New items at Costco and a surprising $3 price hike

The parking lot at my Costco Wholesale in Hackensack was a zoo this afternoon, but checkout was no problem. I saw several new items, including 2-pound bags of salted cod fillets from Canada for only $11.99, below.

The salted pollock from Atlantic Pearl is cheaper than salted cod, but many cooks won't settle for it.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
Editor

Today, I left the watch I want to return home and did some food shopping at Costco Wholesale to replace staples, including organic salad, reduced-fat sliced cheese and wild-caught fish fillets.

I saw several new items, and was surprised by a $3-plus price hike for Kirkland Signature Wild Alaskan Smoked Sockeye Salmon.

The sliced, preservative-free salmon is ideal for sandwiches, salads, omelets and frittatas.

For a snack, you can eat it rolled up with a slice of cheese, stuffed with spring mix and dipped in Dijon mustard.

On Dec. 3, a 1-pound package was $15.59. But today, I blinked twice at the price on the sign: $18.89.

Even at the higher price, this likely is the cheapest smoked wild salmon available at any store in North Jersey. 

Three new fishes

Two new fish items at the Hackesnack Costco are 2-pound bags of salted codfish from Canada for $11.99, beating the price of $6.99 a pound at the Englewood ShopRite; and fresh, skinless fillets of mahi mahi for only $7.99 a pound.

The mahi mahi, also called dolphin fish, is from Costa Rica. In the past, the Hackensack Costco sold cod, haddock and flounder fillets, as well as fresh wild salmon from May to October. 

The price for the Canadian salted cod also beats salted cod fillets for $8.99 a pound that Costco displayed in shrink-wrapped trays in the refrigerated case among wild and farmed fish.

The salted cod and mahi mahi join fresh Atlantic cod fillets from Iceland as new items.

The Atlantic cod showed up at Costco in the past week, replacing Pacific True Cod, which I hadn't seen for a few months.

Twelve-pound bags of Della Organic Long Grain Brown Rice are $13.99, but there is no indication where the rice is grown. The package says the rice is distributed by a company in Arkansas.

I saw a display of 12-pound bags of Della-brand Organic Long Grain Brown Rice for only $13.99.

We stopped buying the Della brown rice after we found boll weevils in it, and switched to California-grown Lundberg Organic Long Grain Brown Rice, which I buy on Amazon.com at a higher price.

At least a half-dozen shoppers, including me, asked Costco employees for organic milk, but were told the warehouse store had run out of that item.

A Costco frittata made at home with Kirkland Signature Egg Whites, whole Organic Eggs, Wild Alaskan Smoked Sockeye Salmon; shredded and sliced Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese, Jarlsberg Lite Reduced-Fat Sliced Swiss Cheese, and La Costena-brand Green Mexican Salsa.

Good food that won't clog arteries or add inches

A well-balanced meal of whole Spanish Mackerel, stir-fried asparagus and quinoa with Korean seasoned vegetables. The fish was poached in a sauce of organic diced tomatoes, red wine, Dijon mustard and non-fat Greek yogurt.

The fresh-fish display at H Mart, the Korean supermarket in Englewood, where the wild-caught, silvery Spanish Mackerel were $3.99 a pound on Thursday. Fresh-water carp was 99 cents a pound, but I would have had to buy the whole fish, which looked like it weighed 20 pounds or more.

Canned-fish salad (pink salmon, yellow-fin tuna and sardines) with Earthbound Farms Organic Spring Mix, Sunset-brand cucumbers and Italian olives.

I added a Gala Apple, above, and diced celery, garlic and onion to the canned-fish salad, along with Dijon mustard, ground cumin and fresh lime juice, all to taste.

The crusty, butter-free baguette from Balthazar Bakery in Englewood is still only $2. I slice and freeze it for sandwiches for other members of the family, but allow myself only the "heel" or end of the loaf with a big dinner salad.

Hemp is a legal variety of cannabis (marijuana) that is grown for fiber and seeds, such as the nutty tasting Hemp Hearts I found at Costco Wholesale in Hackensack last week, above with a salad and below. A 28-ounce bag was a pricey $14.89.

Manitoba Harvest raw, shelled hemp seeds are a product of Canada, vegan and made with 100% wind power, according to the bag, and are good for sprinkling on salads, cereal and yogurt.

Wild-caught haddock from Iceland coated with a Super Spice Mixture and served with brown rice and diced organic tomatoes prepared in an electric cooker. The spice mixture is made by combining every spice and dried herb I have in the house in a large plastic container, which I keep in the refrigerator.

Salted cod fish with whole-wheat fusilli pasta in bottled sauce, above, and with onion, sweet pepper, tomato and ackee, a Jamaican fruit available in cans, below.

All of the canned, fresh and salted fish I used in these home-cooked meals came from Costco Wholesale in Hackensack or H Mart, a Korean supermarket in Englewood.

H Mart also sells 16 ounces of seasoned vegetables for bibimbap, a rice-based comfort dish, but I used them with organic quinoa and didn't add the usual ground beef (Jinga Seasoned Vegetables, $7.69).

The best 100% whole-wheat pasta I've found comes from Trader Joe's, where it is only $1.39 for a full pound and organic, too.

Organic diced tomatoes, organic brown rice, organic quinoa and Earthbound Farms Organic Spring Mix are available at Costco Wholesale. 

Imported canned ackee in brine is available at ShopRite in Rochelle Park and Hackensack Market on Passaic Street. 

 

Bowled over by quality ingredients from Costco

My dinner at home Friday was served in bowls: CedarLane Chopped Vegetable & Barley Soup, above, and below with grated Pecorino Romano Cheese; and an Earthbound Farm salad, bottom photo, all from Costco Wholesale in Hackensack.

You can sip or drink many soups, but the spoon isn't optional with this thick, chewy vegetarian soup in a light tomato broth. You'll find corn, carrot, barley, potato, onion and more in the soup. The container was in the freezer with a use-by date of 11/26/12.

Sunset-brand hothouse beefsteak tomato and gourmet cucumber top an Organic Spring Mix salad from Earthbound Farm in a dressing of extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. All the produce is from Costco Wholesale.

Organic whole-wheat spaghetti with salted cod fish complements fresh, wild-caught Icelandic haddock coated with a Super Spice Mixture (a combination of every spice in your cupboard). Cod fish, haddock and the lime came from Costco. The pasta is from Trader Joe's.

A Jamaican specialty called ackee and salt fish was made with cod from Costco.

Above, two of the ingredients in a frittata with beefsteak tomato and homemade pesto that I finished under the broiler, below. I combined whole organic eggs, egg whites, grated cheese and low-fat milk to make the fluffy frittata, which I started on the stove. Everything but the pesto came from Costco Wholesale in Hackensack.

I added the sliced tomato and pesto while the 10-inch pan was on the stove and moved the frittata to the oven after the bottom was set.

Kirkland Signature Organic No-Salt Seasoning is a blend of 21 spices, dried herbs and other ingredients.

Neither the Sunset Campari Tomatoes, above, or Beefsteak Tomatoes, below, looked very good today at the Hackensack warehouse store. They varied in color and ripeness, and many looked like they had been handled by customers. The small tomatoes were $5.49 for 2 pounds and the bigger ones were $6.99 for 5 pounds. I bought a trio of Sunset Gourmet Cucumbers instead for $3.99. Sunset is based in Canada, but all of the tomatoes and cucumbers were grown in Mexico.

Costco instant coupons were available today on Kashi Trail Mix Chewy Granola Bars, above left, and 32-ounce jars of Classico Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce, below left. Thirty Kashi bars were $8.79 ($3 off) and the pasta sauce was $4.79 ($2 off) or about $1.60 a bottle.

I passed up a $6-off instant coupon on Kashi GoLean Crisp Variety Pack, because those bars have more calories, fat and sodium than Kashi Trail Mix bars, which help me skip lunch.

Another fish jumps into the salad

I continue to tweak my no-mayonnaise canned fish salad, this time by adding anchovies and fresh lemon juice in addition to pickled lemons (recipe follows). See previous posts, "Cleopatra's tuna-sardine salad" and "Way better than tuna salad."

I combined Alaskan red salmon, albacore tuna (two cans), spicy Moroccan sardines and anchovies, with their oil or water to keep the salad moist. I added a small red onion (diced)  and three small pickled lemons (minced), plus juice from a large lemon. I also added a half cup or more of powdered cumin. Diced celery would be great, too.

The pickled lemon and the spicy oil from the sardines came through, but I couldn't taste the anchovies. I'm still getting the heart-healthy benefit of their Omega-3 fatty acids, which is found in all the fish I used. You could even invite a fifth fish -- salted cod -- to join the party.

If you miss the mayo, I suppose you can spread some on your sandwich bread or toast, but I prefer pesto, hummus or my own low-fat organic yogurt cheese. Feel free to add organic greens and sliced tomatoes with za'atar spice mixture or even sliced cheese, such as Trader Joe's yogurt cheese with jalapenos.

Four-fish salad

1 can of Alaskan red salmon (about 15 ounces)

1 can of albacore or light tuna in oil or water

1 can of Moroccan or other sardines

1 can of anchovies with or without capers

3 small pickled lemons, minced


1 small red onion, diced


juice of one large lemon or more to taste

powdered cumin to taste

Add the fish with their liquid to a large bowl and mash with a fork. Add the other ingredients. You can find the pickled lemons, za'atar and cumin in a Middle Eastern market, such as Fattal's at 975 Main St. in Paterson (973-742-7125) or Sahara Stores at 242 S. Summit Ave. in  Hackensack (201-487-7222).

Getting your goat at Fairway Market

Fairway Market's Harlem store has been a reliable source for the meat my wife uses in her curry goat. The pieces have more meat than bone and they are reasonably priced at $2.29 a pound. I went to Fairway's Paramus store yesterday in search of some and was told goat meat was dropped for lack of demand (the store opened at the end of March).

I don't know anything about this meat, where it comes from or how the goats are raised. Goat meat sold by the halal places in Paterson costs a lot more. Food Fair, a new ethnic supermarket that opened in the Silk City, is selling goat meat for $1.79 a pound. I can't imagine where that stuff comes from. Food Fair also sells boneless salted cod for $4.49 a pound, compared to $8.99 at Fairway and $9.99 at ShopRite.

I'll have to visit Food Fair and perhaps add it to the list of stores we rely on for food: ShopRite, H-Mart, Fairway Market, Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe's.