Pacific Fresh Swordfish A Sustainable Seafood Choice

Love swordfish steaks, but a bit hesitant about purchasing swordfish for sale for ethical reasons? Relax! You can enjoy your fresh swordfish without guilt as long as you pay attention to its origins. Here’s what you should know about fresh swordfish and the factors that make swordfish steaks and fillets an excellent addition to your diet.
Some Fresh Swordfish is a Sustainable Choice
Nothing quite says summer like fresh swordfish on the grill, but many people hesitate to buy swordfish for sale because of sustainability and ethical fishing concerns. While there are concerns about the sustainability of swordfish caught overseas, the NOAA and the Monterey Bay Aquarium have rated nearly all swordfish caught in U.S. waters – and particularly in eastern Pacific and California waters – either a Good or Best Choice for those who are concerned about seafood sustainability.
More specifically, swordfish caught with harpoon or handlines in the U.S. Canada, North Atlantic and East Pacific are a Best Choice. Swordfish caught off the California coast using drift gillnets are a Good Alternative, because the gillnets result in little to no unintended catch of endangered sea creatures.
Swordfish Population is “Abundant” and “Sustainable”
According to the NOAA Fishwatch, the population of Pacific swordfish is abundant and not overfished, the fishing rate is sustainable and the habitat impacts are minimal. The biggest concern is “bycatch,” fish and sea creatures caught unintentionally by nets, and the California commercial fishing industry is heavily regulated to keep bycatch to a minimal, acceptable level.
Swordfish Available Year-Round
Swordfish is available year-round, but fresh swordfish from California is most abundant from August 15 through January 31 each year because of a combination of swordfish migratory patterns and seasonal fishing restrictions. In 2010, U.S. commercial fishermen landed more than 800,000 pounds of swordfish off the West Coast, but you’ll seldom see the best fresh California swordfish for sale. The majority of fresh swordfish from California is sold directly to the domestic seafood restaurant business.
Buy Fresh Swordfish Direct from an Online Seafood Market
If you’ve ever tasted the difference between swordfish steaks prepared in the best restaurant kitchens and the frozen swordfish available at your local grocer, you’d never believe they were the same fish. Unless you live on the West Coast, you don’t have easy access to California swordfish – at least, until now. These days, if you want to enjoy the flavor and health benefits of fresh swordfish, you can buy it directly from an online seafood market and taste the difference.

Fun Facts About Seafood: Why You Should Buy Dungeness Crab

Is there anything more delectable than the sweet, melt-in-your-mouth meat of the Dungeness crab? Once known as Metacarcinus magister – the great crab – Dungeness crab is the traditional symbol for the astrological sign, Cancer. It is also commonly considered to be the most delicious of all the crab species. Next time you decide to buy Dungeness crab, here are a few interesting facts to sprinkle into your conversation with the fishmonger or chat about over dinner.
It’s a Male
If that Dungeness crab is on your plate, it’s very probably a male. In most states, it’s illegal to harvest female Dungeness crab to help keep the population of crab stable. How do you tell a male from a female Dungeness crab? Flip it over and check out its underside. A female crab will have a fairly wide, oval abdomen, while a male’s abdomen will be narrow and triangular.
It’s a Left Coaster
Dungeness crabs are found along the Pacific Coast of the United States, where they are among the most important commercial shellfish. Fishermen have occasionally found stray Dungeness in the Atlantic Ocean, but no one is quite sure how they got there. Scientists suspect that they may be bought live from an online seafood market and then released into the ocean. If you buy Dungeness crab live, it’s not a good idea to introduce it into your local waters because it could pose a hazard to local crabs.
Only About a Quarter of a Crab’s Weight is Meat
When you buy Dungeness crab, only about one-fourth of its weight is edible meat. The rest is shell and other unpalatable body parts.
If You Love Fresh Dungeness Crab, You’ve Got a Lot of Company
The average annual harvest of live Dungeness crab along the entire Pacific Coast ranges between 35 and 55 million pounds. That’s a LOT of succulent goodness.
Dungeness Crabs Change Their Clothes Frequently
In the first two years, young Dungeness crab can go through several shells a year. Eventually, they slow down and only molt – shed their shell and grow a new one – once a year, generally growing as much as an inch in size.
You Can Buy Dungeness Crab Anywhere
You no longer have to live on the West Coast to enjoy fresh Dungeness crab. These days, you can order seafood online, including whole Dungeness crab and live Dungeness crab, and have it delivered right to your door.

Diver Scallops on the Grill for the 4th of July

Holiday weekends were made for grilling, and so were diver scallops. Of all the shellfish and Pacific seafood choices out there, few take to the grill as deliciously as these plump, sweet morsels of pure delicious awesomeness. Try one of these recipes for your 4th of July holiday barbecue and start a new Independence Day tradition.
Grilled Citrus Scallops
Start with 2 pounds of diver scallops – make sure you ask for dry scallops, not those that have been bulked up with extra water. Mix together the juice and zest of two limes, some fresh chopped garlic, fresh minced parsley and cilantro, salt and pepper. Add the scallops and toss them to coat, then let them soak up the juices for about 20 minutes. Pat the scallops dry and thread them onto wooden skewers that have been soaked in water for half an hour. Lightly brush the sides with olive oil and grill them over hot coals for 2-3 minutes per side.
Simple Grilled Diver Scallops
Sometimes simplicity is the best. Diver scallops are delicious all on their own. If you love the sweet, succulent taste without embellishment, try this method of cooking them. Pat the dry scallops dry with a paper towel and lay them on a tray. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and lemon pepper, turning them to make sure all the sides are coated with seasonings. Refrigerate the scallops until the grill is hot. Grill the scallops for 2 to 3 minutes on each side and serve on a bed of rice pilaf.
Skewered Diver Scallops and Swordfish with Fennel
Fresh swordfish and scallops are a surprisingly delicious contrast to each other, especially when they’re grilled with onion, lemon and fennel. You can buy swordfish and order diver scallops and other seafood online to make sure you have the freshest seafood possible. (Again, make sure you specify dry scallops.) Cut the swordfish steaks into cubes about the same size as the scallops. Cook fennel in boiling water for about 4 minutes, drain it and cool it. Marinate the seafood and fennel in olive oil, lime juice, onion, thyme, fennel seed and pepper for half an hour. Alternate diver scallops, fresh swordfish, fennel bulb, mushrooms and chunks of sweet pepper on wooden skewers. Brush with olive oil and grill over hot coals until scallops are opaque and swordfish flakes.
Don’t have a fresh seafood market near you? Take advantage of the Internet and order diver scallops and other fresh seafood online for the upcoming holiday. It’s worth it!

Buy from an Online Seafood Market Because Location Matters

In the world of fresh produce, there is a word: terroir. It refers to the “taste of place,” the unmistakable flavors imparted to foods by the environment around them: the soil, the climate and the rest. Seafood has its own terroir, flavor that comes from the ocean in which it grows, and which you cannot get in any other way. That’s why Pacific seafood is unmistakably Pacific: Dungeness crabs have a flavor that is unique, as do abalone grown in the waters off the coast of California. If you don’t live on the Pacific Coast, the only way to get a real taste of fresh Pacific abalone or albacore tuna is to order it from a West Coast seafood market that sells seafood online.

Once upon a time, everyone knew that if you wanted to buy Dungeness crab, the finest, most flavorful albacore tuna or the sweetest diver scallops, there was only one place to go: San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf. The West Coast, from Alaska to Baja California, is a prime source of some of the most delectable, delicious seafood in the world. You’ll find fresh king salmon and albacore tuna and abalone and diver scallops, so fresh and sweet that it’s perfect for sushi, sashimi, crudo or other raw seafood dishes. The icy Alaskan waters produce king salmon that are meaty and rich with omega 3 and omega 6 oils. The warm waters off the California islands are the perfect place to find sweet, succulent scallops, abalone and Dungeness crab. Until recently, if you really wanted to enjoy those flavors unadulterated, you had to travel to the West Coast to do it – or get reservations at one of the fine restaurants around the country that could import live Dungeness crab and abalone via overnight shipments.

These days, you don’t have to have special connections to get overnight deliveries from West Coast seafood markets. All you have to do is search for an online seafood market that delivers throughout the country. You can browse their daily selections and place your orders before noon (sometimes earlier, sometimes a little later) and have your seafood delivered direct to your door the next day, nearly as fresh as if you’d bought it in store – and far fresher than if you’d bought it at your local supermarket.

Do research the online seafood market you’re thinking of using before placing your order, though. The best markets that sell seafood online also have excellent reputations in their local communities, and are rated highly for their products and service. Don’t settle for anything less than the best seafood. Order from an online seafood market the next time you want a very special marine dinner.

Sustainable Seafood Choices at Online Seafood Market Websites

If you’ve checked in at your favorite seafood market lately, you’ve probably seen the phrase “sustainable seafood.” Sustainable seafood initiatives have taken hold in a big way. Not too many years ago, many favorite ocean delicacies, like abalone, swordfish and fresh salmon, were endangers, thanks to over-fishing and environmental hazards. Now, thanks to initiatives that lay out ways to catch fish that aren’t damaging to the environment and other sea creatures, as well as seafood farming initiatives, seafood and fish lovers now have a wide choice of delicious selections that are farmed, raised or harvested in a way that maintains, and sometimes increases, the fish and shellfish population. Responsible vendors who sell seafood online often label fish and shellfish that have been caught sustainably so that consumers can make more informed choices about the seafood they eat.

These are some of the sustainable seafood choices you can look for at your favorite online seafood market.

Buy king salmon, also called Chinook salmon, that is wild-caught locally during the season. In California and other Northwestern states, the departments of wildlife and fisheries keep a close eye on the king salmon population and manage the salmon season accordingly. In general, if a market is advertising fresh salmon – not king salmon or Chinook salmon – you may be buying Atlantic salmon, which is not a sustainable seafood choice. Always look for the king when you buy fresh salmon online.

Diver scallops, those huge, meaty morsels of delicate sea sweetness, are another sustainable seafood choice you’ll find at your favorite online seafood market. When you buy diver scallops, always ask for dry scallops – that’s scallops without the addition of STP to help preserve them and plump them up. Dry scallops are much tastier and cut more easily for sushi and sashimi.

U.S.-caught swordfish is either a best choice for sustainable seafood or a good alternative sustainable seafood. When you buy swordfish at an online seafood market with a local presence, you can always ask to find out if they’re selling swordfish caught locally using sustainable fishing methods.  

Fresh abalone is a delectable seafood treat. Most seafood markets in California offer California Red abalone, sustainably farmed mollusks that are a Monterey Bay Aquarium Best Choice for sustainable seafood.

Albacore tuna is one of the first fish that was popularly advertised as being sustainably caught. In general, fresh albacore tuna caught in U.S. Pacific or Canadian Pacific waters are likely to be sustainable. Always look for Pacific albacore when you buy albacore tuna. It’s the more sustainable choice.

When you buy seafood from an online seafood market, take the few extra minutes to contact and ask them if their fish are sustainably caught, or look for the information on their website. You’ll be making a contribution to the future of seafood and making sure that we’ll be able to enjoy fresh, delicious, wild-caught seafood far into the future.

Six Reasons to Buy King Salmon

You don’t have to be a genius to know that fish is good for you. Every medical society in the U.S. and overseas highly recommends eating fish at least twice a week, and most of them recommend eating ocean fish, such as salmon and albacore tuna, for all of the nutritional benefits they provide. If you’re hoping to reap the full benefit of eating those fatty, cold-water fish, though, you’ll want to buy king salmon, as fresh as you can possibly get it. Why should you buy king salmon as opposed to other fish? Here are six great reasons to indulge in the luxury that is fresh king salmon.

It’s Good for Your Heart

King salmon is high in omega-3 fatty acids, those amazing oils that improve heart function and lessen other conditions that contribute to heart disease. That’s why the American Heart Association strongly suggests that everyone should eat fish, especially fatty fish like fresh king salmon, at least twice a week. People who enjoy king salmon regularly (well, you don’t HAVE to enjoy it, but you will!) lower the chance of having a first heart attack considerably.

It Reduces Your Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is a major contributor to heart disease and stroke. People who eat fatty fish like king salmon and other seafood high in omega-3s typically have lower blood pressure than those who don’t eat fish regularly.

It Improves Your Good Cholesterol Levels

Has your doctor told you that you need to improve your cholesterol profile? When you buy king salmon, you’re buying some of the best medicine for that you can get. The Omega-3s in king salmon (and to a lesser extent, shellfish like diver scallops, Dungeness crab and abalone) increase your levels of HDL, the good blood cholesterol that actually helps scrub away bad cholesterol deposits from your blood vessels.

It ‘s Low in Calories, High in Protein

A 4-oz portion of fresh king salmon only has 157 calories – about 8% of the recommended daily nutrient daily value for a healthy adult – but provides 53.1% of the protein you need for the day. That’s just one of the many nutrients that you’ll get in a serving of healthy salmon. It also provides you with 127.8% of your DV for vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, 94.5% the DV of vitamin B12 and 93.7% the DV of tryptophan. That’s not including selenium, phosphorus, choline and potassium it also provides.

It Boosts Immune System Function

The natural oils found in king salmon help improve the functioning of the immune system. That’s not just boosting it – it helps fine tune the immune system by providing proteins and fatty acids your body needs to build healthy cells and repair unhealthy ones. Since inflammation is a runaway immune system response, eating salmon helps reduce inflammation from conditions like diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis, as well as reducing the symptoms of allergies and allergic reactions.

It Tastes Fabulous

The rich, buttery flavor of king salmon is the perfect foil for so many other flavors. Enjoy it broiled, poached, backed, grilled, roasted or raw.

If you don’t live near a fresh seafood market, you can buy king salmon at an online seafood market and have it shipped fresh to your door so you can start enjoying the healthy benefits of this delicious fish.

Spicy Seafood Mixes for Dungeness Crab, Fresh Swordfish and Other Shellfish and Ocean Fish

Fresh fish in season is amazing on its own, but when you add one of these spicy seafood rubs, marinades or boil mixes, you’ll be elevating the amazing flavors to the next level. Citrus, pepper, bay and basil all have their place in cooking with fresh seafood, but they all have one thing in common. They’re always best when the seafood is at its freshest. One of the best ways to buy live Dungeness crab, fresh swordfish and other ocean fish and shellfish is from an online  seafood market. If you live more than a few hours’ drive from the ocean, it’s almost essential to order your seafood online to ensure really, really fresh fish. Now that we’ve got that bit of advice out of the way, let’s talk spices.

Nearly every culture that makes ocean fish a part of their diet has its own flavors, spices and methods of preparing the seafood found in their region. From the explosive heat of Cajun and Creole spices to the tart citrus of Peruvian ceviche and the piquant savor of Provence and Tuscany, the appropriate spice or marinade can awaken your taste buds to new heights of adventure. Next time you find yourself with a surplus of king salmon or you buy Dungeness crab online, try one of these boil, rub or marinade mixes on for size.

Blackened Seasoning for Swordfish Steaks, Albacore Tuna and Scallops

Blackening is popular in Southern cuisine, and particularly in Cajun cooking. It began as a way of adding color and flavor to firm-fleshed fish like swordfish steaks, albacore and to seafood like diver scallops. Start with the freshest fish you can get. Pat the fish dry and dip it in melted butter, then dredge it in the blacking spices and cook it in a very hot cast-iron skillet or on the grill. You can buy blackening spice mixes, or mix up your own using varying proportions of sweet paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, white pepper, black pepper, thyme, oregano and salt.

Old Bay Seasoning

Technically, Old Bay Seasoning is a spicy-salty spice mix marketed by McCormick & Company, but many people refer to spicy crab boil mixes as an Old Bay spice mix. It adds a characteristically Chesapeake flavor to crab, most often used with Chesapeake soft shells. It’s also a delicious way to add extra kick to Dungeness crab. Add the Old Bay Spice to boiling water before dropping in the live Dungeness crab and let them cook in the mix. You can also add Old Bay seasoning to the breading for lightly breaded diver scallops, or sprinkle it on accompaniments to your favorite fresh fish dishes. If you want to mix your own, you’ll want to use mustard, paprika, celery salt, bay leaf, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, allspice, mace, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom and ginger, and adjust the proportions to taste.

Grilled and fried seafood is delicious with minimal spicing, but if you like a little extra kick to your shellfish and ocean fish, try one of these seasoning mixes with Dungeness crab, swordfish steaks, albacore tuna and other seafood.