Market Report

Summer is the Season for Seafood

There's no better time of year to find good values on seafood. Catches in a number of fisheries peak in the summer — and that usually means the lowest prices of the year. Of all the fisheries, none is more seasonal than the Alaska salmon fishery, where the bulk of the catch comes in two short months. This summer, look for some

good buys on sockeye, or red, salmon. Typically, most sockeyes go to Japan, but the Japanese are not showing much interest this year. As a result, prices are running about 20 percent less than last year. Sockeyes are second only to kings when it comes to oil content, so look for some for your barbecue.

Blue crab fishermen on the Chesapeake were off to a good start early this summer, which drove prices down to their lowest level in a few years. Hopefully the good catches will continue, so if you live on the East and Gulf coasts, plan on steaming some blue crab up this summer.

Hot Buy: Speaking of crab, king crab has been a great buy so far this year. The wholesale price of big red king crab legs fell below $9 a pound late this spring. The last time king crab sold that cheap, gasoline could be purchased for about $1 a gallon. On hot days, serve some icy, cracked king crab legs with a little lemon butter. Or split some legs and grill them. Baste them with a peppery, basel-infused for a real treat.

Halibut and Maine lobster will be plentiful all summer, but don't expect any great buys on these seafood delicacies. Demand is simply too strong from the restaurant trade again this year. Still, even at their current prices, plan on serving these treats at least a few times this summer.

Shrimp is always a good buy in summer, as both coldwater and warmwater shrimpers are busy. Big (21 to 25 per pound) white shrimp are an especially good buy, as wholesale prices are still under $5 a pound, well below their historical average. The price of smaller (41 to 50 per pound) white shrimp has come up a bit, but they remain a very good buy, as supermarkets are often promoting them at $3.99 a pound. On the coldwater side, prices are at their lowest level in more than five years, in spite of the rising fuel costs to fishermen. Good catches off Newfoundland are the reason you can buy cooked and peeled coldwater shrimp for under $5 a pound at your local fish counter. Plan on stocking up now and using them in your summer salads and sandwiches.

If you live on the West Coast, look for good buys on fresh albacore tuna all summer long. With king salmon trolling cut way back, a lot more fishermen are targeting the small, low mercury albacore, which migrate north from Northern California to British Columbia through the summer. They're excellent barbecued and later in the summer, when the fat content is higher, they also make great sashimi.