Market Report

Spring Buys

• Spring is Here …
  Spring is a time of renewal – from tiny tender asparagus shoots to the first fresh strawberries of the year. And it's a great time to enjoy some seafoods that are suddenly available as fisheries open and improving weather increases landings. Fresh halibut from Alaska and the Pacific Northwest hit the stores in March and will be available until November, when the last boats catch their quota. While halibut catches will be about the same as last year, prices continue to edge higher as demand for this superb whitefish grows throughout the country.
• Lobster Time…
  May is the best month of the year to buy live lobsters. The season opens May 1st off Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick and supplies should be very good at a time of the year when demand from summer resorts has yet to kick in. So look for special prices and promotions most of the month. Lobsters make a great Mother's Day treat, so make plans now.
• Salmon Season Opens
  Fresh wild salmon will also start showing up in greater quantities as the troll fishery for Oregon kings opens in April, followed by the famous Copper River king and sockeye fishery in late May. Don't expect any special deals on this fish, though, as limited supplies and soaring demand will keep prices high. Still, a four–to six–ounce portion is all you need to satisfy your appetite for these rich fish, so shop accordingly. All these wild salmon are great choices to kick off the grilling season. Troll kings from California will be hard to find this year, however. Fisheries managers are saying they may not even open the fishery, as they have to protect the threatened Klamath River runs.
• Solid Softshell Crab Season…
  Late spring is also the first chance to enjoy fresh softshell blue crabs from the Chesapeake Bay. Fisheries biologists in Maryland are predicting another solid season, so prices for these deep–fried delicacies should be relatively reasonable. A mild winter should mean crabs will emerge form the mud and into traps earlier than usual.
• Canadian Snow Crab…
  A mild winter also means that Canada's snow crab fishery was set to open on schedule in early April. Look for prices at your supermarket to be lower than last year, as processors want to move production through the distribution system as quickly as possible. Last year, processors held onto high–priced inventory and watched painfully as prices steadily plummeted throughout the year.
• Try Some Sablefish…
  If you want to try a new fish that's in season, ask your fishmonger to get some fresh sablefish (a.k.a. black cod). The same boats that fish for Pacific halibut also catch sablefish from March to November. Although most of the catch is still frozen and exported to Japan, more of this exceptionally tasty fish is being sold fresh in the U.S. It's not cheap, but it's worth the price. Try marinating it in a sake, miso marinade with fresh ginger before you put it on the grill.