After end of fresh wild salmon season, a consolation prize at Costco

Fresh Whole Farmed Sea Bass from Costco Wholesale, prepared with organic diced tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and red wine, were ready in only 15 minutes.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

In the last few weeks, Costco Wholesale in Hackensack has received a small amount of fresh wild salmon fillets and sold out immediately.

I've missed getting any, and now the four-month season for this wonderful wild-caught fish from Alaska and other northwestern states is over (early June to late September or early October).

So, on Thursday afternoon, I picked up my consolation prize:

Three Fresh Whole Farmed Sea Bass from Greece ($8.99 a pound), and prepared them for dinner with olive oil, garlic, red wine and a few other ingredients.

Once the sauce was prepared, the fish, also called branzino or bronzino, cooked in a covered pot in only 15 minutes.

Dynamite fishing

Costco's label tells you nothing about how this farmed fish is raised in Greece, an island nation where dynamite has been used indiscriminately to catch wild fish for decades.

Of course, that led to over-fishing and high prices for wild fish that were evident when I ate in restaurants on a visit to Greece in the 1990s.

In 2006, farmed whole branzino from Greece or Italy was so common in upscale Manhattan restaurants, The New York Times called it "the fish that ate New York." 

In recent years, whole farmed fish from Europe has appeared on many menus in North Jersey, too.

The irony of dynamite fishing is that Greeks who came to the United States opened expensive restaurants they call fish houses, and started charging as much as $50 a pound for whole fish and more for lobster and other seafood.

A 2012 European Union article about branzino farming doesn't say whether antibiotics or preservatives are used in raising the fish.

But the article says fishing accounts for only about 10% of the sea bass production worldwide. Click on the following link:

Sea bass are voracious predators   

I scored the flesh in three places, and cut the fish in half. I used a little sea salt from a grinder on the fish, but none in the sauce: Olive oil, minced garlic, red wine, organic diced tomatoes, chopped scallions and fresh lime juice, boiled and reduced before I put the fish on top and covered the pot.

When I put the leftovers away, I remembered chopped fresh mint, rosemary and parsley from our garden that I had in the refrigerator, and added it to the fish. I finished my meal with a big Earthbound Farm Organic Spring Mix salad dressed with extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

At the Hackensack Costco, a sign reminds members the warehouse is closing on Oct. 13, but not that the store will reopen as a Costco Business Center. One employee said the warehouse, without a food court or pharmacy, is expected to reopen to members next March.

Costco prices

Costco's food prices remain low when compared to ShopRite and other traditional supermarkets in North Jersey.

A 1-pound package of prewashed organic baby spinach was $3.99 this week; a pound of Earthbound Farm Organic Spring Mix was $4.49 or $4.59.

Three half-gallons of 2% lactose free milk were $7.99, and three liter bottles of organic carrot juice were $6.99.

Organic bananas are $1.99 for 3 pounds, and the same amount of conventional bananas are a low $1.39, beating every other store I know.

Before the fresh wild salmon season ended, the price for sockeye fillets was $8.99 a pound -- only a dollar more than artificially colored farmed salmon.

This week, ShopRite's sales price of $1.99 with a store card does beat Costco's regular price for a 59-ounce container of Tropicana Orange Juice (four for $10.99).

This week, we go shopping for tires, tofu and turkey necks

Whole Foods Market at Bergen Town Center in Paramus.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

It's no secret Costco Wholesale has great prices on food, especially for a growing number of organic items.

But the Hackensack warehouse store is just as appealing for its inexpensive clothing -- including 100% cotton dress and casual shirts for men, and slacks imported from Italy -- and even tires, among many other non-food products.

This week, I sent my wife to Costco's tire store for Michelin Energy Saver tires for her 2010 Toyota Prius, a gas-electric hybrid.

Instead, she came home with another fuel-efficient tire, the Michelin Defender, which has an astounding 90,000 mile tread-wear warranty, compared to 65,000 miles for the Energy Saver.

The tires were $115.99 each, but Michelin offered a coupon for another $70 off on the purchase of four. 

And we'll eventually get $14.89 back in credit card and Costco rebates on the total price of $496.64, including mounting and balancing.

The only disadvantage to buying tires at the Hackensack Costco is that you have to go elsewhere to have your wheels aligned.

Fresh wild-caught Ocean Perch from H Mart in  Little Ferry prepared with sweet peppers, above, and seasoned and pan fried, below. They were $2.99 a pound on Sunday, when the Korean supermarket offered free seafood tastings, including boiled octopus and broiled eel.

Tofu, mangoes and fish

At H Mart in Little Ferry on Sunday, I picked up fresh whole Ocean Perch for $2.99 a pound, and a 1-pound tray of Stewed Tofu for $5.99.

A tray of kimbap -- a seaweed, rice and vegetable roll with Korean pickles -- was $4.79.

Stewed tofu from H Mart, right front, can be eaten cold right out of the refrigerator or warmed up with other side dishes.

With a store card, a 15-pound bag of Hukukome Medium-Grain White Rice, product of the U.S.A., was on sale for $11.99, and a box of 16 mangoes was $10.99, a discount of $4.

A 16-portion box of Shin Ramyun, a spicy noodle soup, also was on sale, for $9.99.

Two packages of fresh Oyster Mushrooms were $2.49 or half price.

A seedless watermelon was on sale for $4.99, compared to a little larger watermelon I bought at ShopRite for $6.99.

Organic quinoa prepared in an electric cooker with organic black beans and organic diced tomatoes.

Turkey necks, salsa

I stopped at Whole Foods Market in Paramus on Tuesday for 16-ounce jars of Roasted Chipotle Salsa and Roasted Salsa Verde ($2.69 each).

For dinner, I used the chipotle salsa to poach the Icelandic haddock fillets my wife bought at Costco Wholesale for $8.99 a pound on Tuesday, the day she had the new tires installed.

At Whole Foods, I also picked up packages of frozen turkey necks and backs for soup ($1.99 a pound), and a 3-pound-plus package of fresh chicken drumsticks, also on sale for $1.99 a pound.

All Whole Foods poultry is antibiotic free.

I also found small, juicy Sonya Apples from New Zealand on sale for $1.99 a pound.

A can of Organic Black Beans was $1.29.

At home, the black beans went into a rice cooker along with two cups of organic quinoa, a can of organic diced tomatoes, four cups of organic chicken broth or water, and extra-virgin olive oil.

I served the quinoa dish with the haddock, using the salsa the fish was cooked in as a sauce.

Organic whole-wheat pasta

At ShopRite in Paramus, I stocked up on Luigi Vitelli-brand Organic Whole Wheat Pasta from Italy, including spaghetti, linguine and capellini.

At $1.25 for a 1-pound package, this is lowest price I've found for organic whole wheat pasta, beating Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe's.

Also at ShopRite, Golden Pineapples were reduced to $1.97 each.

Sugar-free marinara, easy bok choy, Jerry's and more

I prepared imported whole-wheat shells from Whole Foods Market with canned yellowfin tuna, organic diced tomatoes and a bottled marinara sauce with sugar, and wasn't as happy with the outcome as I've been when I've used a sugar-free sauce from Costco Wholesale or Trader Joe's. 

Editor's note: Today's all-you-can-read buffet includes notes on sugar-free marinara sauces, an easy preparation for greens, reduced-fat cheeses, bargain takeout dinners and a meat-free Thanksgiving.

By Victor E. Sasson
Editor

I'm swearing off bottled marinara sauce with sugar, which gave my favorite pasta preparations an off taste.

The 100% whole-wheat spaghetti, linguine, shells and other shapes I buy have a nutty flavor. They don't need sugar to make them appetizing.

I don't put sugar in coffee or tea; and don't eat cake, pie and other sugary snacks, so why put sugar in my pasta?

At Costco Wholesale today, I picked up sugar-free Victoria Marinara Sauce, which is made with Italian tomatoes and comes highly rated by Consumer Reports magazine.

Two 40-ounce bottles were on sale for $6.14 (regularly $8.39).

Kirkland Signature Marinara, Costco's house brand, also is made without sugar.

Three 32-ounce bottles have a new label and a higher price than when they were introduced, but they are still a bargain at $2.66 a bottle.

The new label and higher price for Kirkland Signature Marinara.

I also like another sugar-free sauce, Trader Joe's Marinara, but the 28-ounce can has to be supplemented with tomato sauce or diced tomatoes, if you prepare a full pound of pasta.

Two other bottled sauces I've used, from Tuscan Traditions Organic and Gefen, list sugar right after the first ingredient, tomatoes.

Trim the end of baby bok choy, separate stalks and wash under cold water. Then plunge the pieces into boiling water for a few minutes, above, before transferring them to another pan with warmed sesame oil and sake, rear.

I seasoned the bok choy with a little salt, garlic powder and Kirkland Signature Organic No Salt Seasoning from Costco Wholesale.

Easy bok choy

You can skip stir frying when preparing baby bok choy or almost any other Asian or American green.

The first step is to trim and cut the greens into smaller pieces, and rinse them under cold water.

Second, blanch them in boiling water for a few minutes and transfer them to another pan or drain the boiling water.

Third, season with sesame or extra-virgin olive oil; salt, garlic powder and no-salt seasoning.

Fourth, enjoy.

Easy baby bok choy with fresh, wild-caught flounder fillets poached in bottled Mexican Green Salsa and fresh lime juice. The fish, from Canada, was $7.99 a pound today at Costco Wholesale in Hackensack.

Part of the cheese section at my Hackensack Costco.

Say reduced-fat cheese

I picked up three reduced-fat cheeses at my Hackensack Costco today -- thin-sliced Jarlsberg Lite Swiss, a wedge of aged Parmigiano Reggiano from Italy and the same great cheese, shredded and bottled, for use in frittatas, omelets and pasta dishes.

A 2-pound package of Jarlsberg Lite is $8.59. The Parmigiano Reggiano is $10.69 a pound in a wedge, and $13.59 shredded in a 16-ounce plastic bottle that carries the Kirkland Signature label.

The Italian cheese is made from part skimmed cow's milk, and aged more than 24 months.

Parmigiano Reggiano has been made in Italy since before the Renaissance, according to tiny print on the plastic wrapper only a teenager can read.

The milk comes from provinces surrounding Parma, and the wedges have "nutty and sharp notes," with crystals of calcium throughout.

The package suggests shaving the cheese and drizzling it with olive oil, but you can also eat it with fruit and nuts, such as roasted almonds dusted with cinnamon, or add shavings to fried eggs sunny side up.

The package recommends trimming the inedible rind, cutting up the wedge into three or four pieces and wrapping them tightly in plastic wrap. 

I don't wrap them. I store them in Snapware, plastic containers I found at Costco that have rubber seals.

A restaurant-quality takeout dinner from Jerry's Gourmet & More in Englewood included grouper with pesto under a tomato slice, center; stuffed zucchini, caponata, snap peas and dumplings. 

Meals To Go

Jerry's Meals To Go -- complete, restaurant-quality dinners -- are still North Jersey's best bargain in takeout, whether you pay the full price of $7.99 or the reduced price of $5.99 after 4 p.m.

I plate the food and reheat it in the microwave for about 4 minutes.

After 4:30 on Wednesday afternoon, I found dinners with salmon, tilapia, grouper and shrimp. Pork and chicken also are available.

Jerry's is at 410 S. Dean St. in Englewood (1-201-871-7108).

If you go, don't miss the retail store at Balthazar Bakery, 214 S. Dean St. in Englewood, where the crusty baguettes are still only $2.
  

Another Jerry's takeout dinner included shrimp with prosciutto and spinach; spaghetti with seafood and three vegetables.

Meat-free turkey day 

For Thanksgiving, Whole Foods Market will be 
selling a Vegan Dinner for 1 and Trader Joe's will offer a vegan Turkey-Less Stuffed Roast with Gravy.

The Vegan Dinner for 1 ($16.99) is 100% meat-free Gardein roast stuffed with "a savory mix" of vegetables, wild and brown rices, and dried cranberries.

You also get butternut squash puree, cranberry orange relish, green beans with almonds and vegan wild mushroom gravy.

Trader Joe's roast weighs 2.5 pounds ($9.99). Ingredients include soy, peas, wheat and ancient grains, and it comes with stuffing and gravy.

Taking small bites out of the Garden State

Imported from Italy, Organic Whole Wheat Shells from Whole Foods Market's 365 Everyday Value brand are $1.39 a pound at the Paramus store. They are thick and shaped to catch the sauce, in this case bottled marinara with sweet pepper, onion, garlic, anchovies and sardines.

Fresh Icelandic haddock fillets were $8.99 a pound at Costco Wholesale in Hackensack. Here, we prepared the wild fish in coconut milk with organic diced tomatoes, sweet pepper, onion and garlic, and served it with a baked sweet potato. Haddock, a member of the cod family, cooks in about 5 to 8 minutes, and flakes beautifully.

I went looking for Kirkland Signature fruit, seed and nut bars and found this: Nature's Bakery Fig Bar in three flavors. They are non-GMO, kosher and dairy free. A 3-pound box with 24 twin packs was $8.59 at Costco Wholesale in Hackensack. I carry snack bars with me so I can skip lunch.

A cart full of favorites from Costco: smoked wild sockeye salmon ($15.59 for 1 pound), Jarlsberg Lite Reduced Fat Swiss Cheese ($8.59 for 2 pounds), sodium-free almonds ($12.99 for a 3-pound bag), fat Persian Limes from Mexico ($4.99 for a 5-pound bag), and Sunset-brand hothouse cucumbers from Canada (2 pounds for $3.49).  

I cooked Japanese buckwheat noodles in Kirkland Signature Organic Chicken Stock, and topped them with chopped kimchi from H&Y Marketplace in Ridgefield and Kirkland Signature Roasted Seasoned Seaweed.

Should I yield to the temptation of Chinese garlic?

A breakfast of cabbage and salt fish with sweet plantains uses peeled and chopped Christopher Ranch garlic from Costco Wholesale.

By Victor E. Sasson
Editor

My wife has a lot more patience than I do when it comes to peeling and chopping fresh garlic for our home-cooked meals.

I'd just as soon grab a jar of Kirkland Signature Granulated California Garlic. 

We use fresh, California-grown Christopher Ranch Monviso Garlic, an  heirloom variety that originated in the Piedmont region of Italy.

A 2-pound net bag of the garlic is $4.29 at my Costco Wholesale in Hackensack.

But I can't tell you how tempted I am by the large jars of peeled garlic cloves I see at H Mart, the Korean supermarket chain in North Jersey.

I peeled and chopped Christopher Ranch garlic for this dish of organic whole-wheat pasta with vegetables and sardines, which I served with tofu and a wedge of frittata.

The pasta dish contained Trader Joe's Healthy 8 Chopped Veggie Mix: broccoli, carrots, green cabbage, red cabbage, jicama, green bell pepper, radish and celery.

The only problem with the H Mart garlic is that it comes from China, which has a poor food-safety record. 

And if you read the label of the Christopher Ranch garlic, you may not want to bother with anything else:

"Monviso [heirloom garlic] has the highest concentration of savory oils" and "is preferred by chefs for its farm-fresh quality, bold nutty flavor and creamy garlic finish."

I've picked up one tip on how to peel garlic easily:

Smashing the clove first with the flat side of your chef's knife will make it much easier to peel.

Update

Prompted by a reader's comment, I went looking for peeled Christopher Ranch Monviso Garlic at my Hackensack Costco.

I found a 3-pound plastic bag or pouch of the California garlic -- peeled -- for $4.99, but it was marked "perishable" and "keep refrigerated," and had an expiration date of Oct. 11, 2013.

The peeled Chinese garlic at H Mart wasn't refrigerated.

The peeled Christopher Ranch garlic is cheaper than the unpeeled, but can I use 3 pounds of garlic cloves in a month?

 

Fresh Wild Salmon with Organic Diced Tomatoes

Fresh, wild-caught sockeye salmon from Costco Wholesale was $10.99 a pound this week, but a 1.5-pound fillet is enough to serve a family of 5.

By Victor E. Sasson
Editor

If you can open a can, squeeze a lime and chop fresh herbs, Fresh Wild Salmon with Organic Diced Tomatoes is a snap to prepare.

I rely on Costco Wholesale for wild-caught fillets of sockeye salmon caught in the U.S.A., as well as for limes and cans of Organic Diced Tomatoes.

The herbs come from my garden. 

I cut a 1.5-pound fillet ($10.99 a pound) into 5 pieces, squeezed fresh lime juice over them and sprinkled them with chopped mint and oregano, and ground Aleppo red pepper (optional).

Then, I spooned Organic Diced Tomatoes over the salmon pieces and placed them into a pre-heated 375-degree oven.

I line the pan with parchment paper from Costco, and don't have to use spray oil.

 

The thickest part of the fillet was cooked rare after 10 minutes. Add 3 minutes to cook through.

I served the salmon with leftover Lundberg Wild Blend Rice, a GMO-free mixture of wild, brown and black rices available from Costco.

The sockeye salmon was $10.99 a pound this week, up a dollar from the week before.

I also picked up a 2.5-pound bag of frozen wild-caught Hake Loins, a meaty, white fish that makes for excellent eating ($13.99).

As with other frozen fish, I will probably steam the hake or bake the fillets in parchment-paper pouches.

A package of Michigan Blueberries, the equivalent of 3 pints, was $4.99. And 2 pounds of those incomparable Campari Tomatoes were $4.49. 

A 'pan pizza' without the fattening dough.

A gooey frittata

A frittata with tomato sauce, pesto and gooey cheese can fool you into thinking your eating a pizza, but you won't have to worry about fattening dough.

I used slices of reduce-fat Jarlsberg Swiss Cheese,  fresh Beefsteak Tomato slices and Organic Tomato Sauce -- all from Costco -- and my own homemade pesto sauce.

A wedge of frittata with Wild Blend Rice.

A mixture of 4 whole organic brown eggs, 8 ounces of Kirkland Signature Egg Whites, a little low-fat milk, grated cheese and Organic No-Salt Seasoning go into a preheated 10-inch pan with extra-virgin olive oil. After the bottom is set and the other ingredients are added, the frittata is finished under the broiler until the cheese oozes and the top browns (low setting).

Super spicing your home-cooked meals

Fresh Icelandic haddock coated in spices and served with mashed sweet potatoes.

The spice mixture after I added a couple of ounces of Aleppo red pepper.

It didn't take long after our power was restored to shake off Hurricane Sandy, restock the refrigerator and freezer, and get back into preparing quick, nutritious meals at home.

Instead of huddling around the gas fireplace, we've resumed gathering for good breakfasts and dinners in our cozy kitchen.

One of the items I had almost ran out of before the storm hit Oct. 29 was a mixture of bread crumbs and ground spices I've been using for years to coat fish fillets, chicken, pork or beef before baking or roasting them in the oven. 

This is no-recipe cooking at its simplest and quickest, with the juices from the fish or meat rejuvenating the ground spices.

This week, I searched our cupboards and freezer for  spices -- new and old -- and combined them in a big plastic tub stained from all the ground red pepper it has held. 

I decided to streamline the ground-spice mixture by eliminating the bread crumbs and using many more spices than the ones I've long favored from Wick Fowler's 2-Alarm Chili Kit, which I would mail-order  by the case.

Post-Sandy breakfasts included callaloo and saltfish with sweet plantains and boiled green banana, above, and organic eggs with whole-wheat pasta and sardines, below.

I didn't discriminate between new bottles of spices and the old ones I found in the back of the closest, refrigerators or freezer.

I started with Organic No Salt Seasoning, Garlic Powder, Red Pepper Flakes, Ground Black Malabar Pepper, Dried Onion Flakes and other spices from Costco Wholesale.

I found a couple of old containers of Jamaican and Indian curry powders, Chinese Five Spice Powder and White Pepper; Corrado's Ground Ginger and Dried Mint Leaves. 

Korean Red Pepper, Cayenne Pepper and Ground Saigon Cinnamon also went into the mix. I didn't add salt, but had some spice mixtures with salt to add to the plastic tub. 

I can't think of any ground spice that wouldn't be appropriate for the Super Spice Mixture, and you can just continue to replenish the container as you use the mixture. 

For example, you can add a couple of ounces of ground cumin, which is what I did today.

I used the spice mixture to coat fresh, wild-caught haddock fillets from Iceland that I found at Costco Wholesale in Hackensack for $7.99 a pound.

I unwrapped the tray of fish, ran it under tap water, cut it up into smaller pieces and coated both sides with spices in the container, which I keep in the refrigerator.

Or you can spread the spices on a plate and coat the fish that way.

The fillets were ready after about 20 minutes at 350 degrees, and I served them with mashed sweet potatoes and wedges of lime.  

The heating system at the Little Ferry H Mart was broken today.

My wife went to Costco Wholesale in Hackensack today and Tuesday, and I shopped today at the ShopRite in Hackensack and H Mart in Little Ferry, a Korean supermarket, which had lights but no heat.

At Costco, a 10-pound bag of sweet potatoes from North Carolina was $5.99, 10 pounds of organic carrots were $7.99, a 1-pound package of Kirkland Signature Smoked Wild Alaskan Salmon was $15.39.

A 2-pound package of Jarlsberg Light sliced, reduced-fat cheese was $9.99, and 3 pounds of sodium-free California almonds I roast at home were $12.99.

At H Mart, a 15-pound bag of California-grown Kukuho Yellow Label Rice was on sale for $9.99. Other sale items were frozen Greenshell Mussels for $5.99 and a large bunch of fresh spinach for 99 cents.

At ShopRite, I bought the last three packages of antibiotic-free Readington Farms chicken legs and thighs for $1.89 a pound.

Now, the house is filled with the aroma of Curry Chicken.

But I'll be content with whole-wheat rigatoni in bottled marinara with added anchovies, which cook away but leave behind a robust taste; steamed spinach and a salad.   
  

 

Today, this omelet was made with Manchego cheese I didn't throw away.

After Hurricane Sandy knocked our power out on Oct. 29, we could still cook on our gas stove by igniting it with a match.

So, we cooked and ate what we could, supplemented by prepared food from Whole Foods Market; gave away a  lot of items from the freezer and threw away food.

But I didn't discard Tropicana orange juice in sealed cartons; Manchego, grated Pecorino Romano and another hard cheese; two jars of kimchi, olives, capers in brine, homemade pesto, ground spices, bread and tortillas. 

Laying in food for the holiday

Image via Wikipedia
At Costco Wholesale, you can find the same Parmigiano Reggiano displayed at this festival in Modena, Italy. The cheese has been made since before the Renaissance. 

Editor's note: Today, I discuss last-minute food shopping at Costco Wholesale, fresh fish at Whole Foods Market and Australian beef at ShopRite.

I was in and out of Costco Wholesale in about 20 minutes this morning, buying ingredients for a big salad we plan to serve to guests on Saturday.


I picked up a naturally raised, fully cooked Niman Ranch ham and large Tiger shrimp on previous visits to the Hackensack warehouse store, so I only had to nibble around the edges of our holiday menu.


I bought a second package of Andy Boy jumbo romaine hearts (six for $3.99), because that wonderful Earthbound Farms Organic Spring Mix sold at Costco doesn't always stand up well until its expiration date.


I also found pesticide-free Euro Farm Fresh seedless cucumbers (three for $3.99), and in view of tomato prices going through the roof, I picked up another 5 pounds of Sunset beefsteak tomatoes for $6.99 or about $1.20 a pound.


The romaine, tomatoes and cucumbers are going into the salad, along with fresh spinach, organic carrot,  sweet peppers and other ingredients I have on hand. 


We're having a Jamaican-American meal on Christmas Eve this year, in contrast to last year's Cuban-style dinner of roast pork, rice cooked with black beans, and yuca with garlic sauce we picked up at La Pola in West New York.


On Friday, we're planning to visit La Pola, at Palisade Avenue and 54th Street, to bring holiday greetings to owner Belarmino Rico, who named his Cuban sandwich shop after the small Spanish town where he was born.


On Saturday, our guests will be bringing curry goat, rice and peas, roast chicken and Jamaican potato salad to supplement the ham, shrimp, fish stuffed with okra and salad we plan to serve.


We've prepared a Jamaican drink from a herb called sorrel, with ginger and rum; and there are four bottles of non-alcoholic sparkling apple cider in the wine cooler.


For dessert, we'll serve fruit and cheese, including Kirkland Signature Parmigiano Reggiano from Italy I picked up at Costco ($12.69 a pound). The part-skimmed cow's milk cheese, aged for 24 months, has been made in Italy since before the Renaissance, according to the package. 


When I got home, I cut off the thick rind, then cut the wedge into three portions, wrapping them tightly.


I also bought organic carrot juice, organic 1% milk, Tropicana orange juice in 64-ounce cartons, crab and corn chowder, 3 pounds of raw almonds, reduced-fat sliced Swiss cheese and fresh Pacific cod fillet.


Go fish in Paramus


You'll find some of the freshest fish around displayed on ice at Whole Food Market in Paramus, and when the store puts seafood on sale, prices are competitive.


On Tuesday, I saw fillets of wild-caught sockeye salmon from Canada on sale for $9.99 a pound -- not much higher than Costco's frozen sockeye salmon fillets from Alaska. The Canadian fillets had been previously frozen.


I also saw whole sea bass landed at Barnegat Light (on the Jersey Shore), which is 63 miles from the store, according to a sign. The price was $9.99 a pound.


Grass-fed beef price cut


Through Saturday, ShopRite supermarkets have dropped the price of free-range, grass-fed Nature's Reserve Boneless Rib Eye Roast from Australia by $2, to $4.99 a pound with a store card. There is a limit of one.