FEBRUARY 2016 As we get into the month of February availability on wild species will increase. Temperatures begin to moderate from winter lows and the percentage of fishing days increases, hence more fish landings and theoretically better pricing. Many anadromous fish species will begin their spawning runs and several states tailor their harvest quotas for certain species around these runs. Some of the first signs of spring come in the form of white and hickory shad runs on southern rivers in Georgia and South Carolina. As the month goes on, rivers in North Carolina will come alive with blue back herring, hickory shad and American white shad. The Neuse River still holds sizable spawning populations of white and hickory shad. On the heels of the spawning shad come the wild rockfish. The major spawning ground for the wild rockfish on the Atlantic coast is the Chesapeake Bay. The Bay is responsible for producing 70% of the wild rock that swim on the Atlantic coast - in other words if you go on vacation next summer to Martha's Vineyard and you catch 10 rockfish, 7 of them were born in the Chesapeake Bay. The next 8 weeks will be the best availability on wild rock all year. Best availability is "code" for cheapest prices. Feature this fish now! When we talk about the Bay, and rockfish and other anadromous species, it is hard for the conversation not to include the invasive wild blue cats. They have completely taken over the James River, not just because they grow to over 100 lbs., and are without a doubt the absolute top predator in the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. They have and will continue to outcompete every fish species in the Bay because of one simple fact. They eat the young of the other fish. When a female shad or herring or rockfish releases her eggs in the Potomac River this March and April, ten to 15 million (estimated Potomac River wild blue cat population) blue cats will be right there in a feeding frenzy eating nothing but fish eggs that have been fertilized. This is how these "sharks of the Bay" wipe out other species. Not only do they grow to be 10 times the size of any other fish in the bay, but they adversely impact the spawning success of the native species. This is how they have completely taken over the James, York, Rappahanock, and Potomac and will without a doubt take over all rivers in the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem in the next two decades. Snakeheads make for sensational headlines but the blue cat is the greatest environmental threat the Bay has ever faced. DID YOU ASK HOW MANY WE NEED TO CATCH AND EAT (SELL) TO STOP THE CURRENT BLUE CAT POPULATION EXPLOSION? Well, we just might be able to put that number in perspective. It is a staggering number. Keep in mind the Alaskan halibut quota is 27 million pounds annual harvest. Gulf American Red snapper total allowable catch (quota) is 13 million. Quotas are based on biomass estimates - the total weight of the fish population. (CONTINUED page 2)
CONTINUED from page 1 Wild rockfish harvest in the Bay is about 9 million pounds - the managers harvest about 11% of the rockfish biomass annually. So you can extrapolate the Chesapeake Bay's rockfish biomass to be about 80 million pounds. OKAY IF YOU ARE NOT ASLEEP, NOW TO BLUE CATS. Biomass is estimated at 90 million fish with a 5 lb. average, hence a 450 million pound biomass. An 11% SUS- TAINABLE harvest (keeping the population at 90 million fish) would be a staggering 50 MILLION POUND SUSTAINABLE ANNUAL WILD BLUE CAT HARVEST (we currently only have market for about 1/10th of this figure). IT SHOULD BE EVERY CHEFS CIVIC DUTY TO FIGURE OUT OTHER WAYS TO MARKET THIS FISH. It is an easy sell - white flaky mild flesh - abundant resource - rated green and "Best Choice" by Monterey Bay A q u a r i u m S e a f o o d W a t c h l i s t. One benefit of the El Niño this year is that the yellowfin tunas never really left the Gulf of Mexico. Except for the past couple of weeks, tuna prices have been more than reasonable. Some beautiful swords have migrated into the Gulf recently too. Hopes of a major lobster "correction" because of El Niño did not occur. The lobster processors are facing a dilemma. The CK and TCK markets are on fire with frozen lobster meat selling at record highs in the upper $27 range. CK meat is short in supply even at these numbers. However, the cold water lobster tail market is flooded with product. Processors can sell all the picked meat but a lobster produces two pounds of tails for every pound of CK meat! I think the spring season in Nova Scotia (starts last week in April - first frozen product in Boston by May 20) - will for sure finally break the picked meat market and bring it back to earth.
Bacon Wrapped Scallops with Celery Root Gratin. The Perfect Combo! From Chef David Fye Celery Root Gratin INGREDIENTS 4 shallots, sliced thin 3 medium bulbs celeriac 2 sprigs fresh thyme 1 cup heavy cream 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard Freshly grated nutmeg Salt and freshly ground black pepper 3/4 cup freshly grated Gruyere cheese 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese DIRECTIONS Heat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 1 1/2-quart gratin dish. Scatter shallots over bottom of dish. Trim celeriac by cutting off bottom and top, then cutting off thick outer layer with a sharp knife. Cut into 1/4-inch slices and then julienne. Arrange evenly in gratin dish. Sprinkle thyme leaves over celeriac. Bacon Wrapped Scallops INGREDIENTS 1 1/2 pound large scallops 1/2 pound thin-sliced bacon Extra-virgin olive oil Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 tablespoon butter Juice from lemon DIRECTIONS Heat the broiler. Wrap each scallop in a piece of bacon and secure it with a toothpick. Place the bacon wrapped scallops onto a baking sheet, drizzle them with olive oil, and season them with salt and pepper. Cook them under the broiler for about 10 to 15 minutes until the bacon is cooked through, turning once. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of melted butter and fresh squeezed lemon. In a small bowl, whisk together cream, mustard, nutmeg, and salt and pepper. Pour over celeriac and sprinkle with cheeses. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until top is brown and bubbly and cream is thickened and reduced, about 20 more minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes and serve.
BRISTOL SEAFOOD UNVEILS REDESIGNED WEBSITE PORTLAND, Maine (February 1) Bristol Seafood, a leading provider of high-quality responsibly-sourced and produced seafood, has redesigned and refocused its website to better inform consumers of why quality matters. Reorganized for an improved user experience, the new bristolseafood.com provides extensive product information including detailed sections about where the company s seafood products come from, how they are cared for, and their various health benefits. The new design also makes it easier for customers to navigate and share content, which in addition to nutritional and productsourcing info also includes information about Bristol Seafood as a company and its many community partnerships. With this redesign, we set out to convey the essence of our products in a beautiful visual format, and to show consumers why we re so passionate about providing them with only the freshest, most responsibly sourced seafood, said Peter Handy, VP, Business Development. We are very proud of the outcome. Learn more at www.bristolseafood.com. Bristol provides quality seafood to people who care about what they eat. Founded in 1992, the company enjoys a nationwide following for its steadfast adherence to its uncompromising Maine standards. This involves pairing ef ficiency - building technologies with finishing done the old-fashioned way by hand. In 2015, Bristol shipped more than 6 million pounds of seafood from its facility on the Portland, Maine Fish Pier, and is the first and only fillet, mussel, and scallop processor in Maine to earn a Safe Quality Food Institute certification.
CALENDAR 2016 FEBRUARY Valentine s Day Sunday, February 14 Presidents Day/GRAMMYS Monday, February 15 National Clam Chowder Day Thursday, February 25 Academy Awards Sunday, February 28 Name of Employee: Karen Mundey Year of Hire: 2011 Role at Congressional: Secretary Favorite Fish: Monkfish Favorite Sports Team: 49ers! I just like their uniforms. Coming Up in March: Ocean City Trade Expo March 6-7 Seafood Expo Northwest March 6-8 Capital Area Food Bank s Blue Jeans Ball March 13 Virginia Food & Beverage Expo March 23 Dream vacation: Hawaii
NORWEGIAN SKREI COD SPECIAL $8.95 Fillets/$10.95 Loins Skrei is the Norwegian word for adult cod and if you are eating in the right places, you might start seeing more and more of this fish. Every year between January and April the Norwegian coastline is inundated with millions of large cod undertaking their long journey home in order to spawn. It is a sight that most New Englanders would weep at, seeing how this migration is a page out of history for the decimated stocks on our own coast. Norway has found a way though, through diligent management and strict guidelines, to maintain healthy cod stocks while harvesting some of the largest and best tasting fish. The cod is harvested from Norwegian waters by hand line, long line, or Danish seine with little by-catch. After spending 5 years of their life in the frigid waters of the Barents Sea, skrei return to the Norwegian coast and make a journey similar to our native Pacific Salmon. Skrei cod is usually found in Europe's high-end restaurants due to its lean meat, thick steaks, and distinct, delicious flavor. Skrei cod arrive to us just days out of the water, still in rigor, and each fish is usually around 15lbs, a monster by U.S. comparisons. IN SEASON Albacore Tuna Amberjack Baramundi Black Bass, RI Black Bass, VA Blue Catfish, VA Catfish Cod, East Coast Cod, West Coast Crab, Venezuela Fluke, Carolina Fluke, RI Halibut, East Coast John Dory, Domestic Mahi, South America Monk Oysters, Chesapeake Pollock Razor Clams Sea Bass, Chilean Shad Snapper Stone Crab Claws Striped Bass (Rockfish) Sword, Domestic Tilapia Tuna (Yellowfin) Congressional Seafood Co. February 2016 Newsletter Produced by KSM Marketing Contributing Writers: Tim Sughrue, David Fye
The average whole fish weighs from 8-15 lbs. The fillets are 2-4 lbs. each. The yellowtail season will last until the end of April. Wild Yellowtail is a sleek migratory fish similar to the tuna. Yellowtail are recognized by a yellow stripe across their body and their yellow tail. Our Yellowtail is harvested at Cape Point, South Africa, the southernmost tip of Africa. This is a true dayboat fishery where the fishermen return daily with their catch. WILD YELLOWTAIL "HAMACHI" $9.95 LB. Yellowtail is a full flavored fish with firm flesh and significant oil content. It can be used in any cooking application. The farmed version is what is served as Hamachi in sushi bars. We offer you the original wild fish. LOOK FOR US AT BOOTHS #620 621
FEBRUARY SPECIAL HOKKAIDO CHEF PACK 10/20 AND U10 SCALLOPS CONGRESSIONAL NOW ACCEPTING ORDERS VIA BLUECART Call for details! BlueCart is a free app that saves restaurants hours by allowing them to place all their orders to all their suppliers in one click. With BlueCart, you can place orders to not only Congressional, but also your alcohol supplier, paper supplier, produce supplier, and more--all in one click. Since BlueCart is free for both buyers and suppliers, we are now inviting all our restaurants to join the platform. Many Congressional customers are already using BlueCart. To get started yourself, simply let your Congressional sales rep know you'd like to use BlueCart, or email support@bluecart.com for more information. Or learn more about Ordering Made Simple at www.bluecart.com.