Macgregors Seafood Notes

Scallop Market Update - July

2009-07-02T10:06:00.000-04:00

July 1, 2009
THE SEASON IS IN FULL SWING!

OPEN AREA DAYS:
About 50% of the open area days are left. Substantial quantities are being landed. For the rest of the season, we anticipate continued strength. Expected sizes harvested are as follows: 10 to 15% will be U10’s, 10 to 15% will be 10/20’s and the remainder will be 20/30’s.

PROTECTED AREAS:
Elephant Trunk Area
70% of the catch is in. The Elephant Trunk is closing from Sept. 1st to October 31st due to the Atlantic Turtle migration. There have been less U10’s than originally thought leading to a remaining estimated harvest of 10% U10’s and 90% 10/20’s.

Delmarva
70% of the catch is also in, here. The remaining harvest estimates here will also be heavier on 10/20’s (90%) and lighter on U10’s (10%) of the total.

Georges Bank: Access Area II
George’s Bank was closed on June 28 for the remainder of the season due to the excessive Yellow Tail Flounder by-catch. The U10’s were 60% of the harvest (significantly lighter than originally projected) while 10/20’s accounted for 40%.

Both demand and supply have been very healthy. Pricing has been stable.

Based on the outlook for the remaining harvest we are more convinced than ever that U10’s will be in short supply this year. Scallop suppliers have been trying to build up inventories for the winter but, due to the high demand, this has been difficult to do. Higher pricing will be the result of this situation.

The value size, from a price and supply standpoint, will be 10/20’s.

30/40’s will continue to be in tight supply and priced accordingly.

Twitter-er

2009-06-15T10:57:00.002-04:00

Hello, my name is Paul and I'm now a Twitter-er! Okay, I've owned up. Unfamiliar? A quick easy way to "follow" along with what a Fish guy like me is doing, thinking about and generally musing about....in 140 characters or less (which suits about how in depth my thoughts are). So what am I talking about? The fish I'm sourcing, when it's coming, posting pic's of what it looks like, insightful (debatable) fish facts, events we're participating in, all coupled with wit, charm & humor (also debatable). You can come along when I travel to various ends of the earth and get to know our supplier partners. Get a glimpse how and where your fish comes from! It's all very exciting (again, debatable).
I'm feeding live updates to our homepage even.

This week I'm talking up the new season Pole & Line Caught Carolina Mahi Mahi, the day-boat Hook & Line Caught Haddock, Wild Ivory King Salmon from Alaska, Wild Striper's and Black Sea bass, the Seafood for Thought event this Thursday at the Toronto Zoo with our Ocean Wise partner and restaurant partners Pangaea, C5 & Trios Bistro (Marriott).

http://twitter.com/pFvK

Check out some of the people I'm following as well...

Paul

Seasons

2009-05-25T13:41:00.002-04:00

A good time of year to be in the fish business. For one, who wants a pot roast after spending the day in the sun, and secondly, FISH is in season. Here's what's happening now and in the coming weeks (what pescivores dreams are made of):

Wild Salmon (Copper River Alaska kicked it off a few weeks back, rest of Alask and BC about to open up: Redspring Kings, Sockeye's)
Maryland Soft-Shell Crabs (here now and almost gone)
Wild Trap Caught Black Bass (Mass season now)
Wild Hand-Line Caught Striped Bass (Mass season June)
Live BC Spot Prawns (now)
Wild Nunavut Arctic Char (soon!)
Carolina Wreakfish (now)
Nova Scotia Live Lobsters (no better time)

Put that steak down!

Seafood Appetizers - Back to Basics

2009-04-01T09:46:00.001-04:00

There is no shortage of seafood appetizer options in the marketplace. At a glance, this plethora promises to add an element of diversity and even exotic flair to a menu. The sheer multitude of products means that there is something for just about any restaurant operation; casual right on up through fine dining. The venerable Shrimp Cocktail and Bacon Wrapped Scallops have found their place on countless menus across Canada and the US, insomuch as they are now commonplace.
The success and penetration of seafood in the appetizer section of menus, however, isn’t all rosy. What once had the lure of diversity and uniqueness has become a very homogenized segment. The incentive for these menu items to add increased profits to the operator’s bottom line has led or pushed producers to find more and more inexpensive ways to manufacture these products. The bottom line is that the quality of the raw material has decreased and much has become over processed, and unvaryingly similar in taste. In fact, there is much room for improvement and arguably, the operator that chooses to go back to basics in sourcing natural, fresh (where possible) seafood for their appetizer section will find a renaissance of sales and profitability from diners seeking quality and value from their restaurant experience.
As an operator, the best place to start is the ingredient declaration of your current products. Take, for example, the Shrimp Cocktail. The shrimp cocktail is great example because in its essence, the shrimp are being served as “natural” as they can be, and the point of the dish is to highlight the shrimp (hopefully not just the cocktail sauce). It’s surprising then that nearly all the shrimp coming into North America, and indeed the shrimp found in shrimp cocktails everywhere, is a multi-ingredient item. Most labels would look something like this: Shrimp, sodium tri-polyphosphate, salt, water – or some variation of this. These ingredients are processing agents and they act to increase weight & water retention prior to freezing, and invariably, they affect the taste. A natural shrimp would have in the neighborhood of 80mg of sodium per serving and a typical shrimp you’d find either in grocery or in restaurants would be upwards of 500mg – before anything is even done to it. The flavor that the diner has now become accustomed to is salt, not shrimp. Side by each, natural shrimp has a vastly less “salty” taste; it is also denser with a significantly “crunchier” texture and much more pronounced and vibrant color. The operator who markets a natural shrimp in their cocktail or any other dish now has a story to tell the diner - a point of differentiation and “value”, and in most cases, it’s merely the cost of moving down a size. It would also award a better dining experience, meaning return customers and more appetizer sales.
Continue analyzing ingredient declarations and you’ll find a similar story across the board, notably scallops. Most of these customary seafood items are in need revitalization. They are available in a natural, untreated form and in many cases fresh. They offer significantly different eating experiences vs. their traditionally processed frozen forms. When buying fresh and unprocessed products, the lines of traceability and sustainability are predictably much clearer and the priority is typically quality over price. The cost associated with making a switch to this is not as significant as to limit it only to white tablecloth restaurants either.
At the end of the day, any products a chef / operator can menu that have a “story” or a point of differentiation will only add value to the dining experience. In today’s foodservice climate, customers are looking for value, which doesn’t mean the most food for the least. It is quality, taste, and food they can feel good about. Today that means going back to basic, natural & fresh ingredients. Ingredients people will come back for…

Winter-Licious is here

2009-02-04T09:03:00.002-05:00

Winter-Licious is here. Over 150 restaurants participate in this marketing event in effort to get people out and into restaurants in a typically slow season. The attraction is all these restaurants offer a 3 course prie-fix menu for relatively cheap ($25-$45).

However, each year that it comes & goes, restaurants & diners seem to be getting more and more resentful of the event. Restaurants comment that it's just a mass feeding, with very high turns and very low liquor sales. Servers get over-worked and complain of making less than typical gratuities. Some restaurants source very inexpensive items in an effort to maximize profits for the event. In the end, the diner may not always get a fair impression of what a "normal" experience at a certain restaurant may be like. This to me is a mistake.

If you've got people coming into your restaurant, for any occasion, they are your customer. Even an event like this, where they may only be looking to spend the minimum amount possible, it is still your chance to wow them. This year, more than any other year, people's personal dining budget is under tremendous pressure. The frequency of dining out, by all accounts, will be less this year. So how do you capture those precious customers? It isn't by turning them out as quickly as possible for a much profit as you can squeeze (typically made up in the product you sell).

We deal with a lot of restaurants who participate in Winter-Licious, and while some do look for the inexpensive products for their menu, there are some still who look at it as an opportunity to invest in a potential return customer. They feature good products, not unlike their "regular" menu's. They don't try to over-book themselves to the point that service suffers. As their supplier we try to find high quality items that we can potentially offer some value on, because we're here to help grow their business too. It may not be the most profitable 2 week event, but it isn't supposed to be. It's supposed to be advertising. Investing in your brand for future sales.

Hopefully the organizers and participants continue to grow this event and place an emphasis on quality of food and service, because there is plenty potential yet, and precious "dining-out" dollars need to be taken graciously, humbly and respectfully...

Jail Island Recieves Seafood Trust Certification

2009-02-03T13:55:00.002-05:00

For all the ways we've changed over the years there has always been one constant: Jail Island Salmon. Yes, it is a different story now than it was 20 years ago when they were one of the first farms to get a license in the Bay of Fundy. In fact, Jail Island is now a brand under the Cooke Aquaculture umbrella. But change can be good and what the Jail Island label is now would have been impossible to achieve from in it's original incarnation. Let's start with what hasn't changed. They are still raising Genuine Atlantic Salmon. What is this? Simply put, a native New Brunswick strain of Atlantic Salmon, raised in...the Atlantic. Not in British Columbia, not in Chile, as well over 80% of Atlantic Salmon in this market comes from. It is indigenous to the East Coast & Bay of Fundy. It is still the premium food service brand packed exclusively for Macgregors in Ontario. Fillets destined for retail do not meet the quality standards of premium foodservice grade, selected for chefs.

What is Jail Island now? A world leader is progressive, sustainably focused aquaculture. Because they fall under the larger Cooke Aquaculture umbrella they have the luxury of employing a unique 3-bay management strategy of crop rotation allowing for organic renewal of the ocean sites as well as naturally controlling disease and thus eliminating the need for sub-therapeutic antibiotics. They use low stocking densities, a natural 2 year growth cycle (no growth hormones), only 20% of their feed is made up of fish protein (50% less than a decade ago), and their completely integrated business model reduces their overall carbon footprint by sourcing all their resources locally and servicing only local / regional markets. They have begun work in Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture where bi-valves such as mussels grow along side the salmon in order to filter waste, as well as growing Kelp beneath the pens to further filter waste as well contribute as an ingredient in future feed manufacture. All of this and now they are Seafood Trust Certified.

The certification mark SEAFOOD TRUST attests that Jail Island salmon meets Certified Quality Salmon Standards (CQS). These standards have been developed with representatives throughout the supply chain and interested parties including producers, consumer representatives, retailers, government, and researchers, all covering the full supply chain. It stands for excellence in seafood production and attests that seafood under this label has been produced to very high standards which surpass usual government regulatory requirements and inspections.

What is a Certified Quality Salmon?

A Certified Quality Salmon from Jail Island is a product which is traceable to stringent product quality specifications pertaining to freshness, visual appearance, taste and texture. The certification also attests that Jail Island Salmon operates to best industry practice with regards to food safety, employee and animal welfare and social responsibility.

From then to now, Jail Island has remained a dynamic, responsible & progressive brand that we are proud to carry. Congratulations on becoming Seafood Trust certified.

2009-02-03T10:58:00.002-05:00

The Seafood Short Weight Issue

When is the last time you took a frozen box of seafood, slacked it out, and weighed what the product actually weighed? If you are buying frozen Squid, Basa or Tilapia, chances are it weighed less than the declared weight on the box.

At a recent meeting held in Toronto, hosted by the industry group, Fishery Council of Canada, it was widely agreed that short weight in the Canadian seafood industry is a problem. So much so, that a task force industry group has been organized to bring this issue to the forefront.

The first step was to agree that there is an issue. The next step is to set up a meeting with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to discuss this issue.

In the meantime, what can you do? Certainly, you can indeed weigh your frozen product in slacked out form to see if you are getting declared weights. My suggestion is to look on the ingredient listing to see if there is anything else declared other than the fish itself. "Glazed water", phosphates?" These are beware of ingredient listings.

If you do come up with a short weight example, please forward to me, and I will ensure your information is sent to the FCC task force group.
Mr. Fish

Impressions of Vietnam/Thailand

2008-06-02T13:22:00.002-04:00

Impressions of Vietnam/Thailand
Been almost a decade since I have been to Thailand. Much has changed, would be a simplification. Of course much has changed. I was struck by the over-all cleanliness of the Bangkok waterway system. Young children swimming, Orchid gardens, Buddhist temples, open markets, and the magnificent mangrove areas. Most improved in the city centre was clearly the air quality. By North American big city standards, it seemed above par to me. Especially, when you consider the two temperatures I experienced; 38 degrees Celsius and 39 degrees...yikes was it hot!

The over-head tram system no doubt having a terrific positive impact. Gone are the face masks, the dust, most of the traffic congestion, although the locals still complain, not much different to the Toronto chaos!

In the Seafood world, more the same than different. Certainly, today 95% of the shrimp farms in Thailand are Intensively farmed white shrimp. Last time I was there, the black tiger ruled. Today, the faster growing white shrimp has taken over Thailand shrimp farms.

Vietnam, very much a rural country. Commerce centers around the busy streets, with store fronting on all major and most minor thoroughfares. Motorcycles and bicycles still rule the roads making travel pretty slow by road. I spent my time in the Camau region of Vietnam where our Extensively produced "Just shrimp" program comes from. Vietnam too is switching to white shrimp farming, but the Camau region is uniquely located in a region where "Extensive" or a natural shrimp can be grown largely based upon natural growing and feeding cycles within the Mangrove regions.

"Just Shrimp" is macgregors first efforts in importing a shrimp that does not go through a phosphate treatment, nor a salt bath. The shrimp have a much more natural "crunch", and the flavour profile is without the traditional "chemical" taste. Time will tell if the Canadian food-service market is ready for this. We think it is.
Mr. Fish

2008-05-01T10:45:00.003-04:00

BRUSSELS
The largest seafood only Exposition in the world.
Truly a remarkable week had, by both Mr. Fresh and yours truly, Mr. Fish. For those of you that have been to the Boston Show, Brussels is Boston x 3! A total of 11 halls dedicated to the world of Fish and Seafood Commerce.
The show is set up basically by Country of origin, which is very convenient. One gets to see first hand the theme and creativity of presentation by country. For us, the hands down winner, was Ireland. Lots of organics to be sure, but the crisp unique presntation of the companies represented in the Ireland section was outstanding. Felt sorry for the Vietnam section next door, as the traffic flow definitely went Irelands way.

When we returned from Boston this year in February, we returned with a clear message that sustainability had finally made its mark in the North American marketplace. Returning from Brussels, there is no doubt, sustainability has traveled a full circle and then some. Responsible fishing is fast becoming a mature subject matter in Europe. Think the Europeans have clearly identified this entire issue as paramount to not only doing business, but also for the future of fish business for ever!

The splashy marketing of sustainability at the American based show, is replaced by factual, no nonesense, informative solutions in Europe. Marketing sustainability might be in vogue in North America, but the industry clearly needs practical, long lasting solutions! The time for rhetoric is over. We all have an opportunity to do our part. Become informed, stay informed, and continue to challenge the status quo...that is the message from Brussels.

Over the course of the next months, we hope to be able to introduce some wonderful products here in Ontario. We hope to continue to find solutions. One thing is certain; we are asking a lot of new questions about origin, fishing methods, by-catch, sustainability, and yes, quality...stay tuned, we are getting excited!
Mr Fish

Scottish King Scallops on King St.

2008-03-05T12:32:00.004-05:00

If you're in the food business and you really love food, you'll know that the two most abused items are surely Chicken & Scallops. Quality runs the gamut. Both are items that are habitually "pumped". What does this mean? It's a process of soaking the product in water / sodium / phosphates to add weight, change appearance or extend shelf life. In the scallop world product is differentiated by the terms "wet" and "dry" pack. But "dry-pack" doesn't always tell the whole story. Dry pack scallops, while they may not have been soaked to pick up weight, have usually been treated with a sodium based product called Purogene. Because a lot of these scallops are caught by Trip Boats, meaning they're out for 7-10 days at a time, Purogene is applied to help the scallops retain water and extend shelf life. While not necessarily picking up water, they are not not necessarily a natural product either.

So how do you get the real deal, all-natural scallop experience? The experience that, until you've had it, you never realized it could be so good? One is to find restaurants / vendors who are actually selling a Day-Boat, or Diver caught scallop. Day-Boats and Diver's literally go out and come back same day - scallops are then hand shucked, sorted and shipped same day, 100% as mother nature intended. These scallops will vary in color from orange to opaque off white. A surefire sign you've got a treated scallop is a real consistency and uniformity in color. Furthermore, the taste is pure and sweet and the texture (if cooked well) is at the same time firm and buttery smooth and delicate.

Now, to go one step beyond and have a real scallop experience, as mother nature intended, is to find roe-on scallops. On a scallop, the roe sac, or coral, is a pale to bright orange crescent moon shaped sac connected to the abductor muscle (scallop). Europeans wouldn't have it any other way, yet in North America it's discarded, which once you've tried it will agree is embarrassing.

I recently brought in Diver Caught Scottish King Scallops, roe-on (Pecten Maximus), a slightly different specie than the North American Sea Scallop. When I saw these scallops, absolutely pristine & untouched, I had to go out and have a real experience with them, beyond what I could accomplish cooking them at home. What better place to have a King scallop than at Crush Wine Bar on King st. West in Toronto. Remarkably simply prepared, pan-seared to give a nice crust on the exterior, rare throughout, perched atop a small bed of flavorful lentils. But it was the roe that made the dish. Mother nature has come up with the perfect compliment to to the dense scallop muscle! The roe, when cooked, is rich and creamy and candy sweet. It's an unbelievable combination.

Seek out seafood in it's most natural state, and you'll find it's truly rewarding. Beyond that, Diver Caught and Day-Boat caught are indicators that you're buying from small scale producers, not huge factory, industrial vessels. There is a respect for the resource and it shows right down the experience I had at Crush, which was phenomenal.

Paul

Question of the week...March 3, 2008

2008-03-04T15:20:00.001-05:00

Why wait until Friday? When you get a great question, dive right in(that's fish talk!)

IS IT AS SIMPLE AS GREEN, YELLOW, RED, WHEN DECIDING ON WHICH FISH TO CHOOSE?

This question is in response to the various sustainable fish guides that are out there, outlining the best choices for seafood. Some use a colour code system with green being the best choice, red being avoid. These guides run the gamut from detailed to quite basic. There are many out there, some regional, some based on farmed fish, some wild. One of the more detailed ones is put out by Monterey Bay Aquarium. A U.S. slant, but good detailed info on the site. www.mbayaq.org. Another good one is www.mcsuk.org, which is a United Kingdom site that takes into consideration things such as exploited wild fisheries, fishing area scientific assessment, capture or fishing methods, breeding seasons to avoid, labeling to reduce confusion, amount of by-catch, sustainable fish farming including best practice guidelines, feed, stocking density, organic principles, ranching principles…etc.
Yikes! Confused yet? So how do we make this simple? Truthfully. The balance between environment and industry is usually never simple. To be sure, we all can do our part by asking the questions. Knowledge is power. Where does the fish come from? Is it in season, or out of season? Is it an exploited fishery? If so, does the fish at least come from a recognized sustainable source? If the fish is farmed, are there best practice guidelines being used? What type of fishing method is being used? Hook and line, trap, diver? All good questions, and we certainly should have the answers to make it "simpler." The more questions asked, the more empowerment both the industry of fish and the environment of fish will have.

Mr. Fish

Passion & Excitement

2008-02-11T13:12:00.000-05:00

Fish and shellfish offer the restaurant chef an opportunity for diversity, excitement and differentiation. At macgregors, this is our passion. We have positioned ourselves as the foremost progressive seafood supplier in the marketplace. We not only offer an absolutely unique and comprehensive selection of fish & shellfish from around the globe, but we also pride ourselves in being the ultimate seafood resource and promoting progressive, sustainably minded fisheries and aquaculturists.

Our passion for fish & shellfish means that we invest our resources in finding new, regional, seasonal and unique seafood from the world’s best suppliers. We’ve pioneered bringing unique chilled premium fish from Australian & New Zealand to Toronto, such as Petuna Tasmanian Ocean Trout, Bluenose Seabass and John Dory. We’ve introduced remarkable species from Hawaii such as Kona Kampachi, sustainably raised in the pristine waters off the Kona Coast – hatched, reared and harvested using state of the art aquaculture technology, without depleting wild fisheries or harming the ocean environment. We offer “Boutique” day-boat sea scallops from a single local boat in Boston. The scallops are wild harvested in the morning, hand shucked, sorted, packed and shipped same day. A truly unique and memorable scallop!

Salmon is a big part of our business and we have developed an unparalleled, exclusive 15 year relationship with one of the premier salmon suppliers in the world, Jail Island. Why do we believe so strongly in Jail Island? For one, Jail Island is raising indigenous Atlantic salmon in one of the most perfect areas of the world – the Bay of Fundy, fed by the cold Atlantic Ocean. They take a world leading integrated environmental, fish health and operational management approach to aquaculture. They are on the cutting edge of research and development, one of the first to develop integrated multi-trophic aquaculture where the culture of mussels and seaweeds on salmon sites are used as a way to minimize the environmental impact of the farm while producing additional high quality seafood products. You can trust you’re using the best, local Atlantic Canadian Salmon when you see the Jail Island brand.

We have a passion for seafood, and an enthusiasm to re-invent the role of the seafood supplier in Ontario. We stay on top of cutting edge seafood trends. We don’t offer “me-too” products. We offer resourcefulness, inventiveness, and originality. We aim to be a part of making your menu unique and giving your customers memorable seafood experiences.

2007 Gourmet Food & Wine Show

2007-11-27T09:14:00.000-05:00

The frenzy is over. 4 days and close to 40,000 people passing by our booth. Not sure why macgregors would be at a show that is mainly attended by the public? Promoting our retail brand 44th St CAB Pot Roast and CAB Rasoee Curry Beef was obvious (we served it on Artisan Parmesan & Black Pepper Focaccia from Petit Four bakery). But at one point in the middle of an onslaught of hungry show goers on Friday I was sort of asking myself what macgregor's foodservice was doing there as well. But at the end of the day it was clear - we were getting people closer to their food. Most of the people out there have very little (surprisingly little) knowledge about what their food actually is and where it comes from. They read all kinds of names on menu's (sometimes several for the same thing), but truly never get a real idea about what it is, where it's from, how it's raised or caught, how it gets here and the people behind the process.
So our purpose was to add some value to the people attending the show - talk to our customer's customer's so to speak. What were we talking about...why are all Sea Scallops not created equal? What makes our Boutique In-shore Day-Boat Sea Scallops different than the market dominated "industrially" harvested scallops? What is Kona Kampachi anyways and why is it truly unique, not only from progressive ecologically sound aquaculture techniques, but also it's healthfully rich oil content making it in a culinary class by itself. Trust me, we did a lot of talking.
What made it really great was how good the food was that we were serving. We partnered up with Chef Gord Mackie from Far Niente to showcase our products, and the feedback was unanimous - we were serving some of the most memorable food at the show: Day-Boat Sea Scallop ceviche, with kaffir lime, fresh garlic, ginger & chili with coconut & avocado. Kona Kampachi ceviche with buckwheat soba noodles, soy lime vinaigrette, sisho mint & daikon. Pretty amazing. Just to add to that, we served it all on 100% compostable and Fair Trade certified dishes made from natural bark & re-constituted tree material.
We definitely felt by the end of the show that we had, at the very least, enlightened a few people and certainly entertained along the way. Hopefully there are a few more educated diners out there, asking chefs the right questions and ultimately creating a bigger demand for better products - our products. We'll never really know the ultimate impact we had, but we know we represented ourselves well in front of a large audience talking about great products and great restaurants (our customers).

One thing about ONE Restaurant

2007-11-02T10:13:00.000-04:00

One thing I've come to require when dining out is a suitable selection of raw or lightly cured fish and shellfish to start off a meal. It's light, invigorating and 100 times more romantic, or whatever you want to call it, than a salad. One thing that makes it an even better experience for me is knowing first hand where the fish came from. By where the fish came from I don't mean Joe's Fish Shop down the street, I mean physically where in the world that fish swam, especially when it's a fish like Tasmanian Ocean Trout.

Several years ago I started importing this fish into the Toronto marketplace with some skepticism. Ocean Trout is a saltwater Rainbow Trout, also known as Steelhead - and there is no shortage of Steelhead & Rainbow in this city. So why would we fly another Ocean Trout from Tasmania, quite literally the furthest you could possibly go to source fresh fish? Five years later, we're still doing it - and it's on the menu twice (!) at ONE - Mark McEwan's new restaurant in Yorkville. This is a fish that is close to my heart, so I get a sense of pride every time I see that we've had some influence on cutting edge culinary landscape of this city. A big part of my passion for what I do is challenging the old tried and true seafood business and injecting new species, with better quality, from less industrialized sources. Tasmanian Ocean Trout represents this better than any.

So when I tucked into the lightly cured Tasmanian Ocean Trout at ONE (after several top notch Oysters) I was brought back right to source & the people involved in producing this fish. Two years ago I was in Tasmania visiting Petuna, the company responsible for this fish. It was 4:30am and I was shivering on a dock getting ready to go out, by barge to harvest the Trout. We're in Southern Tasmania, in an inlet fed by the great Southern Ocean, not that far from Antarctica (yes there were Penguins). The surrounding area is a World Heritage Site, it's thoroughly rugged and mountainous and completely untouched. The ocean water is a deep dark red color - the runoff from the surrounding hills has stained it with mineral rich tannins. The cages are well out in the middle of the current heavy inlet, over extraordinarily deep sea water. What immediately strikes me is that everything is done by hand. There is no large floating feed house, firing pellets by compressed air into the cages. All the fish are hand-reared and monitored by divers. The fish are hand harvested with nets, slowly. They're not pumped into tanks. The harvests are small. By the end of day the Trout are on a ferry to Melbourne and on the red-eye to Los Angeles. They make a connection to Toronto same day and arrive in pristine, sashimi grade condition. They are stunningly beautiful Trout, and built quite differently than a typical Steelhead - a factor of the muscle conditioning from working in the strong, cold water currents of Southern Tasmania. The flesh is a well marbled, deep red color, consistently firm and extraordinarily clean tasting.

Petuna is a small family company that takes enormous pride in this 'boutique" Ocean Trout. They're like a band that cares more about the integrity in the music than selling millions of records. When I taste it at ONE, ever so lightly cured, so close to it's natural state, I wonder if the kitchen or server has any idea that I have actually harvested these fish from he cold ocean water of southern Tasmania. I also wonder if the table beside us has any inclination of the kind of special product they're eating. Probably not, other than the fact that the dish is phenomenal.

If anything else, ONE has made a great choice in menuing the Petuna Tasmanian Ocean Trout, amidst the plethora of choices they have. Toronto's restaurant scene is heavily scrutinized, especially when you're a prominent restaurateur like McEwan. When people review his menu and think that the Ocean Trout is just another Steelhead, it's their loss. Maybe they don't need to know the story, but what they can take away, at least, is the fact that there is someone out there making good choices about what fish to menu. At the end of the day, that's what separates the good from the great.

Madai Snapper?

2007-07-16T15:22:00.000-04:00

Every now and again I actually get out to eat somewhere other than my in-laws like, an actual restaurant. It's always a challenge to decide on a spot because we are seriously blessed with choice in this city, and when you only get out so often, these decisions are not taken lightly. For me, it's got to be something new & exciting with a bit of buzz and it's got to have AT LEAST 5-6 interesting fish options on the menu - and hopefully one of them is raw. Not that I'm after a sushi place per se, but some quality raw/sashimi style dishes have become my favorite way to start a meal. And by Interesting Fish Options, I mean other than Salmon, Halibut and Tuna. I do get into those fish with the best of them, but for something special I'd rather not, you know, since I make a living making interesting fish options available to chefs...

So the restaurant of choice was C5 - the brand new place in the newly designed Crystal wing of the ROM. Why? They had a raw tasting as part of their starters, an in-season Wild Black Bass, a Black Cod, a fresh Dungeness Crab, an Hokkaido Scallop and, I have to say, some pretty good looking non-fish items as well like a smoked Rib-Eye medallion. The raw tasting was terrific. It was a 5 part dish - Ahi Tuna, Hamachi, a Summer Breeze oyster, Madai Snapper and a Beef tartare. Each part was unique and exceptionally done with interesting flavor components to accompany the raw fish. Although, I hadn't heard the term Madai Snapper before. Snapper can be one of those names that gets thrown about to describe just about any red-skinned fish. A great example is West Coast Rockfish that has found tremendous success under the moniker Pacific Snapper. So it begged the question as to what this Madai Snapper is, and if it's actually a snapper at all.

As it turns out, Madai is the Japanese word for Red Snapper which similar to the Kiwi's, they use in reference to a Red Sea Bream - not a snapper at all. We sell it as the Premium NZ Snapper. In both New Zealand and Japan it is considered the king of fish. What's interesting to note is that about 10 years ago 90% of all the NZ Snapper went to Japan, met by an insatiable demand for the premium south pacific line caught fish. It wasn't until only recently that the Japanese began farm raising Snapper and virtually all NZ exports of Snapper to Japan stopped. So NZ turned a lot of it's attention to other markets such as the US and Europe for their snapper export, which is exactly why we're even getting the premium NZ Snapper these days.

What differentiates it from our domestic snapper (other than it not being a snapper at all) is simply the fact that it is from the cold South Pacific. The meat has a richer texture than the lean warm water domestic snapper and it is equally as sweet. That is what makes it such an ideal raw/sashimi item. I don't see a problem menuing the NZ Snapper as Madai Snapper because it is the same specie as the "Japanese Red Snapper" albeit from New Zealand. Even though it's not a true Snapper by DNA standards, this is what you'd get asking for Snapper in either Japan or New Zealand.

My only other comment from the night would be that Black Cod has to be one of our greatest resources. It's, in my opinion, the best fish from a culinary perspective - rich, pearly white, velvety smooth with a large flake. I've never been disappointed by it. Not only that, but Black Cod is a great "green" seafood choice. It's by far one of the world best managed fisheries and every chef and customer should feel good about a Black Cod menu option.

All in all a great night out at a restaurant offering terrific seafood options, especially raw. There should be place on every high end menu for top notch raw fish. And if you run into Madai Snapper, you'll know that it's our Premium NZ Snapper, or truthfully, a Pacific Red Sea Bream.

Sea-sonal Experiences

2007-05-29T08:35:00.000-04:00

Because Toronto isn't a coastal city, local seafood traditions can be hard to come by. Or are they? Being such a multicultural city, a good part of our food traditions are transplants from our citizens various native countries. You want an authentic Spanish coastal experience - Boquerones (white anchovy fillets), Mojama (a traditional cured tuna loin), Bottarga (pressed and salted and dried tuna roe) - no problem, in fact it's pretty easy. That's what makes Toronto utterly unique among our our large cosmopolitan brothers. No other place on the planet is as diverse and multicultural as our fair city, and with that comes easy access to a gold mine of traditional food experiences.
Great, but where does that leave local seafood traditions? Well, ask around and you'll start to see that they exist - and while it may not seem as exotic as say the first sign of Wild Salmon running up the Copper River in Alaska, there are indeed local seasonal seafood traditions that are quite good. What does my mom remember growing up at the cottage in the summer - Pickerel fillets, cooked in a cast iron skillet with pancake batter. What did I just have for dinner at one of Toronto's best new restaurants Jamie Kennedy at the Gardiner - Ontario Lake Trout. Don't get me wrong, I'm the first to indulge in wild exotic seafood from around the globe. In fact, I've built somewhat of a name around bringing in fresh chilled seafood from Australia and New Zealand - absolutely as far away as possible. But, a lot has to be said of regional and seasonal seafood from your own back door.
Lake Trout comes into season every Spring. What's unique about a lot of Ontario fresh water lakes is that they are phenomenally deep - 400+ feet isn't uncommon, and at those depths in the Spring, water temperatures are hovering around 0 degrees. The Trout pack serious insulative fat which translates into a rich buttery texture. You catch these fish using down rigging long lines. Whereas most people are used to the bright orange/red flesh of a farm raised Rainbow Trout, the natural flesh color of Wild Lake Trout is a lot paler - but not lacking flavor. At Jamie Kennedy the other night I started my meal with a local Asparagus salad, and then the Lake Trout. Often times when you're out in one Toronto's many white tablecloth restaurants it's a global meal - sometimes even down to a Salt from France. But this experience was Regional, Seasonal & every bit as unique and rewarding.
As our world continues to get smaller, we tend to look in our own backyard last. Sometimes we'd rather buy Organic Salmon from Ireland because somehow we feel better about it (what about the Diesel fuel to get it here?). While there is a world of rich experiences in Seafood from all over the world - and I encourage people to try it, there are also wonderful seasonal seafood traditions right where we live that deserves some of your attention too.

Bottarga: A Wonderful Discovery

2007-05-16T10:54:00.000-04:00

A wonderful discovery at Lawrence of Arabia - Yes macgregors Regularly Stocks Bottarga direct from Spain!

May 16, 2007 Amy Pataki The Star.com

I went for falafel and found caviar.
Such was my recent stroke of culinary good luck while searching for the city's best falafel. The strip of Lawrence Ave. E. in Scarborough called Lawrence of Arabia seemed promising, with its abundance of Mideast restaurants and food stores.
While waiting for the fluffy fava bean patties being fried to order at Lotus Catering and Fine Foods (1960 Lawrence Ave. E. near Pharmacy Ave., 416-757-8315), I browsed the tiny grocery section. There were the usual suspects: hibiscus tea, rice, aged gabneh cheese. Then I spotted the dark red logs stacked like firewood in the refrigerator. What were they?
"Bottarga," said chef/owner Eeid Saleh.
My heart beat faster. Bottarga is dried mullet roe, a Mediterranean delicacy. To taste it, shaved onto pasta or bread, is to taste an ocean breeze.
Bottarga is an ancient food. The Egyptians called it batarekh, which evolved into bottarga in Italian and boutargue in French. The egg sacs from heavily pregnant fish – mullet, yes, but also tuna, swordfish, amberjack and cod – are salted and pressed. Sometimes the blocks of roe are coated in beeswax to preserve it, but refrigeration also does the trick.
Heady and homely, bottarga is not for the timid. Sweeter than anchovies and less fishy than taramasalata (another roe product), it is nonetheless briny with a surprisingly clean finish. Lacking the pop of fresh roe, the eggs are hard enough to grate and partner best with lemons and olive oil.
Like beluga caviar, you won't find bottarga in your local superstore. The rare delicatessen or fishmonger stocks it. The Egyptian mullet bottarga at Lotus is about $6 an ounce, while the less salty Italian version locked in the caviar case at both Pusateri's locations is roughly $22 an ounce. Diana's Seafood Delight (2101 Lawrence Ave. E., 416-288-9286) will special order it.
It's even harder to find bottarga on Toronto menus. Coppi Ristorante (3363 Yonge St., 416-484-4464) in Lawrence Park is the exception. It imports bottarga di muggine, the mullet roe called "Sardinian caviar," as a warm-weather treat. "You can get it year-round, but since you don't need to cook it, it fits the weather," says manager Alessandro Scotto.
The grated roe is mixed into fresh taglierini with just olive oil and chopped basil. The pasta's heat melts the golden brown grains into a creamy sauce bolstered by fine breadcrumbs. At $21.50 a plate, it is subtle and ephemeral. One bite begs another. Coppi also has stronger tuna bottarga.
If you like caviar, bottarga may be for you.

Facts About Salmon Feed

2007-05-09T10:30:00.000-04:00

Jail Island Aquaculture
FACT SHEET – SALMON FEED
May 2007

Farmed Salmon a Safe and Healthy Food Choice

· The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) continues to confirm that farmed salmon is completely safe for consumers.

· Farmed salmon are an excellent source of high-quality protein and are low in saturated fat, making them a healthy food choice. Government, academic, and consumer advocacy groups with expertise in human health and nutrition confirm the health benefits of farmed salmon. The CFIA regularly tests farmed salmon to ensure its safety for consumers.

Concern Related to Wheat Gluten in Salmon Feed

· We source a custom feed from our suppliers and can confirm that feed, which is used on Cooke Aquaculture Inc. and Cooke Aquaculture USA farms does not contain wheat gluten. This means that our fish are in no way connected to the current melamine scare.

· Recent testing carried out by the FDA on feed that was shipped by truck from Canada to the US confirmed that samples were clean and the restriction on the tariff classification for fish feed has been removed.

QA/QC in Salmon Feed Production

· Feed used to grow farmed salmon contains ingredients that meet nutritional requirements to ensure the health and welfare of the fish.

· Salmon feed is made in facilities that are regulated by the CFIA, which conducts regular inspections of the facilities, the ingredients used in feed production, and the final feed product.

· Salmon feed manufacturers only source ingredients from reputable suppliers and demand quality assurance and control (QA/QC) from these suppliers. In addition, feed manufacturers conduct their own QA/QC tests on feed ingredients and final products.
Salmon feed manufacturers maintain a library of feed ingredients and QA/QC results. Each batch of feed is fully traceable with respect to the type, source, and quality of ingredients.

Macgregor's Seafood Going Green

2007-02-28T10:59:00.000-05:00

This week we are making the transition from Polystyrene fish packaging to Recyclable Plastic. All of our processed seafood will now be packed in Plastic tubs with a snap-on lid. These plastic tubs are 100% recyclable and should go in your Blue Box and not the garbage - or wash them out and re-use them!

We are working towards other packaging changes to make our fish arrive to you in better condition and last longer. We'll keep you posted as we continue to re-invent the way people sell fish.

Paul

Regional, Seasonal, Unique
Fresh, Wild, Natural

Fish boosts baby's IQ: Study

2007-02-16T10:53:00.001-05:00

Women who eat seafood while pregnant may be boosting their children's IQ in the process, according to new research published Friday in The Lancet.
The results of the study were surprising, say the authors, and contradict American and British recommendations that pregnant women should limit seafood and fish consumption to avoid potentially high levels of mercury. The study relied on mothers' observations of their children's development and their reports of their food intake while pregnant.
Mercury is found in small concentrations in fish and seafood, but can accumulate in the body. High amounts of the metal can damage the human nervous system, particularly those in developing fetuses. On the other hand, seafood – including fish – is also a major source of omega-3 fatty acids, essential to brain development.
While experts believe further research is necessary to confirm these conclusions, the study's failure to find evidence of increased harm from eating fish is significant. Because seafood contain both nutrients and toxins, it remains a dilemma for regulatory authorities what kinds of recommendations should exist for pregnant women.
The study, led by Dr. Joseph Hibbeln of the United States' National Institutes of Health, tracked the eating habits of 11,875 pregnant women in Bristol, Britain.
At 32 weeks into their pregnancy, the women were asked to fill in a seafood consumption questionnaire. They were subsequently sent questionnaires four times during their pregnancy, and then up to eight years after the birth of their child. Researchers examined issues including the children's social and communication skills, their hand-eye coordination, and their IQ levels. As with any study based on self-reporting methods, however, the results cannot be considered entirely definitive.
The study was primarily funded by Britain's Medical Research Council, the Wellcome Trust, the University of Bristol, and the British government.
Hibbeln and his colleagues concluded that women who ate more than 340 grams per week of fish or seafood – the equivalent of two or three servings a week – had smarter children with better developmental skills. Children whose mothers ate no seafood were 48 percent more likely to have a low verbal IQ score, compared to children whose mothers ate high amounts of seafood.
"These results highlight the importance of including fish in the maternal diet and lend support to the popular opinion that fish is brain food," wrote Dr. Gary Myers and Dr. Philip Davidson of the University of Rochester Medical Center, in an accompanying commentary. Myers and Davidson were not connected to the study.
Eating even more than three portions of fish or seafood a week could be beneficial, Hibbeln suggests. "Advice that limits seafood consumption might reduce the intake of nutrients necessary for optimum neurological development," he and his colleagues wrote.

UN Lifts Caviar Ban

2007-02-05T10:23:00.000-05:00

GENEVA – A UN panel said Monday it has lifted an export ban on three types of caviar, including the highly prized beluga variety.
Willem Wijnstekers, head of a UN-sponsored conservation body, said countries bordering the Caspian Sea had improved their monitoring of caviar trading and would release millions of young fish into the body of water, allowing limited trading in the highly prized delicacy to resume.
Nevertheless, he said the decision to grant Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Iran and Russia permission to export 3.8 tonnes of beluga must be accompanied by further moves to combat declining sturgeon stocks.
The UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, known as CITES, "will be using all the tools at its disposal to bring this trade onto a more sustainable footing," Wijnstekers said.
The move was condemned by environmentalists as "irresponsible."
"We're extremely disappointed in this decision by CITES," Julia Roberson of the conservation group Caviar Emptor told the Associated Press. "We view this as another nail in the coffin for this species."
"The most recent information that we had was that the populations of beluga sturgeon from 2004 to 2005 had declined by 45 per cent, so it's very irresponsible of CITES to be reopening trade," she said.
The Caspian's overall sturgeon population has declined by more than 90 per cent in the last century, according to CITES, which sets annual quotas for caviar exports that are recognized by many countries.
Last year, CITES refused to provide export quotas for caviar from the Caspian Sea in order to help protect the endangered fish from which the eggs are taken.
In January, CITES loosened restrictions on three other types of caviar than beluga, which can cost upward of $5,000 (U.S.) for less than 500 grams, depending on taste and quality.
At the time, the UN panel said the income earned from the sale of sturgeon products throughout 2007 "should provide both an incentive and the means to pursue the long-term recovery of this commercially and ecologically valuable natural resource."
Monday's announcement will also permit China and Russia to export about 3.1 tonnes of Amur sturgeon roe and 4.2 tonness of Kaluga sturgeon roe caught in the Heilongjiang-Amur River basin shared by both countries.

Manhattan Transfer

2007-01-29T09:50:00.000-05:00

Back from our little foray into Manhattan slightly wiser, mostly poorer. First off, Manhattan is an imposing Goliath of a city, and despite our best efforts in Toronto to refer to ourselves as "world class", we really don't measure up to a true world epicenter...yet. Our intentions for this trip were to see if there was any opportunities @ the Fulton Fish Market, visit a top fresh seafood supplier to the NYC restaurants, and also to get a feel for the seafood scene in some of the cities best restaurants.

Firstly, the Fulton Market was (when we finally found our way there by 4a.m.) eye-opening in several ways. Initially I thought "wow, quite a lot of fish here - very promising", but as we made our way through it didn't take long to see that this market seemed stuck in the old way of doing things. Boxes upon boxes of fish out on the floor, some of it on ice, some of it not. Some of it looked good, some of it didn't. And as we kept walking it really hit home that no-one is doing anything different from the next guy, and at the end of the day, not much to get excited about.

From Fulton, we headed back to Brooklyn to see the Pierless Fish Corp. operation. Pierless is not dependant on the Market for their fish. Most of it is bought directly and flown into JKF several times a week. Beautiful pristine fish from New Zealand and Australia (same sources we buy from), phenomenal Branzino's from the Canary Islands 600-800grm and 3-4lbs each. French Turbot, #1 Tuna's, Sashimi gr. Flukes and Cobia's, Norwegian Salmon etc. Similar to us, a lot of orders are custom cut by skilled fish cutters, and delivered to the finer establishments of the city. Is there a cost to flying product in from around the world as opposed to running to the market everyday - certainly yes, but to be the best in a town where the pressure on chefs and restaurants is immense, you have leave the pack (Fulton) behind and commit relentlessly to bringing in nothing but the best product possible everyday without fail. The philosophy is: if the next guy is cheaper fine, buy it from him. Just know that it's not the same as ours...bottom line.

The restaurant scene is, as you'd imagine, first rate. The one noticeable menu distinction is that most good restaurants have a raw/crudo section to their menu. Whether it's Italian, French, or American, it's become the way to do things and not just for Japanese style restaurants. Sashimi style fish, minimally altered, and true to form. With maybe a touch of oil, or good salt you'd find raw whole split Scampi from Scotland, Wahoo, Opah, Fluke, Escolar, Razor Clams, Tuna etc. For mains, very simply cooked fish on the bone if possible: Branzino's, Wild Striped Bass, Wild Black Bass, Tilefish (Golden Spotted Bass), Snappers, Mullets and John Dory's.

In a city where outwardly it seems the rule bigger is better, when you're dining it's definitely less is more. Quite simply it goes like this: buy the best, barely do anything to it, and charge a fortune for it. That being said, when you're right in the middle of this enormous one of a kind city, in a perfect restaurant with a perfect drink in front of you, there really is nothing quite like the experience of stunningly fresh, down to earth, simple seafood.

All for now..

Paul

NYC to Toronto

2007-01-04T14:03:00.000-05:00

In typical fashion, we're always looking for new ideas to keep our customers at the top of their game in Toronto. Being one of the most culturally diverse cities on the planet, a Torontonians' minimum expectation is that anything and everything in the world be continually available to them, with minimal effort required to find it. That's what makes Toronto special - you really can find it all here. That's our identity. We may not be famous for our own sandwich but we are famous for the fact that if any sandwich exists anywhere in the world, there's a spot in Toronto where you can find an authentic version of it - and probably many.

Hence, we've travelled to Australia, New Zealand, Europe, our own 2 coasts and beyond to bring back the true spirit of many local seafood traditions and make them available here. Now we're headed to NYC, arguably one the top culinary destinations in the world, and quite the seafood town too, to see what's on the menu and where it came from. We'll be at the New Fulton Market when it opens early a.m. sorting through all the fish, we'll be driving out to Long Island to see some top notch Oyster growers, and we'll be eating seafood all over Manhattan. Because, at the end of the day, if we can do anything better here to differentiate our customers and keep them the top dining destinations in not only Toronto, but Canada and the world - then we do it. Besides it keeps things interesting and exciting and that's what life is about.

Paul

No fish in 2048?

2006-11-07T09:02:00.000-05:00

Seafood observers and industry players awaited the fallout after a widely publicizedstudy in the journal Science made dire warnings about the future of the seafood industry. But some experts say the study will not have a major impact on consumption and consumer attitudes.
“Will consumers take notice? I guess some probably will,” Mark Ventress, chilled marketing controller at Young’s Seafood, told IntraFish. “But if you look at the growth of the [seafood] market lately, you have to expect it’s going to continue to be strong.”
Seafood companies need to take notice, however, he said.
“We absolutely need to reflect the reality of this article – and how people will view it – in our plans and attitudes about the future,” Ventress said.
The study – and its intense media coverage – will ratchet up pressure from consumers for seafood companies to act in environmentally sound ways, said Jessica Wenban-Smith, communications director for the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).
“An article like this really makes the issue come alive for people, makes them realize how urgent it is,” Wenban-Smith said. “People will demand more choice in the marketplace. It is already happening. They’re going to demand to know whether or not the seafood they’re buying is sustainable even more than before.”
Other industry observers felt the article’s effects will be muted once it fades from the front pages of newspapers.
Sustainable fishing is already an important and widely acknowledged issue, and one article isn’t going to make a tremendous difference to the industry, said Mattias Keller, managing director of the German Fish Processors Association.
“Most consumers know how important this is,” Keller said. “A report like this doesn’t shock anyone. It’s just another reason to push for more protections."
Richard Stavis, CEO of Stavis Seafoods in Boston, doesn't think the story alone will transform the industry or public opinion. "As is true with mercury, the issue is too complex to be captured in a sound bite," he said.
Stavis cited the fact people continue to eat chicken, despite reports of how chicken are treated inhumanely while they are being raised. "Consumers who choose to accept this article at face value have many seafood options," he said. "It’s easy to find species that are not being depleted or that are farmed responsibly."
As we move further into the future, Stavis says aquaculture will continue to provide more seafood for the masses.
"I’m not sure that this is a bad thing. We’re having turkey in our home for Thanksgiving this year. I’m able to buy it very cheaply and it is very high quality," Stavis said. "If I chose to, I could buy a wild or an heirloom turkey for a more unique and complex dining experience. I’d pay a lot more, but it’d be a fair value for what I’d got as well. There are markets for both products, and each has found its price point, balancing demand, availability, and the cost of production.
"I suspect that wild-caught fish and seafood will always be available, but that it will be sought after by discriminating consumers willing to ay a premium for it."
It seems highly unlikely commercial fishing will end by 2048 due to lack of fish,said Gunnar Knapp, a professor at the University of Alaska who studies the seafood industry. He recalled a silviculture course he took at Yale Forestry School where the professor was fond of saying: “It isn’t a question of will there be trees, it’s a question of what trees there will be.”
"I suspect the same principle applies at least to some extent to fisheries ecological systems," Knapp said. "As far as combating the perception that the oceans are running out of fish and commercial fisheries need to be shut down, I don’t know how you can combat this. There’s no easy solution. It’s a continuous task for industry, and probably one of growing importance."

Red Drum

2006-10-26T15:33:00.000-04:00

New Product arriving the week of November 6th. Red Drum or Redfish (Sciaenops Ocellatus) from Maritius Island, South-Western Indian Ocean at a place called Pointe aux Feuilles. This is a tremendous specie, great raw or as the famed "Blackened Redfish" popular in New Orleans. It has a distinctive black spot towards the tail which clearly separates the Red Drum from the similar but poorer quality Black Drum.
We will have Fresh Fillets, skin-on, bone-out, belly-off, approx 1.5lbs each for $12.95/lb.

This product should be consistently available week-in week-out so it'd be a great menu item and very unique to this market; when the wild Gulf fishery virtually collapsed in the '80's, availability became scarce.

Our Red Drum is sustainably raised in strict compliance with Organic Fish Farming (Guarantee of NO growth hormones, antibiotics, land animal feeds, or GMO's).

Enjoy,

Paul