Ok, Thanksgiving is over and if you’re like most, you’re not looking to have any turkey for the next week or two…or three. Maybe you and your customers are looking for something a bit different and maybe a bit lighter. How about a great seafood dish made from some of our high-quality Nautifish products. How about a Mediterranean Style Seafood Ragu… Seafood is a great meal anytime of the year and when you’re talking about New England, we love our fresh seafood whether it’s summer or approaching the holidays. Give this one a try. At this New England Wholesale Food Distributor, we’re all about giving you timely ideas to keep those customers coming in.

Ingredients:

-CUSTOM MEDITERRANEAN STYLE RAGU             1 CUP  

-NAUTIFISH SCALLOPS                                                   2 OZ

-CONTESSA SHRIMP 21/25 TAIL ON                          2 OZ

-NAUTIFISH CLAM MEAT                                              2 OZ

-NAUTIFISH MUSSELS                                                    4 OZ

-MIREPOIX MIX                                                                   2 OZ

-OLIVE/CANOLA OIL BLEND                                         1 TBL

-CHOPPED GARLIC                                                           1/4 TSP

Preparation Instructions

In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté oil and garlic. Add mirepoix mix and sauté for 1 minute. Add seafood continue to sauté. Add Mediterranean sauce reduce to a simmer.

Recently we saw a news report… (You can see it here); http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/investigators&id=7032014 about how some small restaurant operators were buying their food and other supplies from big box retailers and other locations. Several of these people were caught on camera transporting their foods including dairy products and other perishables in cars, vans and other vehicles that were not temperature-controlled.

They were followed, some for over two, yes 2, hours in the hot sun. It’s not only a bad business practice to begin with but a major health hazard. Food that is not properly stored or transported at the proper temperature can make people sick and even worse, kill someone. It’s that simple.

AGAR subscribes to a process called the cold chain process. Simply put, it ensures that food is handled at the proper temperature during the entire storage and shipping process. You can learn more here; http://www.agarsupply.com/cold-chain.htm

I also had a chance to speak with our warehouse manager about this very topic. In my video blog below, you’ll hear how this wholesale food distributor takes ever precaution when it comes to your food.

I recently had a chance to talk with Dan Webster of Webster’s Fish Hook. Dan has very high standards as he has been serving customers for over 25 years. He’s now serving our trusted band of seafood Nautifish and he’s already a raving fan. As you might imagine, a seafood place like Dan’s has to meet some pretty high standards with their customers. As Dan is also trying to implement other green restaurant practices, the mission of Nautifish and sustainablity fits right in to Dan’s goals as well.

Nautifish has met and exceeded his expectations in this area. Another area is what we do best; supply an owner/operator with a majority of their needs. We’ve done that as well for Webster’s Fish Hook for a long time now and Dan is just another example of what New England wholesale food distributor AGAR is doing right and how we advocate for the independent restaurant.

But as they say, don’t take it from me…See my interview with Dan on my Video Blog.

I recently had the chance to interview Steve Uliss, Founder of the award-winning Fireflys BBQ here in the bay state. Steve and Fireflys has won more than 50 national cook-off championships and we are proud to say that we, AGAR, supply Steve and his three locations with a majority of their products including their world-famous ribs.

As you might imagine, Steve and his team are very particular about what they buy, especially their ribs and other meats and proteins. And as they have a great reputation to keep up, so does AGAR. It’s a great example of how AGAR a New England wholesale food distributor can make an independent restaurant shine, keep great products coming through the door and help a restaurant keep customers coming back, even when the economy might not be so hot.  Fireflys has tremendous trust in AGAR. Learn why by seeing my interview with owner Steve Uliss.