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.

Buy Sushi and Sashimi Grade Fish and Seafood Online: Handling Tips for Raw Seafood Dishes

Sushi – it’s not just for snobs anymore. It wasn’t long ago that many folks turned their noses up at the idea of eating raw fish. These days, all the Food Network shows and other cooking shows on television have made people keenly aware of the various types of raw seafood dishes and their delights. Whether you’re planning to prepare sushi, sashimi, tartare, ceviche, carpacio or crudo – to name just a few – it’s vital to start with fresh seafood or fish. Unless you live along the coast, there’s always a chance that the fish in your grocer’s freezer is far from fresh. One way to make sure that you get fresh albacore, salmon and other seafood for your raw seafood dishes is to find a reliable, trustworthy online seafood market and order your seafood online.

Choosing Seafood for Raw Seafood Dishes

There are very few inedible fish or shellfish, but many of them don’t do well in raw seafood recipes for various reasons. The best fish and seafood for ceviche, crudo and other raw seafood dishes are the ones you’d choose for sushi or sashimi. They include:

-          Any type of tuna, including Bluefin, bigeye, bonito, yellowfin and albacore

-          Salmon, including fresh king salmon

-          Scallops, especially diver scallops

-          Abalone

-          Halibut or flounder

-          Nearly any farmed fish from the U.S., Norway, Britain, New Zealand, Canada or Japan

A Word About Raw Salmon

The biggest risk in eating fish raw is the chance that you might inadvertently swallow a passenger. Most fish are susceptible to parasites, though the risk is far lower with farmed fish than those that are caught wild. Salmon, even king salmon, is especially susceptible to parasites. It’s one of the reasons that professional sushi chefs always freeze salmon before using it: freezing will kill most parasites.

If you buy seafood online, make a point of finding one that has an excellent local reputation. They’re the online seafood market choices that are most likely to always buy from fishermen that treat their fish well from the moment they’re caught. It’s a good way to make sure you get impeccably fresh and clean fish for all your raw seafood dishes.

When your fish arrives from the online seafood market, inspect it carefully. It should pass the sniff test – fresh fish will smell like the ocean, with no hint of ammonia, and the flesh should be firm and translucent. If you’re not going to prepare it immediately, place it on a bed of ice in the coldest spot in your refrigerator, usually the bottom shelf. If you won’t be using it within 24 hours, wrap it and freeze it.

Take Advantage of Fresh Abalone for Sale Now at the Best Seafood Markets

Abalone is one of those seafood treats that everyone knows about, but many people never get around to trying. The large sea gastropod mollusk (AKA sea snail) was, not too long ago, close to extinction along the Pacific West Coast, a victim of overfishing and poor management. Even today, it’s impossible to find wild abalone for sale – in most states, it’s illegal to sell wild, diver caught abalone. There are, however, a number of West Coast fisheries that farm abalone, so you can legally buy live fresh abalone (usually California Red abalone) from local fish markets, or, if you’re not near the coast, from an online seafood market.

Taste

When it’s prepared properly, abalone has a firm, velvety texture and a sweet, delicate flavor similar to calamari. If abalone is overcooked or not properly tenderized, however, abalone meat gets tough and rubbery, with little flavor.

Preparation

Some seafood markets that sell seafood online offer live abalone for sale. Preparing them for cooking and eating may look complicated, but it’s a lot simpler than it appears to be at first. Essentially, you need to slide a hard, flat blade in between the two halves of the shell, slide it along the opening until you hit the muscle that’s attached to the shell. Work the blade (or spatula) between the shell and the muscle until the abalone detaches. From there, simply slide the abalone from the shell, cut away the viscera (the hanging guts) and scrub or cut away the black film around the sides of the meat. Cut off the tough, curled edges and the pointed end, and you’re ready to slice the abalone into thin steaks, pound it thin, bread it and fry it.

Buy Abalone Steaks Ready to Cook

Of course, if that sounds like way too much work, most seafood markets that offer abalone for sale also sell cleaned and sliced abalone steaks to make your life easier. With the cleaning done, all you have to do is cook them. You’ll find lots of recipes for abalone, but the hands-down favorite for most people is the simplest of all. Pound the abalone steaks thin, season with salt and pepper and coat with breadcrumbs, then fry – very quickly – and serve.

If abalone isn’t quite to your taste, you can also buy all sorts of other seafood online from the places that offer abalone for sale, especially this time of year. Look for fresh salmon, fresh albacore, live Dungeness crab and fresh swordfish, all ready to ship to you when you order from an online seafood market.

Order Seafood Online for Father’s Day

Why make Dad cook on his special day when you can do something so much more special? Around here, Father’s Day has always meant the whole family gets together and Dad busts out the grill to cook food that got bought out of his budget. What kind of Father’s Day present is that? This year, why not do something special? Give dad a break. Order seafood from an online seafood market and man the grill so dad can relax and enjoy his day.

Not sure what to order? Here are some suggestions from a top online seafood market to help you make up your mind.

Buy Dungeness Crab

These sweet crabs aren’t for the faint of heart, but they’re well worth the effort. The sweet meat is among the most tender crab meat you’ll find anywhere. They’re easy to cook – just toss live Dungeness crab into a pot of boiling water, cook them until they’re bright red and run them under cold water. You can get fancier, of course. There are some great recipes for grilled Dungeness crab and different kinds of butter to serve with Dungeness crab. No matter what you do, though, fresh Dungeness crab from an online seafood market will be the star of Dad’s day.

Buy Swordfish Steaks

Swordfish steaks really live up to their name. Swordfish is generally regarded as the “meatiest” fish, with little fishy taste and a real meat texture. They also grill up beautifully – and very, very fast. Order swordfish steaks a few days ahead of time, keep them on ice until you’re ready to cook them, and then marinate them in lemon juice, olive oil and your choice of pungent herbs. Let them marinate in the refrigerator for at least half an hour but no more than two hours, then throw them on the grill. All it will take is about 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Dad will love them so much he may hand over the spatula for the rest of the summer.

Buy King Salmon

There’s a reason they call this delicious fish the king salmon – they’re not only huge, they’re incredibly tasty. This time of year, king salmon is in season, so you can easily buy fresh-caught kings from any online seafood market that regularly stocks them. To get that delicious seared crust and crispy skin, brush the salmon steaks with vegetable oil. Do the same with the grill. Start the salmon skin side UP on the grill, letting it sear for about 4 minutes before flipping it over to finish cooking. Serve it with something tangy and spicy, like mango-peach salsa or a delicious chimichurri.

This Father’s Day, treat your dad like a king. Order from a seafood market online and take over the cooking so he can kick back with a cold brew and critique your technique. You know he loves doing that.

How to Prepare Fresh Live Abalone for Sale at the Fish Market

One of the most delectable treats to come out of the California coast oceans is fresh live abalone. Many of the best chefs compare the sweet, tender meat to lobster and the very best diver scallops. Its texture is smooth and rich, almost velvety on the tongue. For some, part of the fun is in diving for your own dinner, but if you’re not a diver or live inland, you can nearly always find fresh abalone for sale at an online seafood market.

Many of the best seafood markets on the coast offer fresh abalone for sale in season alongside diver scallops, Dungeness crab, swordfish steaks and fresh salmon. Unlike the others, though, abalone – especially if you buy it live – will take a little extra preparation before you can enjoy it. Here’s how to shell and prepare abalone for cooking.

You will need an abalone iron or a bamboo spoon, a sharp, flexible knife, a pounder and a good cutting board.

Hold the abalone in your hand with the shell down and the flat side toward you. Slide the abalone iron under the foot on the flat side of the shell and scrape it loose from the shell.

Slide your fingers along the rim from front to back to release the abalone’s guts, then cut them off in one piece by cutting from the back and moving toward the head. Cut carefully all the way around the top of the foot and try to avoid cutting into the gut.

When you reach the head, cut into the meat slightly so that you can remove the head and gut both together. Now you have the abalone meat still attached to the foot with a thin layer of black film along its side. Scrub or cut this away. If you cut, keep the cuts very shallow to preserve as much abalone meat as you can.

Cut off the edges along the sides and the foot and remove the thick, tough, pointed end of the abalone. Your abalone is now ready to slice and tenderize before cooking.

The recipe you’re following should tell you how to slice the abalone meat. If you’re going with the simplest preparation – pan-fried or grilled abalone steaks –simply slice the abalone meat into ¼” to ½” thick slices. Lay each slice out flat on a cutting board and pound the edges and the toughest parts of the meat with a meat tenderizer.

Dip the slices in egg and breadcrumbs, then fry each slice in a very hot pan for about 30 to 40 seconds per side. Flip onto a plate and serve.

If that sounds like an awful lot of work, check to see if the online seafood market has abalone for sale as steaks or filets, or even cleaned fresh abalone for sale. It will cut out the cleaning and you can start with the fun part – seasoning and cooking.