Friday Faves No. 163

our favorite finds from the front lines of food

Whelk from Macduff Shellfish in Scotland, photo by Polished Brands.

Whelk from Macduff Shellfish in Scotland, photo by Polished Brands.

Is whelk having a moment? When it got in front of our camera, we thought it was gorgeous. Tasted good too. ‘Ugly’ snails, once ignored by fishermen, now a prized catch "Some upscale New York City restaurants now feature fresh or even raw whelks on the menu. The old-school Italian restaurants that serve sea snail salad — a popular Christmastime dish — usually get it canned from a handful of specialty processors." (Seattle Times)

Pickled and Smoked: Reasons to Get Excited About the Good Food Awards New Preserved Fish Category "In the past years, smoked and pickled seafood had been a subcategory of Charcuterie. It now has its own, with subcategories for roe, rillettes/pates, salt preserved, water and oil packed, pickled, and of course, smoked....Along with sustainability, there’s the deliciousness factor. Imagine a mezze platter with preserved anchovy fillets, a hiking trip that includes rich smoked black cod rillettes, a simple winter evening meal of pickled herring in sour cream on rye. We are on the verge of something big, good, and delicious." (National Geographic)

Would you, could you, on a boat? Biggest Salmon Producer, Marine Harvest, Wants to Farm Fish Inside Cargo Ship (Bloomberg)

The Grocerant goes on: Millennials driving sales of grocery prepared foods "In-store dining and takeout of prepared foods from grocers has grown nearly 30 percent since 2008, accounting for 2.4 billion foodservice visits and $10 billion in consumer spending in 2015, according to NPD’s research." And “40 percent of consumers would like name-brand foods at grocery or retail restaurants." (Restaurant Hospitality)

A peak into the best of the new food halls, from New York City to Denver, photo essay. (Restaurant Hospitality)

A Nonprofit Grocer Tries To Sell More Healthful Food Without Going Under "If you're on a budget, you're not purchasing food with the intent of improving your health. You're purchasing food to satisfy hunger,...You make choices you can afford on things you know your family will eat."
(NPR/ The Salt)

Isn't it time we all learned how to make Japanese fried chicken? (Gear Patrol)