Get ready for an excellent Valentine’s Day! This year, Cupid’s big day falls on a Tuesday. With restaurants often at full capacity on weekends, this is a great opportunity to attract customers looking for a romantic night out mid-week – perfect for a boost in sales.
To help you make the most of this occasion, we analyzed 25 years of our seafood buying trends and paired them with the current market to create a list of the top seafood options for your menus. Impress your customers and increase revenue with this insider knowledge:
Valentine’s Day Seafood Items
Live Lobster: Enjoy fresh live lobsters, Chix & Quarters (CQ), with prices in the $12 per pound range, to halves which are slightly more. The popular 2-pound “deuces” are in high demand during the holidays and come with a $3 per pound premium above the CQ pricing.
Lobster Meat: You can produce your own fresh CK meat by picking $11 per pound culls, but at that price point, the meat will end up costing you around $50/lb. A more budget-friendly option would be frozen CK meat. It costs almost half that amount.
Lobster Tails: A variety of sizes are available, including 3-4’s, 4-5’s, 5-6’s, 7-8’s, 8-10’s, and 10-12’s.
Fresh Crabmeat: Due to limited production from Venezuela (As explained in detail in last week’s newsletter), the price of jumbo lump crabmeat has catapulted into the low $30s per pound. It is doubtful that this price will stay at this rate for more than a week or two. However, fresh pasteurized jumbo crabmeat from Mexico or Indonesia is a cost-effective alternative, selling in the mid-$20s per pound.
Fresh Canadian Halibut: Prices were in the ozone for most of this winter, but it doesn’t take much fish to crack an expensive market. After a period of high prices, the cost of fresh Canadian halibut fillets has decreased to just under $17 per pound; in today’s world, that is a value.
Local Chesapeake Bay Rockfish: Although the supply is not as abundant as in January, the drift gill netters are still catching enough fish to meet the market demand. The larger rockfish can be found up the Bay (above Rock Hall), while smaller 2/4’s and 5/8’s are caught down the Bay using smaller nets.
Chilean Sea Bass: Chilean Sea Bass, a popular fish even for those who don’t typically eat fish, is becoming more affordable. Skinless fillets are currently priced at $1.66 per ounce. American Red Snapper: As the fishermen return to work, the supply of Gulf American Reds, the “Rolls Royce” of snapper is increasing. Ideal for special occasions like Valentine’s Day.
Caviar: A range of caviar options is available, including four types of Osetra (Royal, Imperial, Elite, and Siberian), Hackleback, paddlefish, trout roe, and salmon caviar.
Prices are subject to change.
2/6/23
