Grouper, Salmon Burgers and Sunfish
Hey Y'all, Happening Saturday This Saturday we are returning to our SALMON BURGERS for the weekly Grilling and Chilling event for only $10.95 for a burger and slaw. Mouthwatering, eh? |
This Week's Free Wine Tasting: Saturday 3:00-5:00
Last weekend we were all about Burgandy wines. This weekend we move south to the Rhone Valley.
Clos des Brusquieres Chateauneuf du Pape, 2023 - $57.50
Chateauneuf du Pape, Rhone Valley
Winemaker Notes: Hugely aromatic red and dark berry, potpourri and floral scents are underscored by smoky minerality and a suggestion of Asian spices. Sappy, focused and impressively deep yet lively, offering alluringly sweet raspberry, cherry compote and spicecake flavors.
Blend: 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah 5% Mourvèdre, 5% Cinsault
La Florane 'A Fleur' Cotes du Rhone Rouge - $23.95
Southern Rhone Valley, France
VARIETIES; Grenache / Syrah / Cinsault / Carignan
VINES: At 300 meters altitude in clay-rich soils and about 30 years old. VINIFICATION & AGEING: Alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel vats, then aged on fine lees in concrete vats.
TASTING NOTES: Cherry red and highly approachable, this wine has perfect balance. A seductive cuvée at any hour, packed with ripe fruit underlaid by supple rounded tannins. Best enjoyed at room temperature or slightly cooler.
Piaugier Sablet Blanc - $28.97
Southern Rhone Valley, France
Blend: Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Roussanne, Viognier
Wine Spectator - 90
There's honeyed warmth and good mineral depth behind the yellow apple and white tea in this delicious, harmonious white, with good complexity and lusciousness. Drink now through 2028. 60 cases imported
When new customers come into my store I often see the look on their faces when they see the price of our gorgeous domestic Red Snapper and Red Grouper. If I have enough time I do my best to explain why the price is high. One reason is catch limits in the Gulf. While it changes annually based on the fish population, right now the total catch limit for red grouper in the Gulf per year is 7.45 million pounds. That seems like a lot of fish but commerical fishing only gets 59.3% of the available fish. Recreational fishing gets that rest.
Think about that. Commercial fishers provide grouper from the Gulf to the entire country and beyond with only 59.3% of the catch. Recreational fishing is so huge in states along the Gulf coast that each person fishing red grouper recreationally is limited to 2 fish a day. I have never been fishing (a little known fact so don't spread that around) but I am sure that no one pays a fishing boat captain a ton of money to catch only 2 fish. In reality, if you catch more than 2 red grouper you throw them back. No harm, no foul. Right?
Not exactly. A swim bladder is an organ in some fish that allows it to remain buoyant without having to swim constantly. Grouper swim normally in very deep, high-pressure water. When a grouper is pulled from the deep water, the gas inside the swim bladder expands rapidly as the water pressure drops. This expansion, called barotrauma, forces the stomach out of the fish's mouth and the expanded fish bladder will not allow the fish to return to deeper waters. The fish then becomes a prime target for predators as it can only swim on the surface. It's a real problem for the fish and for the fishers whose livelihood depend on a healthy population of fish. In the last decade innovated fishers created a weighted device that can be clamped to a fish's jaw and it automatically releases once it pulls the grouper down to the deep water.
Here's more about the issue and the devices that help fix the problem:
Return 'Em Right - EARN ANOTHER FIGHT
Return 'Em Right's mission is to improve reef fish survival by equipping anglers with the knowledge and gear to confidently and successfully release reef fish. This angler-driven program provides free virtual training that is available to all. Eligible Gulf and South Atlantic reef fish anglers are also eligible for low-cost gear through the program.
It won't hurt my feelings if you skip over all this fishing stuff. To me, anything that supports efforts to increase the supply of wild fish in our oceans is interesting stuff.
What do you think about this? Are you a fisher in the Gulf? Do you use these devices? |
In Our Cases
Fish Mahi Pompano Fillet (Sat.) Amberjack (Sat.) Monkfish Fresh Smelts (Sat.) Pacific Halibut Red Grouper Whole Branzino Red Snapper - 6 oz. Cod - Icelandic Rainbow Trout Chilean Sea Bass Sable Steelhead fillet Swordfish Yellowfin Tuna Verlasso Salmon Wild Coho Salmon Ora King Salmon | Shellfish Wild Georgia Shrimp 26/30(GA) Gulf Shrimp 16/20 Littleneck Clams (VA) Black Mussels Bad Boy Oysters (Nova Scotia) Blue Point Oysters (NJ) Lady Chatterly Oysters (PEI-Sat) James River Oysters (VA) 10/20 ct. Sea Scallops (MA)
Caviar Golden Osetra Caviar Classic Osetra Caviar Siberian Beluga Caviar Kaluga Caviar Salmon Roe (not all products listed online - drop by for full selection!) |
And Finally,
A few weeks ago I shared a picture of my granddaughter, Keira, training for a merchandising position in my store while she finishes kindergarten. She has now taken on the position of Inventory Procurement with a specialization in sunfish from the Stone Mountain Park lake. She's a smart one and will soon be taking over the universe. I'll keep you updated on her progress.
Blessings, Kathleen
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