New Seafood Online Retail Store and A Food Gal Giveaway
Family-owned Anderson Seafoods, Inc. of Orange, Calif., which has supplied premium seafood to retailers such as Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, has launched an online retail store for consumers.
Imagine both fresh and frozen fish sent to your door via overnight delivery.
Now, you’re probably thinking that shipping fish in doesn’t sound very PC, but Anderson Seafoods has teamed up with UPS to offer carbon neutral shipping to help mitigate that. You can purchase carbon neutral offsets that UPS will match at a very affordable 20 cents per package delivered.
In this day and age of heightened concerns about where our seafood comes from, though, I only wish the Anderson Web site had more detailed information on where some of the types of seafood come from. For instance, it sells “fresh Atlantic salmon,” but doesn’t mention that it’s farm-raised. It also sells Chilean Seabass, even though this species remains on the “avoid list” on the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Guide because it is still considered overfished.
Recently, I did have a chance to sample some of the seafood products, including fresh Loch Duart salmon ($22.01 for 12 ounces), billed as a sustainable farm-raised salmon from Scotland; fresh ahi ($28.50 for 12 ounces); and frozen mahi mahi ($24.11 for 12 ounces). The fish comes vacuum-sealed in insulated containers.
The quality is definitely high. For instance, the beautiful piece of salmon was fresh and rich tasting, and arrived sans any pesky pin bones at all, which was quite impressive. I also tried one of Anderson’s frozen entrees — salmon potstickers ($12.38 for 14 ounces), which were very plump with a substantial filling of salmon, water chestnuts and panko bread crumbs.
Contest: If you’d like to try some of the seafood, I’m happy to be able to give away a $125 gift card to Anderson Seafoods. Entries, limited to those in the continental United States, will be accepted through midnight May 28. The winner will be announced May 30.
How to win?
In a play on the word, “seafood,” just tell me about a food, which when you see it, you just can’t resist — and why. Best answer wins.
Here’s my own answer to that question:
“When I see a just-baked cookie of any sort that has melty dark chocolate in it, I just can’t help but lunge for it. First off, I love cookies of any kind. But one with gooey chocolate is just my downfall. After all, my late-Dad filmed my first steps as a toddler. Not surprisingly, I was ambling around on wobbly legs while holding a giant chocolate chip cookie in my hand — for balance, no doubt.”
Winner of Last Week’s Contest: In the previous Food Gal contest, I asked you tell me about a memorable time when you truly pigged out. The best answer receives a “Be Inspired with Pork Kit,†which is being provided to the Food Gal by the folks at the National Pork Board. It includes an 11-inch square grill pan; a 16-jar revolving spice rack; a pig-shaped wood cutting board; a digital thermometer; a copy of the cookbook, “How to Cook Like a Top Chef” (Chronicle Books), autographed by Richard Blais; and a gift card to a local retailer to purchase some tasty pork to cook up.
A huge congrats to:
Nanette, who wrote, “I think the greatest pig out I ever had was when I went to a pig party (wearing stretchy pants). It involved the host buying a WHOLE pig, lugging it on public transportation cut up and in trash bags, and then cooking the whole thing. 17 different pork dishes and I partook in all of them. Almost 200 pounds of pig. It was an epic pork experience in my life. I took a pig nap afterward.”
More Seafood Goodies: Port Clyde Lobster Mac & Cheese
Bacon. I don’t care how full I am or where I am, I smell bacon and I know that good things about to be happen. If I spot bacon in a salad or wrapped lovingly around asparagus or a lamb chop, I know that the bacon gods have looked down upon the meal and given it a resounding stamp of approval. If I walk into a place for breakfast and don’t smell bacon I turn around and walk out. End of story.
There are so many choices, but when I see a plate of nicely prepared sushi… i just can’t get enough. One of the first times I went for sushi we ordered so much that the owner of the restaurant remembered us. All I could think was that we made a memorable impact on his memory, in how much we are and how we boosted his total for the day.
🙂
I think the mail order seafood is a super idea, Carolyn. Although, living in Florida I get awfully fresh seafood nearly of the time. The salmon potstickers looked good.
Do you call ice cream a food? Well, that’s my downfall. I start salivating just saying the words. I make it at home as often as I can, trying all sort of flavors. It’s tough on the figure though.
Anything Asian thats sticky, sweet and spicy! I also can’t help but tearing pieces of a chuck roast before serving. I’m a sucker for perfectly roasted meat and potatoes. Sorry, but I can’t just pick one thing! Did I mention spring rolls and dumplings? I have to eat anything that’s wrapped.
Wow, you did a nice job of cooking up what you got in the mail! As for me, none of those things will fit in my mail slot in my apartment building, so no fish for me! 🙁
My most common impulse buy is fresh fruit, particularly raspberries or blackberries. If I’m trying to do a quick & cheap shopping trip, I have to skip the fruit section!! This time of year is the most tempting, since it’s been so long since the ripe good stuff was available. I also have a similar weakness to a good cheese section. My local grocery puts out samples (so smart! so sneaky!) so you have an incentive to stroll buy & then you wind up buying $30 worth of vintage cheddars and stinky blues.
I have a hard time resisting any homemade desserts!
Lately it has been Pink Berry. If I see a store I must get it. I have bought it when it was 50 degrees, raining, and only 10am. I swear they put crack or some addictive substance in it as I’m always craving it and I have never been a fan of regular yogurt. If you haven’t tried it…you need to go asap as it is that good.
Rhubarb! California simply does not have a long enough season for Midwest me, leaving me craving it all year round. I dream of rhubarb oatmeal crisp warm from the oven with fresh cream on top. Any time rhubarb is on the menu here in the Bay area I rejoice. My recipe binder has almost enough rhubarb recipes as days in the summer. pork roast with rhubarb, rhubarb ice tea, rhubarb compote on pancakes…. I shouldn’t admit it but the farmer’s market a few weeks ago had a rhubarb galette and I might have finished it off in one setting. Gah now I am craving it again!
Big, blue succulent crabs from the bayous of Louisiana. As a kid my father and I would head for the bayous-he with a fishing pole and me with my crab bait and net, along with my 5 yrs. old niece who really just wanted to sit in the lawn chair and eat Ding Dongs and chips – a care package prepared by my mother. We would spend hours catching crabs and putting them in a big cooler, then once home my dad would clean the crabs and my mother would make the most amazing, spicy Cajun crab stew which she served over steaming white rice. Heaven on earth and a family affair. First you catch and clean the crabs, then as we say in Louisiana – you make a roux. Tres bien.
The seafood does look really fresh and the pot stickers are a great way to showcase their versatility in giving customers choice!
As a seafood monster I’m willing to move to the U.S. for this! 😛 😉
I hope Anderson Seafoods take in your points about sharing more details on the source of seafood. I do want to know where my seafood are from e.g whether the salmon is wild-caught or farm-raised. 😀
I’m actually hoping not to win, since there’s no anderson seafood when my reachable limits…which is the boston’s crappy train system T_T.
Chips. Potato (Well doesn’t have to be potato) Chips, of all brands and of all kinds. Lays, Cape Cod, Kettle, Pop Chips, Cheetos, Fritos, and Doritos. I LOVE THE SHIT OUT OF THEM. My senses are aware of them before I’m consciously aware of it. My body just knows what makes it happy. When a see a bag or bowl of chips that are not mine, some how, I honestly don’t know sometimes, my hands are already two inches deep into that bag or bowl. And I realize I should probably ask to eat this before consuming the whole thing myself. I must also exert self control in not demolishing it all into my stomach, cause it’s not mine. The only calming thought is that, there’s a CVS/trader joes near by, I can go buy one in like 5 minutes.
But yes, I’ve been carrot sticked with a bag of chips before, I have an addiction. I tell all my friends and coworkers and my boyfriend that just buy me a bag of chips and I’ll be sweetly distracted from not receiving a gift on my birthday. I’m hoping this birthday I’ll receive chips from all my coworkers =].
ps….lol just read the online part. *hits own head*
i can never turn down a dumpling/gyoza/shumai/potsticker! They make the best appetizers and you can fill them with anything! I occasionally make a batch of pork and spinach gyoza for my husband and I. I steam half and pan fry the other half. They are only a special occasion food though because they take so long to make and about half the time to devour!
Ribs! They attract me just like candy or a bag of chips. It seems in the summertime everyone is barbecuing, and I just eat them non-stop. I can always make room for one…or six more.
A good avocado. It’s just like a little gem. This is embarassing, but I’ve actually pulled one out of the trash (see, can’t resist). It was sitting on top though.
Chinese Buffet.
I seriously ate it twice last week alone, and even after I satisfy my craving, I still can’t get enough. My husband and my favorite way to eat it is to fill to-go containers full of all favorite dishes, go home, put on a movie, and just veg out. If you ask me what I want to eat or where I want to eat, my answer will always be the same: Chinese buffet. Lucky for me, I have a husband who supports my “addiction” and we go pretty much any time I want. Which is a lot. A LOT.
The salmon dumplings sound and look delicious! I think you’ve just given me some inspiration for a ‘new’ dumpling recipe 😀 Oh and I just had to comment tho I can’t be in the giveaway..hope that’s ok 😀
im so excited to have found Anderson seafood, and of course your blog 🙂 I think i’ll be trying them out today!! have a delicious day 🙂
ANYTHING caramel!
Buffalo wings. They’re the worst of the worst when it comes to appetizers, but I can’t resist the crunchy fried wings, the spicy buttery sauce, and the cool creamy and fatty ranch dipping! Oh, and not to mention the crunchy celery too 😉
Chocolate. Especially when it’s in a cookie, or a brownie, or anything that involves peanut butter. My see-chocolate/MUST-EAT-CHOCOLATE thing is so severe that I get chocolate cravings when I see reeses peanut butter cup commercials. (No other commercials have that effect. But I keep a bag of chocolate chips in the fridge just in case, just for eating– my baking chocolate is separate!) Yes, it’s an obsession.
When I see purple sweet potatoes, my eyes quite literally glitter with thrill and joy. During my childhood in China, it was always a treat to see street side vendors selling roasted sweet potatoes & chestnuts carts. All my friends and relatives knew about my obsession and informed me of any new sources of these heavenly tubers whenever they were discovered. I would patiently wait until fall, when the best sweet potatoes were coming into the market, and take them home to steam, bake, puree, stir fry, and mash. For years, I have not lived in a house void of purple sweet potatoes and I make sure that I have a constant supply, or else I panic. whether it’s simply baked slices or sweet potato souffle, every meal must end with a serving of purple sweet potato. <3
I can’t resist any food I see at my local market that I’ve never cooked before. As soon as I see something new, my mind races with possibilities. I love lugging a previously unknown item home, researching it online, and then foisting the culinary results on my sweet family. Jackfruit with homemade ladyfingers and whipped cream – complete fail. Chicken in a kumquat and soy sauce marinade – excellent! I am lucky that my family is willing to try all of my culinary experiments, and I love that I can travel the world through new ingredients and my trusty computer.
Pasta alfredo. I love it plain, I love it with spinich, I love it with a dash of nutmeg mixed in, or with a sprinkle of fresh black pepper. It’s amazing to me.
OH! And Turkey dinner with the works. Love it.
Smoked gouda. When I was interviewing for a scholarship back in college, I had been running late and hadn’t had any lunch. Out in the foyer was a tray of fruit and cheese, including triangles of smoked gouda (which I had never tried before). Needless to say, I helped myself, and the smoky, salty taste of the cheese hooked me for life. To date it’s still my favorite cheese–definitely irresistible!
Potatoes. Cubed of perfectly cooked potatoes, pillowy on the inside, crunchy on the outside with that perfect, earthy flavor. Add some fresh thyme and rosemary, and fresh ground pepper to perfectly complement it. The contrast of the textures, the flavor! Ahhh! Cannot resist!
Cherries. I can absolutely cannot resist buying cherries when they’re in season. I walked into the grocery store a few days ago and saw that the store clerk was just unloading bags of plump, glistening red cherries and I had to buy a bag. As I walked out of the store, it occurred to me that an $8 bag of cherries was probably not the smartest purchase for a recent grad seeking employment BUT after I got home (and was surrounded my cherry carnage), all of my hesitation faded away.
Contest is now closed. Come back Monday to see who won and for the start of an exciting new contest.
I think the idea of being able to obtain fresh fish in the mail is great and convenient. However, seafood in NY is abundant but I think I may have to try ordering those seafood pot stickers. They look really good.