Restaurants and retailers across the U.S. are taking advantage of Valentine’s Day and the coming weekend to boost sales of lobster and other seafood.
Restaurants, especially, have gotten on board with special seafood menus for Valentine’s Day. For example, at Santa Monica Seafood’s Costa Mesa café, a Maine lobster over linguine dinner is USD 30 (EUR 22.48), while its Santa Monica store is featuring seared Ahi tuna with lobster tail for USD 39 (EUR 29.23). “Each store tailored their menu to include the type of seafood entrees that their customers seem to prefer,” Bob Vogel, director of retail operations, told SeafoodSource.
Seattle-based Ivar’s is featuring the “Sweetheart’s Indulgence for Two,” a three-course dinner that includes white clam chowder, white king salmon stuffed with shrimp and brie, and Northwest crab cakes. Ivar’s locations are also featuring a wild Alaskan halibut and lobster saffron risotto.
“The full Valentine’s Day menu will highlight aphrodisiac ingredients like lobster, ginger, saffron, and hazelnuts …. all known for increasing desire,” according to an Ivar’s statement.
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Newport Beach, Calif., is offering a “Celebration Menu” from 14 February through 17 February for USD 69.95 (EUR 52.43) per person. The entrée choices in the three-course meals include roasted lobster tail and citrus marinated salmon tartar.
Supermarkets and fish markets are also running seafood specials throughout the week. AJ’s Fine Foods, a division of Bashas’ Family of Stores, Phoenix, Ariz., is offering its shoppers buy one, get one free on fresh Maine lobster. “Seafood sales at AJ's for Valentine's Day are always fantastic. Our health-minded customers appreciate quality seafood,” said AJ’s Seafood Buyer Pat Lee.
AJ’s Fine Foods seafood executives believe seafood will be popular for Valentine’s weekend, since more people will likely be cooking at home this year. “It's becoming increasingly popular to do so. Our AJ's experts are prepared to make cooking and pairing suggestions to make it easier for customers to cook seafood at home,” Nied Jozwiak said.
Meanwhile, Lubbock, Texas-based United Supermarkets’ Market Street stores are featuring several seafood specials for the week. Lobster tails (3-4 ounces) are USD 3.99 (EUR 2.99) each, Corvina sea bass fillets are USD 7.99 (EUR 5.98) a pound, and orange Roughy fillets are selling for USD 9.99 (EUR 7.49) a pound.
Through Sunday, Santa Monica Seafood’s market specials include whole, cooked Dungeness crabs for USD 9.99 (EUR 7.49) a pound, Scottish salmon steaks for USD 10.99 (EUR 8.24) a pound, and live Maine lobster tails for USD 11.99 (EUR 8.99) a pound.
