It’s become an annual tradition that we invite the Skipper Otto’s team over to our home for a summer BBQ to taste our delicious sustainable Canadian seafood, compare, discuss, and choose our favourites. The catch is, they don’t know what they’re eating until the end! This is always a fun night and very enlightening as we realize that sometimes our favourites are not what we expected!
Here’s how it worked:
we cedar plank BBQ’ed all 5 species of salmon using Shaun’s simple rub recipe (brown sugar, paprika, thyme, salt & pepper), and labelled them A, B, C, D and E.
we also cooked up all 4 types of shrimp and prawns using this Food52 recipe, and labelled them A, B, C, and D.
everyone tasted everything together, comparing colour, texture, and flavour, writing down their observations and preferences on this handy-dandy worksheet (you can tell I was a teacher, right?)
we then discussed our favourites and, our son Oliver was responsible for the Oscar-awards-style reveal!
So, you’re dying to know the results, right?
Here are some of the group’s observations about the shrimp and prawns:
spot prawns were larger than the others, but sometimes not by much. They were also the most firm and meaty textured. As a result, there were the favourite of many.
most of us couldn’t distinguish between side stripes and humpbacks and many preferred them to spot prawns. They were a little smaller and softer than spot prawns, but most agreed, just as delicious.
most agreed that in terms of flavour, the pink shrimp were just as delicious as the others, but their small size made them difficult to grill (I had to pan fry them instead of BBQ these!)
And here are some of the group’s observations about the 5 species of salmon:
once again, silverbright chum salmon or “keta” was very popular. Many noted that it was flavourful but milder than sockeye, dense, firm, moist and meaty. It’s colour was noted by many to be less red than the sockeye.
sockeye salmon was observed by everyone to be the most visually impressive and to have the strongest “salmon” flavour. It was firm, rich, and meaty as well.
chinook salmon was well liked, too — called “buttery” by some, these thick, rich, flavourful pieces of salmon acquired the smoke flavour well.
the coho salmon was a nice colour, slightly softer than most others, but a unique and delicious flavour that made it a favourite for many.
everyone commented on how much they loved the pink salmon and many confused the coho and the pink (made even more confusing because I mixed them up on the cedar planks at one point! ahem.) Nevertheless, the pink salmon were noted to be a delicious, mild salmon with a tender texture and pale colour.
And the winners were . . .? Well, everything was delicious! And the differences between the 4 types of prawns/ shrimp and the 5 types of salmon were subtle. Choosing a favourite was very difficult and there really was no clear “winner” in either category! The important thing in all cases is to be careful not to overcook your seafood. Overcooked salmon becomes dry while overcooked prawns and shrimp become tough and rubbery. So often we hear people say they prefer one type of salmon or shrimp because another was dry or rubbery — this is almost always due to overcooking and has nothing to do with the species of seafood. The blind side-by-side taste test proves this time and time again!
The bottom line: you really can’t go wrong with wild, sustainable BC seafood! Why not try your own side-by-side taste tests to truly know your family’s favourites and then stock up on them while we have a huge selection of yummy seafood available!
Specific offerings can vary from year to year, but our mainstay products are flash-frozen, boneless, skin-on fillets and portions – in sizes that are usually around 1lb each. Lingcod fillets are usually available in both 1lb and ½ lb portion sizes. Lingcod cheeks are in roughly 1lb portion sizes. Halibut and sablefish collars are low cost options for stews and soups. Hake was not available in 2023.
2023 prices are shown here. Prices do fluctuate each year. Higher price ranges reflect the inclusion of shipping costs for locations outside of Metro Vancouver.
Halibut is caught between the months of March-November, lingcod in May, sablefish in the summer and rockfish late spring and summer. We aim to keep halibut, lingcod and rockfish in stock year-round while sablefish can be available mostly in the late summer and fall.
PRODUCT
SEASON
Halibut
MAR-NOV
Sablefish
JUL-SEP
Lingcod
MAY-JULY
Yellowtail Rockfish
JUN-SEP
PRODUCT
PRICE
Halibut fillets
$39-$44/lb
Sablefish fillets
$27-$30/lb
Lingcod fillets
$22-$27/lb
Yellowtail rockfish fillets
$13-$16/lb
Halibut collars
$10-$13/lb
Sablefish collars
$8-$11/lb
Lingcod cheeks
$28-$31/lb
Tuna
Our albacore tuna is flash-frozen at sea to ensure it is sushi-grade. We carry both full and ½ loins which range in weight between a little over 1 lb and a ½ lb. We also offer thin sliced cold smoked tuna lox in 100g packages and three types of canned products – regular, no salt and smoked tuna varieties. Unlike some other tuna species, albacore is a smaller species which is low in mercury which makes it safe to eat more frequently!
2023 prices are shown here. Prices do fluctuate each year. Higher price ranges reflect the inclusion of shipping costs for locations outside of Metro Vancouver.
Albacore tuna is caught between the months of June and September but we aim to keep it in stock year-round.
PRODUCT
SEASON
Albacore tuna
JUL AUG
PRODUCT
PRICE
Albacore tuna loins
$25-$31/lb
Sliced cold smoked albacore tuna
$11-$12 per 100g package
Canned albacore tuna
$9-$12 per can
Salmon
We carried a wide mix of salmon products in the 2023 season. While specific offerings can vary from year to year, we always have lots of salmon to choose from. Our mainstay products are flash-frozen, boneless, skin-on fillets and portions – in sizes between 1lb and ½ lb each. We also carry hot smoked and cold smoked salmon and a variety of canned salmon products too.
2023 prices are shown here. Prices do fluctuate each year. Higher price ranges reflect the inclusion of shipping costs for locations outside of Metro Vancouver.
2023 prices are shown here. Prices do fluctuate each year. Higher price ranges reflect the inclusion of shipping costs for locations outside of Metro Vancouver.
Arctic Char is caught between the months of November and March. We usually carry it from December onwards and often sell out by late spring or early summer.
PRODUCT
SEASON
Artic Char
NOV-MAR
PRODUCT
PRICE
Artic Char portion
$27 – 32 per lb
Shellfish
Our wild, pink and spiny scallops are individually frozen and packed into 2lb packages. They can be cooked from frozen in one of your favourite clam or mussel recipes. We also offer cans of smoked scallops. In Vancouver, we offer live options at various False Creek Fishermen’s Wharf pick-ups during the year. Mussels are a special treat and one we offer every week during their season, while live Dungeness crab and beach oysters are usually available a few times a year.
2023 prices are shown here. Prices do fluctuate each year. The higher price ranges reflect the inclusion of shipping costs for locations outside of Metro Vancouver.
Scallops are caught between Nov-Feb each year but we aim to keep them in stock year round. Live Mussels are available at weekly pick-ups between July-March. Live Dungeness Crab is available at on 2-3 occasions only between Aug-March. Live beach oysters are available on 2-3 occasions only between Nov-March.
PRODUCT
SEASON
Scallops
JAN-FEB
Oysters
JAN-FEB
Mussels
JUN-APR
Dungeness Crab
JUL-SEP
PRODUCT
PRICE
Scallops
$24-$29 per 2lb box
Beach Oysters (Fishermen’s Wharf only)
$13.75-$19.50 per dozen
Mussels (Fishermen’s Wharf only)
$8.95/lb
Dungeness crab (Fishermen’s Wharf only)
$20-22 per lb
Prawns
Our wild, flash-frozen spot prawn tails are special – even as spot prawns go. These prawns are caught live, quickly tailed and packed into 6 oz or 1 lb tubs aboard the boat, topped up with sea water, then frozen at sea to capture their just-caught freshness and negate the need for any preservatives. Our tubs of spot prawn tails are easy to thaw in minutes and perfect for your favourite shrimp or prawn recipes.
2023 prices are shown here. Prices do fluctuate each year. Higher price ranges reflect the inclusion of shipping costs for locations outside of Metro Vancouver.