This weekend marks the unofficial-official end of summer.  Just don’t tell the weather, because, from the looks of the forecast, we are staring into some beautiful upcoming days.  The oppressive heat has dwindled into a pleasant twilight, ripe for the grills and cold beers of lingering celebrations.  It’s the perfect time to take a day to honor our labor of love. 

As if they knew it, the Swordfish are arriving just in time for the weekend BBQ.  We are seeing some of the prettiest fish of the year, with bright red bloodlines and marbled white meat.  East Coast Canadian fish and South American fish are both landing all week, creating a hot market at just the right time. 

Wild Striped Bass will be non-existent for the next couple of weeks. The good news is that waters are cooling and soon fishermen will be back to filling their tags with gorgeous fish.  We expect the catch to pick up in mid-September with most of the fish slotted in the 2–8-pound range.  The supply will only get better from there.  For this week, try Black Sea Bass and Corvina as subs.  The Black Bass are averaging 2 pounds each.  If you are looking for a larger, meatier fillet, try Corvina.  Fish are averaging over 10 pounds and are cutting terrific, with large white flaky flesh. 

Copper River Coho is in full effect, as Sockeye wanes.  This will most likely be the last week of Sockeye.  The fish are getting upriver, and supply of good fish is declining quickly.  Most fishermen are adjusting their focus to Coho and Kings.  We will have both species available for the weekend sales, so that everyone will get a taste of summer before the hourglass empties on the season. 

Gourmet Gab

Fire up your grills and get ready for campfires and barbeques. The fall season is approaching as consumers celebrate back-to-school season, football games, and fall festivities. Apple City Red by 17th Street Grill is a bbq sauce with a sweet and tangy flavor perfect for any game night feature. Another barbecue sauce that's perfect for fall is Apple Butta' Bar-B-Q by LocalFolks Foods. These two sauces are perfect for wing night or for throwing a burger on the grill.

Make sure you are stocking at least one of these Spanish cheeses that are menu must-haves this season:

• ·       Hacienda Zorita Sheep's Milk Cheese: A raw sheep’s milk cheese from Spain. This delicious cheese has been cured for 12 months. It has great acidity and slight sweetness with hints of dry hay on the palate.

• ·       Gran Cao Pecorino: This cheese is produced in Sardinia with milk from Sarda sheeps collected only from members of the CAO cooperative. This unique cheese is delicate on the palate with some vegetal and floral notes. 

• ·       San Simon D.O.: A semi-soft cheese is made from pasteurized cow's milk in Lugo, Galicia region. This teardrop-shaped cheese is named after San Simon de la Cuesta in northwest Spain. The cheese is aged for about three months. San Simon is delicious and woody in taste,  creamy and buttery in texture, and slightly acidic.

• ·       Tetilla: Tetilla is a typical Galician cheese made from the herd of Friesians, Alpine Browns, and Rubia Gallega cows. Since 1992, it has been one of the four kinds of cheese that received DOP recognition. The name Tetilla is Galician for “small breast”, which describes the shape of the cheese – a pear-shaped cone topped by a nipple.