Escolar...

Escolar, also known as snake mackerel is sometimes marketed as “butterfish,” “walu,” “sierra,” or “white tuna.” Escolar is dark brown, growing darker with age until it is quite black. The escolar is found in deep tropical and temperate waters around the world, and has a full, strong, buttery, and succulent flavor.  Due to its heavy fat content, it’s often baked, grilled, broiled, poached, or steamed, as opposed to fried.

Notes From Our Buyer

East Coast Soft Shell Crabs
It looks like we will be seeing some fresh soft shell crabs as early as this weekend, but I will know more when they know more.  They are not quoting prices yet, but whales and jumbos are what they are expecting.  We will be taking pre-orders on these, so get ready!!!

Halibut
We will be receiving our first shot of West Coast halibut this weekend.  Prices are not too bad for the first shipment and hopefully will drop with more and more landings.

Norwegian Salmon
The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) has decided to revoke the 20-year-old anti-dumping duties that were placed on whole Norwegian salmon.  We are already seeing some whole Norwegian salmon in the market, but “experts” say that it will not affect us that much.  I don’t know about that my friends.  The U.S. used to be one of Norway’s largest importers of whole salmon, and the demand is there.  Norwegian salmon is the original sushi salmon, and the U.S. was a big part of getting the programs up to where they are today.  I encourage everyone to take a look or keep an open mind on this so we can all enjoy other options and hopefully a better price.

Live Crawfish
Washing and grading is looking good.  We had some issues with flooding last week, but we’re back to normal this week.  Call today to order live Louisiana crawfish direct from our farm in Branch, LA.

Tuna
The tuna situation around the world is terrible.  The worst it has been in 20 years, some people say.  And as to be expected, the fresh market is not the only segment hit by this.  We have been seeing prices in the frozen tuna market increase weekly, if not twice per week.  I hope there is an end in sight, but it is not looking good.

Mahi Mahi
Mahi prices are up once again.  Product is nice, but there is not a lot around.  As with the tuna, the mahi is being purchased by the large companies for freezing.  Next year should be better, but that is a little ways away.

Gulf Oysters
We have recently had some questions on oyster gallon counts.  I wanted to try to explain.  The oyster fisherman harvest oysters in boat sacks.  These are 150 to 200 pound sacks right off the boat.  When they process them, they take out the oysters that are the right size for the 100 count sacks and the ones they freeze for half shells.  The rest they shuck into gallons.  The “standard gallons” are what I am referring to.  In the warmer months, the standard gallons are small.  In the colder months, the standard gallons are larger, like now.  We have been seeing very large standard gallons as of late, but this will change very soon with the weather warming up.

Fresh Crabmeat
Our fresh crabmeat from Venezuela and Columbia is awesome.  The meat is beautiful and fresh, and the shelf life you will have will knock your socks off.  If you have not tried it, get on the bandwagon.  This is a year round, high quality product that will keep you in the fresh crab business.  Domestic product is very tight right now.  Like every year, it will get better as it warms up.

American Red Snapper
American reds are tight this week.  High winds in the Gulf have limited the availability to go fishing.  Several boats put their lines out Monday and can’t go check them today (Tuesday).  They could incur high costs if they lose their lines.

Steelhead
Steelhead is a great feature for your menu.  It is affordable and can be used in a variety of cooking methods.

Marlin
We’ll have a nice shot of marlin for the weekend.

Redfish
Farm raised redfish is perfect for your customers who care about the environment.  It is a perfect sustainable fish for any occasion.  Redfish on the half shell is one of my favorite dishes.

Domestic Catfish
Production has been solid during Lent.  Prices have softened a little, but not much.

Scallops
Scallop prices are steady right now.  Product looks great and tastes even better.

Whole Salmon
Whole Scottish salmon is coming in pretty regularly, but prices are strong.

Scottish Salmon Fillets
The price has stabilized on pre-cut Scottish fillets, and quality is great as usual!

Striped Bass
Beautiful farm-raised Texas striped bass is 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.

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.

Seabass
We offer 20-30 kg seabass as well as pre-cut fillets.  Get with your sales rep for details.

East Coast Oysters
Frugé has a wide variety of East Coast oysters available.  We send out an availability list each week of what we have to offer.  If you are not yet receiving this list, please get with your sales rep and they will gladly add you to the email list.

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 on 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.

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.

Green, Golden, and Ruby trout
Trout projections look good on the green trout.  The golden and ruby are much better than before, but could still be a little tight.

Black Drum
This is a fantastic fish.  Great blackened, fried, baked, grilled, or any way you choose.  It is also great on the food cost!!!