Steering around the farmed fish at Costco. Plus, first (maybe last) visit to Wegmans

FROM COSTCO WHOLESALE: Fresh, wild flounder caught in the United States turns snowy white when prepared with pesto, organic spinach, tomatoes and pitted olives, above; or with pesto, tomatoes and pitted olives, below. See Victor's Healthy Kitchen on YouTube for how-to videos.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- Let me count the ways I love the wild-caught fish I find at Costco Wholesale.

The refrigerated cases in Teterboro and Wayne offer skinless-and-boneless fillets of Cod from Iceland, Flounder from the United States or Canada; Haddock, Silver Corvina from Suriname in South America, skin-on Ocean Perch and whole Snappers from Panama.

From time to time, I also see thick, wild-caught ahi-tuna steaks, fat fillets of wild halibut; and monkfish, which has the texture of lobster when cooked.

They're the best reasons to avoid the farmed fish you'll see nearby, especially the bargain-basement Farmed Tilapia from Colombia or the enormous slabs of artificially colored Farmed Atlantic Salmon raised with antibiotics and who knows what else.

FROM COLOMBIA TO COSTCO IN WAYNE: Fresh Farmed Tilapia ($4.99 a pound), also known as Saint Peter Fish, is called a "good alternative" by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch when the fillets come from Colombia, but Tilapia fillets from Peru and Ecuador are rated "best choice."

FROM NORWAY TO WAYNE: Costco Wholesale carries two types of Fresh Farmed Atlantic Salmon, including these artificially colored fillets from Norway, where they are raised without harmful antibiotics ($8.99 a pound). However, the best Farmed Atlantic Salmon comes from Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) certified salmon farms, and the Costco label doesn't mention the council.

AT COSTCO IN WAYNE: Fresh, wild Flounder Fillets were $7.99 a pound. With no Sunday blue laws to worry about in Passaic County, I also picked up 7 bottles of Kirkland Signature red wine, including Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Rioja Reserva.

FROM CANADA TO WAYNE: Fresh, wild Ocean Perch Fillets were $5.49 a pound on Sunday at the Costco Wholesale, 149 Route 23 north, in the Wayne Towne Center mall.

FROM SOUTH AMERICA TO WAYNE:  Fresh, wild Silver Corvina is an unusually meaty fish when cooked ($8.99 a pound).

FROM PANAMA TO TETERBORO: My wife bought fresh, whole wild-caught Snappers from Panama at the Costco in the Teterboro Landing Shopping Center, 2 Teterboro Landing Drive; wrapped them in foil with sweet peppers, garlic, onions, tomatoes and seasonings, and baked them for 1 hour. Delicious.

At Wegmans in Montvale

The opening of an enormous Wegmans supermarket in Montvale last September was a non-event to me and other residents of Hackensack nearly 16 miles away.

The company, based in Rochester, N.Y., dragged its feet for years on opening in Bergen County, then picked a town on the far-off New York State border.

Last Thursday, when me and my son were returning home from Bear Mountain State Park in New York State, I stopped in and picked up a few things. 

I didn't see any reason to make a special return trip, though.

TOO BIG FOR MY TASTE: In the produce section, I strained to see the back of the store.

COMPARED TO COSTCO: I could save 22 cents if I bought 3 pounds of organic bananas at Wegmans in Montvale instead of at Costco Wholesale in Teterboro, where they are $1.99.

SPARKLING WATER: I found a good deal on a dozen naturally flavored cans of seltzer for $2.50 with a Shoppers Club Card. I bought 4 packs for $10, but avoided Blackberry Tangerine and Coconut Lime.

TOO SWEET: A 6-ounce container of Wegmans Fruit On The Bottom Lowfat Yogurt contains 32 grams or nearly 8 teaspoons of natural and added sugars. I passed.

GOES ON AND ON: This photo shows the center section of Wegmans; there are large wings on each side. We spent about 30 minutes there, but never saw the fresh seafood department. The supermarket is at 100 Farm View, Montvale. Open 7 days from 6 a.m. to midnight. 

Costco is delivering groceries to homes; ShopRite: We're cheaper than Wegmans

Fresh farmed and wild-caught fish fillets in refrigerated cases at Costco Wholesale, 2 Teterboro Landing in Teterboro.

-- HACKENSACK, N.J.

By VICTOR E. SASSON

EDITOR

Costco Wholesale is the latest retailer to deliver groceries and fresh food to homes.

Now, when you click "Grocery" on the Costco.com website, you can choose same-day delivery of all groceries, including fresh, "in most metropolitan areas."

When I put in my zipcode in northern New Jersey, I was told the service is not yet available, but that I would be informed by email when it is.

Costco members also can arrange for 2-day delivery nationwide of non-perishable food and sundries, and there is no delivery fee for orders of $75 or more.

From warehouse to you

About 2,000 Costco products, including fresh food, are eligible for delivery by Instacart, which runs the same-day website and arranges for your order to be brought to your home, the warehouse giant said of the new CostcoGrocery program.

Orders can be delivered in as little as 2 hours, and a signature is required for delivery.

Executive members receive their 2% cash reward on "the warehouse merchandise sell price, but not on the 15% to 17% markup or the 10% service fee," Costco said.

Members also receive their 2% cash reward on the order total charged to the Costco Anywhere Visa Card.

Warehouse still cheapest

Still, items purchased in the warehouse "will provide you with the lowest possible price," Costco said.

"Members will enjoy the same superior quality products found in our warehouse. After we receive your order, items are carefully selected at your local Costco warehouse and delivered by Instacart," the company said.

Costco said non-members may also purchase on Instacart.com "at a higher price than members purchasing on Costco Same-Day." 

Other grocery delivery services are offered by ShopRite supermarkets, Amazon, Whole Foods Markets, Peapod and FreshDirect.

Although Costco is just now joining them, the warehouse giant offers prices on groceries and fresh food that usually undercut competitors.

The Costco Wholesale in Teterboro is offering instant savings on two 40-ounce jars of Victoria White Linen Marinara Sauce through next Wednesday ($5.79 after $3 off). 

Other instant savings at Costco include 580 Ziploc Sandwich Bags for $8.59, above; a dozen 10-ounce bottles of Naked Juice-brand Fruit Smoothies for $10.59; and two 34.5-ounce pouches of Quaker Simply Granola with Oats, Honey, Raisins and Almonds for $5.39 after $2.60 off, photos below.

ShopRite v. Wegmans

ShopRite, a retailers' cooperative of supermarkets in the Northeast, has long claimed to be the low-price leader among traditional food stores.

Now, ShopRite stores in northern New Jersey have begun running full-page ads, comparing prices on 32 items at ShopRite and Wegmans, which opened a supermarket in Montvale in late September.

"Your ShopRite total: $106.35," the ad says of the purchases made at the two stores on Nov. 15. "Your Wegmans total: $158.76. ShopRite saves you $52.41 [or] 33%."

Items include Philadelphia Cream Cheese, Scott Bath Tissue, Golden Pineapples, Atlantic Salmon Fillet, Sabra Hummus and Organic Yams. 

The ad I saw ran in The Record of Woodland Park, my local daily newspaper.

The ShopRite ad misspelled Wegmans as "Wegman's."

On Tuesday, I picked up 1-pound boxes of Ronzoni 100% Whole Wheat Spaghetti and 100% Whole Wheat Rotini on sale for 88 cents each (normally $1.69 each) at the ShopRite on Forest Avenue and Route 4 in Paramus. The store also sells 1-pound packages of Luigi Vitelli-brand Organic Whole Wheat Pasta in a variety of shapes for $1.50 each.

ShopRite's own 100% Whole Wheat Spaghetti in a 16-ounce box was $1.29.

A 5-pound box of Sweet Potatoes was on sale for $2.49. The price will be cut to $1.99 on Sunday, according to a newspaper flier I received today.

I baked some of the sweet potatoes, and boiled the rest with whole garlic cloves, then drained and mashed them with extra-virgin olive oil and a variety of seasonings, including red-pepper flakes, curry powder, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, dried mint and black pepper. Both sweet potatoes and whole wheat pasta are good bread substitutes.

Small pomegranates were on sale at the Paramus ShopRite for $2.50 each, but my wife picked up a half-dozen larger pomegranates, weighing a total of 8 pounds, at the Teterboro Costco for the same price.

A liter bottle of ShopRite's Sparkling Cider from Spain was on sale for $1.88.

I was surprised to see Sparkling Apple Cider with 100% juice, right, has more sugar in each 8-ounce serving than Sparkling Peach with only 25% juice and added sugar.