By Carolyn Twesten, Weaver Street Market Seafood Merchandiser
Supporting the local food economy is all about learning to eat seasonally, and it’s no different with seafood. One of the most exciting things about buying from Locals Seafood is seeing the seasons change with the fish.
While summertime is a booming season for fishermen, with many popular species returning to the coast as well as the influx of tourists to purchase them, commercial fishing is a year-round occupation. Companies like Locals Seafood help provide fisherman with a year-round market for their catch. The key to better ocean health and a stable fishing economy is to support a diverse catch, and many underappreciated species of fish thrive in the cooler weather. We have seen some new species (well, new to us) come through each fall and winter, like dogfish, as well as our winter favorites like black sea bass and speckled trout. If you didn’t get to try any of them this year, there’s always next season!
All that said, the water is getting a little warmer and some of your favorite fish will be available soon! Backfin crabmeat is already in stores and softshell crabs are close behind. By the end of May we should see plenty of mahi-mahi and later into the summer yellowfin tuna will make a return. Some of the new foodie favorites will arrive with the warmer weather as well, like sheepshead and pompano. Our selection changes weekly so you never know what you might find!
Shrimp season should start in late May with the “pink” shrimp species. Brown shrimp, NC’s most abundant shrimp species, will be harvested throughout the summer, followed up by white shrimp or “green tails”. Much of our fresh shrimp comes via Locals Seafood from the Midgett Family of Stumpy Point, NC. Our IQF (individually quick frozen) shrimp is available year-round and is sourced from Eddie Willis of Mr. Big Seafood on Harkers Island, NC, and frozen by Seal the Seasons.
We try to tweet each Wednesday about what’s arriving that night, so check our Twitter feed for updates. Locals Seafood delivers late in the afternoon on Wednesdays and Fridays.