Keeping it healthy: Seafood doesn't need butter, bacon or brown sugar

This month, The Costco Connection, a magazine sent to Costco Wholesale members, is recommending a totally unnecessary addition to a luxurious meal of Red King Crab Legs and Dungeness Crab -- a half-cup of butter.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Fresh lime or lemon juice is all I need to enjoy lobster, king crab or plump sea scallops.

In the past few years, I've made a wonderful Red King Crab Leg salad with Dijon mustard, fresh lime juice, cumin and other seasonings.

But retailers like Costco Wholesale and Trader Joe's seem to think premium seafood shouldn't be served without butter, brown sugar or bacon.

Experts say lobster, crab and other shellfish contain levels of cholesterol comparable to land animals.

Where they have the edge is much lower levels of saturated fat, which is found in butter, bacon and other food.

Replacing saturated fats in your diet with sources of polyunsaturated fats -- such as ocean fish with omega-3 fatty acids -- can lower your risk of cardiovascular disease, according to the American Heart Association.

When I emailed a photo of my Red King Crab Salad to Tim Talevich, editorial director of The Costco Connection, he replied the dish looked delicious and the magazine would consider "healthier options" next time.

Trader Joe's Fearless Flyer, which is sent to customers' homes, raves about Scallops Wrapped in Uncured Bacon with Brown Sugar Glaze.

The Costco Connection's Recipe for Shrimp Fettuccine (misspelled in the magazine with one "c") includes two tablespoons of butter.

Trader Joe's Crab Cakes, right, are made with both a Mayo Dressing and Worcestershire Sauce, according to the ingredients label, below. They also are more expensive than the Phillips Seafood Restaurants' 3-ounce crab cakes sold at Costco Wholesale.

A good buy at Trader Joe's in Paramus on Saturday was a large stalk of Brussels Sprouts for $3.99. Ignore the recipe on the tag for roasting the whole stalk with 3/4 cup of maple syrup. Another problem is the recommended wrapping of the stalk in plastic wrap, and heating it in a microwave on high for 4 minutes or 5 minutes. That could lead to the transfer of chemicals to the Brussels Sprouts from the cling wrap.

I found a recipe online for oven roasting the Brussels Sprouts with olive oil, salt and pepper, though I used a lower temperature to avoid burning the outer leaves. I should have followed the recipe and trimmed the hard, fibrous stem after removing the sprouts from the stalk and washing them. I also recommend cutting the larger sprouts in half.

Trader Joe's most flavorful pasta sauce, Puttanesca, contains no added sugar. Ingredients include Italian tomatoes, capers, olives and anchovies.

I boost the flavor of skinless-and-boneless Icelandic Haddock ($8.99 a pound at Costco Wholesale in Teterboro) by coating serving pieces in Asian-Indian Spices from a box of Fish Masala, which you find in an Indian grocery.

I start with fresh spinach drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil, above, then add spice-coated fish, chopped pitted olives, fresh tomato slices and reduced-fat grated cheese, below.

The haddock was ready after about 12 minutes in a preheated 400-degree oven.

On Thanksgiving, I served a Red King Crab Salad with chopped celery, carrot, onion, and sweet pepper dressed in Dijon mustard, fresh lime juice, cumin and other spices.

Kirkland Signature Basil Pesto from Costco is as rich as butter, but made with extra-virgin olive oil and reduced-fat grated cheese. Pesto nicely complemented two Maryland-style jumbo lump crab cakes sold at Costco under the Phillips Seafood Restaurants label.

New cage-free eggs at Costco, Paramus ShopRite, road food and more

The Hackensack Costco warehouse closed on Tuesday night, but clueless members continued to show up on Friday afternoon, only to drive away in search of the new Costco Wholesale in the Teterboro Landing Shopping Center off of Route 46.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Costco Wholesale apparently is responding to the controversy over selling eggs from caged chickens by making more cage-free eggs available.

On Friday, I made my first shopping trip to the Costco Wholesale in Teterboro, which opened on Wednesday morning.

I planned to order two new pairs of glasses and pick up food items I couldn't find on the last day the Hackensack warehouse was open for business.

I bought my usual Kirkland Signature Organic Large Grade AA Eggs, which are brown and marked cage free, vegetarian fed and certified humane ($6.99 for two dozen).

But as I was checking out, I noticed the couple behind me had a different brand of brown eggs that were marked cage free, but not organic.

Their package also contained 24 eggs, but they should be cheaper than organic.

When I called the Teterboro Costco today, an employee couldn't find the non-organic cage-free eggs in the computer.

So, Costco offers consumers more choice in cage-free eggs, but continues to sell whole eggs and liquid egg whites from caged chickens -- years after the company promised to withdraw them from warehouses.

A 2-pound bag of Chopped Kale, above left, and Butter Lettuce, below, are two of the many items I saw on Friday in the bigger Teterboro Costco that I don't recall from the Hackensack warehouse, which closed on Tuesday night after 21 years.

Frozen seafood

The Teterboro warehouse may be bigger and sell more items than the old warehouse in Hackensack.

Yet, Costco continues to offer an unusually large amount of previously frozen seafood -- from cooked Dungeness Crabs to raw Sea Scallops to raw Lobster Tails, some of them treated with preservatives.

I've been disappointed by the previously frozen cooked crab and scallops, and never tried them again.

On the other hand, another frozen item -- Phillips Seafood Restaurants Maryland Style Crab Cakes -- are as good as any I've had in a restaurant.

The first ingredient is jumbo lump crab meat, and they have to be cooked, not just reheated. 

You get six crab cakes with a total weight of 1 pound 2 ounces for $18.99 -- more than $3 each -- but they are worth the premium.

On Friday, I saw another frozen seafood item that I might try next time -- ahi tuna slices prepared rare with olive oil, garlic and other seasoning.

I did buy a 3-pound bag of frozen wild-caught Mahi-
Mahi loins ($19.99), a 1-pound pouch of Kirkland Signature Smoked Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon ($15.99) and a 3-pound bag of peeled California garlic ($7.39).

Also, a pound of Earthbound Farm Organic Spring Mix ($4.59), and Chobani Greek Yogurt, 0% fat with fruit on the bottom ($14.99 for 20 5.3-ounce cups).

On Tuesday at the Hackensack Costco, a 2-pound bag of Mayorga Cafe Cubano Dark Roast, organic, shade-grown coffee beans, were $10.99 with an instant coupon, and I was able to grind them Turkish in the store.

Shuttered warehouse 

As I was looking over eyeglass frames on Friday, I overheard one of the Costco opticians on the phone, giving directions to the Teterboro Landing Shopping Center from the old Hackensack warehouse.

Huge banners announcing the Hackensack closing and Teterboro opening were hung for many weeks and fliers were given out to members in the days before the former closed on Tuesday night.

Some Costco members didn't get the memo.

Another change I noticed in Teterboro are wider parking spaces and more corrals for Costco's oversized shopping carts.

Still, the wider spots won't protect you from lazy members who think nothing of loading their cars and SUVs, then leaving their empty carts against the fender or door of someone else's vehicle. 

These bruised and battered honeycrisp apples were put on sale for $1.69 a pound at the ShopRite in Paramus on Friday morning. They looked awful.

At ShopRite, Zeigler's Apple Cider is a blend of honeycrisp and other apples.

Potassium sorbate is among the ingredients.

The Paramus ShopRite has the nerve to charge more for the Gia Russa brand of 100% Whole Wheat Pasta from Italy, top, than for the superior Luigi Vitelli brand, on shelf below, which is organic and also imported from Italy.

ShopRite normally charges $2.79 for a can of Season Sardines from Morocco, but even on sale at $1.49 a can, they cost more than the same skinless-and-boneless fish at Costco Wholesale in Teterboro, where six 4.375-ounce cans are $6.99 with an instant coupon through Oct. 25. Costco's Season Sardines are marked non-GMO and the cans are BPA free. The regular Costco price is $1.66 a can.

At the Paramus ShopRite, I was all set to buy wild-caught Jumbo Shrimp from the United States for $14.99 a pound until I saw the small lettering on the sign, "Sulfites Added." 

ShopRite Containers are cheaper than the Ziploc brand sold next to them, and both are BPA free. I use them only for storage of leftovers, even though they are marked microwave safe. I plate leftover food before reheating it and cover it with a paper towel, not plastic wrap, to avoid the transfer of chemicals used to make plastic.

Luigi Vitelli-brand Organic Whole Wheat Capellini in Victoria Marinara with added Season Anchovies (one can) and Season Sardines (three cans), red wine and seasonings. A pound of the thin pasta cooks up al dente in unsalted water in just three minutes. Leftovers go great with eggs or an omelet for breakfast.

At the Suburban Diner in Paramus (172 Route 17 north), the Clam Chowder may have too many potatoes, but there are plenty of fresh-tasting clams just below the surface of the tomatoey broth ($4.75 for a bowl).

At Kitchen Bar in Abington, Pa. (1482 Old York Road), my so-called Greek Salad came without stuffed grape leaves, a big strike against it ($11.99).

We had a late lunch at Kitchen Bar on Oct. 10 with our son, who is attending college on Penn State's Abington campus. This was our second visit to the restaurant.

I would have been happy ordering small plates, such as these Grilled Vegetables ($3.99). My wife complained her Fish and Chips, cod dipped in beer batter and deep fried, were too greasy. The staff happily took it off the bill and brought her a Caesar Salad ($7.99). She didn't like that either, she said later.

My son like his Fish Taco appetizer, though the price was closer to that of an entree ($11.99).

My son ordered the Cajun Penne with Shrimp, but didn't finish the pasta ($12.99).

At the New King Fung Supermarket in River Edge (625 Kinderkamack Road), I shop only for Miya Japanese bowls, not food, because the floor is dirty and the Chinese-owned store has deteriorated since a renovation several years ago.

The label on the bottom of a 6-inch bowl ($6.99). I bought three.

Giving thanks for crab cakes, red snapper, steak and tacos

My Thanksgiving appetizer of handmade Phillips Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes from Costco Wholesale with Whole Foods Market's Roasted Salsa Verde and a side of organic purple sweet potatoes, which I mashed with extra-virgin olive oil, cinnamon and other seasonings.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

I happily celebrated another turkey-free Thanksgiving this week, filling up instead on great seafood dishes, mashed purple sweet potatoes and an organic spring mix salad with crunchy pomegranate seeds.

And as we did before I stopped eating meat and poultry nearly five years ago, we don't have leftovers from a whole bird, because my wife roasts only the most flavorful dark-meat parts.

I started my feast on Tuesday night with a takeout order of fish tacos from Taqueria Los Gueros in Englewood.

On Wednesday night, I threw together a dish of pasta with sardines, using leftover bottled sauce in the refrigerator and a few ounces of organic whole-wheat capellini, which are just a little thicker than angel hair and cook in three to four minutes in a shallow pan (no need to salt the water).

And for breakfast on Thursday morning, I prepared a 10-inch egg-white frittata with smoked wild salmon and Roasted Salsa Verde from Whole Foods Market.

My Thanksgiving entree was a whole red snapper prepared by a family friend and leftover wild-caught U-12 shrimp from H Mart in Englewood that my wife marinated in fresh lime juice and chopped garlic.

Pre-Thanksgiving takeout

At Taqueria Los Gueros, 48 W. Palisade Ave. in Englewood, we took advantage of Taco Tuesday, when 5 Pastor, Carnitas or Pollo tacos are only $4.99.

But my wife, who ordered the takeout, said the server wouldn't give her any fresh pineapple, an essential ingredient in a Taco el Pastor, and the way it comes when you eat it there.

The Taco Tuesday price is $1 less than what Pastor tacos cost the rest of the time.

She brought me an order of four fish tacos topped with avocado slices, what the taqueria calls Mexican Tacos ($8), but the portion was noticeably smaller than what I was served at Los Gueros in March.

I was in Englewood late Wednesday afternoon and stopped at Balthazar Bakery, 214 S. Dean St., for two $2 baguettes, waiting on line behind six or seven other customers.

Then, I stopped at Jerry's Gourmet & More at 410 S. Dean St., where I was surprised the hordes of pre-holiday shoppers left behind three Meals To Go, those complete restaurant-quality takeout dinners that are cut to $5.99 after 4 p.m.

Organic purple sweet potatoes from Whole Foods Market with conventional sweet potatoes from Trader Joe's. I mashed about 2 pounds of each with extra-virgin olive oil after boiling the skin-on sections together for about 45 minutes. The water turned purple.

Thanksgiving

For breakfast, I prepared a 10-inch frittata with Costco Wholesale's smoked wild salmon. 

This week, my wife paid $15.99 for a 1-pound package of Kirkland Signature Wild Alaskan Smoked Sockeye Salmon, close to the $15.59 the sliced salmon cost in March 2013. This year, the price had suddenly risen to $18.89.

For our Thanksgiving dinner, I started with two wonderful Phillips Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes, also from Costco, and delicious mashed organic purple sweet potatoes.

For $21.99, you get six frozen 3-ounce crab cakes (about $4 each). The first ingredient listed is crab meat.

My entree was a whole fish and wild-caught shrimp with chopped garlic and lime juice.

A few hours later, I had a simple salad of organic spring mix and pomegranate seeds, both from Costco.

The meat eaters in the family really went to town, preparing naturally raised turkey drumsticks from Goffle Road Poultry Farm in Wyckoff, heating up a fully cooked naturally raised ham from Wellshire, and cooking oxtails and rice with pigeon peas.

I drank a red wine from Siciliy.

A wedge of smoked wild salmon frittata with roasted green salsa I made for my Thanksgiving morning breakfast and served over organic quinoa.

This morning, I had pasta and eggs -- a wedge of frittata with leftover organic whole-wheat capellini and sardines.

I used a 16-ounce carton of the 100% Egg Whites from Costco Wholesale with chopped garlic, scallions, grated sheep-milk's Pecorino Romano cheese and a little low-fat milk before I poured it into a preheated 10-inch pan with olive oil on the stove, below.

As the crust set, I added a half-pound of sliced Wild Alaskan Smoked Sockeye Salmon from Costco Wholesale, where a 1-pound package was nearly $3 less last week. 

The frittata finished cooking under the broiler. I spooned on Whole Foods' Roasted Salsa Verde in the last few minutes.

A takeout order of Mexican Tacos from Taqueria Los Gueros in Englewood. Two corn tortillas are used for each taco. The green salsa that comes with them is hot and the red salsa is really hot. You also get marinated onions and jalapeno peppers.

A complete Grilled Hanger Steak takeout dinner from Jerry's in Englewood includes bowtie pasta with pesto, broccoli with garlic and steamed vegetables. Two other dinners contained roasted pork chops.

The price for a Meal To Go is cut to $5.99 after 4 p.m.

I ignored the many temptations at Balthazar Bakery, ordering my usual, two crusty baguettes, still only $2 each 12 years after the retail store opened.