Hey seafood lovers! Now, because I enjoy connecting folks to great food and helping people discover new flavors, I asked the fishmongers over at The Lobster Place (from the video below) if they could put together a list of some pretty cool seafood items that they carry in-store – things that seafood fans might not find in other shops that sell fish in New York City. Below is a treasure chest of ocean fresh options that they came up with – items that their restaurant clients/chefs enjoy as well:

1.       Head-on Blue Shrimp (New Caledonia) – Super sweet…perfect w/ a generous sprinkle of sea salt and then sautéed over high heat with a little butter and olive oil.

2.       French Bottarga (Dried Mullet Roe) – Salt-cured, dried and waxed to preserve freshness.  Clean, briny, caviar-like taste. Shave it onto pastas or salads!

3.       Spanish Squid Ink – great for making that perfect batch of paella.

4.       Laughing Bird Shrimp (Belize) –  From a family-owned, eco-friendly aquaculture system,  soft & tender w/ a great balance of sweetness & brine.

5.       Widows Hole Oysters (Greenport, LI) – Clean, crisp brine and perfectly plump meat. As local as oysters can get here in New York. (I did a story on them last year!)

6.       Blowfish Tails (Maryland) – Mild, sweet flavor similar to monkfish – dredge in flour, pan sauté in butter and garlic and eat like a mini drumstick.

7.       California Uni – Silky, buttery & sweet. A favorite of many customers and the perfect way to impress any dinner guest.

8.       Kippered Salmon (Samaki Smokehouse, New York) – Hot smoked – moist, flakey texture & very rich, fatty flavor.

9.       Pink Snapper (Maryland) – Firm/flaky flesh with a moist texture and mild, sweet flavor.

10.   Irish Organic Sea Trout (Clew Bay, County Mayo) – Cultivated by a co-op of Irish farmers committed to raising fish sustainably, this certified organic sea trout delivers a firm, flaky texture and high fat content rich in Omega-3’s.

11.   Fresh Portuguese Sardines – why buy them canned when you can eat them fresh off the grill. Just add a little sea salt, olive oil and a squeeze of lemon.

Thanks again to fishmongers Ian and Brendan for their personal recommendations. Hope it gets you to their stores and excited for trying something new at your dinner table… Happy eating!