Swordfish are available year-round, though its peak season is the summer. They are harvested worldwide in deep temperate and tropical seas. Singapore and Japan are best known for their quality of frozen swordfish, while Canada, the U.S. and Chile have the best reputation for fresh swordfish. It’s meat is moist with a meaty flavor, and is dense, lean and firm. Swordfish cooked meat is ivory colored. Consumers recognize this species as a dining favorite. Swordfish is low in fat and calories. Perfect in any menu.
Notes From Our Buyer
Mongchong, Opah, and Barracuda
Looking for something from Hawaii??? We have a great partner over there that supplies us with fantastic fish from the Hawaiian waters.
Domestic Crabmeat
This is the time to get your crab on!!! Catches are high and prices are great. We also carry live blue crabs. Let us know what you need by Tuesday and we can have it to you on Thursday!
Gulf Oysters
As soon as we see some rain in the Gulf, it will probably be closed. This will result in shortages in oysters. We have plenty of frozen pillow packs in stock to take care of our loyal customers.
Yellowfin Tuna
Tuna is looking great this week, plenty of #1 and #2+ yellowfin.
Domestic Catfish
We are experiencing another price increase due to lack of production and all the other reasons in my previous notes. Come on 2012!
Sea Bass
We are seeing more sea bass in the market, which is causing the price to come down a bit, but not enough to really notice. Hopefully with the lack of sales because of the high prices, the price will drop significantly soon. We will just have to wait and see.
East Coast Oysters
Frugé has a wide variety of East Coast oysters available. We send out an availability list each week on what we have to offer. If you are not yet receiving this list, please get with your sales person, and they will gladly add you to the email list.
Scallops
We offer several options on scallops: Fresh U-10 dry and wet, 10-20 dry and wet, and U8 drys. We carry a variety of frozen scallops as well. Scallops are harvested from different areas all year long. We are currently receiving Georges Bank scallops.
Copper River Sockeye
This will probably be the last week for Copper River sockeye. Cook Inlet will probably be the next area for sockeyes, then on to coho. We will keep you posted.
Halibut
Halibut is very tight right now, and prices are high. We will have some beautiful fish for the weekend.
Cod, Sole, and Haddock
These east coast treats are a great change to your feature board! With the movement of business travelers and transplants from all over, you don’t want to miss out of some great valued fish to add to your menu or feature board. We only bring in what you want, so get your pre-orders in now.
Soft Shell Crabs
It’s not a very good sign for soft shells this week. The hot temperatures cause a lack of crabs. I will know more tomorrow.
Live Lobsters
We offer a full range of sizes of live lobsters straight from Maine and Canada. Order today and we will get them to you tomorrow.
Steelhead
This fish is a great alternative to salmon. The name catches attention and the prices are great. The flesh is a beautiful red and cooks up any way you would cook salmon.
Golden and Ruby trout
These two variations of the traditional ‘green’ trout are perfect to spice up your feature board. The ruby trout is fed the same feed as the green trout with the addition of Beta Carotene. This gives the trout fillet a pretty red color. The golden trout is a naturally occurring mutation that causes the skin to turn a golden color. They are also fed the same feed as the ruby trout with the same outcome. Several years ago, the fisherman noticed that some fish had a golden color to its skin. One farm was successful in breeding these golden trout, and that is why it is offered today. There is also a ‘blue’ trout that is seen one in every million green trout. To date, no one has been able to successfully breed these fish.
Mahi Mahi
Fishing is poor on mahi right now, especially on the large 15 pound and up fish we order. Relief will not come until the season opens again in October. This is also affecting the frozen market as well. Because of the high prices on fresh mahi, the frozen supplies are all but depleted. You may want to be prepared to take what size is available until more is available next season.
Atlantic Salmon
Prices are falling a bit in this market. The wild salmon season coupled with more production in Chile causes more fish to be in the market. In turn, this causes prices to fall. However, Chile is opening its market to Europe and Asia. With our weak dollar as it is, we can expect these two players to buy more salmon than in years past.
Swordfish
The prices have dropped quite a bit. It’s time to change the feature board.
Amberjack
No amberjack this week!
Grouper
Grouper is readily available almost every week. This unique fish is perfect for sandwiches at the bar or blackened with a rich top for the main dining area. Grouper has a distinctive smell and flavor and is a favorite for anyone who has ever tried this unique fish.
Tilapia
Fresh and frozen tilapia have both seen price increases. The increase on the fresh is due to higher feed and fuel costs. The frozen is a combination of higher costs and flooding in Indonesia and China, where the majority of frozen tilapia is produced.
Striped Bass
Beautiful farm-raised Texas striped bass if a perfect sustainable option for any menu! The fish is kept below 38 degrees from the time it is harvested from the water to the time it hits your door.
Lane Snapper
Lane snapper is a versatile fish for your menu. Great blackened or oven baked, it is also good grilled, fried, or pan broiled. Prices are still high, but the fish is beautiful.
Redfish
Our redfish is farm-raised right here in Texas and is another great sustainable option of the menu. Everyone knows its name, and it is very easy to sell. It cooks up great any way!
Black Drum
Black drum is a lesser desired fish to some, but the look and flavor of this fish is outstanding. We get our drum for Louisiana fresh off the boats.
Branzini
Branzini is also known as Branzino or European sea bass. It is best served braised whole and makes an awesome presentation on the plate.