Introduction to Seafood 101

I'm JD and I sell Flash Frozen Fresh Fish at ReFreshingly Fair Fare plus other Premium Seafood, Meats and Pasta over the Internet from www.jdseafoodexpress.com and on Amazon.com. The 'others' include Kobe Beef, Piedmontese Beef (the beef that's good for your heart with less fat and cholesterol than skinless chicken breast) and Joseph's Gourmet Pasta.

I will be talking about such things as EZ seafood recipes (feel free to submit your favorites), The International Seafood Show (direct from the show floor), sustainability, health issues and other various topics. But, to start off, I'd like to briefly talk about the economy and some of what it's doing to the seafood business.

There are many issues in the housing and banking industries resulting in banks curtailling their lending activities which ripples through the entire supply chain. Consumers are less willing to spend and suppliers have less credit to finance their business coupled with a higher risk that their customer may not be able to pay. Who knows how it will all shake out. But, many restaurants are offering lower priced meals using cheaper species, reducing portion sizes or raising prices. And Church Fish Frys are now serving more Pollock than Cod.

Have you driven by your favorite restaurant lately ? There were probably less cars in the parking lot than you are used to seeing. People are eating out less and at home more. They also are trading down from Chilean Sea Bass, etc. to Tilapia and Pollock - I'm currently offering Wild Pacific Pollock boneless fillets @ $ 2.50 per pound. An oddity is the lobster - lobster prices are at historic lows but sales have not increased as simple supply and demand would expect. One reason may be the perception people have of the lobster - something to be enjoyed only on special occasions.

People are trying to cutback and save money during these uncertain economic times. While people are eating at home more often, one issue seems to be people's lack of confidence to cook seafood at home. And what's wrong with seafood in your Brown Bag lunch ?? A couple of reasons why I will write about EZ seafood recipes in this blog.

I grew up in Lorain, Ohio and Friday night was Lake Erie Perch fish frys at the local churches and clubs. Many people who have sampled Lake Perch in the Midwest still crave them - one of the reasons I ship Lake Perch (plus Canadian Walleye and Lake Superior Whitefish) all over the Country.

Here is my favorite EZ recipe for Perch or Walleye:

1 lb perch (or walleye)

2 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1-2 sleeves Club crackers or Italian bread crumbs, flour, etc

salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoons Olive Oil for frying

Pat fish dry with paper towel. Combine eggs and milk. Roll crackers or bread crumbs in sandwich bag with rolling pin until fine. Dip fish in milk-egg mixture and roll in crackers/flour, salt and pepper. Place in hot skillet and cook until golden brown.

Later

JD