Buying fish/frozen fish, shellfish online

[JoNorvelleWalker]

20 minutes ago, cdh said:

Easton/Phillipsburg looks like it was industrial back in the day... and doesn't the Delaware continue up into NY state where GE and friends used it for waste dumping, like they did the Hudson? 

 

The book The Founding Fish by John McPhee goes into the issue of pollution on the Delaware.  I don't own a copy but when I'm at work tomorrow I will try to look into it.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

2 hours ago, cdh said:

Easton/Phillipsburg looks like it was industrial back in the day... and doesn't the Delaware continue up into NY state where GE and friends used it for waste dumping, like they did the Hudson? 

 

Rereading the article in The Economist, shad are in the Brandywine for the first time in 300 years.

 

[Katie Meadow]

2 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

The book The Founding Fish by John McPhee goes into the issue of pollution on the Delaware.  I don't own a copy but when I'm at work tomorrow I will try to look into it.

 

I read that book years ago and remember really liking it. But then I like almost everything McPhee writes

[JoNorvelleWalker]

@cdh the stretch of the Delaware north and south of Lambertville is a Nationally designated Wild and Scenic River.  Pretty for people, favored by shad.  Excellent spawning grounds.*

 

The Millstone River near me is not so fortunate, even though George Washington spoke highly of the Millstone while he lived here.  We have to make do with being a Scenic Byway, a State Park, and a National Historic Trail.  No shad.  Poachers continue to take clams from the Millstone for NYC Chinese Restaurants.  This is illegal.  The Millstone is polluted and it is where my drinking water comes from.

 

Years ago when my finances were not as constrained I favored Rhine wines.  And I always hoped to visit the Rhineland someday before my death.  On a business trip in 2005 I finally got to see the Rhine with my own eyes.  I was crushed.  The Rhine is not as beautiful as the Delaware.  And contrary to Wagner they are Danube maidens, not Rhine maidens.

 

 

*My son and daughter-in-law met tubing in the Delaware at Lambertville.

 

[lindag]

On 5/17/2020 at 2:46 PM, gfweb said:

Anybody know these guys?

https://wildalaskancompany.com/

I received my second order from Wild Alaska today.  I got the Wild Combo which consists of 12 total pieces:  Salmon, Halibut and Cod.  The quality is wonderful and it arrives in one day, still frozen solid in dry ice.  I bough at white fish combo last Summer and I'm happy to order more.

 

[lindag]

In case you might be tempted, Wild Alaska has a Spot Prawn available for a limited time.  You just need to add it to your order.

[weinoo]

On 6/11/2021 at 6:10 PM, lindag said:

I received my second order from Wild Alaska today.  I got the Wild Combo which consists of 12 total pieces:  Salmon, Halibut and Cod.  The quality is wonderful and it arrives in one day, still frozen solid in dry ice.  I bough at white fish combo last Summer and I'm happy to order more.

 

 

I received my first order combo this week.  So how do you deal with the salmon to keep it somewhat moist?

[lindag]

I cook salmon and steelhead all the time.  I usually just broil it for a few minutes on the meaty side, l perhaps undercooking it slightly.

[KennethT]

3 hours ago, weinoo said:

 

I received my first order combo this week.  So how do you deal with the salmon to keep it somewhat moist?

I was thinking about ordering from them too.  I don't think I've ever cooked coho or any other wild salmon - I've always gotten the farmed atlantic stuff which has a higher fat content.  For that, I would cook it SV to a core temp of 102F in a 115F water bath.  I 'calculate' how long it takes to get there using @vengroff's sous vide dash app - you basically put in the starting temp, bath temp and thickness and it does the rest.  You could also use the tables on @DouglasBaldwin's web page - but admittedly, I haven't visited site in a long time, so I don't know if it's still there.  Anway, when time, I take the bag out of the bath, take the fish out and torch the top - to me, it's perfect - just cooked enough to flake but really moist, but with a bit of a gradation towards the edge so it's not mushy.

[heidih]

44 minutes ago, KennethT said:

I was thinking about ordering from them too.  I don't think I've ever cooked coho or any other wild salmon - I've always gotten the farmed atlantic stuff which has a higher fat content. 

Wild varies in fat, time of year. The wild I've had from Alaskan fishermen brought back frozen has been incredible.in flavor.  No one size fits all.

[weinoo]

54 minutes ago, KennethT said:

I was thinking about ordering from them too.  I don't think I've ever cooked coho or any other wild salmon - I've always gotten the farmed atlantic stuff which has a higher fat content.  For that, I would cook it SV to a core temp of 102F in a 115F water bath.  I 'calculate' how long it takes to get there using @vengroff's sous vide dash app - you basically put in the starting temp, bath temp and thickness and it does the rest.  You could also use the tables on @DouglasBaldwin's web page - but admittedly, I haven't visited site in a long time, so I don't know if it's still there.  Anway, when time, I take the bag out of the bath, take the fish out and torch the top - to me, it's perfect - just cooked enough to flake but really moist, but with a bit of a gradation towards the edge so it's not mushy.

 

All good for the farmed atlantic stuff - which is probably purchased fresh.  This stuff, obviously, comes frozen, and with certain cooking methods can end up dry.  I generally defrost overnight in fridge before cooking - sometimes I go very low heat in the steam oven, which works nicely. I also like to smoke it in the gin donabe, but there you end up with a different end product.  It's fun to do trial and error.

 

I've always had good luck with the halibut, just cooking it till it barely flakes. I think all of this stuff benefits from, once defrosted, about 1/2 hour with a dry brine - basically salt. 

 

I find it nice to have these individual portions in the freezer; if in a hurry, they defrost very quickly in cold running water. And with something like ikura in the fridge, I can make a quick chirashi with 3 or 4 kinds of (cooked) fish. 

[palo]

Wild Alaska Company has gotten some play on here - got this email:

 

Last call! Join today and level up on your summer meal plan with our healthy, sustainably sourced seafood and receive a free pound of Spot Prawns. Save a total of $50 on your first 2 boxes of Wild Alaskan seafood and we'll include a pound of delicious Spot Prawns in your first box! But hurry, this offer will be gone tomorrow!

Promo code:

PRAWN50

If this is of interest   p

[KennethT]

Enablers, all of you!!!  Just ordered a wild combo box... should arrive by the 25th...

[Shelby]

13 minutes ago, KennethT said:

Enablers, all of you!!!  Just ordered a wild combo box... should arrive by the 25th...

I've been wavering all day.  I told Ronnie about it and I didn't get a very favorable response lol.   We have a lot of fish...but that's SUCH a good deal.  And spot prawns!  And salmon.....Even if I just did two boxes......  However it is HOT here and the shipping makes me nervous.

[lindag]

23 minutes ago, Shelby said:

I've been wavering all day.  I told Ronnie about it and I didn't get a very favorable response lol.   We have a lot of fish...but that's SUCH a good deal.  And spot prawns!  And salmon.....Even if I just did two boxes......  However it is HOT here and the shipping makes me nervous.

I really don't think you need to worry...they overnight it with dry ice.  I'm sure if it arrived less than perfect they would replace it; their customer service has been stellar.

Go for it!

[weinoo]

I don't want to enable you either, @Shelby. But it will arrive in fine condition; I you might mention where you live and how hot it is where the shipment is going, just to be on the safe side.

Edited June 20, 2021 by weinoo (log)

[Smithy]

Enablers, indeed. I just placed my first order, to include those prawns. 

[KennethT]

My box is out for delivery.  In it are 4 coho salmon, 2 sockeye salmon, 2 halibut and 4 cod... plus the pound of spot prawns.  Now I've got to research what to do with the coho and sockeye salmon - I've never made them before.  And the spot prawns too!

[gfweb]

On 5/14/2021 at 5:03 PM, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

The book The Founding Fish by John McPhee goes into the issue of pollution on the Delaware.  I don't own a copy but when I'm at work tomorrow I will try to look into it.

 

Great book by a great nonfiction writer.

 

[Smithy]

My first shipment from Wild Alaskan Company arrived today.

 

 

I am impressed with the packaging. The seafood was thoroughly frozen. The packaging is all recyclable or reusable. They are careful to warn about the dry ice in the plastic bags that lurks under the top lid: use gloves!

 

They also stress the ways the packaging can be reused or composted or recycled. I particularly like the idea of simply dissolving the insulation in water and using it on the garden.

 

 

The main attraction, of course, is the fish itself. Here's what arrived, all in lovely condition:

 

 

10 packages of Coho salmon; 2 packages of Pacific halibut; 4 packages of Pacific cod; 2 packages of Sockeye salmon. Each package contains enough fish for 2 people. Then there are 2 packages of those lovely-looking Spot prawns. Like others before me, I'll have to research a way to show them to best advantage. I think each prawn package could feed more than 2 people.

 

Will we keep it up? I don't know. It's a struggle to get my darling to eat fish except when it's battered and deep fried, or when it was flipping in the water only a couple of hours before. (In that case it needs pan frying.) This may be too much seafood for the two of us for one month. I also wonder about taking business away from our "local" fishermen who spend months in Alaska and then bring / ship their produce back here, to be sold in our local markets.

 

Regardless of whether we follow through on this subscription, I'm very impressed with the apparent quality of the product, and the thought that has gone into the program.

 

[heidih]

Wow impressive, That is quite a big haul. Looking forward to seeing your preps on Dinner & Lunch. 

[weinoo]

23 hours ago, KennethT said:

Now I've got to research what to do with the coho and sockeye salmon

 

They seriously cook fast.  I'm thinking, based on my most recent experiment, that poaching (at around 170℉) is the way to go. Sous vide too.

[KennethT]

51 minutes ago, weinoo said:

 

They seriously cook fast.  I'm thinking, based on my most recent experiment, that poaching (at around 170℉) is the way to go. Sous vide too.

I was definitely going to do it SV. That was a given in my head.  The question is what to do flavor-wise.  I gather the coho is pretty mild, whereas the sockeye is quite strong, so that will play into it.

[KennethT]

9 hours ago, Smithy said:

My first shipment from Wild Alaskan Company arrived today.

 

 

I am impressed with the packaging. The seafood was thoroughly frozen. The packaging is all recyclable or reusable. They are careful to warn about the dry ice in the plastic bags that lurks under the top lid: use gloves!

 

They also stress the ways the packaging can be reused or composted or recycled. I particularly like the idea of simply dissolving the insulation in water and using it on the garden.

 

 

The main attraction, of course, is the fish itself. Here's what arrived, all in lovely condition:

 

 

10 packages of Coho salmon; 2 packages of Pacific halibut; 4 packages of Pacific cod; 2 packages of Sockeye salmon. Each package contains enough fish for 2 people. Then there are 2 packages of those lovely-looking Spot prawns. Like others before me, I'll have to research a way to show them to best advantage. I think each prawn package could feed more than 2 people.

 

Will we keep it up? I don't know. It's a struggle to get my darling to eat fish except when it's battered and deep fried, or when it was flipping in the water only a couple of hours before. (In that case it needs pan frying.) This may be too much seafood for the two of us for one month. I also wonder about taking business away from our "local" fishermen who spend months in Alaska and then bring / ship their produce back here, to be sold in our local markets.

 

Regardless of whether we follow through on this subscription, I'm very impressed with the apparent quality of the product, and the thought that has gone into the program.

 

Hmm...  Personally, I don't see how a 6oz portion of fish is enough for 2 people unless you have multiple courses (appetizers, desserts, etc.)  For the two of us, I usually make about 3/4# of salmon to go along with rice or orzo, typically.

[KennethT]

9 hours ago, Smithy said:

My first shipment from Wild Alaskan Company arrived today.

 

 

I am impressed with the packaging. The seafood was thoroughly frozen. The packaging is all recyclable or reusable. They are careful to warn about the dry ice in the plastic bags that lurks under the top lid: use gloves!

 

They also stress the ways the packaging can be reused or composted or recycled. I particularly like the idea of simply dissolving the insulation in water and using it on the garden.

 

 

The main attraction, of course, is the fish itself. Here's what arrived, all in lovely condition:

 

 

10 packages of Coho salmon; 2 packages of Pacific halibut; 4 packages of Pacific cod; 2 packages of Sockeye salmon. Each package contains enough fish for 2 people. Then there are 2 packages of those lovely-looking Spot prawns. Like others before me, I'll have to research a way to show them to best advantage. I think each prawn package could feed more than 2 people.

 

Will we keep it up? I don't know. It's a struggle to get my darling to eat fish except when it's battered and deep fried, or when it was flipping in the water only a couple of hours before. (In that case it needs pan frying.) This may be too much seafood for the two of us for one month. I also wonder about taking business away from our "local" fishermen who spend months in Alaska and then bring / ship their produce back here, to be sold in our local markets.

 

Regardless of whether we follow through on this subscription, I'm very impressed with the apparent quality of the product, and the thought that has gone into the program.

 

Mine came in in a similar fashion - the dry ice was fully intact.  In fact, I left the dry ice in the box (after taking the fish out) and it was still mostly htere this morning too!  How does one dispose of dry ice?  I know that it will sublimate on its own, but that leaves my apartment filled with a blanket of CO2 on the floor (CO2 is heavier than air).  I'd rather not open up the windows - first of all, the external windows are like 100 years old and I'm afraid if once I open it, I won't be able to close it (the building has plans to renovate them soon).  Also, the apartment is well sealed - there's even a rubber gasket between the hallway door and frame.  There is an exhaust in the kitchen and bath, but since very little makeup air can get in, that means you won't have a lot going into the exhaust.