Hello Everyone!
Well, something inside of me woke up a couple of days ago and insisted that it really should be spring by now... and is repeatedly (and crankily) noticing that this winter situation is both ongoing, and not what we want or deserve. I'm past ready for more light, more warmth and more... outdoor grilling!! :D Sadly, it's still dark and cold and the grill needs a good power washing before any edible food item gets near it. But - not to 
worry! I remembered I had a grill pan! Do we all have this fun kitchen item?? I can't remember why it ever got pushed to the very back of our pan cabinet, (where it languished for a couple of years - oops) but I'm newly hooked on the beautiful faux grill marks it makes on my fishes and it's sort of taking the edge off my yearning. A little bit.
This week we're keeping it classy with one of my favorite, elegant and easy fishes - fresh swordfish! Swordfish is our Featured Fish, and will be specially priced at $16.99 lb. through Sunday or while supplies last. We have a couple of excellent recipes to share... one that's quick and easy (we'll make the sauce for you!) and one for when you feel like crafting dinner. Read on for all of the details!
In the case this week we are looking good on all fronts - the ocean flattened out a bit and allowed for some lovely fresh stuff to hit the list. We have the full compliment of white fish, including fresh true cod, fresh rock cod, fresh petrale sole, fresh ling cod, fresh sablefish and Alaskan halibut. Our salmon this week are our Frozen-at-Sea wild Alaskan king and silver salmon, fresh Quinault steelhead, and we have *one* fresh winter troll king from Alaska due in on Friday morning. There's plenty of local and live clams, mussels and oysters, as well as live Westport Dungeness crab and live Maine lobster in the tank. Cooked crab, crab meat, salad shrimp, scallops, prawns, calamari and Hawaiian sashimi ahi tuna are all in the case, and (of course) our Featured swordfish will be looking amazing! The fishmongers are cranking out the crab cakes, salmon and cod burgers, and lots of great sauces, dips and marinades to choose from! Halibut bone broth and shucked oysters from our friends at Hama Hama are in the cold case ready to roll... let us know if you don't find what you're looking for and we'll do our best to get it. Louisiana crawfish meat and whole frozen Spanish mackerel are also due in on Friday - come see us!
~Kira
Swordfish
Swordfish are arguably one of the most impressive fish on our amazing planet. I often think of them as the 'saber-toothed tiger of the sea' - a top swimming predator fish that can reach massive size, (over a thousand pounds), but even the small ones have the most remarkable sword-like protrusion as their main defense mechanism. Once swordfish reach maturity there is little in the ocean that stands in their way as they are fast, relatively smart for a fish (they have the extremely rare advantage of a special organ that sits next to their eyes to heat their brain and improve their vision) and when they slash with their bill they're deadly to just about all prey.
The meat of a swordfish is buttery, firm and mild making them a very desirable food fish, and they've been harvested widely since ancient times - mostly by harpoon fishing. With the advent of longline fishing and a global increase in popularity, swordfish populations in the recent past were in a decline, sometimes alarmingly so in areas like the North Atlantic. Fortunately, regulations and education seem to have hit the mark in time, and areas that were struggling in the 1980's and 90's now have fully rebuilt populations. In the Pacific Ocean, stock assessments have been sort of lodged in a 'grey area' and for that reason swordfish are a moderate conservation concern. Additionally, they are large, long-lived, high-fat fish that can contain higher-than-healthy levels of heavy metals if eaten on a regular basis. In an abundance of caution, swordfish should be considered a 'treat' (no more than once a week) and if you are pregnant (or feeding toddlers!) we would encourage you to choose an option like our local salmon or cod. For the rest of us... click over to the recipe tab to browse the recipes!