northern waters fish company
HVCC FOOD GROUP, Inc. has an exclusive agreement with NORTHERN WATERS FISH COMPANY to supply fresh Geat Lake fish to our clients.
NORTHERN WATERS FISH COMPANY
Northern Waters Fish Company Presents
OUR FISH
The taste, photos, and yearly sustainable availability. Also some cooking tips!
All Northern Water fish come from the icy, crystal clear and pristine lakes and rivers of North West Ontario, Canada which is an untouched rugged, and remote area--one of the few on Earth. All fish are caught daily in these unpolluted waters. We then process all fish under strict government standards, guaranteeing you the finest fish-eating experience of your life.
NOTE: ALL sustained yearly quotas are conservative numbers. As sales increase, many more sustainable quotas from many additional providers will become available.
WALLEYE: Latin: Sander vitreus
Sustained yearly quota, Walleye and Sauger combined: 6 million pounds
Walleye has lean white meat with a small firm flake. It offers a clean pure taste and is best prepared deep or pan fried, sautéed or broiled. The Walleye is renowned as being one of the finest eating fish available and many consider it the very finest.
SAUGER: Latin: Sander Vitreus
Sustained yearly quota, Walleye and Sauger combined: 6 million pounds
A Sauger is very similar to a walleye. Even the most experienced anglers have a hard time telling the two species apart. Both have a wonderful mild, sweet flavor.
LAKE WHITEFISH: Latin: Coregonus Clupeafarmis
Sustained yearly quota: 5 million pounds
Our fishers harvest Lake Whitefish from the deep icy lakes of the far North. The meat is medium-firm with a large flake and has a mild, pure (non-fishy) flavor. Whitefish have a high fat content and are rich in Omega 3 and 5 fatty acids. They are best prepared char-grilled, broiled, boiled or baked. The Whitefish is also considered as one of the finest eating freshwater fish, even so over the Walleye by many who have tried them all.
You may have heard that along the shores of the great lakes fish boils are considered a local delicacy. Those fish boils use whitefish, served boiled with potatoes, corn and onions in huge black caldrons. A real taste treat.
NORTHERN PIKE: Latin: Esox Lucius
Sustained yearly quota: 7 million pounds
You’re in for a royal treat when you eat this fish! Seriously! In the Middle Ages in France, the Northern Pike was served only to royalty. It was so highly prized that no commoner could be caught in the possession of even one fish.
The Pike produces large white fillets that are firm and flaky. The flesh is lean with a mild, sweet flavor and is best prepared fried or baked.
NOTE: The Northern Pike has a very specialized bone structure called Y-bone that only the most skilled fish processors can de-bone and then only by hand filleting. Only Northern Waters offers completely de-boned Northern Pike fillets – you won’t find this product anywhere else.
YELLOW PEARCH: Latin: Perca Flavescens
Sustained yearly quota: 8 million pounds
This tasty fish has white, mild meat and a fairly delicate texture. Yellow perch is always prepared skin-on with the scales removed. Yellow perch are excellent whether they are cooked deep fat, pan fried, or oven roasted. Perch fillets are favorites in restaurants, and the personal favorite of many cold water fish consumers.
BLACK CRAPPIE: Latin: Pomoxis Nigromaculatus
Sustained yearly quota: 1 million pounds
This is the one of the most beautiful freshwater fish, with jet black and bright silver color, and has a delicate lean sweet flesh which is best suited for pan frying. Doing so “cat style” means scaling the fish, removing the head and innards, trimming the fins off and leaving the tail. Then dip the fish in flour and pan fry in sizzling hot oil until it is crispy and fork tender. In our northern neck of the woods the best part is the crispy tail!! Alternatively, whether steamed or poached, the fish will be wonderful, and it retains its brilliant colors. It is gorgeous as well as delicious.
LAKE TROUT: Latin: Salvelinus Namaycush
Sustained yearly quota: 2 million pounds
Lake Trout are the largest of the freshwater Char family. They taste similar to Salmon only not as rich flavored. The taste is very similar to Arctic Char. The meat color runs from pale beige to dark orange.
Tulibee/Freshwater Herring: Latin: Coregonus Artedi
Sustained yearly quota: 7.5 million pounds
The Tullibee or Northern Cisco is a streamlined, silvery fish with grayish fins and 36–50 gill rakers (usually 43). The Tullibee is the most common species of the whitefish species. They occur in many of the deep, cold lakes of the north, as well as in the Great Lakes. They are often targeted in the wintertime, by fishing over mud flats with flashers and waxworms. Tullibees form an important part of the diet of all large predators wherever they are found. And as for taste, smoked tullibees cannot be beat!
THE FOLLOWING ARE CONSIDERED "UNDERUTILIZED" FISH SPECIES WITH NO CURRENT HARVEST CONTROLS
NOTE: ALL sustained yearly yields are conservative numbers. As sales increase, many more providers will become available and the underutilized fish volumes will increase to HUGE poundage!
BURBOT also knows as FRESHWATER COD: Latin: Lota Lota
Sustained yearly yield: 20 million pounds or more
This unique freshwater fish is harvested with trap nets on the Lake of Woods through the ice in January and February. Once a year Burbot leave the deepest lake canyons to spawn near the surface, which is when our fishers are allowed and able to catch them. The fish are then delivered to our processing facility in a matter of hours.
Burbot are washed, quality inspected, then filleted into boneless, skinless fillets. The average size of a Burbot we process is 12 pounds, so the filets average 2 (two) pounds. Yes, they're huge. The meat is snow white and firm. The filets can be prepared by boiling a big pot of salt water to cook big loin chunks until they start to flake. Remove and drain….dip in melted butter and enjoy! Some call it poor man’s lobster but we call it decadent!!
COMMON CARP: Latin: Cyprindae
Sustained yearly yield: 20 million pounds or more
Common carp are bottom feeders and sometimes have a reputation for a "muddy" taste. That problem can be overcome so long as freshly caught specimens are immediately put on ice. The common taste comes from rising histamine levels in carp. As the temperature rises, more histamines enter the blood, causing the muddy taste. Keeping the fish on ice prevents the temperature rise and therefore reduces any bad tastes and the fish is quite tasty!
Marketers of Asian carp in the United States have nicknamed the fish silverfin or Kentucky tuna to increase the viability of the creature as a food item. Americans have yet to fully discover Asian carp as a delicacy because of the negative reputation of other carp species.
Asian carp average between 15 to 30 pounds, but some specimens reach up to 50 pounds. Common carp are found in 48 states in America, and the species disrupts rooted plants and muddies the water.
CANADIAN MULLET/WHITE SUCKER: Latin: Catostomus Commersonil
Sustained yearly yield: 20 million pounds or more
Canadian Mullet/White Suckers are highly underrated as a food fish. In the past, white suckers were passed over for other fish because of their many small, free-floating bones. But their flesh is firm and flaky, and their flavor sweet and delicious. There are several methods for getting around those bones, including grinding, canning, pickling, and scoring. Check the recipes section of any good cookbook or more info on eating suckers.
SILVER, WHITE BASS: Morone Chrysops
Sustained yearly yield: 5 million pounds or more
Silver Bass are considered a delicacy in many parts of the world. The Japanese even raise them for market. It is a myth that their flesh is unclean or tastes terrible just because they're bottom feeders. Just about any recipe you'd use for bass would also do for a carp!
SHEEPSHEAD, FRESHWATER DRUM: Latin: Aplodinotus Grunniens
Sustained yearly yield: 10 million pounds or more
This is a HIGHLY underutilized fish because the meat has been described as very similar in taste to the best tasting shrimp or even lobster! Fillet your catch and remove all dark red meat along the lateral line. This produces boneless fish that when cooked is firm, not flaky, and delicately flavoured. Drum is very comparable to redfish, the drum's saltwater cousin, and it is considered delicious grilled, broiled, baked, fried, smoked or made into chowder or bouillabaisse. For the best taste, place your catch on ice as soon as possible.
