Thank you to everyone who visited us at this year’s Fortune Fish & Gourmet Food Show. It was an amazing display of seafood and gourmet items from around the world presented by the people who grow, harvest, and produce such exquisite products. Hopefully you didn’t miss out. Now for a taste of what’s happening for the rest of the week –
Residual high winds have caused some headaches in the last few weeks, but that weather seems to be behind us for now, at least until the next storm. Black Bass season is closed for the month but will reopen November 1st. Down south it sounds like gear is being set and we should see some supply out of the Carolinas and Virginia down the line.
Pound Net season has re-opened down south for Fluke and we are seeing some easement on pricing and availability. These fish are coming in white-bellied and in rigor. They are fatty and give a great yield.
The Ecuador Mahi season opened over the weekend and is almost in full force. Word is that there is a ton of juvenile fish in the water, which is a good omen for the upcoming season. Expect beautiful day-boat fish with friendly pricing in the immediate future.
Scallop prices have jumped the last two weeks, especially on bigger sizes. The summer fun is officially over as we will see the market for Sea Scallops return to traditional costs.
While Corvina and Wild Striped Bass supplies have been spotty, there’s a wonderful substitution that is perfect to menu and cost stable. If you are looking for a white fleshed, firm-flake, delicious fish, try Meagre from Greece. Meagre are in the Corvina family and are farm raised in the pristine open waters of the Mediterranean. They arrive freshly harvested, sushi grade quality, and give you an extended shelf-life. The meat has a luscious, silky flavor and the skin crisps up like perfect bacon. This versatile fish is easy to work with and readily accessible.
Gulf Species like Snapper and Grouper continue to pour in from inshore fisheries. Landings are looking great for true American Red Snapper and Red Grouper; these species make perfect center-of-the-plate options while the catch is on.
Gourmet Grab
With our Fortune Show festivities taking place at Navy Pier this week, to keep with the spirit of this “festive” atmosphere and the upcoming holiday season, here’s a homemade specialty candy that’ll surely bring out the jovial spirit in you: Enter Dr. Ray’s Toffee.
Toffee is essentially butterscotch that has been cooked to the hard-crack stage (around 300 degrees Fahrenheit) of its sugar life-cycle, to give it that wonderful brittle crunch. Topped with a thin layer of chocolate and sprinkled with chopped almonds, this is one homestyle toffee perfect for your guilty indulgence.
Dr. Ray Lauk makes only one flavor of this traditional, English-style toffee. That’s it. With prime notes of butter and brown sugar, his toffee has a well-balanced sweetness that doesn’t completely overwhelm. It’s produced in either 4oz bags (U0240100) or 8oz mason jar pints (U0240150).
While the ingredients (sugar, butter, chocolate, almonds) have been the same since the beginning, the evolution of Ray’s toffee-making expertise has only grown in the decades to follow. As Dr. Ray likes to say, he makes toffee to make people happy. Simple and true to his craft.
