DOMESTIC CATCH

Sammy's Seafood's specialty is local and domestic fresh fish. We support all our local captains and boats, crabbers and clammers who unload everyday of the week. This turnover rate of fresh product makes for extremely fresh fish and seafood and helps to maintain the high level of quality Sammy's has become known for. In Florida, grouper still runs the show and Tampa Bay's commercial grouper fishermen are Florida's most prolific- bringing to shore about half of the 12-million pounds caught each year. Most of Sammy's Seafood local restaurants specialize in locally caught domestic grouper and pride themselves on choosing to serve the higher quality domestic grouper. In so doing, Sammy's, our restaurants, and you get to make the choice to choose domestic and to support our local fisherman and local markets.

FLAVOR PROFILES OF CATCH

The circumstances determining the taste of a fish are many and complex. Much depends on Freshwater vs saltwater: saltwater fish counterbalance the salinity of their environment by producing flavor-giving amino acids, including sweet-tasting glycine and savory glutamate, that milder-tasting freshwater fish lack. Fat content: polyunsaturated fatty acids are vehicles for flavor but are also quick to go rancid, meaning that oily fish must always be well iced to prevent spoilage. Activity level of a fish: exertion alters muscle structure and, often, increases the level of oxygen-storing (and flavor-giving) pigments. Where and when a fish is caught: the temperature of the water; the types of food in the fish's habitat; whether or not the fish is spawning—influence taste, too. Remember most fish reach their peak flavor after passing through rigor mortis, which coincides with the buildup of flavor-giving organic compounds in the fish's flesh.

Fish Flavor Profiles: Mild flavor, delicate texture: Cod, Flounder, Haddock, Pollock, Skate, Sole (also crabmeat, scallops) Mild flavor, moderate texture: Rockfish, Sheepshead, Walleye, Pike (also crawfish, lobster, shrimp) Mild flavor, firm texture: Grouper, Halibut, Monkfish, Ocean Catfish, Sea Bass, Snapper, Tautog, Tilefish (also squid) Moderate flavor, delicate texture: Black Cod, Buffalo Butterfish, Lake Perch, Lingcod Whitefish, Whiting Moderate flavor, moderate texture: Canned Tuna, Mullet, Ocean Perch, Shad, Smelt, Trout (also conch) Moderate flavor, firm texture: Amberjack, Catfish, Drum, Mahimahi, Pompano, Shark, Sturgeon (also octopus) Full flavor, delicate texture: Bluefish (also mussels, oysters) Full flavor, moderate texture: Canned Salmon, Canned Sardines, Mackerel, Smoked Fish Full flavor, firm texture: Marlin, Salmon, Swordfish, Tuna (also clams)