You won’t find very many recommendations on this blog for frozen foods. Especially fish. Although Trader Joe’s stocks a wide variety of frozen fish, I’m usually disappointed. The fish is usually watery and cooks up dry and not all that tasty. But I was stopped in my tracks when I saw this box of Morey’s Wild Caught Alaska Salmon (I think I bought it at Trader Joe’s, not Costco). I rarely buy farm raised salmon, or hardly any other farm-raised fish. After watching a documentary some years ago about how those poor creatures are raised in very confined beds, having to eat their own poop, I consciously decided not to buy the stuff. So, when I see a label that says wild caught, I home in.
In the photo above you can see the cooked product (larger photo). In the photo that I inset at the left you can see the exterior of the box and down below are two of the individually sealed fillets. When you defrost it, it’s ready to cook, marinated and everything. There are six in a box. Remove the fillet from the plastic sack and place on a baking sheet (I lined it with foil), bake 15-22 minutes and you’re done. It was very nice. I overcooked it a little bit (18 minutes), but the flavor was delicious. I suggest you try it, if it’s available near you.
And now I’ll tell you about another product I buy via mail order. Albacore Tuna. For some years we’ve been warned about the mercury in tuna, so I started buying tuna from Carvalho Fisheries (Pacific Northwest) because they only catch small albacore tuna. These fish are still young, so haven’t ingested as much mercury. Carvalho’s tuna is deliciously tasty stuff. It’s what I use when I make Joanne Weir’s Sicilian Tuna Salad.
Yes, it’s expensive. Certainly more money than we pay at the grocery store for albacore (the albacore hold more mercury than other of the tuna species). But their tuna contains a fraction of the mercury as we’d get from the grocery store brands. I buy it by the case and it lasts me many months. But then, I only make tuna salad sandwiches every couple of months. I also buy Carvalho’s smoked albacore. A special treat. I have fond memories of time with family friends years ago. He used to catch tuna and have it smoked. It was a frequent offering for appetizers – with small rings of red onion and Ritz crackers. Delish. (tuna photo from Carvalho website)
May 28th, 2008 at 2:27 am
Like you, I am highly suspicious of farmed fish. We are being told here that it is better to go for ‘line caught’ rather than dredged fish and ‘hand caught’ scallops too.
We seem, suddenly to be able to buy Alaskan Wild Red Salmon and it is truly delicious, especially when compared to the flabby farmed stuff so cheaply avaialble. Yes it costs more but it also has more flavour so one doesn’t need so much. I’d far rather look forward to having it as a special treat, less often.
As for Tuna, I can’t express an opinion since it is the one fish I dislike, so don’t eat it.
We are told that so many species are in decline, such as Cod and quite a few others - is it the same in USA?
May 28th, 2008 at 8:47 am
I think cod is also one of those fish that we’re being warned about - if we keep eating it at the present rate, it will be on the endangered list. It’s still available (more in east coast markets, since cod isn’t native to our west coast waters), but not as much. Probably our most endangered fish is Chilean Sea Bass. It was all the rage at restaurants and fish markets for some years. It’s a wonderful tasting white fish. Unfortunately, the fishermen have so overfished them, it’ll be a miracle if they ever come back. And sometimes fishermen in other countries are not as ecologically minded, so they continue to fish for them anyway. Occasionally I see it at our local upscale fish market, but I won’t buy it, even though I’d like to. Some other South American countries are trying to farm them to help the variety to flourish in other nearby waters. Only time will tell whether it will be successful or not.
And yes, our salmon is really great stuff. There’s an area in Alaska called Copper River. We’re able to buy FRESH Copper River salmon for about 2-3 weeks a year. I seek it out when I can. And did you know that the redder the flesh of salmon, the more it means those fish have eaten shrimp?
May 28th, 2008 at 9:00 am
We have a problem with Sea Bass too and are being told to buy Pollock and Pollack and Brill. I’m uncertain if these are indigenous to British waters or are intenational. I bet it hurts to leave the sea bass in the store?
I had thought that perhaps the glorious colour of the salmon was to do with their diet and I’m glad that you have confirmed it for me. They are such glorious things to look at and eat.