Inexpensive Seafood?

[Melody]

I would like to compile a list of inexpensive, quality human-grade ingredients for those who would like to make their own fish foods on a budget. I have a handle on the vegies & all that, but I could use some help with the seafood prices.

Not all seafoods are good for homemade food, such as the more 'oily' fish, and of course, some are richer in nutrients. That stuff I can find out with some research. However, I'm not a seafood eater. I think I'm eating the good stuff if I have fishsticks :rolleyes: , so I haven't a clue of what is more or less expensive. I'd like some help from you seafood eaters. I promise I won't tell your fish. :wideeyed:

What are the least expensive seafoods? Where are they priced the lowest? Markets? 'Butchers'? ...

Thanks!

[Toirtis]

I get raw, frozen prawns/shrimp at the local Asian markets for about $4.40/lb, as well as scallops (about $6.00/lb), mussels ($5.00/lb), clams ($4.50/lb).

[Melody]

I wondered about the Asian Markets - they usually have a large selection too, yes?

I'll be utilizing the 'less expensive sources' part of this list myself too - I'm paying somewhere around $3 for a can of baby clams :wideeyed: .

I'm actually somewhat intimidated by purchasing fresh seafood. I know fish reasonably well in regards to spotting decent ones, but when it comes to anything else, I'm completely lost. That's why I buy canned clams :Embarassing: ....lol.

Thanks Christian!

[CACAdmin]

Buying fresh seafood is relatively easy. If it's not fresh ... it will very quickly smell 'off' and if it's fish and it's not freshly caught it will also not be firm to the touch. I don't know about the nutritional content of frozen or 'previously frozen' fish but it does taste different from freshly caught fish.

I love fish and seafood and actually eat it in front of my fish... thank goodness they have no idea what I'm eating.:swoon:Buying fresh for your fish would be small quantities but if you were going to include 'fresh' seafood in a fish food preparation, great deals are to be had from the Public dock in Steveston. (I know... it's a world away for you who doesn't drive... but thought I'd mention it for any members in the lower mainland of BC who might not have considered it.)

My only concerns about canned fish is the salt content. Last time I had canned salmon I considered using some of it and the skin for fish food but didn't because of that concern. Should I be worried? or can I safely feed it to my fish?

[Melody]

You can get saltless canned. I found mine at London Drugs of all places. Its not easy to find it though. In the larger things, like clams, you can rinse them well. Same as canned green beans - they often have salt but you can rinse them. I'm sure some is absorbed though so I do like to avoid it.

Thanks for your input - great info!

[hp10BII]

I'm actually somewhat intimidated by purchasing fresh seafood. I know fish reasonably well in regards to spotting decent ones, but when it comes to anything else, I'm completely lost. That's why I buy canned clams :Embarassing: ....lol.



Well...that comes from years of buying live fish. You've been conditioned to avoid the dead ones...:laugh:

My dad used to make a run down to the Steveston fishing boats, supposedly freshest and cheapest. I'm sure you can get prawns down there when the catch is in.

[Melody]

LOL That might just be the problem!

So what are the most inexpensive seafoods in general? If I can get the lowest 10 or whatever, I can go through the information about each and try to come up with quality, budget ingredients.

I don't want the option of making your own foods to be for rich/crazy/both people only. I'm the nutcase who spends whatever it takes to get the best ingredients in there, but not everyone can, or is willing to, do that. Quality without the insanity, is what I'm after.:twitcy:

Inexpensive sources goes hand & hand with the concept and I appreciate the input there too.:yes:

Thanks!

[hp10BII]

Spent a day last week in SeaWorld, San Diego and I found it funny that seafood was on the menu. I dunno, maybe it's just me.

I've used shrimp and cod before in making a seafood mix for my fishies, but it makes an excellent binder of all the stuff that I tossed in there.

I don't like preparing seafood for personal consumption but I do like eating it so I can't tell you what raw ingredients would be cheapest/nutritious.

Quality food manufacturer's that highlight seafood like Ocean Nutrition, Omega have sourced that out..."most bang for the buck". Since profit is the bottom line, I would think that they would target seafoods that are cheaper for them to buy, but offers a lot of nutrients. Check their labels to see what ingredients they use and that can be a starting point.

[Melody]

I'll have a look. Omega One has their own outfit from start to finish (or that's my understanding anyway), but I don't know about Ocean Nutrition. Both boast human-grade though, I believe. I do have both brands here so I'll take a look, good thinking!

[fishykisses]

this is the cheapest way to get seafood
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b245/fishykisses/2007_03202weekbetta0068.jpg
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b245/fishykisses/2007_03202weekbetta0075.jpg
They tasted so good!

[Melody]

Dunno what you're doing with a Porcupine on a hook, but that's not good for fish food. :nah: lol I've done a decent amount of fishing in my time, but not for years. Even tied some flies - my Dad liked doing that. Never ate it though - I just liked fishing. Weird chick. :twitcy:

Great pic's!

[CACAdmin]

That crab has my mouth watering... love fresh crab! What kind of fish was that Ms. Fishykisses (& no Melody... it's not an aquatic porcupine.:twitcy: )

[Melody]

Yes it is... tell him Ms. Fishykisses! :Neener:

[fishykisses]

it's a rock cod, i caught 2 and that's the limit right now. The first one i caught i used sliced calamari as bait, dropped the line and BAM got one, then i caught 3 little ones that i threw back and then caught that big rock cod, i would have held it differently but the spikes have a poison on them and last summer got pricked and my finger swelled up and went numb for 4 days. Not gonna take that chance again.
And Jay if you liked that crab - check out the haul we had for supper...
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b245/fishykisses/2007_03202weekbetta0067.jpg
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b245/fishykisses/2007_03202weekbetta0070.jpg

[CACAdmin]

I never knew rock cod have poisonous spines... shall keep that in mind if I ever go fishing.

As for the crab... mmmmmmm, you're making me hungry again. Tell me why I end up reading these posts just before dinner:twitcy: ... especially with no crab on the dinner menu?

[Melody]

So I should hire Ms. FishyKisses to catch my seafood & porcupines for me - this is not economical at all. :laugh:

[fishykisses]

i would gladly take on that task...i love fishing. I don't get to the cabin too often though.
What i do get when i go is rock cod, flounder sometimes, i caught a 27 kilo Ling cod once...the meat was turquoise blue!, horse clams (not good for human consumption but if it's good for fish i can bring some home) and muscles. That's usually all, i've caught the odd mud shark too but they really scare me, i'd rather cut the line than try and retrieve it but my concience won't let me.

[Melody]

I don't think I could clean one anymore - I've gotten queasy in my old age...lol....so by the time I had you to catch it, clean it, fillet it and put some parsley on it, you'd be billing me a small fortune and rightly so:laugh: . Hopefully we'll see more pic's of your future fishing trips!

[CACAdmin]

I tend to buy fish/seafood according to my cravings not my wallet (well except for fresh Atlantic lobster... can't afford that... so haven't had it in many, many years).

So, I'm not sure of prices. I think Pollock and Hake are probably the most economical. I will check the next time I go to buy fish. In the interim, I located a site with lots of info including 'how to buy' and 'nutritional content' of BC seafood. They have a limited amount in their database but lots of info on what they do have. Here's the link to the fact sheets on BC fish: http://www.bcseafoodonline.com/files/seafood-factsheet.html

[Melody]

That site is awesome. When I first saw it I was all 'Eureka!' & stuff....lol....I don't think I ever posted it here though, thanks for mentioning it!

[fishykisses]

i'm going to talk to my uncle and see if i can have a small group of fishy friends come to the cabin one weekend. We'd all have to pitch in a bit for ferry but it would be a realy fun trip! the cabin is ssoooo beautiful and so relaxing.
I'm gonna see if it's a possibility and Melody - the kid can come too! Kids have the best time in the world there - beach combing and finding critters under rocks at low tide. My greatest memory from the cabin was when i was maybe 12, my cousin and i (she's 3 years older) went out to the bay at midnight when the tide was lowest for the whole month, we took flashlights and the ocean was gone we could walk so far out and when that happens you see a ton of sea life left on the sand - big sea cucumbers, tide pools of wonderful things - nudibranchs are my fave! It's just awesome there.

[Melody]

Sounds beautiful! I don't intro the kid to people I meet online though - paranoid parent :rolleyes: . I'll get a life in approximately 5 years - how long until the raincheck expires? :laugh:

[fishykisses]

i dom't think the cabin is going anywhere

[CACAdmin]

FYI - my local Safeway sometimes sells 'fish trimmings'... usually salmon @ $4.40 kg. (just a little more work to extract meat from bone.)

[hp10BII]

Thanks for the pics Fishykisses, brings back fond memories when I used to fish. As a kid we used to go down to the seabus terminal in Vancouver @ night when the tide was high and we'd catch alot of rockfish with light freshwater fishing tackle. Tons of fun and we'd catch and release using barbless hooks. Too bad the rockfish population has been decimated and you can only keep a couple.

What does this have to do with cheap seafood...
My missus used to work in a unit with Dept of Fisheries and Oceans and when they caught offenders fishing illegally, they seized the fishy evidence and freeze it for evidence for a court date at a later time. After the hearing the evidence is tossed out. Going home to Cranbrook, BC one Christmas she brought home some evidence that was slated to be tossed out...about 20 pounds of frozen squid. The in-laws operate a restaurant and it's pretty tough finding any squid at the best of times. Whenever the in-laws are happy, it makes everybody happy...

[Melody]

LOL So I should marry into cheap fish sources?

:nah:

[hp10BII]

LOL So I should marry into cheap fish sources?

:nah:

heck no (unless you have multiple deep freezers)! Merely a bonus, sometimes I can never figure what's frozen in the freezer though. Last time I cleaned it out there was salted cod, green tomatoes and something else that I was too scared to ask.

[Melody]

:rofl: That's ok, I wasn't serious. I've decided that the next time I feel lonely enough to want a male companion in my life, I'll get a nice dog.;)

[MobileImage]

i dom't think the cabin is going anywhere

Where is your cabin located? I went to a fishing trip last summer. That place looks very similar to the one in your photo ;)
It's very relaxing to spend a few days in such a beautiful environment.

[fishykisses]

it's my aunt and uncle cabin, it's called Wise Island and it's in the gulf islands. We take a speed boat from Montegue Harbour at Galliano and it's about 20 minutes to Wise. There are only about 50 cabins on the whole island, we can hike across the whole island in about 3 hours.