Happy Birthday, Scallops and Black Cod

Happy Birthday!

I can hardly believe 4 years has gone by!  We've met so many wonderful people that we are proud to call our friends.  Last Saturday we celebrated our 4th anniversary with our neighbors, Viande Rouge celebrating 4 years, and Johns Creek Wine and Crystal celebrating 3 years.  With all of us celebrating together we put on a great party!

Here's what it looked like before the crowds arrived:

You simply can not beat the barbeque supplied by Meating Street BBQ.  Their giant smoker was packed full of chicken and pork and, of course, salmon, rainbow trout and shrimp.  Delicious!

We had a jumping house for the kids which kept them entertained all afternoon while parents shopped, ate and tasted wine.  Johns Creek Wine and Crystal provided a free wine tasting:

Several suppliers of seafood sauces sampled their wares.

Yes, this is Reggie Kelly, former Falcons player, sampling his Kyvan products and talking football!

Ben Wade kept us rocking all day as we ate, drank and celebrated life.  Thanks to all our great friends, suppliers, neighbors and employees for a simply amazing afternoon.

Fin Mail from Sara Lym

I meant to drop you a note earlier about the scallops we bought in Johns Creek this weekend. OMG they were fantastic!  We bought 1.5 lbs, pricey but totally worth it at the end.  

I've only had experience cooking with the frozen ones...they're a mess to defrost, a mess to dry off, still watery when cooking, and cooks down to nubs.  Bleh.Now that I know it's the material and not the cook, we'll definitely be back for more scallops soon.  Addicting!! :)

You may have tried our scallops and loved them like Sara Lym did, but you might not know why ours are so spectacular.  Have you ever put your scallops on the grill or in a hot pan to sear them?  And when you did, did they just pour out water and never get to a good sear?  Want to know why that happens?  They are "wet" scallops - soaked in sodium tri-polyphosphate (often found in laundry detergent).  This chemical helps the scallop soak up water which increases their weight (and costs you more) and to increase their shelf life.

 So, unless you like your scallops soggy with a dash of chemicals, stick with ours.  They may cost a bit more but they are worth every penny.

This Week's Special - One of my favorites! Black Cod aka Sable 

My supplier has a special shipment of hook & line day boat black cod (aka as Sable or butterfish), from Prince Rupert on Vancouver Island coming in this week. These wonderfully fatty fish are not easy to get fresh because they are typically frozen and sent directly to Japan where they are preferred over Chilean sea bass because of the much richer and sweeter flavor.  In fact, about 20 years ago, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council cut the quota of black cod by 85%.  When black cod was no longer available to the Japanese, they began buying Chilean sea bass, a virtually unknown fish, as a substitute.

And finally,
Milestones like anniversary parties give you the opportunity to take stock.  4 years ago even my landlord was skeptical that I could make a seafood market a success.   Well, if truth be known, it wasn't just me.  It was all of us - all of you who gave me advice and criticism and ideas and encouragement.  We've come a long way in four years.  I can't wait to see what happens in the next four.  Thanks for everything.

Blessings,
Kathleen