It's grilling season, and we've curated a list of exceptional seafood options that are perfect for your summer menus. Grilling brings out incredible flavors, offers versatility in preparation, and allows you to capitalize on the freshest seasonal ingredients. We've highlighted a few standouts from our Seafood Grilling Suggestions Sheet that are sure to impress your diners and elevate your offerings.
For a show-stopping appetizer or a vibrant main, consider our U/6 Head On Skull Island Prawns (OTH007). These substantial prawns are incredibly versatile and visually stunning when grilled. Simply marinate them lightly with herbs, garlic, and citrus, then grill until they're perfectly charred and opaque. The head-on presentation adds a touch of elegance and helps retain moisture, while the grilling process imparts a beautiful smokiness that enhances their natural sweetness. Another excellent choice is our Half Mooncut Swordfish Loin (SWL294). Its firm, meaty texture holds up exceptionally well on the grill, making it ideal for substantial entrees. A quick sear on each side creates a delicious crust while keeping the interior moist and flaky. Serve it with a vibrant salsa or a simple lemon-herb butter to let the natural flavors shine. Finally, don't overlook the potential of our Skinny Dipper Oysters (OYS200). Grilling oysters brings a unique dimension to this classic shellfish. A quick grill opens the shells and imparts a subtle smoky flavor, making them perfect for serving with compound butters or a mignonette.
Grilling seafood not only expands your menu possibilities but also enhances customer satisfaction. The char and smoky notes from the grill offer a unique depth of flavor that can't be achieved with other cooking methods. This allows you to create distinctive dishes that highlight the seasonality of ingredients, keeping your offerings fresh and exciting. From the dramatic presentation of grilled head-on prawns to the satisfying sear on a swordfish loin, grilling elevates the dining experience and provides the diverse, appealing options today's diners crave. Contact your Account Manager to discuss these options today!
We’d love to see what you’ve created from JJ Seafood! Please tag us your photos,videos, and reels below!
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Tuna
Good availability with minor price increases for Father’s Day week.
Blue fins – Harpoon fish are starting to land, but these fish are extremely large. We are waiting for the Hook and line landings in Marblehead mass.
These fish will be more manageable, 2-300 lbs. This should be any day now.
Wild Striped Bass
New York – Season opened but, after 3 weeks of fishing, these fish moved from the beach in Shinnecock to deeper waters. It may be spring before we see any real volume from here.
Maryland season opened June 1st, and we saw our fair share of fish the first week as we usually do but, fishing has fallen off. Very little volume landing. Rhode Island opens today on 6/10, and Boston opens on 6/16. These fish usually carry us through July or mid-August. Sizes here will be 15 lb. up.
Salmon
Canadian and Chilean prices adjusted marginally lower.
Europe – slight increase this week, more increases to come next week as farms move to harvest their new generation of fish.
Cleaned Restaurant Ready Squid
No change
Sword
Prices level off as availability continues to improve.
Perfect timing for this Father’s Day weekend.
Mahi
This week prices moved marginally lower than last week’s highs.
Fresh Flounder
Extremely limited market for the larger grades as landings continue to be limited. Mediums are what the day boat inshore boats are harvesting in the north. Southern Ocean vessel landings continue to be limited from week to week. Anticipate an elevated market as we roll into the holiday weekend. West Coast product will supplement the east coast product due to coast.
Porgies
Soft market with steady consistent landings daily. With offshore and inshore day boats fishing, raw material
Black Bass
Like fluke, black bass larger grades continue to be a struggle as pot/trap and hook and line vessels are harvesting. Mediums will be plentiful and affordable while larges and jumbos will continue to be elevated and scarce.
Monkfish
Strong availability heading into weekend sales. No issues to report. The market has softened since the previous week. Current inventory consists of trawl caught products harvested in Boston, MA.
Blue Catfish
Trotline/ Long Line (hook fishing) has begun to drop off and fisher are switching gear types to hoop nets. Larger fish are becoming scarce, and smaller fish are becoming abundant.
Wild Red Drum
Limited availability due to quota restrictions. VA and NC will continue to harvest but will have limited landings. Current inventory consists of gillnet caught products harvested in Hatteras, NC.
Farm Raised Red Drum
Texas farm raised products available for weekend sales. 4-8lbs whole fish!
Chesapeake Channa
Steady landings from the bowfish fishers. As the grass begins to grow, visibility will diminish, and fishing will drop.
Blueline Tilefish
OBX short trip long line vessels continue to produce weekly as blueline tile fishing is red hot on the East Coast. Strong availability heading into the weekend. Current inventory consists of Long Line products harvested in Wanchese, NC.
Golden Tilefish
Vessels from FL to NY continue to be produced as Tilefish season is in full effect. A local short trip long line vessel is packing out this morning in Wanchese, NC. Fresh large golden tilefish will be available for weekend sales!
Bluefish
Soft market with plenty of availability in both sizes (1/3’s and 3+). Current inventory consists of gillnet caught products harvested in Hatteras, NC.
Spanish Mackerel
Soft market with increased landings. Buyer's market currently. Current inventory consists of gillnet caught product harvested in Hatteras, NC.
Wild Cobia
The larger legal-size fish capable of being commercially harvested have SLOWLY started showing up. Landings are super limited. As the water temperatures continue to rise, commercial fishing should improve.
Copper River Sockeye
The Copper River openers have not been super productive, but there are lots of fish hitting the docks at JJ! Prices are down considerably anyway, which is typical as the season progresses. We’ll have CR Sockeye all this week and next week we may see a variety of origins as runs begin in other Prince William Sound districts as well as in Kodiak and Southeast Alaska.
Wild King Salmon
Stable and available, Washinton product landing from the Columbia River and Westport, WA. Fairly soon we should start to see Alaskan Kings trickle in, although these runs may show a lower availability than is typical.
Atlantic Halibut
Prices are already lowering as more boats begin fishing halibut now that the Nova Scotian crab and lobster seasons close.
Pacific Halibut
Availability is slowing as we are starting to see the effects of a 20% reduction in the quota. Catches this week come from Petersburg, AK.
Sablefish, aka Black Cod
Stable and available. Catch this week from Newport, Oregon.
Lakefish
What a season, over 50% of annual Walleye quotas have already been caught. As is typical heading into summer, many fishers will begin to switch to fishing for yellow perch, a smaller, highly prized species in the Midwest, or pull their boats for maintenance. White Bass and White Perch also reduce volume around this time. Give these species a shot while they are still here; they are sustainable and underutilized in our area!
Caviar
As the temperatures rise, a refreshing cold appetizer looks increasingly appealing, especially adding a splash of color from salmon, trout, and smoked trout roe. We are carrying a variety of affordable pack sizes on these options, on feature this week.
Smoked Products & Tinned Seafood
Skin on or off, dark meat trimmed or untrimmed, economical, or top of the line and everywhere in between. With this breadth of options, we are sure to have what you are looking for in the smoked category.
Live Lobster
The trade market remains unchanged as we move towards the Father’s Day weekend. Price structures have seen little to no fluctuation since the Newfoundland season began. Wholesalers remain flush with inventory to support the upcoming demand. Catch volumes remain viable even during the unstable spring weather.
Oysters
Featured this week:
King Fisher Oysters
East Dennis, Cape Cod, MA
OYS313
Medium-high brine, notes of umami with a clean sweet mineral finish.
Sewansecott Oysters
Hog Island Bay, VA
Salty & buttery affordable local option raised in Hog Island Bay.
Always on Feature and only at JJ McDonnell:
Skinny Dipper & Huckleberry Oysters
St Jerome’s Creek, MD
OYS200 & OYS060
For the best shell quality, quintessential Chesapeake flavor, and the cleanest oyster in town, choose Skinny Dippers for your printed menus. Always fresh and in stock! For a cocktail option, Huckleberry is a perfectly plump cocktail, and fun fact, they are the same age as a Skinny Dipper! Some oysters just never reach the size of a full oyster.
Happy Oysters
Northern Neck, VA
OYS250
Sweetgrass and butter with just enough brine and a clean finish. Tidal surges create a perfect environment for healthy, happy oysters!
Salt Buoy Oysters
Brockatonorton Bay, MD
OYS245
All the salt from Maryland’s Atlantic coast, with a crab-like sweetness to finish. Float-raised cocktail shells are perfect for easy shucking.
Fortune Oysters
Wine Harbour, Eastern Nova Scotia
OYS218
A pop of salt from the North Atlantic! Smooth, salty, savory, and sweet meats in clean, solid, choice shells.
Domestic Shrimp
Headless white shrimp production is picking up; buying prices remain high. Brown and pink shrimp remain very short.
The peeled shrimp market firmed a little as buying prices remained firm. I think the modest peeled increases are short term.
Tilapia
Chinese tilapia will now be subject to a 55% tariff;
· Vietnam is subject to 10% tariff
· Indonesia is subject to 10% tariff
With the recent announcement around Chinese tariffs, China is again competitively priced for tilapia. While replacement prices for raw materials were trending down with very high tariffs in place, the lower tariff levels have spawned aggressive buying from importers expect raw material prices to remain elevated
The market is reflecting softening raw material prices; however, those will be offset due to increased tariffs.
Imported Catfish
Chinese catfish will now be subject to a 55% tariff for new orders
The imported catfish market has remained at a 5-year, pre-covid low price last year, however the market is on the rise due to:
· Additional tariffs
· Two large exporters who had containers rejected by USDA and the Chinese government put strict controls in place for exports (testing & more samples add a large cost)
· Farming areas are fewer than last year, so the raw materials are getting expensive.
2024 saw a 5 year low on imported catfish, but the market is on the rise in 2025
Whengrilling seafood, especially delicate fish, leaving the skin on can be a hugebenefit! It acts as a natural barrier, protecting the flesh from sticking tothe grates and helping it stay together, resulting in perfectly cooked, flakyfish every time.
