AmazonFresh  / Blog

I am pleased to announce the addition of a new line from Kanimi. This brand line features Smart Salmon and Crab Smart, two all natural seafood lines.

Smart Salmon is a frozen 6 oz salmon portion that is marinated in three flavors - Hawaiian Huli-Huli Sauce, Ginger Sauce and Kenyan Coffee BBQ Sauce. My favorite is the Kenyan Coffee BBQ Sauce.Smart Salmon features wild Alaskan Sockeye salmon that is caught, processed and frozen in Alaska and then shipped to Seattle where it is portioned, marinated and packaged. Wild Alaskan Sockeye is a certified sustainable fishery by the Marine Stewardship Council. Each entree contains 1500 mg of Omega-3 fatty acids which contribute to heart health, brain function and acts as an anti-inflammatory agent. Vitamin D, the antioxidant astaxanthin and selenium are also found in each entree making them a heart healthy, tasty meal.

Preparing these items couldn't be any easier. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, and microwave for 3 minutes at 50% power. Smart Salmon comes in a special "steam pouch" that makes preparation and cleanup a breeze. No more overcooked, dry salmon these entrees come out moist and tasty each and every time. After placing the salmon on the plate you toss the "steam pouch" in the garbage and clean up is done. The salmon have had the pin bones removed so you don't need to worry about bones in your salmon ever. This method of cooking also eliminates the fishy smell that can overwhelm a kitchen.

Crab Smart Natural is the fastest growing surimi seafood product on the market. Kanimi has removed all the phosphates and sorbitol, artificial flavors and artificial colors from this line of items and replaced all the artificial ingredients with those derived from natural sources, including the red coloring which comes from tomato-based anti-oxidant lycopene. They have increased the amount of Omega 3 fish oil to 350mg for Shrimp Smart and 400 mg for Crab Smart and Lobster Smart - up to 4 times that of the other leading brands. Crab Smart is made from Alaskan Pollock, a wild-caught sustainable species to which real snow crab is added. Crab Smart is available in flake, chunk and stick style. In addition to Crab, Kanimi also has Lobster Smart Natural and Shrimp Smart Natural, which has chemical free cold water shrimp added for flavor and texture. Crab Smart Natural is the wave of the future of surimi seafood.

Surimi is a very versatile item that can be used a salad topping, eaten on a cracker as an appetizer, used as a filling for sandwiches, wraps or burritos. Surimi can also be used for stuffing's for fish, mushroom caps or tomatoes. The Crab Sticks make for a great high protein snack that can be eaten on the go.

The real point of difference of all these items though is the simple fact they taste great!

Now that the days are getting longer and warmer it just calls out time to grill. When I think of summer grilling one of my favorite items to grill are Bratwursts. Isernio's Chicken and Pork Bratwurst are a great, healthy choice for your summer grilling. The 95% lean Chicken Bratwurst and 80% lean Pork Bratwurst are made from all-natural ingredients with no additives or preservatives. Isernio's has put their own spin on the traditional German Bratwurst seasonings, creating a sausage with bold, savory flavor. Plus, they're bun-length, so there is a brat in each bite. For an extra kick, simmer them in your favorite beer until cooked through, then brown on the grill. Topped with spicy mustard, grilled onions and peppers on a toasty bun and you have a great summertime treat.

One of the joys of living here is Seattle is the great seafood we have access to on a daily basis. Copper River Sockeye is now available and the fish are wonderful. We have our sockeye flown down to our supplier as soon as they hit the docks in SE Alaska. The fish are then hand selected, processed for us and shipped out to our facility the next day. The only way to get any fresher salmon is to catch it yourself.

Over the weekend I grilled some sockeye using a very simple technique. We had baked red garnet yams with our meal so I started by placing the yams on the upper rack of my grill and turning the burners on high. After 15 minutes I turned the yams and let cook another 15 minutes. I then turned the yams one more time for even cooking. I then minced four cloves of garlic and placed in a Pyrex dish, added about one third of a stick of butter, one eighth to one quarter a teaspoon of ground chipotle pepper ( amounts depends on how spicy you like your salmon), the juice from one quarter of a fresh lemon and micro waved for two 30 second blasts. I then let the butter mixture rest for five to ten minutes to allow the flavors to meld together. I then placed the salmon skin side down on a sheet of foil and basted with the melted butter. I then thinly sliced four slices of lemon and placed them on the salmon fillet. Place the sheet of foil with the salmon on it over the hot grill for five minutes. At the same time place a loaf of sourdough bread on the upper rack. After five minutes turn the heat off and let the salmon finish cooking for another five to seven minutes depending on the thickness of the salmon. When salmon is at desired doneness remove from foil sheet by placing spatula between the skin and meat and scooping the fillet up and onto a plate. We enjoyed our salmon dinner with a bottle of White Knight Viognier and Earthbound Farm Organic Greens and Herb salad mix.

AmazonFresh is looking for smart, passionate, experienced people. AmazonFresh is Seattle's newest online grocery store that offers a robust selection of fresh, natural, conventional and local items ranging from meat and seafood, wine and beer, to produce and fresh flowers. Our goal is to offer the convenience and ease of online shopping coupled with home delivery at prices that are competitive and affordable in today's economy.

The Perishables Specialist will be responsible for managing and executing SOPs related to fresh and processed produce, deli meat, deli cheese, fresh meat, and fresh seafood product quality. This will include, but may not be limited to:

Managing and executing receive and quality control standards and processes.
Managing and executing product expiration standards.
Managing and executing product slicing and preparation standards and processes.
Managing and executing sanitation standards and processes.
Managing and executing product returns and follow up on credit invoices.

The overarching charge for this position is to ensure that the FC shelves are stocked with an appropriate amount of high quality product to meet customer demand for the Operations team to pick.

The Perishable Specialist should be well versed in receiving and inventory procedures. Proper sanitation, temperature control, receiving, stowing, and removal methods should be used to maintain wholesomeness and quality. The Perishable Specialist should also be knowledgeable of Health Department requirements.

The Perishable Specialist must have a "Can Do" attitude that enthusiastically identifies opportunities, creatively solves problems and executes with speed and purpose. They must be able to work in a highly demanding, but collegial environment where teamwork is a must. Successful candidates will be highly organized, self motivated and detail oriented.

You can apply in two ways: (1) directly through the Amazon.com Jobs site. You'll want to reference the job number (036374). Or (2) by sending an e-mail to fresh-jobs@amazon.com.

Oregon shrimp season has opened and AmazonFresh will have this delectable item starting 4/15/09.

This cold-water shrimp species is smaller than most tropical shrimp, but its sweet taste and delicate texture have earned it a reputation for being more flavorful than its tropical relatives. The Oregon pink shrimp is one of twenty species of the Pandalid genus, most of which live in the Pacific Ocean. Currently the market for Oregon pink shrimp is concentrated on the West Coast, where the shrimp is sold to retail and food service markets.

P. jordani ranges from Alaska's Aleutian Islands to San Diego, California, and concentrates in the same well-defined areas each year. Like other Pandalid shrimp, pink shrimp are hermaphrodites; juveniles mature and breed as males during their first year and a half of life, and then later become females and breed as that sex for another year or two. Pandalid shrimp typically live four to five years, although some species may live as long as seven years. Regulations such as seasonal closures afford some protection to the shrimp when they are reproducing.

The P. jordani fishery is concentrated off Oregon and is predominantly a trawl fishery. Fishermen target shrimp during the day, when the animals congregate near the bottom in mud or mixed mud and sand bottom habitats. However, in contrast to tropical shrimp fisheries, trawls used to catch Oregon pink shrimp do not have full contact with the seafloor. Consequently, bycatch of unwanted finfish is greatly reduced. To further minimize bycatch, vessels use bycatch reduction devices. Furthermore, this fishery does not have problems catching sea turtles as tropical shrimp fisheries do.

CONSERVATION NOTES
Although environmental conditions are a major factor contributing to shrimp abundance, shrimp populations have been known to collapse from overfishing. Consequently, there is some reason for concern that no limits or quotas are in place to restrict catches in the Oregon pink shrimp fishery. With no real estimates of population abundance available, careful attention is required to avoid overfishing. In addition, while total bycatch is lower compared to bycatch in tropical shrimp fisheries, the unwanted catch of long-lived, highly vulnerable rockfish by shrimp trawls is a concern.

The Oregon pink shrimp fishery has been certified as sustainable to the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) standard.

The fresh halibut season has opened for 2009 and we have received our first shipment. Our supplier has long standing contracts with day boats out of SE Alaska. Day boats are fishermen that just go out and fish for a day and return to port to offload their catch. These fish are then air freighted down to Seattle, processed over night and delivered to AmazonFresh the next day. What that means to you is that you are getting the freshest fish possible.

Pacific halibut is the largest of the flatfish noted for their thick meaty flesh that holds up well for a number of cooking methods and sauces. Because of changes in the management in this fishery fresh halibut is available from Mid-March to Mid-November. Alaskan and BC halibut are caught using the longline method, in which baited hooks are strung together very five to ten feet along quarter mile long lines of gear. The meat of fresh halibut should be almost translucent, not dull, and yellowish or dried out. It makes great fish and chips and can be baked, broiled, grilled, poached and pan fried. Halibut meat is a firm meat that holds together in most preparations. Halibut's dense texture is great for skewering for kabobs and hold marinades well.

One of my favorite methods of preparing halibut is to grill it. I start by soaking a handful of alder chips in hot water for approximately 30 minutes, as the chips are soaking I preheat the grill to a medium high heat. Combine in a microwave safe dish a quarter to half stick of butter, the juice from half lemon and a dash of garlic powder, heat in microwave for 30 seconds. Place halibut on a sheet of aluminum foil skin side down. Drizzle butter mixture over the fillets and season with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Drain the chips and place in smoker box or foil packet with holes poked into the top to allow the smoke to escape. Place the chips over a burner (or coals) to the side of where the fillets will be cooked. Place the fillets over the direct heat, close the lid to the grill and cook until the meat flakes away easily. You want the interior to be slightly translucent when the flakes are separated. This should be approximately 10 minutes depending on the heat of the grill. Remove the halibut from the grill (still on the foil sheet) and let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. The fillets will continue to cook while resting and this will insure that you haven't overcooked the halibut and will have a moist, tender fillet to enjoy with a glass of Fume Blanc or Chardonnay.

This year I was able to source a limited amount of Hempler's Spiral Sliced Bone in Ham. This ham is made in Ferndale, Washington by the Hempler's Food Group, a family business that has been in operation for 75 years. These hams are honey cured ham and spiral sliced around the bone for ease of carving. Hempler's still uses the old family recipe passed down through the generations. These hams are a natural juice ham and have had no water pumped into them during the curing process. The slices are sliced at 3/8" thick which is thicker than most. (This is to prevent the ham from drying out when you heat the ham.)

To warm the ham, place in a roasting pan, add 1 cup of water and cover pan with lid or with a sheet of aluminum foil tightly wrapped to keep the moisture in. Place the roasting pan in a preheated oven at 325 degrees. Heat for 70-80 minutes (10 minutes per pound x 7-8 lbs) or until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees, as oven temperatures may vary. After the cooking time has elapsed, turn oven to 400 degrees, remove lid or foil and let brown for 5 minutes. Pull ham from oven and let ham stand 10-15 minutes on counter top before serving. Since the ham is pre-sliced, all you need to do to remove the slices is slide the knife along the top of bone from front to back, and then run the knife around the sides and bottom of the bone to remove the remaining slices.

This ham comes with a glaze packet-- a brown sugar and powered honey mixture. Mix the glaze packet with 1/3 cup of water and spread over ham before placing in the oven. Baste the ham 2-3 times during the heating process. Baste one more time after removing the lid. The glaze will caramelize the last 5 minutes of cooking.

I have used a couple of other glazes over the years that I would like to share with you.
1) Instead of placing a cup of water in the roasting pan use 1/2 cup of real maple syrup and 1/2 cup of water. Baste 2-3 times during the heating process and one more time after removing the lid.
2) Mix together 3/4 cup apricot jam, 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 2 tbsp of ground mustard. Spread over the top of the ham. Baste the ham 2-3 times during the heating process and one more time after removing the lid.

I just wanted to say a few words about our seafood selection on AmazonFresh.
When we first started this venture I brought on a much larger assortment of fresh seafood than what we currently carry. To provide our customers with the freshest, highest quality assortment possible I narrowed this original assortment to what we have been carrying over the last year.

We have grown dramatically over these last year and this increased volume has given me the ability to start to look at expanding our assortment again. I have made the decision that with the coming fishing seasons opening in the next months I will be adding to our assortment of fresh seafood. I am working with our supplier now to line up the freshest and highest quality seafood that will be available. I would like to hear from you, the customer, as to what you would like to see added to our assortment. Please send your suggestions to product-suggestion@amazonfresh.com.

I am also sourcing high quality Frozen At Sea (FAS) products so that when the fresh seafood isn't available you will have an alternate source for your seafood needs. FAS product when done properly is actually "fresher" than fresh seafood. This is because the fish is processed hours after being caught, in most cases the fish are processed even before the rigor state has begun to set in. The critical piece as with all frozen product is in the thawing process. The best method of thawing is in the refrigerator at least a day before you plan on using the product. If time is of the essence and the packaging is compatible, placing the product in a colander under cold running water will thaw most items safely and without comprising quality.

It gives me great pleasure to announce the addition of the Dry Soda line to AmazonFresh.

DRY Soda Founder and CEO, Sharelle Klaus, realized a gap in the marketplace for a sophisticated non-alcoholic beverage after years of not drinking alcohol throughout four pregnancies. As a food and wine lover, she grew frustrated with the lack of options available to pair with fine meals. Sharelle hoped for a drink that was simple, all-natural, caffeine-free, low in sugar and made with the highest quality ingredients--a beverage that could complement a great meal or be sipped as a light refreshment on its own.

By early 2005, Sharelle decided to take matters into her own hands and started bringing these ideas to life in her home kitchen. After endless hours of beverage education, experimentation, and help from local chefs and designers, DRY Soda was born. Lavender, Lemongrass, Kumquat and Rhubarb DRY were officially launched in August of 2005. In October of 2008, Dry Soda launched two new flavors Vanilla Bean and Juniper Berry.

My personal favorites are Kumquat and Rhubarb. I have to admit that until I tried them I thought that the flavors were very unique and was not too sure if I would care for them; after one sip though, I was hooked. What I really like is that they are not overly sweet and have a very clean finishing palate. Life doesn't get any better than a relaxing evening sipping a Rhubarb Dry Soda and grilling some steaks or seafood. Whether you drink them plain or use them as a mixer I really think that you will find Dry Soda to be a truly unique beverage than can be enjoyed for all occasions.

At AmazonFresh, not only can you purchase the four-packs but you can also purchase Dry Soda in a case pack and enjoy additional savings. Life doesn't get much better enjoying a great soda at a great price delivered to your front door.

I wanted to let you know about a favorite of mine, Hill's Bologna.
This isn't your run-of-the-mill bland bologna that you will find prepackaged along a wall with ten other bolognas. Hill's Bologna is made using an old world recipe that has been passed down through the family. This bologna is made from the finest spices and lean cuts to produce a lunchmeat that is truly noteworthy.

Hill's Meat Company is located in Pendleton, Oregon and has been producing high quality items for over fifty years.

My favorite sandwich is to use Franz San Juan Island 9 Whole Grain Bread, mayonnaise, Inglehoffer Stone Ground Mustard, Tillamook Pepper-Jack Cheese, Claussen Bread & Butter Pickles and of course the Hill's Bologna.