Hello from Boston

Hello, Michael LaDuke back again, this time fresh off a trip to The Boston International Seafood Show. Each year seafood suppliers from all around the world gather in Boston to showcase all of their new products as well as their traditional favorites. It is a great opportunity to get a glimpse of new seafood trends that will be coming to restaurants and markets in the next year.

Walking the show this year, I saw three big themes -- convenience, big flavors, and health. Markets will continue to bring you frozen ready-to-cook dishes with new flavors and in new combinations. I sampled a few of these, and while they are pretty good, they certainly cannot replace the experience of preparing great fresh seafood. I did see some cool new products to cook with, including some neat smoker bags. You place your seafood in a pre-seasoned bag, put it in the oven and actually smoke your fish indoors. Your fish gets a really big smoke flavor right in your own kitchen.

On a flavor side, everyone was talking about cool new flavors and new combinations, flavors like our Sweet and Spicy glaze on grilled fresh fish, were everywhere, and continue to grow. Recently we added Tequila Lime Grilled Shrimp and Spicy Asian Glazed Grilled Shrimp dishes to our menu. In a very short time these have become two of our most popular flavors.

Of course great fresh seafood is very healthy, so everyone was talking about the value of Omega-3 fatty acids in fresh salmon, and the low-fat, low-calorie nature of fresh seafood. Studies continue to say that the single most impactful thing you can add to your diet for better health is great fresh seafood. (What could be better then fresh seafood, big flavors, all in a dish that is good for you?)

That’s all for now. Thanks for stopping by the blog, and keep an eye out for a video blog very soon with some cool clips from Boston. You may even get a chance to see a certain Red Lobster Chef sitting on a custom Shrimp Motorcycle. What a cool Father’s day gift that would make!!

Come see what’s fresh today at Red Lobster
Michael LaDuke