Butterfly BBQ Shrimp & Seafood News

In This Issue:
Butterfly BBQ Shrimp Recipe - Seafood News - Coupon Code

We have been "enjoying" unseasonally "wet & chilly" weather this late spring. As of yesterday, we went 271 days with the thermomitor under 75F! It must be "global warming"!

We have two shipping weeks until the 4th of July weekend. One of the best ways to spend this day is with food, family & friends. For many years, we have had a "progressive party" starting with brunch at one home, a late lunch at another and dinner at a third. After dinner, we would go and watch the fireworks on Neptune Beach. You can also have your procressive party all at one location, with the seafood preparation being a group effort!

Check out our Recipe Section for 4th of July Seafood Ideas!

Butterfly BBQ Shrimp

This is a fun recipe to do on the grill, but can be broiled as well. The improved flavor and moisture comes from using the shrimp's shell to help hold the garlic/oil/butter combination as well as imparting the flavors of the shrimp shell and BBQ Smoke into the shrimp.

Ingredients:
1-2lbs Wild Ocean Seafoods Wild Gulf Shrimp
4-5 Cloves of Garlic Minced
2-3 Tbsp Oils of Aloha Pele's Fire (Chili Infused) or Kuai Italian Herb Macadamia Oil
1/2 Stick Unsalted Butter
Salt & Pepper to taste
Grill Pan (Optional but very handy)
Basting Brush

Prep: (Mis en Place)
Place the thawed shrimp legs side down on a cutting board.
Using a sharp knife, cut thru the upper shell in a rocking motion starting at the tail.
Gently cut thru the shrimp to the bottom shell, but DO NOT cut THRU the bottom shell.
Remove the vein, place shrimp in cold salted water until use. (20 Minutes)
Mince the Garlic and add to a bowl
Combine with Macadamia Oil & Unsalted Butter - Microwave for 20 seconds and mix well
Pre-Heat BBQ
Remove & Rinse Shrimp from Salted Water Bath, pat dry.
On a plate or shallow baking pan, arrange the Shrimp meat side up.
Using a basting brush, coat each shrimp with Butter/Macadamia Oil/Garlic Mix

Cooking:
Place the shrimp into a Grill Pan and put on BBQ on Medium
Baste shrimp again after 3 Minutes
Remove Shrimp when firm
Baste with remainder of marinade & serve

Plating:
Place Shrimp on plate, serve with Seafood Forks & Side Dish(s)

Enjoy!

Seafood News

Dungeness Crab - Our Dungeness Crab Sections (Clusters) are available in 5, 10, 15 & 25lb sizes. Whole Cooked Dungeness Crab will return in the fall.

Hawaiian Fish - Mahi Mahi, Ahi/Shibi (Yellowfin Tuna), and Ono (Wahoo) are our featured Hawaiian Fish in June! We also have Shutome (Swordfish), Opakapaka (Hawaiian Pink Snapper), Opah (Moonfish) and Hebi (Spearfish) (Opah has been limited in availability for the past month, but we have some on todays plane.

Alaska King Crab - Our Super Jumbo King Crab Legs and Super Jumbo Large Select Portions are ideal for that 4th of July Party big or small! July may be it for the select portion until the fall. We are maintaining our 6/9 grading on King Crab Legs, as a result, every leg averages over 1lb!

Wild Salmon - Wild King Salmon and Wild Sockeye Salmon are always popular for a Summer BBQ. We have both available in 4/6oz, 7/9oz & 16oz portion sizes in 5lb & 10lb order quantities.

Seafood Accessories - From Bibs to Skewers, we have everything in between for the perfect BBQ! This weeks featured Accessories are our Cotton/Poly Crab & Lobster Bibs!
Our Crab & Lobster Style Napkin Adult Bib is made using the same material that blended napkins and tablecloths are made of. These Cotton/Poly Adult Bibs are meant to keep your clothes protected from food spills. It can also be used as a napkin.65% Polyester 35% Cotton Extremely strong long lasting binding. Machine Wash & Dry Snap Neck Closure 18"W x 30"L Available in 6 & 24 Bib Sets

Tom Douglas Spice Rubs - The Rub with Love Salmon Rub "Pounder" is in Stock and we have reduced the price to $19.99 each! Order 2 and the shipping on the second one is only a buck or two extra! If you order ANY 4 Rubs, mix or match, Save 50 Cents per rub! 4 rubs minimum, no maximum - Use Promo Code RUBME

Coupon Codes

Noh Hawaiian Seasonings - Order 4 Seasonings, mix or match and Save 50 Cents per Seasoning, 4 rubs minimum, no maximum - Use Coupon Code NOH50

Tom Douglas Spice Rubs - Order 4 Rubs, mix or match and Save 50 Cents per rub, 4 rubs minimum, no maximum - Use Coupon Code RUBME

Eco Friendly Compostable Plates & Cutlery - Make your next family get together or holiday party Eco Friendly! We have Compostable Plates, Cups and Cutlery in both Bamboo & Corn Starch! Save 15% on Eco Friendly Plate & Cutlery orders over $49.99
- Use Coupon Code ECO15

© 2010 Wild Ocean Seafoods

Healthy Cooking Oils

Macadamia Oil - You may have noticed that we are cooking with Macadamia Oil in all our recent recipes. Yup, we sell the oil! But there is a more important reason; Macadamia Oil is simply the healthiest and most versitile cooking oil avalable. Macadamia is a nut oil that is expeller pressed from newly havested, shell on nuts. This process is calledc"cold pressing" when referring to olive oil.

Macadamia Oil has a shelf life of 20 months after opening and needs no refrigeration. Lastly in the debate between Omega 6 (bad fats as we consume too much in our diet) and Omega 3 (good fats that we generally need more of), Macadamia Oil has the lowest ratio (3:1) of Omega 6 to Omega 3 fatty acids. This ration is 4 times better than olive oil (8:1) and almost the same as canola oil (2.6:1). (Every other cooking oil is off the chart, in fact none except corn oil at a 61:1 ratio have ANY Omega 3's at all!)

Seafood True Species & Weights

There are a lot of articles about Seafood over the past week. Yesterday, the FDA reported it found "short weights" in 17 states of various Seafood products. In one instance a 2lb bag of "shrimp" was 37% ice by weight! (I will bet it was farmed shrimp, it thawed, the water came out of the shrimp and then it was re-frozen)

Wednesday an article in the Seattle Times titled "Food Fraud", various food items are shown to be mis-labled, from Honey to Grouper. We have to shake our heads when a grocery store Seafood Manager cannot figure out what kind of fish is in the display case! Grocery Stores are focused on volume and price when purchasing seafood, less on quality.

We see some of this activity from time to time. Because most of out products are pre-portioned by weight and vacuum packed, our customers are protected from buying "ice" instead of Seafood. In the case of items we do not process ourselves, we have many years of history with our partners. The families that own these businesses have reputations literally decades long of maintaining quality standards and fair weights and grades.

Work is picking up in the Salmon Fleet. The trip north usually begins around Fathers Day for most of the Bellingham & Blaine WA based vessels. Right now, pre-haul out maintenence is being done to the gallys, refrigeration and rigging. Most of the seine net tenders are having their preventive maintenance as well. Over the next 6-7 weeks, most of these boats will complete their haul outs and Coast Guard inspections.

Wild King Salmon AKA "Springers" should start running the Columbia River this week. As we bring these fish in, look for them on The Fresh Sheet.

About Ventresca & King Salmon Ventresca Recipe

Ventresca di Tonno - Originally the Italian/Sicilian name for Bluefin Tuna Bellies, it is also known as "Toro" in Japan & Hawaii. The word "Ventresca" meaning from the ventrical or belly is considered the "filet mignon" of large ocean going fish. This cut of any large pelegic fish contains tremedous amounts of Omega 3 Oils.

Its popularity over the past few years has extended from traditional preparations such as Sushi to fusion cuisine from both east and west. In Washington, Oregon & Alaska, Smoked Salmon Bellies are considered a delicacy (Ventresca di Salmone Affumicato)

(I think we can charge more for it in Italian ;-)

Among the most popular fish for Ventresca are Yellowfin Tuna (Shibi/Ahi), Big Eye Tuna (Ahi), King (Chinook) Salmon, Coho Salmon & Pacific Steelhead (Wild, not farmed). Generally most ocean going fatty fish 15-20lbs and up yeild excellent Ventresca.

In consumer friendly forms, this is usually been available only in cans. We have smoked King Salmon Ventresca as a Once Frozen Fresh item under the more mundane "Smoked King Salmon Strips" designation. This season, we will be offering King & Coho Salmon Ventresca both Smoked and Natural as a Frozen Item.

One of the best ways to enjoy Ventresca is with Pasta. It is a simple, flavorful dish that can be completed in the time it takes the pasta to cook.

Ventresca di Salmone Reale (King Salmon Ventresca)

This preparation favors wider noodles such as Linguine, Penne, or Fusilli Pasta.
We recommend you use Ronzoni, Barilla, or De Cecco pastas. No point in ruining a great dish by saving 50 cents on the pasta!

Ingredients:

Plan on 4-8oz of Ventresca Per Person

2-3 Tbsp Olive or Macadamia Oil

1-2 Cloves of Garlic

1 -2 Tsp Dry Parsley or 1/4 Cup of Fresh Italian Parsley

1 Tsp Red Pepper Flakes or to Taste

Salt & Black Pepper to Taste

Prep (Mise en place)

Thaw the Ventresca in the refrigerator overnight or under cold water in the sink

Chop or slice garlic cloves and set aside

Chop fresh parsley

Bring pasta water to a boil w/3 tsp of salt

Pre-Heat a Sautee' Pan to medium with olive or macadamia oil

Cooking

Add pasta to boiling water

Add sliced/chopped garlic to pan

Add Ventresca with the skin on (it will come right off after cooking if you want)

Sautee Ventresca for a couple minutes

Add pepper flakes

As the Ventresca cooks thru, large white lines will show in the meat.

Add parsley and toss or stir

Just before the fish begins to flake, you are done!

Plating

Drain Pasta and add to Ventresca, toss together

Serve individually or family style.

Enjoy!

Just for "The Halibut"

Halibut Season has opened in Washington & Alaska. This first of the year Halibut catch sends restaurants into a buying frenzy. It seems that every restaurant menu will have it featured, as to ignore the opening might reflect poorly on their establishment. The net result of this are stratospheric prices for the first couple of weeks, with prices sliding down to "normal" after week 3 or 4. So, just for the "halibut", we are offering our skin on 7/9oz Once Frozen Fresh Halibut fillets at a special price, so you too can avoid the 40 buck a plate restaurant fare.

Just for the "halibut" :-) save 20% on any Halibut Fillet order 5lbs & up -
Use Coupon Code HAL20

On the subject of "Season Openings & Closings" we have decided to offer Fresh Fish, shipped on Thursday for UPS Overnight Delivery on Fridays. For the past few years, we have picked up our Alaska & Hawaiian Fish from Air Cargo at SeaTac Airport in Seattle on Thursday Mornings. This placed the arrival back at our facility in Ferndale WA between 11:30am and 1pm. We would then finish processing and freezing the fish on Thursday & Friday for Shipment Frozen on Monday. Due to recent schedule changes in Air Freight, we can actually pick up our fish on Wednesday afternoons instead. This will allow us to ship pre-ordered Fresh Fish on Thursday for Overnight Delivery on Friday. Same fish, new fish, and one time specials, but instead of Once Frozen Fresh, it will be shipped without freezing. Look for The Fresh Sheet this Friday. All orders placed from Fridays thru Close of Business Mondays will be shipped on Thursdays for Friday Delivery. There is a 5lb Minimum, mix or match from The Fresh Sheet and Overnight Shipping is Mandatory.

Seafood Sustainability - Who to believe?

There has been a lot of "news" or more appropriately "buzz" in the Seafood Industry over the past few months that is striking close to home. We do recognize that the general tone regarding Wild Salmon has been an advantage to us and many other companies focusing on Wild Seafood. Most recently, two separate items have caught our attention:
1. Yukon River King Salmon "Buzz"
2. Frazier River Sockeye Salmon to be "Certified" as "Sustainable".

So, lets get started with item #1. The Yukon River is one of the longest rivers in Canada.. yup, Canada. It is true that it's headwaters are in the USA, but the majority of the river system is in Canada. Lately the "buzz" has been to buy "Yukon River King Salmon" because you are "helping the local population". The fact is, that the Yukon River King Salmon are suffering from a parasite called Ichthyophonus hoferi. This is the first known Wild Salmon population to contract this parasite. If the water is just a couple degrees warmer than normal, the parasite presents itself in the fish with little white spots in the heart and liver, and large grayish white lesions in the meat. In years that the parasite presents itself, large numbers of fish perish in mid journey and do not spawn. (This parasite has been found in Pacific Herring populations previously). As a result, populations of Yukon King Salmon have dropped significantly, to the point that there are no longer enough fish to operate the one remaining processing plant. That's why WE don't sell Yukon River King Salmon. You can read a good article on this at Your YUKON. This problem has been with the Yukon River King Salmon for a long time. The article link is from 2000, but it is written in English and gives a good background. If you want more detailed info, just type "Yukon king salmon disease" in google.

Item #2 is a REAL head shaker: About 12 years ago, large scale mining began near the head waters of the Frazier River System in British Columbia, Canada. Over the past 8 years, populations of returning Sockeye Salmon have plummeted by 90%. This has forced the closure of the Frazier River Sockeye in every year since 2006. Since the Sockeye return every 4 years, it does not take a rocket scientist (although it looks like we are going to have a surplus of those soon) to figure this out. IN SPITE of the plummeting return rates, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is poised to certify this fishery as "sustainable"! You can read the entire article about this in The Atlantic. So, it now appears that if you have enough money, you can put "the blue MSC bug" on any kind of fish and sell it to WalMart! Note: Even the Canadian Government objects to this certification and are currently scheduling hearings on this fishery's collapse.

Our Take - If the elbowing by various "Sustainability Advocates" reminds you of politics, it should. There are more than a dozen of these organizations who regularly issue press releases relating to Seafood Sustainability and Health. This naturally brings forth the political, environmental, and social biases of each group. These press releases are often fashioned into some sort of op-ed/news hybrid and delivered by the media with a snappy headline. Of course, these "stories" are not, in the main, written by individuals with any scientific background. So, pick your poision! You likely know just as much or more than the person writing the article!

Aussie scientists find coconut-carrying octopus!

Australian scientists have discovered an octopus in Indonesia that collects coconut shells for shelter - unusually sophisticated behavior that the researchers believe is the first evidence of tool use in an invertebrate animal.

The scientists filmed the veined octopus, Amphioctopus marginatus, selecting halved coconut shells from the sea floor, emptying them out, carrying them under their bodies up to 65 feet (20 meters), and assembling two shells together to make a spherical hiding spot.

Julian Finn and Mark Norman of Museum Victoria in Melbourne observed the odd activity in four of the creatures during a series of dive trips to North Sulawesi and Bali (These two places are about as far apart north-south as you can get in Indonesia) between 1998 and 2008. Their findings were published Tuesday in the journal Current Biology. Read More>

What we know:

Octopus are very intelligent but "messy" creatures. The easiest way to find them is to look on the bottom for a "trash dump" of crab, clam, shrimp and mussel shells. This will generally be within a foot or two of the Octopus nest. In Washington State, the Giant Pacific Octopus (Octopus dolfleni) is the worlds largest Octopus. At the Seattle Aquarium, a maintenance worker used to use a flashlight at night to spot one of the octopus in the tank. After a few weeks, the octopus could recognize the worker day or night and express its displeasure by squirting ink and moving away at her approach. (no flashlight required). Off Alki Beach in Seattle WA, the Boeing Seahorse Diving Club "re-tasked" 8 old toilets into a photo circle in the late 60's. One of these toilets still had its seat attached. When an octopus was found near the toilet photo circle, it sped off, entered one of the toilets, and reached up and closed the lid!

The brain of the octopus is not in the big central sac containing it's organs & beak, but distributed from the central ring out and thru the arms. There is quite a bit of scientific dispute regarding the "intelligence" of the octopus. Some consider it about as "smart" as a lab rat, while others consider it on par with a higher mammal.

Whereas the article above would indicate that this is "unusual intelligent behaviour", there are crabs that find and carry their own "hats". These crustaceans, called sponge, collector and decorator crabs, carry things on their backs as camouflage. When sponges are in short supply, sponge crabs don whatever they can find. Hawaii's sponge crabs have been seen carrying rubber slippers and pieces of rope, wood and metal. If researchers offer nothing better to a captive sponge crab than a piece of paper, the crab will cut itself a neat hat and pin it in place with those needle like legs.

So, who is smarter? The sponge crab or the octopus? Is the behaviour of the Indonesian octopus unique or just unique to the observers?