AT FAIRWAY MARKET WE KNOW FRESH FISH
Our seafood department is an area where we really stand out from the rest. We only have the highest standards for selecting our seafood – it has to be the freshest, it has to be the tastiest, it has to be the best of the best. And it has to be safe.
So how do we uphold these standards? For starters, we have a life-long NYS DEC-licensed commercial fisherman and licensed Coast Guard Captain as the head of our seafood department, Captain Tony Maltese. Captain Tony has been a part of the Fairway Family since 2001, and it has been through his expertise, ingrained in him by years of hands-on experience, that has made our meticulous selection of seafood a sought-after practice. All of our fish either comes from a HAACP approved facility, or directly from local NYDEC licensed boats. All of our shellfish also comes from NYDEC approved sources. As if that weren’t enough, our dealers are inspected and approved by the USDA. Phew, that’s a lot of regulation; however when it comes to providing our customers with the best of the best, this is how we roll. Or fish.
THE RITUAL
When Mother Nature allows, Captain Tony checks the weather details and tides, and then at 5:00 a.m. (or sometimes even 3:00 a.m.) he heads to the docks for the day’s selection. He works his way among steely fishermen to compete with private fish markets to be the first for his fresh fish inventory. With his check-list for all of the Fairway Market locations at his side, Captain Tony begins his ritual – he digs in and picks up the first fish with his bare hands, feels its weight and holds it up to his nose. When the Captain’s seasoned nose smells the scent of the ocean on the bright-eyed, scaly conquest, he knows it’s fresh. The fish he selects are never warehoused – they go straight from the sea, to the boat, to ice, to our stores, to YOU.
The thorough practices that Captain Tony has instilled have set the bar high as Fairway Market grows and continues to provide the best for our customers. That’s why Captain Tony’s process is no secret to his team members. Each seafood team member is treated like an apprentice, learning directly from the experts how to clean and fillet fish; how to handle each piece; what to look for in a quality fresh fish; how to advise our customers on their purchases. All of these things create a culture of passion for fresh food, and that is why you are “wowed” by our seafood counter.
MOTHER NATURE IS THE BOSS, AND WE RESPECT HER
We know that there are different ways to catch a fish; drag net or hook and line for example. We know that a truly fresh fish should never smell like fish, it should smell like the sea. We know that putting 1,000 miles on your truck per week to get to the docks is just part of the job. We know that a day off means the fish will be less fresh, so we don’t take any days off. We know that the fishing industry is unique – supply relies on Mother Nature’s temperament, so we know how to plan ahead, and we will never compromise freshness for convenient availability. It is because we know these things that your fish will always taste the best and be the best for you.
FROM SEA (OR OCEAN) TO COUNTER
Ever wonder what happens to the fish when it reaches us? We receive every fish whole and fillet it in our stores, reminiscent of the way you would get fish from an outdoor fresh market in Europe or an old-time fish market in New York City. We offer 50-80 different species of fresh fish and seafood in each store every day, over 75% of which are wild, and your choices of the day are based on what met our standards. If it’s frozen seafood you are after, rest assured that we have paid attention to the origin of the product, checking the weather of where it came from and keeping up on any advisories about the area. We have a wide kosher selection available as well, under the supervision of Rabbi Avrohom Marmorstein.
If you haven’t been in to visit us yet, and you’re in disbelief… well, we challenge you to come see it to believe it. We give you fresh, because we shop here too. Our families eat what we buy from our Fairway counters, kitchens, and bakeries. And we only give them the best.
