-Soft Shell Crab
The soft-shell season is traditionally marked with the first full moon in May. At that time, the blue crab begins its molting season to accommodate its summer growth. The actual shedding of the shell can take anywhere from one to three hours, after which it must be removed or the hardening process will continue, reducing the quality of the soft-shell crab. The crabs are currently shedding best in the Prime size (4.5-5 inches), but we expect to have the Jumbo size (5-5.5 inches) by next week. We are all anxiously awaiting the whales and we will keep you informed.
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Notes from our buyer
The 10 day forecast for South Louisiana is still looking mild for this time of year. Highs are not expected to break 87 with rain for much of the week. This combination will help with crawfish availability. The overall catch has remained steady for the past couple of weeks and we expect much of the same moving into June. As in year’s past Fruge’s will continue to harvest as long as the crawfish are available!
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Oyster supply usually tightens up from spring to summer every year, but this year is worse due to the late spring and harsh weather, in addition to the gulf shortages. Be sure to sign up for the weekly East Coast Oyster list and let your Fruge sales rep know if you need flavor profiles or are requesting a specific oyster. Pre-orders are the best way to ensure availability of your favorite oyster. Product is minimal this week. Connecticut is closed this week due to rain, but we should see product by the middle of next week. Belons are tight, but Pemaquids are a good option.
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This product is grown right here in Texas, which gives you the freshest fish possible. We order this product straight from the farm, so keep us informed if your usages change, so we can be sure to keep you supplied with the freshest product.
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Chilean salmon prices are still moving upward. Product is still tight in the market while recovering from the Easter Holiday downtime and in anticipation of the Mother’s Day downtime. They certainly do love holidays in Chile. Canadian salmon prices are steady this week. We have Faroe Island Salmon in C-trim if you are looking for a lower price on a North Sea product. Check with your sales rep for case discounts if you are a volume user. Ask your sales rep about our whole Bakkafrost product and let them know if you would like to schedule a cutting.
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The season has ended. All gulf oysters are now coming from private leases. Louisiana has begun to transplant and has a time temperature matrix of 1 hour which makes it difficult to have white tag available. Texas has a 3 hour Time Temperature Matrix through June and will move to a 1 hour for July and August. Half shell and gallon production will remain tight through the summer.
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We have beautiful American Red and Lane Snapper in house. Cost has bumped up slightly, with limited product due to the high winds.
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Halibut
Beautiful 10/20, 20/40, and 40/60 product arriving today. With direct shipments out of Alaska, it doesn’t get any fresher.
Scallop prices remain high and are going to stay high. We don’t see any end in sight on the cost of scallops. There is a good supply of the larger scallops but the market is tight on the smaller stuff.
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Prices are good and the product is beautiful. #1 Product has been a little tight, but we will have product for the weekend. Prices will start to move up as the availability decreases due to the moon cycles beginning this week and through Mother’s Day.
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The grouper supply has improved this last week with both fillets and whole readily available.
Black Drum
Drum is a constant hit and miss right now due to the winds, as we buy this product direct from the boat in Louisiana. We are crossing our fingers and hoping for a shipment later this week.
Domestic and Venezuelan crab meat are available. Price is still strong! Venezuela crab is available and coming in every week. There are some supply issues with the Venezuelan Fingers, but everyone is working diligently to rectify the problem.
Our catfish is farmed right here in Texas. Prices are on the rise once again and the farms seem to be tight once again. The larger fillets are the only item that seem to be in question.
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We have a variety of seabass options. We continue to carry H&G 20-30 kg as well as a smaller 10-20 kg if that is more of what you’re looking for. The Seabass is on the rise and will continue to increase as the Chilean quote was cut by almost a third of last year. There are rumors about prices dropping in the coming weeks. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.
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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. Lobster prices are on the rise: lobsters are moving into deeper water and not as active as before.
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Rainbow ‘Green’, Golden, and Ruby trout
Ruby trout supply is much better. The only shortage is on the larger golden trout fillet from Idaho. The water supply is back up now, and the product will be more plentiful in the near future.