Maybe it’s a shortage of beef, chicken and pork at the supermarket. Or maybe it’s because people have grown “tired of hamburger meat and chicken” at dinnertime.
Whatever the reason, Steve Berreth is glad that more people are turning to seafood while pandemic cooking.
The third-generation owner of Airline Seafood on Richmond said he has seen a modest uptick in retail sales of fin fish and shellfish as the coronavirus has kept Houstonians hunkered down at home, where meal planning and cooking has become a necessary obsession.
Though most of Berreth’s business is to Houston restaurants (and that, because of the recent return to limited service, is growing), he’s happy to see that fish is moving both from curbside retail sales at Airline Seafood and at the Urban Harvest Farmers Market where he’s been busy on Saturdays.
It’s one of several signs that Americans are getting more fish into their diets since the coronavirus pandemic took hold.
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Frozen fish sticks and canned salmon have seen a run at the grocery-store level. As supermarket customers have cleared the meat cases and frozen entrees during pandemic shopping, they’ve also stocked up on frozen fish and shrimp. And now that the coronavirus has disrupted production at U.S. meatpacking plants — coupled with the 4.3 percent rise in the price of meat, eggs and poultry, according to the U.S. Department of Labor — seafood has become the bigger protein player on the American dinner table.
“Based on the customer interest and demand we are seeing, it’s safe to say that much more seafood is being prepared and enjoyed at home than ever before,” said Ryan Boudreaux, executive leader of global seafood procurement for Whole Foods Market. “Increased demand for seafood at Whole Foods Market can be seen across the store from larger-format ‘stock up’ items in frozen seafood, including scallops and shrimp, to premium fresh items like King Salmon filet and lobster tails.”
Texas supermarket giant H-E-B reports that fish and shellfish sales have risen. “People are doing more cooking at home, and with that more seafood,” said Jason Driskill, director of seafood for H-E-B. “They’re finding seafood is so versatile, so easy to cook. They’re becoming very good seafood cooks at home.”
Though many Americans prefer to let chefs prepare those gleaming hunks of Chilean sea bass, showy planks of redfish on the half shell and bright-orange fists of salmon, restaurant dine-in limits have forced fish lovers to largely fend for themselves. That has meant buying fresh and frozen fish at the supermarket, finding recipes and getting to know the ways of the fin.
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Recipe search traffic is up more than 100 percent at America’s Test Kitchen, and with that plenty of seafood recipes, said Jack Bishop, chief creative officer. Searches for salmon and shrimp top the list, as well as recipes using whitefish such as cod, halibut, tilapia and frozen fish.
“People who love seafood generally get their fix dining out,” Bishop said. “If you love seafood, you’re going to have to be preparing it yourself.”
Home cooks unfamiliar with cooking fish and shellfish at home have had to overcome the hurdle of bringing a new skill set to their kitchens. New cookbooks such as “Foolproof Fish,” published this month by America’s Test Kitchen, provide the essential skills to cook fish without fear.
Bishop said sautéeing and pan-searing are the easiest way to cook fish. The biggest fear is overcooking, he added. The best rule of thumb to avoid overcooking is to cook fish to 135-140 degrees on an instant-read thermometer; that gets fish opaque throughout, meaning fully cooked. The exception is salmon and tuna, which generally are better at 125 degrees.
If you don’t have a thermometer, Driskill said, fish filets can be pan-fried with oil or butter for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or 15 to 20 minutes in the oven. “Seafood is very forgiving,” he said. “Cut into it and look for opaque and flaky (flesh). It should not be clear colored.”
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Salmon is probably the most popular fish filet on the market, Driskill said. In June, wild salmon from Alaska will be showing up in the market. Halibut is in season now, he added, and black drum, red snapper and ahi tuna are popular choices.
Boudreaux thinks we will continue to cook more fish at home even after the coronavirus pandemic is over. “Most seafood in the U.S. has historically been consumed at restaurants, but the pandemic has forced us all to sharpen our at-home culinary skills,” he said. “I think many people are realizing that seafood lends itself to many quick and easy preparations.”
Driskill agrees that American cooks have fostered a new, lasting relationship with preparing fish at home. “We’re going to see more seafood eaters coming out of this,” he said. “And it’ll ultimately make us healthier.”
greg.morago@chron.com
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The pandemic has America cooking more fish - Houston Chronicle
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