Fresh Ideas
Fresh ideas from The Sandy Butler Market and Shoals Restaurant & Wine Bar.
Fresh-Life Smoked Salmon
There’s nothing like noshing on delicious fresh-smoked salmon prepared to perfection. That’s what our repeat customers are saying about the salmon available at the deli at The Sandy Butler Market, prepared a couple of times a week in our Fresh Life Smokehouse.
Our very own wine enthusiast and epicurean guru, General Manager Jason Nelson, is the man behind this delicacy. Jason’s secret weapon is a dill-based brine that incorporates brown sugar, red onions, garlic and seasonings (and some other goodies that will remain a family secret for now!). He soaks the salmon in the brine in the refrigerator for about eight hours. He then air-dries the fish in a cool place until a thin layer, called a pellicle, forms on top. That’s critical to seal the salmon and give it a slightly sticky surface for the smoke to cling to.
Then, it’s off to our on-premises smokehouse where the salmon is smoked for an hour at about 180-degrees F. using just the right amount of mesquite wood that has been soaked in water for days. The smoked salmon is then placed on a wood plank and ready to eat.
“It has a great delicate taste, and is excellent with goat cheese and a bottle of Shoals Pinot Noir,” says Jason.
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Specialty Frozen Foods Great for Dinner
Check out The Sandy Butler Market’s frozen food selections where you can get some goodies that you won’t find anywhere else in our area. Here are a few tasty treats waiting for you:
• Pastosa Ravioli® pastas direct from New York City, including manicotti, stuffed shells, tortellini and of course creamy ravioli filled with the finest ingredients.
• Verdurabrand® gourmet prepared vegetable dishes. Choose from several varieties, including Sautéed Broccoli Rabe, Sautéed Spinach, Sautéed Baby Bok Choy and Eggplant with Plum Tomatoes.
• Callie’s Charleston Biscuits, made-by-hand with the recipe of celebrated Charleston, S.C., caterer Callie White. Several varieties of tender, buttery goodness, just reheat and serve.
• Ciao Bella® all-natural, award-winning gelato, ice cream and sorbet in bold, fresh flavors with pure, natural ingredients.
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Note From Maggie
So far so good sticking to my New Year’s resolution: To make time to relax and enjoy our beautiful Southwest Florida winter. Every year whirls by faster and faster and sometimes we forget to stop to smell the roses. Or in my case, stop and enjoy a magazine. One I recently enjoyed was Consumer Reports. You can imagine my elation when I found some of Consumer Reports favorite stuff of the year to be mine too. Congratulations to Norman Love for making Consumer Reports Best of the Year list and to all of those savvy shoppers who have purchased it at The Sandy Butler Market for a friend or maybe even yourself.
—Maggie