Gourmet Gift of the Day Blog

High in protein, low in fat and 100% natural, these jumbo sea scallops are some of the best I’ve ever tasted!  Because they are caught fresh, hand-shucked and flash frozen, the U10 graded scallops (the largest size available) have a flaky texture and fresh taste.  We ordered a two pack (each pack is approximately 10 ounces) for $45.50 and received enough for 3 meals.  The website even offers delicious recipes for their items, we tried the Scallop and Tomato Pasta and were rewarded with a great tasting meal that even our kids enjoyed!

The folks at Alaska Harvest offer 10 different types of seafood, all of them freshly caught and quickly frozen for shipping througout the United States.  The company is in control of the product from the time it is caught until the time it is shipped to you, so there is no middle-man markup and they stand behind the quality of their foods 100%.  I highly recommend both the products and the customer service from this company.

When my sister and her husband visited Maine last year they fell in love with the local food – including, of course, lobster!  At the bed and breakfast they stayed in, the owner made a delicious Lobster Pot Pie for dinner one evening.  My sister doesn’t care to cook, but she did try to make the pot pie using a recipe she found online – and she failed miserably.  She then enlisted me to help, and I found Lobster Pot Pies already made, all she has to do is pop them in the oven for 25 minutes!  The pot pies are sold in pairs – each is a generous 7 ounce serving.  My sister and brother-in-law loved the tender, flaky lobster and rich sherry cream sauce.  Although it wasn’t exactly the same as what they experienced in Maine, this was a very close second and was much cheaper than flying back to the east coast!  She purchased the pair of Lobster Pot Pies for $49.95 plus $16.95 shipping.

As an appetizer, Stone Crab is hard to beat!  The succulent meat is some of the easiest shellfish to get out of the shell, and the taste goes very when paired with mustard dip.  The stone crab available at beststonecrab.com are harvested from the crab beds of Florida and the Bahamas, then cooked and flash frozen to preserve freshness.  A 3 lb gift box is available for $175 and comes with cocktail forks, a mallet and a jar of Papa Houghie’s Homemade Mustard Sauce.

With the temperatures barely crawling above zero lately, I’m in the mood for warm comfort foods – soups and stews top the list.  I also love seafood – especially lobster – so when I found this meal package I had to try it!  I ordered this for my Girl’s Night In that will be at my house next week.  We will be dining on Lobster Stew, Lobster Tail and Steamer Clams.  The set also includes shell crackers and picks, wet naps and bibs, Maine Sea Salt for cooking and an instruction booklet that features great lobster recipes.  I ordered the dinner for 4, which is $179 and includes overnight shipping costs.  If you are interested in this Casco Bay Lobsterbake, you get to choose 3 fresh-caught items from the following list of options:

• Lobster
• Lobster Tail
• Mussels
• Steamer Clams
• Shrimp
• Lobster Stew
• Clam Chowder
• Haddock Chowder

One of my favorite television shows is “Top Chef” on the Bravo network.  The head judge, Tom Colicchio, claims that “everything tastes better with bacon” and I tend to agree with him.  For example, I adore sea scallops – but wrap them in bacon and it’s like a little taste of heaven!  Which is why this appetizer is perfect for our upcoming New Year’s party.

Each year the neighbors in our cul-de-sac get together for a New Year’s Eve party.  Most of us have small children and none of us want to be on the dangerous winter roads that night, so we gather at someone’s home for appetizers and cocktails.  The kids have fun watching a movie or playing board games, and the adults don’t have to worry about finding a babysitter or driving home after having a few drinks.  This year I predict my bacon-wrapped scallops are going to be a huge hit!  Appetizerstogo.com sells 100 pieces for $111.69, which is a bit more than I would normally spend but I am going to keep some for a special Valentine’s Day dinner for just myself and my husband.  Shipping is a very reasonable $13.95, and if I were to order 3 items shipping would be free.

More than 20 years ago, Captain Tom started his lobster adventure as a part-time summer job.  After the first day he was captivated.  In time, he was able to start his own business – with a unique twist.  During the summer months Captain Tom charters lobster excursions, where customers accompany the captain on his boat and are able to haul in their very own live lobsters from the traps!

So many vacationers have enjoyed this once-in-a-lifetime lobster excursion that Captain Tom has been able to start an online business shipping live lobsters across the country – mostly to repeat customers.  With some of the most reasonable prices I have found online, 2 jumbo lobsters (weighing between 2 and 2 1/2 lbs apiece) will arrive at your doorstep for $99 (including shipping).  The informative website also offers suggestions on how to cook your lobsters, as well as various lobster recipes and instructions on how to shuck a lobster.

Considered a delicacy in many parts of the world, the magic of the internet has made gourmet foods such as frog legs available to those who don’t live near a 5 star restaurant!  My girlfriend recently threw a going-away party for her sister, who was moving to New York for graduate school.  Her sister is a bit eccentric so my friend wanted to highlight her sister’s style with a memorable dinner party.  She ordered 5 lbs of frog legs from Linton’s Seafood, and prepared them by first searing them in olive oil then baking them for 45 minutes.  They were served with a wild rice and mushroom pilaf, steamed asparagus and poached pears.  The guests raved about the flavorful taste of the frog legs, many claimed they were similar to the dark meat of a chicken, with a slightly stronger taste.

My girlfriend was very pleased with the results of her dinner party, she is already planning a coming home party for her sister with octopus as the main course!  She said Linton’s Seafood  website was very user-friendly, and the price of $54.99 for 5 lbs of frog legs was the best she found.

There are two distinguished types of French Escargot available – Helix and Achatines.  Escargots Achatines are usually served in a garlic butter sauce, and are a larger species so there is more meat in each shell.  Contrary to what may people think, Escargot is a high-protein dish with a very low fat content and a taste similar to albacore.

For my first experience with Escargot Achatines, I chose the 3.5 ounce container from Terroirs D’Antan, France. The snails were already cleaned and prepped, so all I had to do was slide the pan into a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes.  The garlic-flavored appetizers were delicious, with a light flavor and smooth texture.

Overnight shipping was spendy for this item, but overall this was an excellent experience and I look forward to having them again!

Highlight your next date night with some premium fresh caviar. Choose from White Sturgeon, Siberian Sturgeon, Farmed Osetra or Beluga Hybrid. Ranging in price from $148 to $169 (plus overnight shipping), Caviar Star will send 2 ounces of their highest quality caviar, 16 mini blinis, 8 ounces of creme fraiche and a mother of pearl serving spoon. All you need to add is a bottle of champagne by the fireplace to create your romantic rendezvous.

For a tender, flavorful, melt-in-your mouth salmon fillet, I recommend the Wild Alaska Sockeye Salmon from wildpacificsalmon.com. For $89.95 (plus overnight shipping) you will receive 5 lbs of the most delicious salmon that can be found! The company is actually owned by the fishermen who catch these salmon, so there is no middleman involved. That keeps the price reasonable, even if you take shipping costs into account. I also enjoy the recipes listed on this website, but have only tried a few because I prefer my salmon with just a bit of lemon to bring out the beautiful flavor of the fish. Wild Pacific Salmon also offers other fish that are wild-caught in Alaska – such as cod, halibut and tuna.