When Bartholomew Gosnold, an explorer from England, stumbled across the Cape of St. James back in 1602, he became so mesmerized by the abundance of fish that he decided to rename it. Cape Cod. New England was quickly establishing itself as a global leader in the fish trade. Boston’s reputation as a sea food town is still intact four centuries after its founding. The cold, high-salinity waters of the North Atlantic produce fish that are extraordinary in quality.
Locals would agree that a trip to this city is incomplete without trying fried clams, chowder or lobster rolls. Insiders know that seafood is seasonal, just like other produce. Certain fish are more readily available—and in some instances, taste better—at certain times of year.
“Don’t think I’m wrong. Lobster rolls and fried clams are what pay the rent,” said Chef Jeremy Sewall, the owner of the seafood-focused Restaurant Row34The company has several locations, including Boston’s Fort Point, Cambridge and the suburbs of Burlington and Portsmouth in New Hampshire. “But, what people don’t always understand, is that just like a summer farmstand where you expect to see tomatoes and corn, with seafood, certain times of the year you are more focused on specific things.”
Unexpectedly, humans are the primary factor in determining seasonality of seafood. Winter is prime time for ground fish and shellfish, partly because these species do not require fishermen to travel too far away from the shore due to New England’s unpredictable winter weather. In warmer months, where the weather is nicer, you will see many fishermen going out to sea, and sometimes staying overnight. In colder months they go back in a day. In winter, you’re more likely to find hake, flounder, shellfish, and monkfish. But in summer, tuna, black bass (tilefish), striped bass, and other fish are available further offshore.
People don’t think about seasonality when they go to the supermarket. It’s a different experience when you approach a seafood counter. The cod may come from here or from elsewhere depending on the season. IcelandSewall said, “
Local fisherman Larry Trowbridge owns a local business called The Catch. He says that the extra-cold water in winter has an “invigorating” effect on the catch. Snappy Lobster Scituate is located in Massachusetts. In the winter months, New England fish tend to spawn. This is why they are at their best during this time. ahem, invigorated. “The catch also doesn’t need to be iced down like it does during the summer,” said Trowbridge—meaning that the cold weather causes less breakdown in the fish as it makes its way from the dock to your plate.
