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HL Seafood, from an expert herself!

A brief bio of Jes’ fishy background, wiki-leeks and street cred:

I got my fish start while studying at the French Culinary Institute in New York City. A few months into my culinary program, I found a position at a great little family business called Sea to Table based out of Brooklyn – it was the perfect opportunity to marry my culinary skillset and business to business sales background. I learned so much about the sustainable fish industry and domestic, wild-caught species while connecting chefs with small scale fishermen. The rest, is fishstory.

As far as wiki-leeks go, I prefer ramps.

(also, I’m from Connecticut, I think that takes away any street cred)

My grandpa has a favorite joke when I speak to him about work – “sounds like a fishy job.” We always have a good laugh after it. The joke does have some truth to it – fish fraud runs rampant in this industry, and it’s something we here at Healthy Living do not stand for. So, we think it’s time for a little introduction to the world of HL Seafood – aka, the best place on Earth. We fight fish fraud by having a great relationship with our suppliers – these guys have the inside scoop on all things fish. They are speaking directly to the men and women who risk life and limb for the freshest catch daily. Knowing the where, when, and how the fish we are bringing in is caught is a priceless connection to traditional fishing communities, and the best way to know how fresh our fish is. Oh, did I mention said fisherpeeps are the ones packing the box? That’s right! The last person to touch the fish before our in-house mongers, are the fishermen. This means NO warehousing and NO fish hanging around for days. Directly from the ocean ‡ dock ‡ us ‡ you. Our fish is coming in fresh (never frozen) several times a week- this means a constant rotation in inventory for optimal freshness.

Also, check this out, we bring our fish in whole and butcher in house. This helps the fillets maintain their integrity during transit, and we can show you what your fish looks like (clear eyes, bloody gills, firm flesh—all signs you can see to know how fresh your fish is)! Our wild-caught fish comes in from domestic docks—Cape Cod, MA, Montauk, NY, Alaska, Beaufort, NC from responsibly managed fisheries. This means our fishermen’s catch are within quotas and using catch methods to eliminate by – catch – both important measures to ensure fish stocks remain healthy and available for generations to come.

So come by our little corner! Chat with our mongers about the fresh catch available— and don’t be afraid of some of the species available. Underutilized fish like porgy, bluefish, tilefish are all wonderful, sustainable alternatives to more common farm raised species. We’re chock full of preparation techniques, and other ways to make sure you and your family love the fish you bring home.