Week of October 5, 2026 - Small World Seafood Update
Hello everybody!!
So, guess where I am? I am sitting in a coffee shop in Edinburgh. Have been here for the weekend exploring this beautiful city and enjoying some amazing food. I am on my way to the Faroe Islands to visit Hiddenfjord, our amazing salmon producer. Plus, a more expanded look at this unsual and spectacular archipelago. Super excited about that.
As I sit here and think about what I want to say, I can't escape the thought of choke points. Of course, many of us never used the term in a sentence before this past February. But it is a meanigful concept. The idea that the flow of goods from one location to another can be determined and controlled by one or two points along the supply chain. Points not in the control of the sender nor the receiver. The people who control these choke points yield a ton of power over what gets through.
The reason I bring it up is very much related to seafood. There is good stuff out there. There are people fishing and harvesting good stuff out there. We, the people, want good stuff. All this is clearly self-evident.
The problem, often, is that there are people in the middle making decisions that benefit them and not either of us. Most buyers that work for large suppliers do not want to take the risk to bring in something of better quality which may cost a little more because they fear that most of their cusotmers are driven mainly by price and not quality.
And certainly, I can tell you that supermarkets and restaurants fall mostly in this category. They are motivated by price. I can't tell you how many restos call me for wholesale service and all they want to do is talk about the price of this or that. I practically hang up. It's not questions about the quality of this or that as you and I would. I know those are tough businesses but is it possible they make it tougher on themselves by charging a lot for inferior products? And then they blame the customer for not being loyal..come on..sell good stuff and you'll build loyalty. It's not genius stuff.
Hiddenfjord salmon in the Faroe Islands is second to none. They are the best. You'll wait in line for salmon like this. And yet you rarely see it around. More and more, you do see Faroe Island salmon on menus but it is questionable at times whether they are honest about it. Also, there are other farms in the Faroes that produce more salmon and have more representation riding the coat tails of people like Hiddenfjord. The buyers don't want you to set too high an expectation. I just don't understand that. We SHOULD set a the highest expectation. How can you be proud of what you sell?
Anyway, I will be hanging out with them for a couple of days to see some of the upgrades they have made since the last time I was there three years ago. I can talk about that more next week. Also on the docket, I will be returning to Scotland after this and driving around the highlands then over to the west to, hopefully, meet the people of Kames Steelhead trout. Considered the best produced anywhere and barely anyone bringing it into the States. Ridiculous. I hope to change that.
Anyway, back to this week. If you made it this far in the email, you will be rewarded. We thought we would get halibut but that was a false alarm. What we are getting instead is Opah!!! Moonfish from Hawaii! There are two parts to it. The top rack which you can cook but is excellent for sushi. Or the belly portion which is fantastic roaste or braised. Unique stuff not around very often!
We also will have more cod cheeks back this week. Another item no one sells around here. Yet, we sell over 100lb of it a week when we have it. Clearly we all like it. Choke point shattered.
We have Greenland turbot fillet. Choke point shattered. Boston mackerel fillet. Same again. Black cod fillet. Hokkaido scallops. Butterflied branzini and rainbow trout. See a theme here?
Well, whatever. Subversion is the flint of change. We have our own system we live in, bypassing those who aim to block us from what is good so that they can gather the toll. A very polite middle finger to you..
Fresh pasta with be bucatini this week. That one is always a hit.
And as always, I am still keeping my eyes peeled for something else coming our way. You never know..There are a few possibilities still to reveal themselves....
You see how much fun we can have? I feel it too...
PEI mussels are the shellfish of the week....Pair with Settentatre Pasta Co's organic fresh bucatini for cheapest meal ever!! Not sure about oysters yet... We have labneh and smoked fish..So many good things..
Plenty of crab meat, shrimp, etc....
I know, I know..Lots of words...
Anyway, as usual, I have to thank all of you guys for being in our lives. What an incredible community we live in...
Robert Amar
Small World Seafood
Owner