Fortune Fish & Gourmet
The Seafood & Gourmet Specialists
Time to Talk Turkey
The leaves are painting the streets gold and red while the trees are donning a skeleton attire. Halloween is already behind us and somehow Thanksgiving is only a couple of weeks away. Most of you probably already have your birds lined up, so we are here to give you an update on everything without feathers. Time to talk turkey, so to speak…
West Coast Halibut is closing this week, but don’t go pulling the big fish from menus, because there’s plenty of East Coast product to get you through winter. When the winter winds kick up and it’s too dangerous to fish, we will have Farmed Norwegian Halibut to supplant East Coast Halibut. The Farmed product arrives to us still in rigor, and gives our customers extended shelf life. The meat quality is very high, and overall the fish look and eat superbly.
Coming into season this week are North Atlantic Bay Scallops. Nantucket, Cape Cod, Peconic and Martha’s Vineyard will all begin to produce product this week. The Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard seasons are projected to be down from last year. These scallops have a two-year life span, so, with last year being a boom, expect some supply hiccups and higher pricing. Peconic and Cape Cod Bay Scallops are already in the market and hopefully this trend continues. The good news is that we are off to a great start with product in the cooler, so jump right in.
The Sword and Tuna markets are improving daily. The full moon has passed and fishing, specifically the catching, is getting better. Supply should be adequate for the next couple of weeks.
East Coast and Gulf species are rebounding from some previous bad weather. Grouper and Snapper supplies are plentiful and should be great into next week. Fluke, Large Day Boat Cod, Monk, Dab Sole, Pollack, Hake and Skate are good buys this week. Black Bass remains tight, but I expect that to change once Rhode Island’s season ramps up. Wild Striped Bass has tightened for the end of the week due to weather, but this should ease if the wind dies down into next week. All things considered, it is hard to think of turkey when there’s so much good seafood around. This Thanksgiving, maybe it’s time to go beyond the bird?
Gourmet Grab
With the splendid array of autumn colors and falling leaves painting the canvas of this time of year, there’s no better way to appreciate and admire a relaxing fall morning than with a cup of steaming hot coffee or tea. While a proper cup of joe is perfectly fine on its lonesome, there’s no better pairing to take that cup of coffee to the next level than with a caramel-filled “stroopwafel” to dunk and start your morning right. Enter the newest arrival in our gourmet portfolio: Swoffle.
Swoffle was started in Concord, Massachusetts, by a father-daughter team with a passion for healthy & delicious food. Inspired by the ever-popular Dutch treat, the stroopwafel, John & Julia Paino came out with their own interpretation of this sweet waffle treat. Coming in three flavors: Caramel Filled, French Vanilla, and Dark Chocolate Dipped, these stroopwafels are ALL gluten-free certified, USDA Organic, Non-GMO, and Kosher.
There are not many stroopwafel lines that can accommodate being all gluten-free, but this is one of them and it doesn’t sacrifice quality or flavor in the meantime.
With the heart of the holiday season upon us, these are a wonderful up-sell for any grab-n-go section, whether local coffeehouses or family retailers alike. With a layer of creamy caramel snuggled between two paper-thin waffles, how could a stroopwafel not be the ideal companion for a hot cup of joe? By placing the stroopwafel on top of your mug and letting that steam soften the luscious caramel, you’ll be hooked from autumn to all-year-round.
