Poor wild-salmon season in Alaska hasn't deprived me completely of this great fish

Summer seafood: Soft-Shell Crabs, fresh wild Sockeye are unbeatable in the heat

THE PERFECT LUNCH? Two Soft-Shell Crabs, sauteed in olive oil and smothered in garlic, came with roasted potatoes and a steamed vegetable medley at Seafood Gourmet, the fish market-restaurant in Maywood.

MEATY SEAFOOD? We need a new word to describe crabs with a lot of, well, crab, besides "meaty," a reference to beef or other meat.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- Summer can bring oppressive heat, but the season also offers great eating for pescetarians and other seafood lovers.

Fresh, wild Sockeye, King and Coho Salmon are widely available in markets, and Soft-Sell Crabs are on the menu at Lotus Cafe in Hackensack, Seafood Gourmet in Maywood and many other restaurants. 

IN THE CASE AND ON THE PLATE: At Seafood Gourmet, Soft-Shell Crabs are available in the market, lower left, and in the BYO dining room, where my filling lunch was $18. The fish-market restaurant is at 103 W. Pleasant Ave., Maywood. Closed Sundays. With less than 40 seats. reservations are recommended for dinner (201-843-8558).

AT LOTUS CAFE: Our dinner for 3 included bite-sized Soft-Shell Crabs with Ginger & Scallion ($22.95), above; Filet of Sole in Garlic Sauce ($17.95), Fried String Beans Szechuan Style ($11.95), Boiled Seafood Dumplings ($7.95), and Pork & Pickled Cabbage Soup for 2 ($5.95).

SALT & PEPPER: We're planning to return to Lotus Cafe to try Salt & Pepper Soft-Shell Crabs. The Chinese BYO is at 450 Hackensack Ave., in the Home Depot Shopping Center, and is open 7 days.

FRESH WILD SOCKEYE SALMON: My favorite way to eat a leftover Sockeye Salmon Fillet is right out of the refrigerator on toasted slices of Dave's Killer Bread, an organic loaf sold at Costco Wholesale in Teterboro, spread with pesto or Dijon mustard, above and photos below.

SMOKED WILD SALMON: An over-the-top Sockeye Salmon sandwich includes silken slices of Kirkland Signature Wild Alaskan Smoked Sockeye Salmon from Costco, above and below.

AMAZON PRIME DEALS: Last week, fillets of fresh, wild Sockeye Salmon from Alasaka were $13.99 a pound at Whole Foods Market in Paramus or $6 off per pound for Amazon Prime members.

STOVETOP GRILL: I preheated a stovetop  grill that straddles two burners over a medium flame, added spray oil and cooked serving pieces of Sockeye Salmon for 3 minutes skin-side down and then another 3 minutes on the other side for medium-rare. I topped them with organic Mexican-style salsa, heated separately, and fresh herbs from my garden.

Lovers of fresh, wild salmon from Alaska won't find any at Costco or most markets

Costco Wholesale in Teterboro usually gets beautiful fillets of fresh, wild sockeye salmon from Alaska in the first days of June. This year, those shipments have been delayed. Above, Kirkland Signature frozen Alaskan Sockeye Salmon, which is available year-round, but doesn't compare in any way to the fresh fish.

Editor's note: The 2020 wild salmon season at Costco saw less sockeye available than 2019, which was far better than the 2018 season described here. As in 2019, when fresh sockeye salmon fillets were available from early June through early October, some previously frozen sockeye salmon has been available after that. The opening of the 2020 season in June was delayed and fresh fish often was available on only 1 day or 2 days a week. 

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

TETERBORO, N.J. -- Costco Wholesale's fresh seafood buyer said in 2018 that New Jersey members shouldn't expect to find any fresh, wild sockeye salmon until Father's Day weekend.

"It is rough," Lyle French said from Costco headquarters in Issaquah, Wash.

He noted the mouth of the famed Copper River, which supplies the first fillets of fresh, wild sockeye salmon sold in Costco warehouses on the East Coast, hasn't been open for fishing consistently.

On June 2, 2018, a newspaper is Kenai, Alaska, reported, "Several major river systems are seeing paltry returns [of Pacific salmon]."

"The poor numbers have led to closures and cutbacks to sport and commercial fisheries," according to the Peninsula Clarion.

In Alaska, the salmon-harvest season began on May 18, 2018.

Whole Foods Market

If you can't wait for fresh, wild salmon to arrive at Costco, head over to Whole Foods Market in Paramus, where you'll find the best seafood counter in North Jersey.

On Thursday afternoon, I saw a single fresh, wild Sockeye Salmon fillet ($39.99 a pound) and several pieces of fresh, wild King Salmon ($49.99 a pound), both from the Copper River.

The fishmonger explained the price is so high because it includes airfare that brings the wild salmon to the store the day after they are caught.

My trip wasn't a total loss: I picked up Organic Grapes for $2.49 a pound and Organic Fuji Apples for $1.99 a pound -- lower prices thanks to the Amazon takeover.

CONSOLATION PRIZE: At Costco on Thursday, I bought a fillet of fresh, wild Pacific Halibut ($17.99 a pound), which I prepared with organic spinach, pitted olives, Campari Tomatoes, capers, grated cheese, lemon juice and fresh herbs from my garden. See a how-to video on preparing another Fish & Vegetable Medley, below:

Teterboro Costco

On Thursday morning, the Costco warehouse in the Teterboro Landing shopping center off of Route 46 offered  artificially colored farmed Atlantic salmon raised with harmful antibiotics, some of it marked "kosher."

Other farmed salmon fillets from Norway were antibiotic-free, though still artificially colored. 

Instead, I purchased a fillet of fresh, wild-caught Pacific Halibut for dinner tonight ($17.99 a pound).

Last year, sockeye fillets from the Copper River arrived at the Teterboro Costco on June 5.

I grilled them on the stovetop, and served them with fresh herbs and a reduction of organic diced tomatoes.

See: 

From 2017: Fresh wild salmon lands
 at Teterboro Costco

BRAND NEW BAGS: Earthbound Farm has reverted to using plastic bags to package Organic Mixed Greens sold at Costco, but splits the pound of triple-washed salad between two 8-ounce bags ($4.79). The hard plastic clamshell, which held 1 pound and replaced a single plastic bag a few years ago, took up a lot of space in the refrigerator. The old name was "Organic Spring Mix."

INSTANT SAVINGS: I took advantage of instant savings on Season-brand Sardines in Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Twelve cans were $9.49 or about 79 cents a can. Six Glide Dental Floss dispensers were $8.99 after instant savings of $4.

ORGANIC PASTA: In Teterboro, I saw this variety pack of Garofalo Organic Penne and other pasta shapes, but not the Garofalo Organic Spaghetti sold at the Costco Business Center in Hackensack.

MUSICAL MELONS: Costco members thumped and slapped large watermelons like drums before finding one with a pleasing sound and placing them in their carts ($5.99 each). My strategy is to find the biggest and heaviest one.