Gift Guide 20: Going Fishing

Sushi. That's one of the things I've missed most during the Covid epidemic. Being in a land-locked rural area I find myself dreaming of sushi. A few months ago the cravings became so intense that I decided to order some pristine fish and cut it myself.

And so I developed a relationship with Browne Trading Company, which has been selling fish to the likes of Eric Ripert, Thomas Keller and Daniel Boulud for many years. Their website is like catnip to people like me: some days I just troll through it for the sheer pleasure of looking at their many wonderful offerings. Carabineros - huge head-on shrimp from Spain - in a red so intense it practically glows. Caviar of all kinds. Yellowtail collars (you simply stick them in the oven for the most delicious treat), peeky toe crab, hamachi, Dover sole....

The offerings vary with the seasons, but sometimes, if you're very lucky, they have the gorgeous tuna in the picture above. Unlike some of the other offerings (learning to cut the hamachi filets takes a bit of work), the tuna is so lush that slicing it into sashimi could not be easier.

If you have fish-loving friends, they'll be delighted with almost anything from Browne Trading Company. And if you're simply looking for a way to spend a few delicious minutes, you could hardly do better than their website.