Search Results for “preserved” – Fresh & Premium Fish

Frequently Asked Questions

mike2 — Wed, 13 Aug 2025 06:27:41 +0000

GENERAL

Why does the price differ online vs the retail fish market?

Big Eye Poke Chunks

mike2 — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 15:28:29 +0000

Poke, which means “to cut into pieces,” is as culturally significant to Hawaii as hamburgers are to the mainland. Dating back to the islands’ first Polynesian settlers, the dish combined chunks of reef fish, seaweed, kukui nuts and salt. As modern fishing techniques emerged, Ahi replaced reef fish and today remains the preference for most variations of poke.

Our proton-frozen poke chunks originate from U.S. wild-caught Pacific bigeye and yellowfin, both known as Ahi. They offer firm texture, mild flavor and well-balanced fat content. Depending on the size of the fish, flesh color may range from pink to deep cherry red. Hand cut in house, our poke chunks are irregular-shaped portions that we vacuum seal and proton freeze in 1-lb packs. They are ideal for poke as well as tuna stacks, tuna tartare, ceviche, seafood salads and more – just cut them to the size you prefer!

What is Proton-Frozen?

Proton-freezing is a quick-freeze technology that combines evenly distributed electromagnetic waves and cold air to reduce ice crystal formation and cell membrane damage. As a result, taste and texture are preserved naturally, without any additives or chemicals. Color is also comparable to fresh if fish is properly stored and defrosted*.

*Certain species, like tuna, naturally turn brown once exposed to air or if stored in a traditional freezer. Proton freezing technology slows this process but does not prevent it. For best results, we recommend placing proton frozen tuna in the coldest part of your freezer and storing for no more than 7 days. When ready to eat, slowly defrost in refrigerator and consume within same 24 hours.

Have yourself a Merry Little Fishmas!

mike2 — Thu, 15 Dec 2022 18:59:09 +0000

By Rebecca Gardon

With only a few shopping days left before Santa comes to town, it’s time to get serious about checking off your gift list. Catalina Offshore Products offer a variety of gourmet goods for the foodie in your life!

Gourmet Goods Like Tinned Fish

Jose Gourmet Mackerel in Olive Oil

Tinned fish is trending big time right now. It’s delicious, good for your health, and harks back to simpler times. It’s also a convenient food because it’s self-contained! Many tins are downright collectible due to their vintage-inspired, whimsical, or colorful labels. In our San Diego fish market we carry options from Jose Gourmet, Conservas de Cambados, Wildfish Cannery, and more. For the true “afishionado,” put a few different tins in a basket and pair with a bottle of wine. The ultimate seacuterie board awaits!

Sushi Supplies

Catalina Offshore Sushi Kit.

Thanks to our wide range of high-quality sashimi grade fish, Catalina Offshore has long been a destination for sushi lovers. Additionally, you can find just about everything a person needs to make sushi at home, from rice, seasonings, sauces, and garnishes to nori (seaweed paper) and bamboo rolling mats. Can’t decide? Go for our pre-made sushi kit which includes the essentials. Add in a gift card so your recipient can choose their own fish!

Small Batch Stocking Stuffers

Sneak a taste of the West Coast into someone’s stocking with one of our artisanal pantry items. From San Diego, you’ll find Cien Chiles and Blaze 619 hot sauces, Wynn’s Kitchen Sate Asian Chili Sauce, Deliz Macha Sauce, Salt Farm salts, Rub It In spice blends, and Daybreak Seaweed Co. Golden State Seasoning. From Northern California we love If & When Preserved Meyer Lemon Paste, which is sustainably made from whole imperfect lemons. From the Pacific Northwest, look to Barnacle Foods’ Bullwhip Serrano Hot Sauce and Everything Seasoning, both of which are crafted with regenerative Alaskan bull kelp. All of these items are delicious on all kinds of fish dishes!

Meyer Dill Hollandaise

mike2 — Mon, 11 Apr 2022 16:38:22 +0000

Weekend brunch never gets old. Neither does Hollandaise. Here, the classic recipe gets a bold, bright twist with the addition of Moroccan Preserved Meyer Lemon Paste. Combined with equal parts dill, it promises to wake up your taste buds! Spoon over smoked salmon benedict or crab cakes benedict, or roasted veggies like asparagus or carrots! Recipe courtesy If & When Preserved Meyer Lemon Paste.

Ingredients:

1-1/4 Tbsp If & When Moroccan Preserved Meyer Lemon Paste
1-1/2 Tbsp fresh dill
3 egg yolks
1 Tbsp heavy cream
1 cup (1/2 lb) melted butter, cooled to room temp
Dash of cayenne pepper

Directions:

Use a small, thick ceramic bowl set in a heavy-bottomed pan, or a heavyweight double boiler. Off the heat, put the egg yolks and cream in the bowl or upper section of the double boiler and stir with a whisk until well-blended — the mixture should never be beaten, but stirred, evenly, vigorously and continually.
Place the container over hot water (if you are setting the bowl in water, there should be about 1 1/2″ of water in the pan; in a double boiler, the water should not touch the top section).
Stirring eggs continuously, bring the water slowly to a simmer. Do not let it boil. Stir, incorporating the entire mixture so there is no film at the bottom. When the eggs have thickened to consistency of very heavy cream, begin to add the cooled melted butter with one hand, stirring vigorously with the other.
Pour extremely slowly so that each addition is blended into the egg mixture before more is added. When all the butter has been added, add the preserved lemon paste and immediately remove from heat. Add a dash of cayenne.
Spoon over eggs benedict or roasted veggies!

Coconut Panko Crusted Salmon

mike2 — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 19:14:33 +0000

Bring a taste of the islands into your kitchen with this delectable salmon! Recipe courtesy Brigid Treloar for If & When Meyer Lemon Paste.

Ingredients:

2 (4-6 oz) salmon fillets (you may also use white fish such as halibut)
2-2/3 Tbsp panko breadcrumbs
2-2/3 Tbsp shredded coconut
1-1/2 tsp If & When Bay Leaf Black Pepper Preserved Meyer Lemon Paste
1 tsp flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp lemon or lime zest

Directions:

Pre heat oven to 375F.
Pat fish fillets dry with paper towel.
In a small bowl, mix together the panko breadcrumbs, coconut, lemon paste, parsley and zest.
Spread topping over the top of each fillet and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cooked.
Serve with side dish of choice!

Earl Grey Tea Salt-Cured New Zealand Salmon

mike2 — Tue, 28 Jan 2020 13:13:56 +0000

A delicate smoked salmon infused with Earl Grey tea, and complemented by Preserved Lemon Beurre Blanc & Black Mission Fig Relish.

Ingredients:

For the Black Mission Fig Relish

1/2 cup onion, minced
3 cups black mission fig, stem removed, cut in quarters
1/4 cup organic apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup pomegranate molasses
1/2cup Thai basil, roughly chopped
1 tbsp Earl Grey tea
1 tsp Cayenne Powder
Pinch Star Anise

For the Preserved Lemon Beurre Blanc

3/4 cup shallots, sliced
1/2bottle white wine
1 lb Butter
1/2 cup chives, minced
1/4cup preserved lemon

For the Earl Grey Tea Salmon

10 lbs. New Zealand salmon fillet
1/2 cup Earl Grey tea
5 cups sugar
5 cups Kosher salt

How to Prepare:

The Fig Relish

Combine all ingredients and set aside.

The Earl Grey Tea Salmon

Clean any pin bones from salmon, press dry and lay in pan.
Mix kosher salt, sugar & earl grey tea together.
Cover salmon completely with sugar/salt mix and cover with plastic wrap – place in fridge for no more than 24 hours.
Once salmon is removed from fridge, wash off the salt/sugar mixture, pat dry with towel and choose your method of cooking or serve as a quick gravlax.

The Preserved Lemon Beurre Blanc

Add wine and shallots to large saucepan. Bring to simmer and reduce volume by half then turn down heat to low-medium.
Add butter, constantly stirring or whisking until butter melts. Do not let the sauce reach a simmer! It will break if it gets too hot. Juggle the pan off and on the heat to keep it hot enough for the butter to melt and incorporate.
Add chives and preserved lemon, and add salt and pepper to taste.
Remove sauce from the burner, but keep warm by leaving sauce in a warm but not hot place such as the back of the stove. It is now ready and waiting to be served.

Note: If serving salmon as gravlax, accompany with fig relish, lemon beurre blanc and toast points, crackers or bread of choice. If you opt to cook the salmon, top with relish upon serving and place the beurre blanco on the side.

Products

Mt. Cook Alpine SAIKOU Salmon

Opah Ham

mike2 — Tue, 28 Jan 2020 06:58:57 +0000

Fatty opah belly is deliciously preserved by curing without smoking. Cube or thinly slice and use for charcuterie or in sandwiches, soups, salads and more. Courtesy Ryan Sharpe, Ironside Fish & Oyster.

Ingredients:

1 lb opah belly
11.3 g curing salt #1
113.4 g kosher salt or sea salt
4.53 g white sugar
1/8 cup molasses
4 Tbsp miso paste
1/8 cup soy sauce

How to Prepare:

Rub the opah belly with molasses, miso paste, soy sauce, salt, sugar and curing salt and let marinate, covered for one week.
Rinse, dry, and hang in a refrigerator or dry age room for at least one month and up to three months. It should feel very firm and very dry. It may develop white mold on it. White mold is okay and can be rubbed off with a cloth dipped in distilled vinegar.
With wood chips of your choice, smoke the opah until you’ve reached desired smokiness. Since the belly is a more delicate cut of the opah, you don’t want smokiness to overpower its flavor.
Refrigerate before slicing it very thinly.

To try: Dashi with Egg Custard and Opah Ham

Products

Opah Belly

A Lesson in Sushi

mike2 — Wed, 29 Oct 2014 16:33:41 +0000

By Rebecca Gardon

Here’s something you might be surprised to learn: the notion of sushi did not originate in Japan.

It is believed that sushi has its roots Southeast Asia where, for centuries, people packed fish in fermented rice to preserve it. Once the fish was properly preserved, the rice would be discarded and only the fish itself would be eaten.

Records of similar methods of fermented fish are first seen in Chinese scriptures in the 2nd century. However the Japanese are credited with first preparing sushi as a complete dish, eating fermented rice together with the preserved fish. During the 1800s the concept of eating fish with vinegared rice took off as a popular food cart item in Japan’s bustling Edo district.

Edo style is what is universally known today as sushi. Its simplest form – a slice of fish on sushi rice, or nigiri – is favored among purists throughout the U.S. However cut rolls and hand rolls have gained popularity in recent decades. Baked and deep fried versions are now commonplace, as are non-traditional ingredients such as spicy mayonnaise, cream cheese, thinly sliced jalapenos and fruits like mango, and even red meat. Yet even as sushi evolves into a more relaxed experience, many diners still fret over the etiquette of eating it. The following list is not meant to be a hard set of rules, but implementing even a few tips should help ward off any stern looks from chefs in the most traditional of sushi bars.

Know the basics. Sushi is vinegared rice combined with other ingredients. Nigiri is a slice of fish atop a small mound of pressed rice and one order is two pieces. Maki is fish, rice and other ingredients rolled with nori, or seaweed, and cut into circles. Temaki is a hand roll where seaweed is wrapped around ingredients in a cone shape. Sashimi refers to sliced fish, no rice.

Don’t ask for a knife or a fork. Traditionally, Japanese food was eaten with the thumb, index and middle finger. You should use chopsticks for sashimi, but sushi is perfectly acceptable finger food.

Speaking of chopsticks, avoid rubbing them together. Doing so implies to the chef that the chopsticks are cheap. If you must, work in your lap to discreetly pull of any wood fibers. When not using your chopsticks, lay them on a dish. Never stick them in your food or rice bowl.

It is generally considered best form to eat sushi in one bite. Because sushi pieces in the U.S. tend to be larger than in Japan, more than one bite may be required. It’s okay, but try to not make it a habit.

Don’t go overboard with soy sauce, wasabi, ponzu, etc. With traditional sushi, the idea is to add a subtle and accentuating flavor, not overpower the delicate taste of the fish. Dip lightly, and don’t pour sauce on your rice. If you really want to honor the old ways, the proper way to dip sushi into soy sauce is to dip the fish side only.

The ginger on your plate is meant to cleanse your palate between dishes. Sushi chefs tend to frown upon diners who eat their ginger as a separate course or in the same bite as food.

Don’t be afraid to ask the chef for his recommendation. Because fish is seasonal, the catch of the day will vary. Asking the chef for his opinion not only shows respect, it will likely get you top-quality sushi. Note: do NOT ask if the fish is fresh. If you’re at a sushi bar, freshness is implied. To ask this question shows disrespect. If the sushi turns out not to be fresh, don’t go back!

Learn a few Japanese phrases. In old school sushi bars it’s just polite; in today’s trendier more casual bars, it will impress your friends. Arigato means ‘thank you’; kampai! means ‘cheers’.

Enjoy yourself. The most important thing in a sushi bar is to simply show respect to the sushi chef and to your fellow patrons. Don’t worry if you can’t remember any etiquette at all, just don’t act the fool!