Blu Fresh Fish Marketplace in Bentonville is coastal seafood dining at its finest, right here in Northwest Arkansas.
Whether it's blue fin tuna from the Atlantic Ocean, lobster from the coast of Maine, or stone crab from the tip of Key West, the seafood harvested today will be served locally tomorrow.
"You can't get much fresher than that," said Barry Furuseth, the owner and operator of Blu Fresh Fish Marketplace in Bentonville. "They're pulling it out of the water and sending it straight to us."
Nearing its second anniversary on May 5, Blu Fresh Fish Marketplace has established itself as the area's number one source for fresh seafood. The Marketplace also has a Raw Bar and Fish House that serve fresh sushi and seafood from Tuesday to Saturday.
"We have it all, right here under one roof," Furuseth said, emphasizing that nothing is trucked in, but flown directly into Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport.
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 allow the marketplace to have fresh fish flown in.
"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.
Blu's second-year celebration will be held on Cinco de Mayo with live music, giveaways and will offer everyone who comes in a free oyster shooter.
They offer a variety of imported and domestic beers as well as options from local brewing companies, sake, and a wide assortment of wines.
These seafood specialists continue to grow and broaden their scope to offer sushi classes, grilling classes, and 5 course meals on a monthly basis. "They are great team building activities and we can have them at your place or ours", Furuseth said about the classes.
The catering division has also bloomed and expanded to offer private events and fundraisers either on or offsite.
In June, Blu will host a "Wild Salmon Fest." The marketplace will feature fresh wild king salmon and sockeyes, straight from Seattle and Alaska, for the entire month.
The selection offered at the marketplace is unlike any available in Northwest Arkansas, and a number of the dishes featured at the sushi bar or the restaurant are rare this far inland.
There are commercial, live lobster tanks that maintain the same water temperature as the bottom of the ocean in Maine, from where the lobsters are fished. They sell over 300 lobsters a week. You can even pick your own!
"These are the sweetest, best lobsters in the world," Furuseth said.
They also offer live Dungeness crab from Seattle, Alaskan king crab, and live crawfish from Louisiana. The 350-gallon tanks are the largest live tanks in Northwest Arkansas.
The menu features the freshest seasonal options for the daily catch.
The high-level cooking highlights po' boys, Maine-style lobster rolls, a blackened grouper sandwich, mixed seafood cocktail and soups including lobster bisque, clam chowder, and seafood bouillabaisse.
The daily catch with a fresh delivery or unique product is offered as blackened, grilled or fried. It comes with a choice of two housemade sides including hand-cut fries, hushpuppies, coleslaw, dirty rice or vegetables.
Blu has now added daily lunch specials which are a great deal for fresh seafood. If you are eating healthy, the sushi bar and restaurant have many great choices. They also offer chicken and beef as well as recently added vegetarian and gluten free options. To get these, you have to call ahead or let your server know. Furuseth explained theses additions came because "We wanted to be able to serve people with special diet needs as well as those with seafood allergies. "
The menu features East Coast and West Coast clam bakes, served with lobster from main or Alaskan crab legs form the Pacific Northwest.
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.
Blu 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 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5-8 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, and 11 a.m.-8 p.m. on Saturday
The restaurant number is (479)-273-5400. The market number is 479-273-2588. More information is available at blubentonville.com and Fresh Fish Marketplace on Facebook.
NAN Dining Guide Cover on 04/28/2017