Anew fresh fish and seafood market is opening in Bentonville. The business will have a prepared-to-order, from-scratch menu, as well as wholesale and retail options including live lobster, live crab, live crawfish and live catfish.
Fresh Fish Marketplace will open at 10:30 a.m. on May 6, just in time for the launch of the Bentonville Film Festival. The first week will feature a limited menu but will highlight some of the best the marketplace will offer.
"We're going to be doing something that nobody in Arkansas will have -- our first run of fresh, wild king salmon," owner Barry Furuseth said.
A number of dishes will feature this inland rarity.
"It is the first big catch of the year, as far as the summer months go, so it'll be like wild, King Salmon Fest," executive chef Patrick Mosher said.
The marketplace will also feature a crawfish cookout every day for lunch and dinner during the Film Fest. Temporary event tents will offer additional, covered seating.
As a wholesale and retail fish facility, the marketplace serves individual customers and area restaurants. The growth of the region and increase of traffic at the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport allows the marketplace to get fresh fish flown in daily.
"None of this is possible unless we have good suppliers. The product comes from the ocean and right to us -- it goes from the water to Bentonville, Arkansas, daily," Furuseth said.
Previously restaurants and fresh markets in the area had to source from Kansas City, Little Rock or Dallas. The thriving culinary culture in Bentonville is supportive of this fresh catch.
"The response we've got from the chefs is unbelievable," Furuseth said.
Two vans are designated to deliver directly to restaurants. Business looking for wholesale delivery can contact Barry Furuseth directly at (479) 925-5300.
The selection offered at the marketplace will be unlike any available in Northwest Arkansas.
There are commercial, live lobster tanks that maintain the water temperature of the bottom of the ocean in Maine, where the lobsters are fished.
"These are the sweetest, best lobsters in the world," Furuseth said.
There will also be live Dungeness crab from Seattle, live Alaskan king crab, live crawfish from the Gulf of Mexico and live catfish from Lonoke. The 350-gallon tanks are the largest live catfish tanks in Northwest Arkansas.
The menu will feature the freshest, most available and seasonal options for seafood.
Preparing for the opening, the chefs have been testing recipes every night.
"Literally, every single night at our house, we've got dishes our chefs are doing that are on our menu here," Furuseth said.
"It's a knife fight -- we do a different version of the same dish," chef Mosher said.
The high-level cooking will highlight po' boys, Cajun or Maine-style-naked lobster rolls, a blackened grouper sandwich, mixed seafood cocktail and soups including lobster bisque, clam chowder and seafood bouillabaisse.
Every Tuesday will be $2 Taco Tuesday, serving a Baja-style taco with beer-battered, fresh fish fried and served with shredded cabbage and a special sauce. The Baja-style tacos are also a menu option served daily with a choice of fish, shrimp or lobster.
Chalkboard menus behind the retail counter will feature the boat and captain that caught the fish.
"People can know exactly where their fish is coming from on a daily basis," Furuseth said.
A daily special with a fresh delivery or unique product is offered as blackened, grilled or fried. The daily special comes with a choice of two housemade sides including hand-cut fries, hushpuppies, coleslaw, dirty rice or vegetables.
The menu will feature an East Coast and Gulf Coast lobster roll, the latter served warm with a creamy, Cajun sauce. There is also an East Coast and West Coast Clambake, served with lobster from Maine or Dungeness crab from Seattle.
The crawfish boil served by the pound, and a whole, fried catfish, are both prepared from the live supply in the marketplace.
These house specialties encourage a family-style food setting.
"With the house specialties in particular, we're really striving for a community feel. That's why we've got these big tables... everyone belly up and get a cold beer and dig in," chef Jeff Wetzel said.
The marketplace facility was designed to resemble a fisherman's wharf, complete with steel fish tubs and live seafood tanks. The warehouse-style setting has tall ceilings and open spaces trimmed with galvanized steel walls and Arkansas hardwood.
The Ozark hardwoods were primarily harvested from the areas of road construction projects. The woodwork crafted by Mr. Wayne of Clifty features white and red oak, walnut and basswood, some of which has dried 20 years or more.
"It gives it a feel like you're on the docks," Furuseth said.
The interior is finished with authentic pier lights and enlarged photos of the ocean, boats and fisherman who serve the marketplace. The blend of regional and coastal elements is extended to the offering of local microbrewery beers.
The Marketplace is set up to meet the needs of seafood lovers, from fresh-made meals to recipe cards to free steaming of live lobster, crab and crawfish.
"As Barry would say, come on in, we'll spoil you rotten," chef Mosher said.
Fresh Fish Marketplace is located at 607 SE 5th Street in Bentonville, at the corner of 5th Street and E Street. Hours of operation are 10:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Sunday.
The store's number is (479) 250-9858. More information is available at blubentonville.com and Fresh Fish Marketplace on Facebook.
NAN Dining Guide Cover on 05/01/2015