In this week’s exciting Market Update, Bill has the latest on Shad, Ramp, and Soft-Shell Crabs. He also shows off a new product from the artisinal Canterbury Cure line.

Bill traveled to Ippolito’s Seafood to see what they were up to for Mardi Gras. Turns out, they’re serving some tasty Mardi Gras inspired Crawfish Fries and are running awesome Mardi Gras themed specials this week!  Watch this short video to learn more!

Love is in the air! Valentine’s Day is almost here, and Bill is feeling the love. He set out to deliver Valentine’s Day cards inspired by the latest updates in the seafood industry. Bill has updates on Salmon, Chilean Sea Bass, Hawaiian Kanpachi,, and more!

The Feast of the Seven Fishes is an Italian-American celebration of Christmas Eve. Family and friends gather to share a meal comprised of seven (or sometimes more) seafood dishes. The dishes may vary from family to family, but you will likely find an array of seafood that includes clams, oysters, mussels, squid, shrimp, lobster, and baccala.

Check out this short video to get caught up on all the latest seafood updates.

First, a quick recap of what delicious Carpaccio is: Carpaccio is a dish of raw meat or fish that has been thinly sliced, or pounded thin, traditionally served with lemon or vinegar, olive oil, salt, and ground pepper as an appetizer. New takes on this old classic continue to emerge and impress, particularly the ones using premium fish. But what does this have to do with a Venetian painter?

Vittore Carpaccio was born in Venice to the son of a leather merchant. A pupil of Lazzaro Bastianti, Carpaccio was one of the early masters of the Venetian Renaissance, with his most well-known works being created between 1490 and 1519. He is primarily known for his large urban scenes and his use of vivid colors, particularly red.

Fast forward a few centuries to 1950. Countess Amalia Nani Mocenigo was under orders from her doctor to not eat cooked meats. She visited a famous restaurant in Venice called Harry’s Bar and asked the chef if he could prepare her something she would be able to eat. Taking her need to eat raw meat into consideration, the chef created a dish of thinly shaved raw meat in a cream sauce. The owner of Harry’s Bar, Venetian restaurateur Giuseppe Cipriani, named the dish Carpaccio because the red meat reminded him of the red used in Vittore Carpaccio’s paintings.

And thus a delicious dish was born! Like many other dishes, Carpaccio has evolved throughout the years and has expanded beyond just meat. Take Rafols Bacalao Carpaccio, where they’ve taken the original idea of thinly sliced pieces of meat and applied it to fresh, wild-caught Icelandic Codfish. Their Bacalao Carpaccio is salted for three months before being desalted through a time-tested process that leaves the fish tender with a bold, cured flavor.

While we may never know what Vittore Carpaccio thinks of his namesake dish, one thing is certain: Carpaccio is delicious! If you enjoy sashimi style fish, give the Rafols Bacalao Carpaccio a try – you won’t be disappointed!

Contact your sales rep for more information about Rafols Bacalao Carpaccio.

For more information about Vittore Carpaccio click here.

The holidays are here and Samuels is ready to supply you with the freshest,tastiest seafood around. This time of year is always very busy for everyone, so we encourage you to place any large, frozen, or specialty orders you have early.

Bill has updates on a few great products that are on special this month for Samuels’ account holders. He’s talking Wild Isles Salmon, Canterbury Cure Smoked Salmon. Giant Head on Prawns, Lauren Bay Squid, and the always delicious Border Springs Lamb.

Watch the 90 second video below to get caught up on all the latest updates for the week.

In episode 6 of Fish Tales Network, we’re talking about this tasty treat. Samuels offers a variety of mushrooms: Chontrelle, Black Trumpet, Brown Beech, and more!

Check it out: