Review: North End Seafood Company

When you move away from the ocean's edge, the fare at fish markets can be a bit... dubious. Seafood-loving New Englanders are a picky lot though, and they know amazing quality when they taste it. 

North End Seafood Company is one of those amazing gems. Tucked into a sunny corner of a small plaza in Somerset, Massachusetts, NESC has an impressive array of seafood. 

Let me stop for a minute and say this: I do not receive a dime for the products, people or businesses that I recommend here.  If you see it, or read about it here, it's because I'm so smitten that I just need to pipe up. Regional, yes, but NESC deserves a pat on the back and whatever business I can throw their way. Heck, they may ship it to you if you ask... Who doesn't like getting fresh lobster in the mail?!

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Excellent Portuguese and local accompaniments, as well as national brands, are displayed enticingly. 

If I wasn't going to can my own roasted peppers, I would have brought home a jar just to have that color on my shelf...

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Love this seafood case. I really appreciating knowing that a few hundred people have not been breathing all over my fish. I also appreciate that my seafood hasn't been wrapped in plastic. Love the easy to read chalkboard price display. Deep ice, fresh fish, and impeccably clean counters - heck, even my 
mother-in-law, the queen of clean, would buy fish here. 

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Wild versus Farmed Salmon

I have to admit, I was surprised to see that Jason carries farm raised salmon. His explanation dovetails perfectly with my real-food rant on Facebook this week. 

Remember the rant? One sentence read: Big agriculture and the processed food industry has used every fake-food trick in the book to replicate the taste of real food, or, get us used to 'almost' (re: six month old potatoes) real food. 

Unfortunately, farmed salmon falls under the category of 'almost'. Wild salmon, on the left, is only available certain times of the year. Bold flavor, bright color. Farmed salmon is available all the time, is cheaper, and get this: people like it because it is sweeter. Yup, American's like their farmed salmon because their sweet tooth has an opinion. You can read more about the evils of farmed salmon at World's Healthiest Foods. (All I'm going to say is this: that pasty pink color is fake. Fake as the lunch-lady's blue hair!)

My mother purchased fillet of sole, and I bought cod fish. The fillet was flavorful without an overpowering fish taste - applauded by Tom, who has only ever eaten canned salmon (bleck!) and frozen haddock (ha-DOCK, as they incorrectly pronounce it in Pennsylvania). 
My cod cooked up flaky, with a deep fish flavor. Our money was well spent. And I'll probably spend more - when mom and dad come back in the fall, I'll be ordering some fish for them to bring home...

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Everyone wave to Jason (and Jessica, not pictured) Viveiros, owners of NESC!

We just missed meeting their two year old son. Hope we meet up the next time - would love for Trey to have an NE fishing buddy!

Visit North End Seafood Company on Facebook or stop by the market at 970 County Street in Somerset, Massachusetts. You can also read more about their business in this Herald News Article. 

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