Proteins — Seafood (Fish, Shellfish, Roe, Caviar)

Category 3 of 23 · Built 2026-04-20 · Last verified 2026-04-20 · UMAMI-15 Quality contract: PROCESS.md

Time-critical: Florida stone crab season closes May 15 (~3.5 weeks from this draft). If stone crab is on the menu this cycle, act before early May.

Miami-specific context: the kitchen has direct access to the strongest US domestic seafood market outside maybe San Diego and Boston. Stone crab, Florida lobster, hogfish, mutton snapper, grouper, wahoo, mahi — all caught within a 150-mile radius and landing at local markets within hours. That's a Tier-1 advantage most ventures can't claim. Tier 2 is still essential for Hawaiian sashimi grade, Maine shellfish, and Hudson Valley / New England specialty; Tier 3 is Japan-direct sushi-grade.

This file is longer than the meat + poultry files combined because seafood sourcing is the highest-stakes category (freshness window measured in hours; quality ladder ranges from "generic imported farmed" to "caught at dawn, on ice by 11 AM, on the cutting board by 6 PM"). Depth A entries earned.

FIN FISH — Finfish by Category

Sashimi-Grade Tuna (Bluefin, Bigeye, Yellowfin Toro)

Depth: A (confirmed in tuna-tartare-sherry-soy + crudo dishes; kanpachi-crudo adjacent)

What to know: "Sashimi-grade" is not a regulated term in the US — it's a reputational signal from a trusted supplier. Want: flash-frozen at -60°C (super-frozen) within hours of catch to neutralize parasites + preserve texture. Bluefin chu-toro ("middle-fatty") is the canonical crudo cut; o-toro is reserved for sushi dinners. Yellowfin is a budget alternative with less marbling. Never buy "sushi-grade" from a grocery-store counter without a fishmonger you trust by name.

🏬 TIER 1 — Easy Local (Miami)

• Primary: Casablanca Seafood Bar & Fish Market — (Miami Beach, Biscayne area) — the go-to for sashimi-grade Atlantic tuna when local boats are running. ⚪ curated, call ahead to confirm grade. price TBD
• The Fish House — (Key Largo) — drive down for day-caught local yellowfin in summer. ⚪ curated, worth the trip for a major dinner. price TBD
• Whole Foods Brickell / Coral Gables — acceptable only for ahi poke-grade yellowfin, not for crudo. ⚠️ Avoid for raw preparations unless source card is specific.

🌐 TIER 2 — Excellent Online

• 🏆 Honolulu Fish Co — Bluefin Chu-Toro + Yellowfin Sashimi — honolulufish.com · overnight from Hawaii · ✅ owner-confirmed supplier (MEMORY.md line 107). Hawaiian Kanpachi 2lb sashimi cut ~$219.95. Tuna pricing varies with auction. This is the DEFAULT Tier 2.
• Catalina Offshore Products — catalinaop.com · San Diego dock-direct · sashimi-grade bluefin + yellowfin · ⚪ curated (not yet ordered per registry).
• Browne Trading Company — brownetrading.com · Portland ME, old-school house · supplies Per Se, Le Bernardin, Alinea · ⚪ curated.

👑 TIER 3 — Top Shelf

• 🏆 Japan-direct Pacific Bluefin (Oma, Ibaraki, Kagoshima) — via truefish.com (Tokyo auction graded imports) or specialty channel at Honolulu Fish Co. True o-toro from Oma (northern tip of Honshu) is the summit bluefin experience. ⚠️ Availability windows; call to inquire.
• Tsukiji/Toyosu "Narabi" auction direct (via broker) — the highest-graded bluefin coming out of Toyosu Market daily auction. US-importable via brokers like Wulf's Fish (Boston) + some Honolulu Fish programs. Pricing: $400-900/lb for o-toro at peak. Reserve for a once-a-year statement.
• Wild-caught Atlantic Bluefin (Nova Scotia / Prince Edward Island) — short summer+fall season. tru2ablue.com is the Canadian program that ships US under CITES docs. The Atlantic bluefin is fatter than Pacific, richer flavor, highly prized. Window: Aug-Oct peak.

Cross-recipe: tuna-tartare-sherry-soy ✅, potential crudo starter variants.

Kanpachi / Hamachi / Kingfish

Depth: A (kanpachi-crudo is a core dish, MEMORY.md line 22 implied via Honolulu Fish Co order)

What to know: Kanpachi (Pacific amberjack) is the current Miami crudo darling — less fatty than hamachi, cleaner flavor, perfect for citrus-based dressings. Hamachi (yellowtail, Seriola quinqueradiata) is the sushi-counter default. Both are farmed in Hawaii at Kampachi Farms + on Kona side. Wild hamachi is rare outside Japan. Kingfish (hiramasa, Seriola lalandi) is Australian farmed, firmer than hamachi.

🏬 TIER 1 — Easy Local (Miami)

• ⚠️ Rarely in Miami retail at sashimi grade. Casablanca + The Fish House stock occasionally. Default to Tier 2.

🌐 TIER 2 — Excellent Online

• 🏆 Honolulu Fish Co — Hawaiian Kanpachi 2lb sashimi cut (~$219.95) — honolulufish.com · ✅ owner-ordered (MEMORY.md line 107). The default kanpachi answer in this kitchen.
• Catalina Offshore Products — Hiramasa (Kingfish) — Australian farmed imported via San Diego · ⚪ curated, alternative to kanpachi when Hawaiian is out.
• Blue Circle Foods — Hamachi — responsibly farmed Mediterranean hamachi, cleaner than much Japanese farmed · ⚪ curated.

👑 TIER 3 — Top Shelf

• Wild hamachi from Toyama Bay (Japan, Dec-Jan peak) — the "kanburi" winter hamachi has the fattiest belly of any yellowtail on earth. Imported in extremely limited quantities. ⚠️ Call Honolulu Fish Co or a direct Japan seafood importer (Mutual Trading, True World Foods) in early December to pre-order.

Cross-recipe: kanpachi-crudo ✅ (home-cooked / corpus).

Salmon (Wild Alaskan Primary)

Depth: A (miso-salmon-sv in corpus; Copper River King is a May-June window event)

What to know: Farmed Atlantic salmon is everywhere; skip it for anything special. Wild Alaskan salmon has 5 species with distinct windows: Copper River King (late May-June, premium apex) → Sockeye (June-August, richest color, strong flavor) → Coho (July-Sept, milder) → Chum/Keta (fall, budget) → Pink (fall, canning-grade). King / Chinook can also be caught outside Copper River but Copper River King is the chef benchmark.

🏬 TIER 1 — Easy Local (Miami)

• Whole Foods — Copper River King arrives mid-May through late June. Ask for "first flight" or "opener" during May 15-20 window. price $45-65/lb in season.
• Publix — farmed Atlantic only (skip).
• Casablanca / The Fish House — wild sockeye / coho through summer. ⚪ curated.

🌐 TIER 2 — Excellent Online

• 🏆 Vital Choice — Copper River King / Sockeye — vitalchoice.com · Most reliable US source for genuine Copper River in the opener window. Pre-order late April for mid-May shipments. ⚪ curated (registry says "not tested"; this is the highest-confidence bet when the window opens).
• Wild Alaskan Company — wildalaskancompany.com · subscription model, less useful for one-off dinners, good for restocking frozen portions. ⚪ curated.
• Browne Trading Company — Atlantic wild (rare, Nova Scotia summer) + Copper River in season · ⚪ curated.

👑 TIER 3 — Top Shelf

• 🏆 Iliamna Fish Co (community-supported fishery, Bristol Bay) — iliamnafishco.com · small-fleet co-op, ships frozen-at-sea fillets direct from Bristol Bay. Sockeye flesh is the deepest red in the species. Window: order in spring, receive in July. The "know the boat captain" answer.
• Whole Copper River King, head-on, direct-from-boat (TBA) — there's no consistent retail program for head-on whole King; would need to email a Cordova-based fishmonger (Copper River Seafoods is the largest co-op) for a special order. 15-25 lb fish is a full Saturday of breakdown + share with friends.

Cross-recipe: miso-salmon-sv ✅.

Whitefish & Grouper Family (Snapper, Hogfish, Mutton, Grouper)

Depth: B (corpus-adjacent; whole-fish-kamado is the technique target, species varies by what's peak)

What to know: Florida's quiet superpower. Hogfish (Feb-Nov peak) — delicate, sweet, often #1 whitefish at Miami-area chefs. Mutton snapper (year-round, peak summer) — firm + sweet, holds well to grilling. Black grouper (offshore, year-round with restrictions) — forms the base of classic Bahamian/Florida grouper preparations. Yellowtail snapper (year-round) — the everyday grilling snapper; abundant. Avoid imported red snapper unless documented (90%+ mislabeled in US market — Oceana study).

🏬 TIER 1 — Easy Local (Miami)

• 🏆 Captain's Tavern Fish Market (South Miami, 9625 SW 87th Ave) — "freshest snapper and hogfish in the city" per multiple Miami chef endorsements. Day-boat direct. Primary Tier 1 for whitefish. ⚪ curated but heavily referenced in local press.
• Casablanca Seafood — broader selection, consistent daily freshness, Biscayne Bay adjacent.
• The Fish House (Key Largo) — closer to the boats, worth the drive for hogfish especially.
• Key Largo Fisheries (99001 Overseas Hwy) — wholesale/retail hybrid; call for daily availability on stone crab + hogfish.

🌐 TIER 2 — Excellent Online

• Fulton Fish Market — fultonfishmarket.com · NYC broadline; includes Florida species shipped back cold-chain. ⚪ curated (registry says "not tested").
• Browne Trading — New England species (halibut, cod) + occasional Florida. ⚪ curated.

👑 TIER 3 — Top Shelf

• 🏆 Whole fish ordered direct from a Key Largo or Islamorada charter captain — no middleman, caught that morning. ⚠️ No retail website path; requires phoning a specific charter operation. Worth doing once for a milestone dinner. Pattern: call Key Largo Fisheries or a charter dockmaster asking for "day-boat whole hogfish, 3-4 lb, heads on." Typical yield: pristine 2-4 lb fish at $18-24/lb.
• Mediterranean branzino (Loup de Mer) direct from Spain/Greece/Croatia — US-accessible via Greek + Italian specialty importers (Pacific Aqua, Sea Breeze). ⚠️ Not daily-fresh; frozen-shipped. Worth it when the dish requires branzino (Mediterranean roast-whole preparation).

Cross-recipe: whole-fish-kamado ✅ (kamado-grilled whole hogfish or snapper is peak Miami summer).

Swordfish + Wahoo + Mahi (Mahi-Mahi / Dolphinfish)

Depth: B (grilling staples; whole-fish-kamado alt, kamado steak cuts)

What to know: All three are Miami-accessible pelagic species. Swordfish (year-round, peak summer) — firm, meaty, perfect for sous-vide + kamado + pan-sear. Wahoo (summer peak) — faster-swimming, leaner, delicate. Mahi (spring-summer peak in Florida) — sweet, mild, sustainable; almost always local.

🏬 TIER 1 — Easy Local

• Captain's Tavern, Casablanca, The Fish House — all stock these three in season. Ask for center-cut portions, not tail ends.
• Whole Foods — swordfish is reliable; mahi/wahoo inconsistent.

🌐 TIER 2 — Excellent Online

• 🏆 Honolulu Fish Co — Hawaiian Swordfish / Opah / Mahi — honolulufish.com · ✅ owner-verified · Hawaiian swordfish is the strongest off-shore alternative to Miami local.
• Wulf's Fish (Boston) — wulfsfish.com · high-end restaurant supplier, direct-to-consumer option · ⚪ curated.

👑 TIER 3 — Top Shelf

• Harpoon-caught day-boat swordfish from New England (summer) — bluesailfishing.com or call a Cape Cod harpoon captain directly. Smaller fish, cleaner flavor, more sustainable than long-line. ⚠️ Coastal-Massachusetts-specific; would ship cold-chain.

Cross-recipe: swordfish-ceviche-bottarga ✅ (corpus), grilling preparations.

Mediterranean & European Imports (Branzino, Dorade, Turbot)

Depth: C (Spanish-identity and French-identity dishes; special-order)

What to know: These are the dishes where authenticity-of-fish matters. Branzino (Mediterranean sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax) is the Roman/Greek/French grill standard. Dorade (royale, gilt-head bream) is the other Mediterranean whole-fish benchmark. Turbot is the French royalty fish — firm, rich, perfect for beurre blanc or asador-style wood fire. US availability is farmed + frozen-flown; the wild version is exponentially better but rare.

🏬 TIER 1 — Easy Local (Miami)

• ⚠️ Rarely in Miami retail at quality. Plan Tier 2.

🌐 TIER 2 — Excellent Online

• Browne Trading — Branzino + Turbot (European imports) — brownetrading.com · air-flown from Europe · ⚪ curated.
• Regalis Foods — Wild turbot (Galicia/Brittany) when in season — regalisfoods.com · ✅ owner-verified Regalis. Turbot is a rare catch; request window in Dec-Feb.

👑 TIER 3 — Top Shelf

• 🏆 Wild turbot from Galicia (Spain) — the Basque live-fire tradition / the Basque txuleton-tradition benchmark. US-importable via Regalis or direct Spanish importers (Pacific Aqua, Basqueat). ⚠️ Call Regalis specifically for "wild Galician turbot"; $60-90/lb when available.
• Wild branzino from the Italian/Croatian Adriatic — significantly better than farmed; very limited US channel.

Cross-recipe: turbot-on-kamado (planned, the Basque live-fire tradition tribute), branzino-roast.

SHELLFISH

Oysters (Live, In-Shell)

Depth: A (dinner-party staple; orders 50-100 count from Island Creek per event)

What to know: East Coast oysters = brinier, more mineral (Wellfleet, Beausoleil, Kumamoto hybrids). West Coast = sweeter, more melon/cucumber (Hama Hama, Kumamoto, Hood Canal). Always ask for "shipping date" — oysters are best within 7 days of shucking, 3 days of shipping. Serve over crushed ice with mignonette or lemon. Rule of thumb: 6-12 per person for a raw course depending on appetite.

🏬 TIER 1 — Easy Local

• Captain's Tavern, Casablanca — stock East Coast daily (Blue Point mostly). ⚪ curated. Not Tier 2-equivalent quality but adequate when a last-minute oyster course is needed.

🌐 TIER 2 — Excellent Online

• 🏆 Island Creek Oysters — Duxbury Bay, MA — shop.islandcreekoysters.com · 50 ct $125 · 100 ct $187 · overnight shipping · ✅ owner-ordered (MEMORY.md line 106). PRIMARY. Grown on a 75-acre farm in Duxbury Bay; cleanly brined; consistent size; the gold standard for dinner-party raw bar.
• Hama Hama Oyster Company (WA) — hamahamaoysters.com · West Coast alternative; their Hamasqui (aka "Thumbprint") is the sweetest/smallest. ⚪ curated.
• Island Creek's sampler + merroir series — their deep catalog has "tasting flights" — good for a rare-oysters focused course.
• Wild Edibles (NYC wholesale) — high-end restaurant supplier, direct-to-consumer arm.

👑 TIER 3 — Top Shelf

• 🏆 Kumamoto Oyster direct from Taylor Shellfish (WA) or Hog Island (CA) — Kumamotos are a different species (Crassostrea sikamea) from eastern/pacific oysters — smaller, sweeter, deep cup. The sushi-chef favorite. taylorshellfishfarms.com · ⚪ curated.
• French Fines de Claire from Marennes-Oléron — the river-estuary-finished French oyster (green tint from microalgae, sweet-mineral). ⚠️ Not imported live to US retail. Would require a French specialty importer at restaurant-wholesale level.
• Coffin Bay King Oyster (Australia) — 1-2 lb each, 3-5 years old; the largest premium oyster on earth. ⚠️ Not US-retail-available; mentioned for completeness.

Cross-recipe: Raw bar starter, baked-rockefeller preparations.

Stone Crab Claws (Florida — ⚠️ SEASON CLOSES MAY 15)

Depth: A (Miami-iconic; time-critical window)

What to know: Florida stone crab season: October 15 – May 15. Claws are the only harvested part (crab released alive, claw regenerates). Sizing: Medium (under 5 oz claw), Large (5-7 oz), Jumbo (7-8 oz), Colossal (8+ oz). Jumbo and Colossal are market scarce; peak claw size is end-of-season (April-May) when crabs are biggest. Serve cold with mustard sauce (Joe's Stone Crab recipe = Coleman's English mustard + mayo + heavy cream + Worcestershire + A1). This window closes in ~3.5 weeks.

🏬 TIER 1 — Easy Local (Miami)

• 🏆 Joe's Stone Crab Takeaway (11 Washington Ave, Miami Beach) — joesstonecrab.com · THE original since 1913. Walk-up, takeout claws by weight + mustard sauce pint. Large/Jumbo priced at market. ✅ Miami gold standard. current price: call
• Casablanca Seafood, Captain's Tavern, Key Largo Fisheries — all stock fresh claws Oct-May.
• Whole Foods — stocks cooked + chilled claws in season; serviceable but Joe's is better.

🌐 TIER 2 — Excellent Online

• Joe's Stone Crab Ship-anywhere program — same claws as takeaway, packed on dry ice, overnight. joesstonecrab.com/shop · ⚪ curated for when out-of-town guests should experience this.
• FloridaFresh Seafood — Key Largo direct-ship. ⚪ curated.

👑 TIER 3 — Top Shelf

• 🏆 End-of-season Colossal claws, whole-season-plan pre-order — call Joe's in March to pre-reserve Colossal claws for the April-May peak. 8+ oz claws are impossible to consistently score otherwise. ⚠️ Quantity-limited, call-ahead only. price $100-150/lb at Colossal grade

Cross-recipe: stone-crab-mustard-sauce starter / main depending on volume.

Florida Spiny Lobster (August – March)

Depth: B (Miami-season-specific; different season window than stone crab — NO overlap concerns)

What to know: Panulirus argus — the Caribbean/Florida spiny lobster. No claws (all meat in the tail). Season: August 6 – March 31. 2-day mini-season in late July for residents. Closed April-July. Tails from 5-12 oz typical; 1 lb tail is feast-quality. Grill split-tail with garlic butter is the peak preparation. Different tradition and flavor than Maine lobster — never substitute.

🏬 TIER 1 — Easy Local (Miami)

• 🏆 Key Largo Fisheries / Casablanca — seasonal live + frozen. Call Aug 6-10 when season opens for freshest catches.
• The Fish House (Key Largo) — closest to the boats.
• Whole Foods — stocks frozen tails year-round; pick only in-season tails (freshness date matters).

🌐 TIER 2 — Excellent Online

• Fresh Catch Miami, FloridaFresh Seafood — direct-ship tails ⚪ curated.

👑 TIER 3 — Top Shelf

• Day-boat charter-caught whole lobster from a Keys captain during mini-season (late July) — resident-only dive season for 2 days. If you have a friend diving, you get the freshest possible. ⚠️ Non-purchasable outside social network.

Cross-recipe: lobster-rice (identified in MEMORY.md as a Briland-trip menu item; collaborative cooking favorite over carabineros per the lesson).

Maine Lobster (Live, 1.25-2 lb)

Depth: B (classical seafood boil + lobster rolls + Spanish rice-based dishes)

What to know: Homarus americanus — the North Atlantic clawed lobster. Female lobsters in roe season (summer) have richer flavor but most chefs reserve them for stock. Hard-shell lobsters > soft-shell for meat yield (soft-shell = post-molt, 20-30% less meat). Best season: Fall-Winter for hard-shells. Sizes: 1.25 lb (chicks), 1.5 lb (quarters), 2 lb (selects). 1.5-lb per person is generous.

🏬 TIER 1 — Easy Local

• ⚠️ Live Maine lobster is rare in Miami retail. Whole Foods occasionally tanks them. Plan Tier 2 for anything serious.

🌐 TIER 2 — Excellent Online

• 🏆 Maine Lobster Now — mainelobsternow.com · live overnight delivery · ⚪ curated. The consumer-friendly option.
• Wulf's Fish — Boston restaurant-grade, ships live · ⚪ curated.
• Lobster Trap (Cape Cod) — also ships live · ⚪ curated.

👑 TIER 3 — Top Shelf

• 🏆 Direct from a Maine lobsterman co-op — e.g., lobsterfrommaine.com · co-op of licensed harvesters; traceable to boat. ⚪ curated.
• European Lobster (Homarus gammarus, "blue lobster") — the French/UK clawed lobster, bluer shell, sweeter flavor (the Bresse-chicken of lobsters). ⚠️ Not US-retail-importable live; frozen tails occasionally via Browne Trading.

Cross-recipe: lobster-rice (Spanish paella-adjacent), lobster roll, lobster thermidor.

Shrimp & Prawns (Gulf Whites, Key Wests, Carabineros, Live Spot)

Depth: A (corpus-critical — gambas-al-ajillo, aguachile-verde, deviled-eggs-bottarga-sv uses shrimp stock)

What to know: Domestic wild > farmed imported for flavor. Gulf White Shrimp (Texas-Louisiana coast) — sweet, firm, mid-size. Key West Pink / Royal Red (Florida) — deeper flavor than Gulf Whites. Carabineros (Spanish red giant prawns, Aristaeomorpha foliacea) — the pinnacle of a la plancha shrimp; deep red, sweet flesh, intense umami head-juice. Live spot prawns (Pacific/Alaska) — translucent when alive, rare, sashimi-quality.

🏬 TIER 1 — Easy Local

• Captain's Tavern, Casablanca, The Fish House — Gulf whites + Key Largo pinks year-round.
• Key Largo Fisheries — best in-state pricing on 2-lb Gulf white boxes.
• Whole Foods — decent on Gulf whites; avoid farmed tiger/black tiger unless Amazon-direct.

🌐 TIER 2 — Excellent Online

• 🏆 Regalis Foods — Carabineros — regalisfoods.com · ✅ owner-verified vendor · ~$80-120/lb when available · imported from Spain · ⚠️ quantity-limited; call ahead.
• 🏆 Regalis — Live Spot Prawns — same source · seasonal peak May-August · $45-65/lb live · ⚪ curated but Regalis-verified.
• Catalina Offshore Products — Live Spot Prawns — catalinaop.com · San Diego direct · ⚪ curated.
• Wild American Shrimp program (Gulf coops) — wildamericanshrimp.com · traceable sustainable Gulf wild · ⚪ curated.

👑 TIER 3 — Top Shelf

• 🏆 Spanish Gambas de Denia (Alicante wild red prawns, Denia DOP) — the benchmark white-table prawn of Spain. ⚠️ Not exported to US fresh. Frozen sometimes via Basque/Spanish specialty importers. Alternative: Regalis Palamós prawns (Costa Brava, frozen same-day).
• Palamós Prawn direct from La Gamba Roja de Palamós (Catalonia) — the Catalan identity prawn, celebrated at Catalan avant-garde and technique-school-lineage restaurants. Regalis imports occasionally. ~$100-150/lb when available.
• Live spot prawns direct from a dock (Sidney, BC or San Diego during peak) — need a friend near the harbor. Non-retail.

Cross-recipe: gambas-al-ajillo ✅, aguachile-verde ✅.

Sea Urchin (Uni)

Depth: B (corpus-aspirational; the fearless-fusion register / the fearless-fusion register tier dish)

What to know: Uni = the gonads of sea urchin, orange-golden custard-like texture. California (Santa Barbara) = largest, richest, most widely available US domestic. Maine = smaller, cleaner/brinier. Hokkaido Bafun Uni = Japanese apex, tiny (walnut-sized), delicate. Quality metrics: firm structure (no soupy/broken lobes), bright orange/gold color, briny-sweet smell. Fresh whole urchins beat tray-packed uni for texture but shelf life is 2-3 days.

🏬 TIER 1 — Easy Local

• ⚠️ Rare in Miami retail. Plan Tier 2.

🌐 TIER 2 — Excellent Online

• 🏆 Catalina Offshore Products — Santa Barbara Fresh Uni (tray-pack) — catalinaop.com · overnight from San Diego · tray-packed sushi-grade · ⚪ curated.
• 🏆 Regalis Foods — Fresh Uni (multiple origins) — ✅ owner-verified · call for current stock, typically Santa Barbara + occasional Japan.
• Browne Trading — Maine Uni (seasonal, winter) — ⚪ curated.

👑 TIER 3 — Top Shelf

• 🏆 Hokkaido Bafun Uni (Japan-direct sushi-grade) — via True World Foods, Mutual Trading, or specialty uni-focused importers. The sushi-summit uni experience. ⚠️ Limited US retail access; True World does a B2B program restaurants use.
• Live whole sea urchin shipped from Santa Barbara boat (Channel Islands) — very rare; would need to contact a Santa Barbara fishmonger who does whole-urchin shipment. Broken-and-spooned-tableside is the Spanish/Greek street-seafood pinnacle.

Cross-recipe: uni-shotgun course starter (planned, the fearless-fusion register-style), pasta al riccio.

ROE & CAVIAR

Caviar (Sturgeon)

Depth: A (dinner-party luxury course; referenced in MEMORY.md for Jesse's Briland arc)

What to know: Legal US caviar = farmed sturgeon (wild Caspian beluga is still CITES-restricted). Species ladder: Osetra / Oscietra (mid-gray to amber, nutty, 2nd-most-prized) → Siberian (mild, cleaner, baseline premium) → Sevruga (smaller pearls, intense) → Beluga hybrids (farmed beluga-crossed, largest pearls, buttery). Serve cold with bone/mother-of-pearl spoon (no metal), blini, creme fraiche, chopped egg + chive. 30-50g per person is generous.

🏬 TIER 1 — Easy Local (Miami)

• 🏆 The Golden Hog (Key Biscayne) — ✅ owner-verified · stocks specialty caviar in the premium case. Call ahead; smaller tins available for spontaneous dinners. ⚪ curated for convenience.
• Chèvre Miami — stocks Russian + Iranian Osetra. ✅ owner-verified vendor.
• Whole Foods Brickell — basic Siberian + occasional Osetra; fine for casual course, not for a headline moment.

🌐 TIER 2 — Excellent Online

• 🏆 Regalis Foods — Osetra + Siberian direct — regalisfoods.com · ✅ owner-verified · 30g / 50g / 125g tins · this is the default caviar answer.
• Calvisius Caviar (Italian farm) — calvisius.com · one of the most respected single-source farms; sells direct US. ⚪ curated.
• Petrossian — petrossian.com · old-guard Parisian house, US direct-ship. ⚪ curated.
• Browne Trading — Osetra + Siberian + hybrid caviar catalog. ⚪ curated.

👑 TIER 3 — Top Shelf

• 🏆 Kaluga Queen Caviar (China, hybrid sturgeon program) — massive-farm operation with insane quality-control; supplies half of the world's 3-Michelin-starred restaurants. kalugaqueen.com · US distribution via specialty importers. ⚪ curated.
• Iranian Osetra (wild/farm-raised certified) — the Caspian-region premium. ⚠️ US import restrictions. Limited availability via specialty channels.
• Beluga Hybrid (Mottra, Latvia, or Panaftosa, Brazil) — the farmed beluga answer. ⚠️ Specialty-importer only, US-legal via documented programs.

Cross-recipe: caviar starter course on blini; deviled-eggs-bottarga-sv has a luxury variant with Osetra topping.

Bottarga (Salted Cured Fish Roe)

Depth: A (corpus signature — deviled-eggs-bottarga-sv, swordfish-ceviche-bottarga)

What to know: Bottarga = salt-cured mullet or tuna roe, pressed and air-dried. Sardinian Gray Mullet bottarga = the Mediterranean gold standard, more delicate. Sicilian/Spanish Tuna bottarga = stronger, saltier, bigger form. Grated over pasta, thin-sliced over oils, or shaved into salads. Umami-concentrate at ~30x the flavor intensity of anchovies.

🏬 TIER 1 — Easy Local

• The Golden Hog — stocks Sardinian gray mullet bottarga (call to confirm). ✅ owner-verified vendor.
• Chèvre Miami — Italian specialty case often has bottarga. ✅ owner-verified.
• Publix / Whole Foods — unreliable; skip.

🌐 TIER 2 — Excellent Online

• 🏆 Regalis Foods — Sardinian Gray Mullet Bottarga (whole lobe) — regalisfoods.com · ✅ owner-verified. Whole lobe form lasts months properly wrapped.
• Despaña Brand Foods — despanabrandfoods.com · Spanish/Sardinian bottarga. ⚪ curated (Spanish-pantry vendor per MEMORY.md line 101).
• Market Hall Foods — broad pantry selection · ⚪ curated.

👑 TIER 3 — Top Shelf

• 🏆 Sardinian artisan producer direct (e.g., Smeralda, Siro Brega) — imported occasionally by specialty pantry houses. Whole uncut lobes, longest hang time (6+ months), darker color, deeper flavor.

Cross-recipe: deviled-eggs-bottarga-sv ✅, swordfish-ceviche-bottarga ✅, grated over pasta.

Salmon Roe (Ikura) + Trout Roe

Depth: C (sushi-counter / canape-accent)

What to know: Ikura = salmon roe, bright orange, briny-sweet, larger pearl than most caviar. Trout roe = smaller, more delicate, less common. Both serve chilled on blini/toast/sushi.

🏬 TIER 1 — Easy Local

• The Golden Hog + Asian markets (Whole Foods Brickell Japanese case) — inconsistent but present.

🌐 TIER 2 — Excellent Online

• Regalis — Ikura (Pacific) — ⚪ curated.
• Browne Trading — Trout roe — ⚪ curated.

👑 TIER 3 — Top Shelf

• Not a tier-3 category — uni and caviar absorb the sushi-luxury budget. Skip.

Cross-recipe: garnish course.

Cross-Recipe Index (this category → corpus)

Time-Critical Calendar (Miami + US Wild Seasons)

Nearest-term action: book 2-3 lbs Jumbo/Colossal stone crab claws at Joe's Takeaway for a late-April or early-May event. Season-close window.

Verified Vendor Cross-Check (against MEMORY.md)

Open questions

• Stone crab window: Any plan to score Jumbo/Colossal claws before May 15? If yes, I can draft a menu around them.
• Copper River King: Any tradition of hitting the May opener? Budget ~$200/lb at peak if so.
• Spiny lobster: Plan for August opener? Spiny vs Maine for lobster-rice?
• Has the kitchen ordered from Captain's Tavern specifically? Registry says curated-not-verified; a single visit confirmation upgrades to ✅ and makes it the default Tier 1.
• Uni interest: Is the fearless-fusion register-style uni-shotgun on the 50-recipe expansion list? If yes, Catalina + Regalis cadence matters.
• Carabineros vs. local gambas: For gambas-al-ajillo, always local, or does the carabineros-upgrade for a special event happen? (MEMORY lesson: two luxury shellfish in a week = diminishing returns.)
• Joe's Stone Crab pre-order relationship: Is there a manager contact for pre-order Colossals? Upgrade if so.

Notable gaps & future categories

• Smoked fish (salmon, trout, eel, sable) — covered adequately in charcuterie (file 04).
• Sardines / anchovies preserved — covered in Spanish pantry (file 06, conservas).
• Tinned seafood (Spanish conservas — Ortiz, Nardín, La Brújula) — covered in file 06.
• Scallops (dry pack U-10) — add to revision pass; Browne Trading + Island Creek both do scallop programs.

Next category: 04-charcuterie.md — jamón ibérico, chorizo, sobrasada, salumi, pancetta. Cinco Jotas + La Tienda + Despaña dominate. The kitchen has deep identity here.

3/23 atlas files complete.