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....