Costco comes through with wild seafood: Fresh Sockeye, King Crab + Lobster Tails

Fresh, wild Sockeye Salmon Fillets, grilled on the stovetop and topped with organic diced tomatoes and fresh herbs from my garden, above and below.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- Tonight, I'm planning to make a big dinner of fresh, wild Sockeye Salmon grilled with ripe peaches and topped with pesto and garden herbs.

My wife just called from Costco Wholesale in Teterboro, where the skin-on fillets are $14.99 a pound -- $2 less than when the first-of-the season sockeye appeared on June 16.

I grill serving portions of the wild salmon on a stovetop grill, skin side down for about 4 minutes, then flipping them for an additional 3 to 4 minutes for medium.

On my wife's last visit to Costco six days ago, there was very little fresh sockeye to choose from -- only two trays, each weighing more than 2 pounds, and I asked her to buy another wild fish instead. 

On Tuesday, I saw fresh, wild sockeye at Whole Foods Market in Paramus for about $29 a pound.

More than $550 cash back

Meanwhile, I received and cashed my 2% reward certificate from Costco on renewal of my Executive Membership, which now cost $120 a year.

The certificate was for $192.56, covering purchases in the Teterboro warehouse and the Costco Business Center in Hackensack. 

That was in addition to the $365 in cash rebates I received in February by using Costco's no-fee Visa credit card to buy gasoline (4% back), restaurant meals (3% back) and travel, plus food and other items at Costco.

Shrink-wrapped trays of fresh, wild Sockeye Salmon Fillets showed up at the Costco Wholesale in the Teterboro Landing Shopping Center off of Route 46 for the first time this year on June 16.

Costco's Seafood Road Show also was visiting the Teterboro warehouse on June 16, a Saturday. Wild Cooked Red King Crab Legs and Claws ($22.99 a pound), above, and Wild Cold-Water Lobster Tails ($21.99 a pound) were among the frozen seafood available.

On June 17, Father's Day, I used the one Red King Crab Leg and one Claw I bought to make a salad with chopped sweet pepper, onion and celery, dressed with Dijon mustard, fresh lime juice and cumin, and added fresh mint and other herbs from my garden.

I also made a dressing for the Cold-Water Lobster Tail from herbs combined with more Dijon mustard, fresh lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, bread crumbs and sesame seeds. The tail weighed 1.29 pounds, as much as a small lobster. I removed the meat from the shell and baked the tail in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes until it was cooked through but tender. The tail served 3 with Red King Crab Salad and other food.

My wife returned to the Teterboro Costco on June 20, but found only two trays of Fresh, Wild  Sockeye Salmon, both with more than 2 pounds of fish. So, I asked her to buy Fresh Wild Haddock from Iceland ($8.99 a pound), which I baked in a preheated 400-degree oven for 15 minutes with Organic Spinach, Campari Tomatoes, pitted black olives, leftover herb dressing from the lobster tail, grated cheese, fresh lemon juice and extra-virgin olive oil.

Food shopping: Amazon cuts some prices at Whole Foods, Costco members yawn

At Whole Foods Market in Paramus on Tuesday, shoppers saw price cuts on bananas, above, and Organic Marinara Sauce, below, shown on signs that attributed the lower prices to Amazon, the natural-food chain's new owner.

The price-cut signs say, "Whole Foods Market + Amazon."

Amazon Prime members

 may be getting special deals

-- HACKENSACK, N.J.

By VICTOR E. SASSON

EDITOR

I've never believed competitors' propaganda that you'll blow a "whole paycheck" shopping at Whole Foods Market.

I spend most of my food dollars at Costco Wholesale (I joined in 1996 at the Hackensack warehouse), and also go to ShopRite, Korean supermarkets and Trader Joe's.

But I've always relied on Whole Foods for great prices on salsas, organic whole-wheat pasta, marinara and other products sold under its budget 365 Everyday Value line.

The Paramus store in the Bergen Town Center shopping mall also boasts the best fresh and previously frozen seafood counter in all of North Jersey, including fresh fish from Jersey shore fleets.

And in the past few years, I've gone to Whole Foods for wild-caught Gulf Shrimp after I stopped buying Costco's low-quality Black Tiger Shrimp, farm raised in Vietnam. 

The Whole Foods fish-counter employees will devein the shrimp, a service you can't find at other supermarkets.

And the Paramus store also has a nice selection of wines under $10, like the bottle of Carta Vieja Carmenere from Chile I picked up on Tuesday for $5.99.

I've also downloaded the Whole Foods Market App to my smartphone to alert me of weekly sales and coupons.

For dinner on Tuesday, I oven baked 2 pounds of wild-caught Gulf Shrimp from Whole Foods Market in Paramus with organic kale, fresh tomatoes, pitted black olives, capers, grated cheese, fresh lemon juice and extra-virgin olive oil -- finding most of the other ingredients at Costco or ShopRite. After assembling the ingredients on parchment paper in a large pan and placing the pan in a preheated 400-degree oven, the shrimp were ready in 15 minute.

Whole Foods + Amazon

When I first heard the news of the Amazon-Whole Foods Market merger, I shrugged, and this week's announcement of price cuts on bananas, organic marinara sauce and other items elicited a big yawn.

I didn't scour the Paramus store on Tuesday, but the lower prices I saw on conventional and organic bananas still didn't beat the Costco Wholesale in Teterboro or the Costco Business Center in Hackensack.

Looking at a list of Whole Foods price cuts reported by Bloomberg.com, I remain unimpressed:

For example, "responsibly farmed" Atlantic Salmon Fillet is being cut to $9.99 a pound from $13.99, but I can buy fresh wild Sockeye Salmon at Costco for the same price ($9.99 a pound).

And Organic Large Brown Eggs At Whole Foods were cut to $3.99 a dozen, but Costco sells 2 dozen for only $5.99.

"Together, we'll pursue the vision of making high-quality, natural and organic food affordable for everyone," Amazon and Whole Foods pledged.

You'll find a much longer list of Whole Foods price cuts here.

Most of all, I'd like to see lower prices for fresh, wild-caught seafood at Whole Foods.

At Costco Wholesale in the Teterboro Landing Shopping Center off of Route 46 in Teterboro, fresh Wild Sockeye Salmon Fillets were selling for $9.99 a pound on Tuesday, above. Troll-caught fresh Wild King Salmon was $14.99 a pound, below. At Whole Foods, fresh wild Coho Salmon was $19.99 a pound on Tuesday.

Amazon Prime discounts?

When I was buying wild shrimp at the Paramus Whole Foods on Tuesday, I overheard an employee telling another customer Amazon Prime members may be getting special discounts in the store, but that won't happen for a couple of months.

I usually buy wild Gulf Shrimp when I see a sale or coupon on the Whole Foods App.

But on Tuesday, I paid full price, $19.99 a pound, knowing my Hyatt Credit Card offered a $20 statement credit, if I used the card to purchase $50 or more at the Paramus store (through Sept. 25).

A bottle of Chilean wine ($5.99) and 1-pound boxes of Organic Whole Wheat Shells and Fusilli ($1.49 each) brought my total to $50.46. 

Food shopping: Your melon needs a belt, salmon bounty, veggie burgers, fish balls

Costco Wholesale in Teterboro was offering several brands of seedless watermelons last week, including one that urged shoppers to "protect your melon" and "buckle up," above. The label also shows a body with a melon head wearing a seat belt.

Yum-Yum! was another brand sold at the Costco warehouse store off of Route 46 in the Teterboro Landing Shopping Center.

-- HACKENSACK, N.J.

By VICTOR E. SASSON

EDITOR

We're at the height of the season for fresh wild salmon, sugar-sweet seedless watermelons, Jersey peaches, plump blueberries and other great "summer foods."

Unfortunately, no single warehouse store or supermarket can satisfy my family's need for them and offer great prices, too.

So, me and my wife continue to make the rounds at Costco Wholesale in Teterboro and Costco's Business Center in Hackensack; H Marts in Little Ferry, Englewood and Ridgefield; H & Y in Ridgefield, part of another Korean supermarket chain; and ShopRites in Paramus, Englewood and Hackensack.

When I posted this, I also should have mentioned our occasional visits to Whole Foods Market in Paramus for naturally raised meat and wild-caught Gulf Shrimp, as well as moderately priced organic whole wheat pasta, salsas, sauces and beans sold under the 365 Everyday Value label.

I also go to Trader Joe's for good deals on juices and organic sweet potatoes, and uncured, antibiotic-free bacon and hot dogs for the meat eaters in the family.

If nothing else, going food shopping several times a week is good exercise.

NYT Cooking

I've been looking over lots of recipes during a trial subscription to NYT Cooking, but won't be paying to continue.

Sam Sifton, the ebullient editor, doesn't offer much to a senior citizen like me who is watching his cholesterol and weight, and who doesn't eat meat or poultry.

Here we are at the height of the fresh wild salmon season, and I haven't seen a Times recipe for sockeye or any other fish.

Sifton, Melissa Clark and other Times staffers eat lots of chicken, beef and bacon -- without a cautionary note on poultry and meat raised on harmful human antibiotics and growth hormones.

MORE FOR LESS: A bounty of fresh wild salmon means I can buy a bigger fillet at Costco Wholesale in Teterboro. Here, I prepared a reduction of organic diced tomatoes, shallots, garlic, red wine and seasonings, and served the grilled salmon with fresh herbs from my garden and a homemade tzatziki or yogurt sauce (non-fat Greek yogurt, grated cucumbers, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice).

$5 PER PERSON: At $9.99 a pound, a Sockeye Salmon fillet of about 2 pounds yielded eight serving pieces (two for each member of my family) for about $5 per person.

ORGANIC VEGGIE BURGERS: A 3-pound, 12-burger package of Dr. Preager's Organic Harvest Veggie Burgers, made with organic chickpeas, quinoa and vegetables (normally $14.49), was on sale for $10.99 with an instant coupon at Costco Wholesale in Teterboro.

GO FISH: Fish balls made with fillets, shrimp and tofu are sold frozen at the H Mart, 260 Bergen Turnpike in Little Ferry, for $5.99 a pound (and on Sunday, you can try a free sample near the fresh fish counter). I prepared a broth of organic chicken stock, red wine, water sake, sesame oil and seasonings, and added a large bunch of mustard greens, chopped and washed, in the last few minutes of cooking.

WHOLE WHEAT PASTA: Though not organic, Barilla 100% Whole Wheat Thin Spaghetti and 100% Whole Wheat Linguine are on sale for 99 cents (1-pound box) at the Little Ferry H Mart until the end of the year. I also found a 3-pound package of Japanese-style soba or buckwheat noodles made by Danya in Korea on sale for $4.99.

SWEET MEXICAN MANGOES: I've been buying a box of Ataulfo or Champagne Mangoes from Mexico every Sunday at H Mart in Little Ferry. These wonderfully sweet mangoes have grown in size and price. Now, you get 16 mangoes for $12.99.

 SHOPRITE SEARCH: I'm searching for a ShopRite to replace the disorganized store in Paramus, where I've been stopping on the way home from the gym two or three days a week. Today, I went to the Hackesnack ShopRite, above, and couldn't find much. The store carries yams, but not sweet potatoes, and didn't have any Jersey peaches. Other produce was priced higher than I'm used to from the Paramus ShopRite and Little Ferry H Mart.

NATURAL COLD CUTS: At the Hackensack ShopRite, I did find Black Bear-brand Smoked Ham and Herbed Turkey Breast, both raised without antibiotics, at $4.49 for a 7-ounce package, right.

FOR GARLIC LOVERS: We've been buying 3-pound pouches of peeled Christopher Ranch California Garlic from Teterboro Costco ($8.99), but the cloves sometimes get moldy before the "best by" date. Today, I boiled 3 pounds of yams and lots of garlic cloves from a new bag, then drained and mashed them with extra-virgin olive oil, adding cinnamon, curry powder, red-pepper flakes, black pepper and other seasonings.

Two other brands of seedless watermelon sold at the Teterboro Costco, above and below. The melon grown in Maryland or Delaware invites shoppers to "experience the local flavor," above.

Eating In: Delightful summer foods, plus a $230 cash rebate from Costco Wholesale

At home, I plated grilled fresh wild Sockeye Salmon Fillets, accented with Basil Pesto and refreshing Greek Yogurt, alongside grilled ripe California peaches for a wonderful summer dinner. All of the ingredients came from Costco Wholesale in Teterboro.

-- HACKENSACK, N.J.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Sasson Report is taking a short break, but you'll find links to some of my most popular posts at the end.

By VICTOR E. SASSON

EDITOR

I just made another batch of tzatziki, the refreshing Greek yogurt sauce I've been serving alongside those wonderful wild sockeye salmon fillets I buy at Costco Wholesale in Teterboro.

In fact, the grilled Fresh Wild Sockeye Salmon with Ripe Peaches, Pesto and Tzatziki we enjoyed last Tuesday (photo above) was made almost exclusively with ingredients from Costco, 2 Teterboro Landing Drive, in the Teterboro Landing Shopping Center off Route 46.

Although the first sockeye from the Copper River in Alaska began arriving at the Teterboro warehouse on June 5, I think of wild salmon, Greek yogurt, Basil Pesto and fragrant California peaches as summer foods.

Today, I picked up more fresh wild sockeye for dinner tonight, and noticed that Costco lowered the price to $15.99 a pound from $16.99, compared to $29.99 a pound at Whole Foods Market in Paramus.

For tzatziki, I use about 16 ounces of Costco's non-fat Greek Yogurt, which is free of saturated fat; thin it with water to make a thick but flowable mixture, add diced skin-on hothouse cucumbers; plenty of minced garlic, a little sea salt, extra-virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, dried dill, and chopped fresh mint and oregano from my garden. 

Low prices, cash back

Another Costco benefit I associate with summer is the 2% Reward Certificate that arrives weeks before my Executive Membership renews on Aug. 1.

My $230.24 rebate check is about double the $120 annual membership fee, up from $110. Gold Star members pay $60, compared to $55 before.

The annual fee went up on June 1 for the first time since 2011.

In February, I received other cash rebates from my Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi, totaling about $260.

That was for using the card to purchase gasoline (4% back), restaurant meals and travel (3% back), and items from other stores (1% back).

Here, tzatziki accents Crab Cake Minis from Phillips Seafood Restaurants, and a wild Alaskan Salmon Burger from Trident, two frozen items available at Costco.  My dinner included Costco's Organic Quinoa, prepared with Organic Diced Tomatoes and chopped fresh garlic in an electric cooker, and Costco's Mexican-style Organic Salsa.

Alongside the bounty of fresh wild sockeye, Costco also sells smoked wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon ideal for egg-white omelets, above and below. The fresh wild salmon is expected to be available through early October, but the smoked wild salmon is sold year-round.

Fresh wild salmon and ripe California peaches on my stove-top grill last Tuesday. I use spray oil, and cook the fish 6 to 8 minutes over a medium-high flame, depending on thickness, turning the serving pieces once.

Today, the Teterboro Costco had far more wild salmon than in previous weeks, and moved the trays to a separate refrigerated case.

 The Sasson Report will return soon

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