Fresh seafood is hard to pass up. It’s easy to cook and so satisfying when prepared with other simple, fresh ingredients and seasonings. Tacoma Boys has all the fixings for a fresh seafood dinner, like spring mix for a side salad, an assortment of pastas, sauces, and seasonings. Tacoma Boys has you covered for all of your fresh seafood basics – from different cooking methods to one-of-a-kind seafood recipes, and what to serve alongside. The options for incorporating fresh seafood into your cooking routine are endless!

Tacoma Boys’ Fresh Seafood Selection

There are several varieties of fresh seafood available over at the deli counter at Tacoma Boys. The selection of fresh seafood rotates regularly, so check out our weekly specials to stay up-to-date! Then, match the fresh seafood with sides like roasted potatoes, stir-fried vegetables, or a garden salad dressed with your choice of one of Tacoma Boys’ dozens of different salad dressings. In addition to the following, you’ll find scallops, shrimp, lobster, and much more to choose from. 

Fresh Norwegian Steelhead

• The Steelhead Trout comes from a freshwater and saltwater environment in Norway, where fjord-fed rivers meet the sea.

Fresh King Salmon

• Fresh filets of King Salmon are easily prepared and cooked through many different methods, like baking in the oven or grilling hot and fast.

Wild Alaskan Coho Salmon

• Try the Wild Alaskan Coho Salmon with Johnny’s Salmon Finishing Sauce, a northwest blend made just for salmon with dill and garlic at center stage.

Wild Alaskan Halibut

• The most adventurous might batter and fry strips of the Wild Alaskan Halibut and serve it with french fries alongside Tacoma Boy’s Tartar Sauce or Lemon Caper Sauce.

Fresh Red Snapper

• Filets of fresh Red Snapper are firm, making them easily manageable when preparing and sturdy enough for a spicy rub.

Boneless Skinless Tilapia

• The mild, white-fleshed Tilapia is already deboned and skinned in preparation for your fresh seafood meal.

How to Cook Seafood

If you’re looking for advice on how to cook seafood, look no further! After selecting your seafood of choice at Tacoma Boys, you’ll need something to season it with. Get creative with your own blend or rub, choosing spices and tastes to preference, or skip the prep and grab a bottle of Garlic Gourmay to use when you cook seafood. Several different flavors will elevate fresh seafood, from garlic mesquite or garlic jalapeño, to Jamaican jerk, honey lime, and more.

Grill

Grilled seafood is popular for its resulting flavor and tender texture. It takes a couple simple steps to prepare your ingredients, preheat your grill, and cook seafood quickly. Grill seasoned filets of salmon or several shrimp hot and fast to cook fully and lock in flavor. If you don’t see those nice grill marks, don’t worry and don’t wait: It may very well be fully cooked without the perfect marks, and hot grills can burn food fast!

Fry

Pan-frying is a straight-forward and common method to cook seafood. It should yield crisp, succulent bites of fish with or without the skin. Using a batter, flour, or breadcrumbs will add a bit of a crust, but isn’t necessary. To cook fish filets in a pan, place the battered or seasoned fish in a hot, well-oiled pan. When it’s crisped and cooked to your liking on one side, flip the fish and cook the other side. If the filet is thick and fatty, it may need to be baked in the oven to finish cooking to temperature. 

Oven

Baking fish in the oven is easy and efficient because you can leave a well-seasoned piece of fish in the oven for a few minutes while you prepare your sides. At the right oven temperature, seafood will cook to temperature throughout without overcooking on the outside. Just be sure to keep an eye on the clock!

Seafood Recipes

Seafood recipes are plentiful as they generally require basic ingredients and kitchen staples to round out a satisfying meal. If you’re not ready to create your own seafood recipe, there are several tried and true recipes you can try:

• Grab a couple of Tacoma Boys’ sweet and juicy heirloom oranges and a lemon for a balanced finish to this Easy Honey Citrus Sheet Pan Salmon seafood recipe by Killing Thyme. 
• Smooth garlic butter tops baked steelhead in this Garlic Butter Steelhead Trout in Foil seafood recipe by Kitchen Swagger.
• Scallops are commonly seared to create a crispy crust. Scallop Fra Diavolo by Champagne Tastes is one way to go when a big bowl of pasta sounds just right.

Simple Baked Halibut Over Seasoned Wild Rice

This baked halibut seafood recipe uses Tacoma Boys’ Wild Alaskan Halibut and one of our favorite rubs with local ties: Tom Douglas’ Seafood Rub boosts the flavor of any type of fresh seafood with a flavorful blend of spices. On a bed of Lundberg Whole Grain Rice & Wild Rice, this basic seafood recipe is as tasty as it is quick to whip up.

Ingredients

• Two 5-ounce boneless halibut filets (skin on)
• 1 teaspoon cooking oil of choice (such as avocado oil)
• 2 tablespoons Rub With Love Seafood Rub
• One 5.5-ounce box Lundberg Organic Whole Grain Rice & Wild Rice
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Follow package directions to cook Lundberg Organic Whole Grain Rice & Wild Rice: Combine rice, water, and seasonings in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 30 minutes.
2. While the rice is cooking, preheat the oven to 400° F. Set filets in a medium baking dish and sprinkle rub evenly on filets. Rub gently over all sides of the filets.
3. In a large nonstick or greased baking dish, set halibut skin-side down and drizzle with oil. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the halibut is flaky.
4. When 30 minutes is up, remove rice from heat. Let stand covered for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork. Serve halibut over rice hot.

Shop for Seafood at Tacoma Boys

Pop into your local Tacoma Boys to peruse our selection of fresh seafood and all the ingredients you’ll need for your next seafood dinner. The guides behind the counters are eager to answer any questions and help you choose what’s best for you.

Or, stay up to date on insider deals and specials from afar when you sign up for Tacoma Boys’ text list. Just text (253) 246-1661 to tell Paul you want to be on the list! 

Have you been wondering what the holiday season will be like this year? Everyone has, which is why Tacoma Boys has created this guide to host the ultimate holiday bake off with family and friends – virtually, of course! Since you may not be able to connect in-person with some of your loved ones this year, Tacoma Boys thought a holiday bake off would be a great way to get into the holiday spirit while staying safe and healthy. Whether you choose to host your holiday bakeoff with just your small family at home or extend the invitation for others to join virtually, it’s sure to be a great time complete with delicious holiday treats!

How to Prepare for Your Virtual Holiday Bake Off

If you were to host a holiday bake off during non-pandemic times, you would typically have the people involved come to your home to participate. Since it’s our duty to stay home, creating a virtual version is the best (and kind of fun!) way to host a bake off. 

1. Send Out Online Invitations

Creating invitations online doesn’t have to be a difficult task. Simply decide on a date and time that works best for yourself and others involved and click send to get the info out! 

2. Decide What to Bake

Deciding on recipes for the holiday bake off may be the most difficult part of throwing this bake off together – there are so many good choices out there! Tacoma Boys suggests picking three different recipes for your participants to follow. This way everyone is making the exact same recipe and can enjoy them together at the end. If you’re not keen on baking, you can opt to host a charcuterie board competition or a virtual brunch-off! 

3. Set a Timer

Setting a timer may not be necessary, but it adds to the “bake off” aspect of the day! Just ensure it’s enough time to actually finish the recipes.

4. Pick a Winner, Together

Instead of having a taste test – because that’s not possible virtually – have everyone present their final products with a little background story! This can be a true story or completely made up, and adds a fun, unique component to the bake off.

Holiday Baking Essentials

Holiday baking has always been a great way to bring families together during the holidays, so don’t let hosting a bake off be stressful. Choose recipes that everyone will love and are moderately easy – after all, the bake off is supposed to be fun! Tacoma Boys has a large selection of baking essentials that will set you up for a successful bake off experience. 

Flour

When you head over to the baking section at Tacoma Boys, you’ll find the biggest selection of flours! From gluten free varieties to organic unbleached all-purpose, you are sure to find everything you’ll need for this bake off. The widest selection comes from the popular brand, Bob’s Red Mills, providing you with high quality ingredients no matter the recipe.

Sugar

Sugar is a crucial component of baking which means it’s smart to have a variety on hand! A couple favorite brands at Tacoma Boys are Wholesome and Woodstock – both are high quality sugars and offer brown sugar, white sugar, powdered sugar, coconut sugar, and more! If you’re looking to host a bake off on the lighter side, opt for Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener as a sugar-free alternative.

Chocolate

Every bake off needs chocolate chips. Afterall, it wouldn’t be right to host a bake off without chocolate! Choose from a wide range of chocolate chips to finish off all of your baking needs. Whether you’re looking for white, dark, or milk chocolate, Tacoma Boys carries classic brands such as Ghirardelli and Enjoy Life, as well as quality sugar-free options like Lily’s! 

Choose Your Christmas Treats

After you send out invitations, it’s time to decide what Christmas treats to make for the bake off! It’s important to plan this step ahead of time so you’re able to send out an ingredient list to all of the contestants. From cookies to Christmas candy, there are many great options that will make this bake off one-of-a-kind!

Recipe Options

• Brown Butter Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies from Baker By Nature

This recipe is a great way to take classic chocolate chip cookies up a notch. Head over to the baking section at Tacoma Boys and pick out your flour, sugar, and chocolate chips. After you have the baking essentials, pick up a container of Northwest Delights pecans to ensure a satisfying crunch to this cookie.

• Cranberry Orange Swirl Cookies from Beyond the Kitchen Coop

A cookie recipe with holiday’s favorite side: cranberry sauce – yes, please! Stock up on some Green Valley Lactose Free Butter, Vital Farms Eggs, tree ripened organic grown oranges, and Ocean Spray Organic Cranberries to make this recipe top notch.

• Peanut Butter Mallow Bars from Melissa’s Southern Style Kitchen 

Everyone loves a great peanut butter option, and this recipe will satisfy any sweet tooth. Choose your favorite peanut butter from Tacoma Boy’s nut butter section and grab a bag of Dandies Marshmallows for the ultimate peanut butter bars! 

Don’t Forget to Have Fun!

Always remember these types of events are supposed to be fun! Swing by your local Tacoma Boys to grab all of  the ingredients on your baking list for a fun-filled baking day! If you’re feeling extra jolly, you can pick up your Christmas tree the same day. SHOP EARLY THIS SEASON – TREES ARE SELLING FAST! You can check out Tacoma Boys’ Christmas Trees here! 

As the warm weather rolls in, and it doesn’t sound like much fun to crank the oven up to full blast, keep cool with one of these amazing spring salads for a refreshing, healthy dinner.

With temperatures rising throughout the day, it can get downright balmy by evening. As a result, you might be reluctant to use the oven–or consume a warm meal, for that matter–and we don’t blame you! In fact, now is a great time to trade out some of the cozy, winter comfort foods like hearty shepherd’s pie and hot bowls of chilli for lighter fare more fitting for the warm months ahead. So we’ve put together a list of spring dinner salads you’ll love!

Why Have Salad for Dinner?

Besides allowing you to avoid using the oven and overheating your home, having salad as an entree is a great way to get more veggies, trim that waist-line, and feel great for your exciting spring activities! Worried that salad won’t fill you up? Don’t be! These spring dinner salads are dense with the vitamins, healthy fats and protein your body needs for fuel, but low in calories. So you can fill your bowl to the brim and go back again for seconds. And salad for dinner doesn’t have to be the same four vegetables and single-flavor dressing served over and over again. We’ve curated four diverse dinner salads for you to try this spring, each with a flavor palate all its own. Try one a week, or try them all in one week! We’re sure one or all of these will become favorites in your household. Packed with quality, delicious ingredients, even the pickiest members of your family will find something to love in these spring dinner salads! 

4 Mouth-Watering Spring Dinner Salads

Summer Berry Spinach Salad 

Perfect for spring evenings on the patio, this salad is a fruit lover’s dream. For those of us who like our salads more sweet than savory, Summer Berry Spinach Salad is packed with antioxidant-rich berries and bursting with flavor. Here’s what you’ll need:

Fresh spinach

Strawberries, quartered

Blueberries 

Pecans

Goat cheese (Montchevre’s Blueberry Vanilla)

Tacoma Boys Vanilla Peach Dressing

Grilled chicken, chopped

For the freshest spinach, plumpest strawberries, and sweetest blueberries, look no further than our produce section. This salad is best with spinach or a spring mix as its base. Next, top with blueberries and strawberries (make sure they’re stemmed and quartered). Then, add the pecans! Feel free to leave them whole, halve them, or chop them to your taste. For added sweetness and crunch, candy your pecans prior to making your salad. Top with crumbled goat cheese–we recommend grabbing some Montchevre’s Blueberry Vanilla flavored goat cheese from Tacoma Boys and H&L Produce’s vast cheese selection. Finally, toss in Tacoma Boys Vanilla Peach Dressing. This salad is great as a vegetarian option, but feel free to grill up some fresh skinless, boneless chicken breasts from our butcher, chop and add to your salad for added protein. This dish is a crowd pleaser–so enjoy it with your family at home or bring it to your next BBQ and watch it disappear!

Classic Caesar Salad

Elevate the classic side salad to a mouth-watering entree by focusing on quality ingredients and adding protein. While not strictly classic, the addition of avocado makes this dish irresistibly craveable. Bonus: it’s as easy as it is delicious and nutritious. For this spring dinner salad, you’ll need:

Romaine lettuce

Fresh grated Parmesan

Avocado

Tacoma Boys Baguette Croutons

Blackened Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon

Annie’s Organic Caesar Dressing

Lemon juice

Salt

Pepper

Start by washing, drying and chopping your romaine into bite sized squares. Dice avocados to your preferred size. (Note: The quality of your avocados can make or break this salad, so be sure to take extra care when picking them, or ask one of our friendly store associates to help you choose.) Add avocados, Tacoma Boys Baguette Croutons and freshly grated Parmesan cheese (again, quality matters–the better the cheese, the better the salad). Next, add blackened salmon. (Be sure to check out this week’s killer deal on Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon!) Finally, toss everything in Annie’s Organic Caesar Dressing (in our salad dressing section). Salt and Pepper to taste. Top with fresh squeezed lemon juice right before serving. This twist on the classic Caesar is sure to impress at your next dinner party or delight taste buds at the family dinner table, so give it a try today!

Avocado Prawn Salad

Toasted almond slices give this light, flavorful salad just the right amount of crunch. All the summer vibes of seafood and salad come together in one tasty dish in this Avocado Prawn Salad. Here’s what you need:

Arugula

White prawns, peeled, deveined, tail off

Avocado, diced

Sliced almonds, toasted

Cucumber, chopped

Tacoma Boys Soy Ginger Vinaigrette 

Salt

Pepper

First, swing by our seafood section for a great deal on white prawns this week! Start by marinating your prawns in Tacoma Boy’s Spicy Asian Honey Marinade. Pan fry. Then, add to a bed of peppery arugula. Next, add avocado, sliced almonds and chopped cucumber. Finally, toss in Tacoma Boys Soy Ginger Vinaigrette. Salt and Pepper to taste. Enjoy, and don’t be surprised if this satisfyingly sweet and spicy salad ends up on the menu again and again!

Traditional(ish) Greek Salad

If you like the hearty crunch of a traditional Greek salad, with its juicy tomatoes, plump olives, and snappy bell peppers, you’ll love this twist with its delightful secret ingredient–fig salami! If you opt to leave out the feta (or exchange for a vegan cheese option),  it’s completely vegan and gluten free. Here’s what you need:

Olives (Kalamata or black)

Feta

Tomato

Cucumber

Bell pepper

Red Onions

Primal Kitchen Greek Vinaigrette 

Hellenic Farms Fig Salami (Tikka Masala + Onion flavor)

Chop all ingredients to a similar size. Toss in Primal Kitchen Greek Vinaigrette (in our salad dressing section). And don’t forget the Fig Salami from Hellenic Farms (found in our cheese aisle). Gluten free, with no sugar added, plant based fig salami is the perfect addition to this spring favorite!

Specialty Items at Tacoma Boys

As always, Tacoma Boys and H&L Produce have what you need to elevate what might be an ordinary dish to something extraordinary with our unique house dressings, vast array of rubs and marinades, and hard-to-find specialty items. All it takes is one or two special ingredients to make a meal like you’ve never had before! So swing by one of our locations today. And don’t be afraid to ask our knowledgeable associates for help finding a dressing or salad topping that will make your spring dinner salad amazing!

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