Week of July 21, 2025 - Small World Seafood Update

Hello everybody!!

I know it's hard to believe it and I almost don't want to say it but we are more than halfway through the summer! I mean, seriously...Who sped up the clock here. This year is flying by...geesh...

You know, a lot of people that I meet, when they find out what I do, ask me which restaurants I thing are really good. Philly is famous now across the country for its vibrant food scene, for sure. Lots of very, very good places around. Not cheap but really good. But, to be honest, my response usually is that the most innovative and experimental cooking going on in the city is really in the homes of the people we sell to. 

You. 

You guys are playing with a variety of fish that no resto compares to. Think about. From otoro to mackerels to cheeks to poke bowls to chowders to pasta dishes to tacos to crab cakes to octopus to unagi, etc, etc, etc. You guys are taking risks that most restos would not. When people ask me if I still do wholesale to restaurants, I tell them that we serve a few friends and that's it. A chef may call me to discuss us doing some business with them. Most start off with a question like "How much is your salmon?". Right away, I know I don't want to deal with them. Why? Well, you would ask "What is the QUALITY of your salmon?" Big difference. You guys are aiming for the best quality and will go out of your way to get it. And that's what I love about all this. We get to play in that space. I am not trying to diss restaurants. Not at all. They are a business after all and they can do whatever they want. I respect that. But I respect more you guys appreciating quality first and having fun making pretty stuff. Bravo. Keep sending us pics of what you make. We love that..

Okay, onto the fish for the week! Waters around us have been extremely warm and the fish turn pretty quickly with all this heat so let's more north for stuff, shall we? First up, from Canada, fresh sushi grade Albacore tuna! One of the smaller species of tuna but also one of the fattiest. Great for poke bowls, great to sesame crust, great prepared in a sauce or poached in oil!

Also from Canada, specifically Nova Scotia, we got a large shot of halibut at the end of the week last week and blast froze a bunch! When the supply is high, the quality is high and the price is low. Perfecto! So we got enough to be able to have it around for a few weeks (hopefully)!

And just for fun, it's nice to combine different parts of the same fish in our offerings. Kind of like when we sell hamachi loin and collar. Well, this week, not only will we have halibut but we'll also have halibut cheeks!!! Such a nice delicacy to cook up. A flavor like halibut and a texture like scallops! Super cool stuff...

From Maine, we have Boston Mackerel fillet! I love this fish for the flavor and ease. A small mackerel with a very mild flavor. Great to grill, pan sear, ceviche..heck..you can even smoke it or pickle it! And so healthy for ya..

Faroe Island salmon this week, for sure. Hokkaido scallops this week, for sure. Both sushi grade even if you buy it frozen..Branzini butterflied, rock shrimp, head on shrimp, fresh lobster claw and knuckle meat....lots of other goodies...

And along with fish meatballs in pistachio pesto cream sauce as well as 'crab boil' empanadas, this week we have more letttuce from Sussex fresh in Delaware! From the tilapia farm that recycle the nutrient waste to fertilize the greenhouse lettuce, this variety is called Summer Crisp! Green leaf, large leaf and a really nice crispy texture. And, as it is with this phenomenal lettuce, super long shelf life of a few weeks and incredible taste. The best lettuce I've ever had...

You see? How much fun we can have?

PEI mussels are the shellfish of the week....Pair with Settentatre Pasta Co's organic fresh spinach linguini for cheapest meal ever!!  Summer Loves are the oysters from PEI ... 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