster industry works. The Canadians fish off shore in the colder waters off nova scotia and PEI and as a result they land harder shell lobsters. They're not fishing right now so anything coming from canada is "tubed" or "pounded" - meaning it's been held in a man made facility for som extended period of time waiting for the market to peak. Meanwhile, the domestic fishermen fish near shore in the warmer waters from New Jersey up to Maine. 85% of their catch is new-shell and goes directly to processors who cook and shell the meat and sell it to Red Lobster (and other similar outlets.) The remainder is deemed "road-worthy" and will survive the trip to New York and the subsequent scrutiny of our customers (who may be a little more picky than the good folks at Red Lobster.) That remainder is preciously scarce right now - and hence - the price of lobster is high. We hope that Maine fresh caughts are going to "firm up" their shells in the coming weeks. With that the supply of good lobster will rise - and, you guessed it, prices will fall.

That's it for now folks. Stay tuned - because as sure as the sun is going to rise tomorrow, so too will the Tides come in....

Tides and Currents - 9-12-11

Good afternoon chefs and buyers. The frenetic pace of Monday's in the fish business makes it difficult to carve out time to make an entry to Tides, but I have some information that I thought would be interesting...

TUNA: The Tuna market continues to be a real challenge - moreso than i've seen in recent years. I just got off the phone with one of our major suppliers and I'm told that the weak dollar combined with below average production means that #1 fish is scarce and prices are shaping up to be high for the fall season. Evidently, much of the fish that typically makes landfall here in the U.S. is being bought by Europeans and Japanese whose Euro's and Yen are going further than the greenback. In addition, i'm hearing that large shipments that come from Panama and Southeast asia are about half their usual size in quantity. All this adds up to difficulty sourcing premium product at good prices...I will keep you posted.

BRONZINI/DORADE: There is some good news regarding these staple menu items - prices fell slightly on 400-600g Bronzini for delivery today and we don't project so much difficulty sourcing the product for the rest of the week. If you weren't aware, Greece is the largest producer of Bronzini and Dorade (it's one of their largest cash "crops") and the majoriy of the product we sell comes from there. I've been hearing that last week's supply shortage is related to the economic and labor crisis that country is facing. Granted I haven't been able to speak directly to producers (we buy from importers) but this "fish rumor" seems logical enough.

WILD STRIPED BASS: This treasure of the East Coast returned to the market this week with New York State (Long Island) re-opening the species to commerical landings. Prices are high (but falling) and these local fish are looking great!

SOUTHERN FISH: Expect some shortage of Grouper and TRUE American Red Snappers in this early part of the week. Our major producer of Gulf of Mexico Seafood didn't unload many boats over the past few days so we're seeing a temporary squeeze on some of the Gulf favorites.

WILD SALMON: The season's coming to a close but we've got a "line" on some beautiful Wild King and Coho Salmon from Washington and British Columbia...get it while you can....and remember - if it's november and you think you're buying wild salmon....think again.

Tides and Currents - 9-7-11

Greetings Chef's and Buyers. Here's an update on the seafood marketplace going into the weekend on 9-7-11.

Lobster: We continue to see tight supplies of "hard shell" lobsters coming out of Maine, Canada, and the New England coastal states. True "Hard Shells" which yield the most meat, are the most durable, and the best value (despite their higher price per lb) have reached into the $9/lb price range. There are plenty of short trip "New" or "Firm Shells" in the supply chain right now and some are priced as low as the $4/lb range - but like I always say, in this racket you get what you pay for. Firm shells can yield as little as half the meat compared to a good hard shell and they just won't last in your walk-in. 

Tuna/Sword: The word from our suppliers is that Japanese demand for #1 quality fish is very high and they're paying a premium for much of the product that would normally hit the New York market. As a result, we're having difficulty sourcing the ruby-red loins that NYC kitchens prefer and prices are on the higher side. After some mid-week supply disruptions, we will have plenty of fish for the weekend. Nevertheless, stay tuned for some challenges in the world of Tuna. Swordfish is a bright spot however with strong landings from NJ to MA and moderate prices.

East Coast Ground Fish: We continue to source short trip Cod, Pollock, Hake, and Monkfish and prices and availabilities are steady. We've seen some minor supply disruptions with the inclement weather but overall, the quality and quantitity of the product in the pipeline is good. There has been some difficulty sourcing fluke so don't be suprised by intermittent outages with that fish. Really nice dry scallops are arriving both from New Bedford, Ma and Barnegat Light, NJ though the overall run is skewing to the larger side. As a result, the price difference between 10-20ct and U10ct is fairly small.

Oysters and Clams: The recently crappy weather is having a hard impact on the east coast clam market and for the first time in recent memory, good Littleneck, Topneck, Chowder, Cherry, and Soft Shell clams are difficult to source. Hopefully drier weather in the coming weeks will sort that out. For the moment we have  a nice supply of Oysters from PEI, Maine, and the pacific northwest - about 11 varieites in all. Give the office a shout for specific info.

Crab Meat: The Maine Jonah (aka Peekytoe) crab meat favored by many kitchens is somewhat difficult to source and our vendors are telling us that there's not much production happening "Downeast." We'd recommend taking a look at the Fresh Blue Lump Crab meat we're sourcing from the Gulf Coast - it's similarly priced, more flavorful, and we think it's a better solution.

Welcome to the Tides and Currents Blog

Greetings chefs and buyers. This introductory posting to the Tides and Currents Blog is meant to acqaint you with what we hope will be a fast, easy way for you to stay connected with what's going on the seafood market here in the big apple. The seafood business is notoriously fast paced and keeping you on top of what's available, what's looking good, and what might not make it to your walk-in for service tomorrow can be a real challenge. We hope that by communicating with you on our blog you can get a feel for the marketplace and stay ahead of the curve. Check back regularly for market updates, product spotlights, and other great info about what's happening.