Trout…
Trout belong to the salmon family, and is classified as an oily fish. Trout that live in different environments can have dramatically different colorations and patterns. Mostly, these colors and patterns form as camouflage based on the surroundings and will change as the fish moves to different habitats. Trout is tasty no matter how it is prepared, freshwater trout is a delicately flavored ruby red or white-meat fish whose pure flavors are complemented by even the simplest preparations. The difference between white and ruby trout is only skin deep. Trout farms achieve “ruby-ness” by feeding the fish natural color enhancers; color does not affect taste.
Notes From Our Buyer
Hurricane Rina
Rina is causing lots of problems in regards to fishing in the Gulf. A couple of days ago, a boat in Panama sank with seven crew members on board, and they are still missing. Our prayers go out to the crew and their families. There is major flooding in Guatemala and Nicaragua which is keeping boats from going out to fish. These types of issues make us appreciate all the hard, dangerous work the fishermen do to allow us to have fresh product for our customers. We will see shortages on fish this weekend for sure, but hopefully next week will be better.
The new season will run through around May 15th. Prices are always high at the beginning of the season but usually go down a bit after the first few weeks. Contact your sales associate for pricing and availability.
Oyster sack production is still down. Mississippi and Louisiana should be opening up this weekend, so this should help a lot for next week. We should see more sacks this Saturday.
Our redfish is farm-raised right here in Texas and is another great sustainable option for the menu. Everyone knows its name, and it is very easy to sell. It cooks up great any way!
Production on the larger sizes are getting harder to find. 9-11 catfish fillets will be in short supply for a while. I don’t know how long, but it would be great if you could move to a 5-7 or 3-5.
Scallops prices have come down a bit. Hopefully this will last for a while. This time of year prices will change more often than they will in a few months.
Mahi season is right around the corner. We will have a nice shot for this week.
Scottish Salmon Fillets
We have beautiful 3-5 Scottish salmon fillets that will knock your socks off. Prices are great, and quality is outstanding. Get with your sales rep for details.
Halibut is still looking great. Prices are high but well worth it.
One of our tuna guys said he has worked in the business almost 40 years, and has never seen tuna prices so high or tuna so hard to get. Some of the reasons are a depleting supply, our weak dollar, Japan lost a lot of their fleet due to the tsunami, and Panama shut down their big boats because of a new law that went into place recently. We will continue to source tuna from all parts of the world to ensure quality and availability.
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.
Prices are steady and quality is outstanding.
We have some beautiful 20-30 kg seabass in the building. Butcher it yourself or let us do the work.
Fruge 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 person and they will gladly add you to the email list.
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.
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.
Prices are up due to lack of product. Availability is poor.
We are finally seeing a better supply of trout from our vendors. Hopefully the shortages are over.
Salmon fillets remain constant this week.
Due to the hurricane in the Gulf, there is no grouper this weekend.
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.
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!!