Cheese & Crackers

Fresh - Susihi Grade - Organic - Wild Caught - Sustainably Sourced Fish at Cheese & Crackers

Stop by anytime to pick up an extrodinary fillet of fish.  Our fish always has a selection of the freshest fish in town for sale.

We encourage you to pre-order your fish by sending an email to:

For Pickup in Champaign/Urbana: fish@crackerscheese.com

Order anytime - we will reply with a confirmation which will include pick up time for your fresh fish.

How to we do it?  Simple - Every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday Mindy works on avaliblity and pricing with our distributors and fishermen.  She then sends out an email which lists everything that we expect to be able to order (NOTE: at this point when the email is sent most of the fish is still swimming).  Customers reply to the email with their fish orders, and between 7 and 8pm that night we place our fish order with all of our suppliers and then sends each customer a confirmation of their order.  Our truck is parked that evening at a hanger in O'Hare and takes delivery of fish direclty from the planes as it flies into O'Hare Airport.  Our truck then leaves Chicago around 6:30am and our fish is fillet in store by Doug between 10am and 1pm.

This means you can have your Sushi Grade Irish Organic Salmon less than 24 hours after it came out of the water.  

If you would like to subscribe to our fresh fish list - click on the link:

Champaign Urbana Fresh Fish List Signup

Fresh Salmon:  Quality salmon farmed by producers around the world.

• Wild Alaskan King Salmon
• Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon
• Organic Canadian Salmon
• New Zealand Ora King Salmon Sushi Grade
• Irish Organic Sushi Grade Salmon
• Loch du Art Salmon (Scotland ) Sushi Grade
• Salmon Heads

Fresh Trout (raised sustainably)

• Rainbow Trout, Whole Fish Only (USA, cleaned and dressed)
• Canadian Ruby Red Trout Fillets
• Fjord Trout (Norway) -- Great alternative to salmon, fantastic red fleshed fish with a firm texture
• Organic Steelhead Trout (Lake Huron, Ontario, Canada) 

Tuna Selections

• #1 Yellowfin Tuna Sushi Grade This is the best of the best, wild Yellowfin Tuna. The highest sushi grade.  We hand-cut each piece (we hand cut everything).
• #2 Yellowfin Tuna Sushi GradeVery good sushi grade Tuna, also hand cut, a fantastic sushi grade tuna, just not as perfect in color and fat as the #1-- still far better than the typical #3 grade you get at most restaurants and fish markets.  This is an excellent sushi grade tuna.
• Albacore Tuna (Tahiti)
• Big Eye Tuna (similar to Yellowfin, it swims in deeper, cooler waters and has a slightly higher fat content)

Wild Salt Water Fish From the East Coast and Southern Waters

• Chilean Sea Bass (Sustainable caught from the Falkland Islands Fishery, an MSC best choice)
• East Coast Cod
• Skrei Cod
• Dab Sole
• Flounde
• Golden Tilefish
• Red Grouper
• Monkfish
• Pollock
• Skate Wing
• Red Drum (Redfish) (Copper Shoals)
• Red Snapper (USA)
• Yellowtail Snapper
• Wolf Fish

Wild Salt Water Fish from the West Coast and the Pacific Ocean

• Alaskan MSC Cod (Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Certified from Alaska)
• California Sturgeon
• Escolar (Gulf of Mexico)
• Golden Tilefish
• Alaskan Halibut
• Hawaiian Kampachi (Sushi Grade)
• Loup de Mer (Branzino)
• Mahi-Mahi (Sushi Grade)
• Pacific Rockfish
• Swordfish (Marine Stewardship Council certified sustainable catch)
• West Coast Dover Sole
• Wild Sablefish (Butterfish)

Responsibly Farmed Fish -- Aquaculture is a sustainable way to preserve the world's fish populations.  It takes pressure off the environment, assures a quality fish product, and sustains fishing communities.  We carry only the finest farmed fish.

• Arctic Char (Canadian, Sushi Grade - highly sustainable)
• Barramundi  (Indonesia) Sushi Grade
• Catfish (American)
• Cobia (Panama)
• Hamachi (Japan) Sushi Grade
• Baja Hiramasa (Baja California. Similar to Hawaiian Kampachi and less fatty than Hamichi)
• Hawaiian Kampachi
• Striped Bass
• Sturgeon (California)
• Tilapia

Fresh Water Fish -- the fishing is very weather dependent in the Great Lakes in wintertime, so these inventories will go up and down

• Walleye - Lake Superior (Amazing fried)
• Lake Smelt
• Whitefish
• Lake Perch

Fish for Stock

• Fish Scrap (White) Order by the pound, this may include heads, collars and other scrap of fish that are light/white.  Ideal for a variety of fish stock.  Will not include heavy fish scrap from Salmon/Tuna/etc...
• Fish Scrap (Red) Order by the pound, this may include heads, collars and other scrap of fish that are dark such as Tuna and Salmon.  Ideal for a variety of fish stock.  Will not include light fish scrap from white fleshed fish.            

Smoked & Cured Fish

• Smoked salmon and Lox is sold sliced in 3 ounce packages.
• Whole smoked Salmon
• Whitefish
• Lake Trout
• Kendall Brook Smoked Salmon
• Kendall Brook Gravlax(Scandinavian Gravlax - with dill and lemon zest)
• Acme Nova Lox - Acme in Brooklyn New York is a 4th generation family owned company that has been making Nova Lox for over 100 years. No one on earth makes Nova like Acme - the best of the best and the choice of top chefs everywhere.
• Smoked Whole Salmon, Whitefish or Lake Trout Smoked individually by the Ewig Brothers in Port Washington, Wisconsin.  

Scallops - All of the scallops we get are packed "dry" - without any added water or sodium triphosphate (used as a preservative)

• Huge Diver Dry Scallops 4-6 scallops per pound - these are the largest diver Dry packed scallops you can get.  Nothing sears as well as these.  The USDA and FDA allow scallops with up to 20% solution added to be labeled as dry.  Our Dry Scallops have 0% added - when you buy our scallops you get scallops, not water, not chemicals).
• Dry Bay Scallops (Wild Atlantic)

Shrimp -- We can order shrimp in a wide variety of sizes (sized by the number per pound) and can have them dressed to order (tail on or off, shell on or off, deviened or not).  Below we have listed the most commonly ordered shrimp.

• Massive American Shrimp 4-6 shrimp per pound, shell on (from Louisiana)•What a treat. These are almost like tiny lobsters -- fantastic boiled or broiled.  Sweet and tender.  Great for a holiday meal as a first course or appetizer.  Wow them!
• Large American Shrimp 16-20 per pound, shell on (from Louisiana (sometimes Texas - shrimp is in short supply and we cannot guarantee either Texas or Louisiana but it will be from one of those states.  American shrimp.)
• Laughing Bird Shrimp 41-50 per pound, peeled and deveined.   Farmed from Laughing Bird Key, Gulf of Nicoya, Costa Rica - one of the most sustainable, small footprint, cast net operations in the world.  Taste the difference!
• Calimari (Squid Cleaned)
• Crawfish (Frozen)     Tail meat only or whole
• Crawfish (Live)
• Octopus (Whole - Sustainable from Spain, average 2lbs each)

Clams the sweetest, freshest clams in town.

• Middlenecks (ordered if you don't specify a size) -- great for steamers
• Littlenecks -- tiny clams, often used for pasta (pretty but not a lot to eat)
• Top Necks -- a larger clam, good for baking
• Cherrystones -- a very large clam, best chopped for chowders

Tip: Soak your clams covered in cold water and a tablespoon or two cornmeal for 30 minutes prior to cooking, allowing the clam to filter out any sand that may have accumulated.

Live Lobsters

Right off the plane tomorrow morning!  Our lobsters are fresh from the North Atlantic; they have not been sitting around in a tank losing body weight for days; resulting in a significantly larger amount of meat with a fresh lobster.  Yes, we can get those huge 4+ pound lobsters (Lobsters over six pounds can be pre-ordered, but may need a few days depending upon the harvest).

Fresh Cooked Lobster Meat (not canned, and not pasteurized) Sweet, perfect lobster meat ready for eating on its own or incorporation into your favorite lobster dish.

A 1 1/4 pound whole live lobster yields approximately 4oz of meat; so buying fresh lobster meat is a really great deal - lower cost and no steaming, cleaning and picking out the meat yourself.

Crab
Fresh Crab Meat Not Canned, Not Pasteurized, Not Frozen - (Handpicked Peekytoe Jonah crab).  A special order, this one is seasonal.

Alaskan King Crab Legs - These are the big boys - you can buy the small Alaskan King crab legs that contain a thin pencil of crab anywhere in town - but my crab legs are the huge ones.  Thick, sweet crab - just warm and serve.  We suggest steaming them for a few minutes. Crab legs are graded by the number per 10 lbs - our legs are 6-8 legs per 10 lbs which are the largest size.  More meat per lb, good value for the money.

Mussels

• Prince Edward Island Mussels
• West Coast Mussels
• Bar Harbor Mussels
• Salish Sea Mussels

Oysters
Fresh oysters are notoriously fickle in availability.  Therefore, when ordering give us permission to substitute, and choose at least two different kinds.  Inventories go up and down quickly. We will do our very best to get you similar oysters that match your order.  Thank you!  

East Coast

• Alpine Bay (from Prince Edward Island, harvested by hand, these oysters have a crunch bite and clean aftertaste)
• Beausoleil (from Gulf of St. Lawrence in New Brunswick, mildly briny with a clean refined finish, small oyster: 2")
• Blackberry Point (only available in February and March!  A large oyster from the Foxley River, Northwestern Prince Edward Island, the meats are full with a mildly salty flavor and a sweet clean finish)
• Blue Point (The Bluepoint rage in New York City began in the early 1800s after delicious, robust wild oysters were found in the waters off the town of Blue Point on Long Island’s Great South Bay.   A mild, popular oyster
• Bras D'or (Chances are your Bras D’Or oysters will be from Alba Oyster Farm, where Melissa and Bill Maclean collect their own wild spat in May and grow the seed oysters for a full year in floating trays.  They have a pleasant brininess).
• Caraquet (a sweet and salty smaller oyster from New Brunswick, Canada)•Copps Island $20.16 (From Long Island Sound off the coast of Connecticut, these have a medium salinity and a sweet crisp minerality)
• Conway Cup (The meats are full with a mildly salty flavor and a sweet clean finish.  They are grown in Cascumpeque Bay, Foxley River, Prince Edward Island Canada)
• Daisy Bay (A large oyster from Prince Edward Island, they have a dynamic, changing flavor as they move across the palate: they begin briny, but then change to a sweet finish.
• Delaware (A mild. plump oyster)
• French Kiss (hand packaged for shipping from Miramichi Bay, New Brunswick, they have a deeply cupped, paisley-shaped shell and a very full meat with a profound salinity, briny liquor, and a sweet finish).
• Holy Grail (a plump, full bodied oyster with a clean, heavy ocean flavor -- it's a salty one)
• Hoopers Island (a Chesapeake Bay oyster)
• Honeysuckle (raised in Katama Bay on Martha’s Vineyard, has a salty finish)•Hurricane Harbor ( hand harvested from Northumberland strait and is small to medium in size with a tan/greenish color shell.  They have a firm, crisp salty meat with a sweet finish.)
• Irish Point (from the Hunter River on Prince Edward Island, Canada, a salty oyster grown in cold water and strong tides).
• Katama (from Martha's Vineyard, grown in small quantities, they have a briny, smooth creaminess with a sweet finish, big oyster: 4").
• Lady St. Simon
• Little Grizzles
• Lover's River
• Malpeque
• Maryland
• Misty Point
• Moonstone
• Naskatucket
• Navy Beach
• Old 1871
• Pickle Point
• Rappahanock
• Raspberry Point
• Sex on the Beach (raised in Bedec Bay, New Brunswick.  They have a medium salinity with a creamy cucumber finish.)
• Stingray
• St. Anne
• Wellfleet
• Watch Hill
• Wiley Point

West Coast

• Chef Creek (a solid 3" oyster, big creamy flavor)
• Chelsea Gem
• Cranberry Creek
• Dabob Bay (raised in deep bay waters in Puget Sound, Dabob oysters grow slowly, staying light and crisp and salty).
• Deep Bay
• Deer Creek
• Evening Cove
• Fanny Bay (the archetypal BC oyster—smooth, but with a pronounced cucumber finish)
• Gold Creek (The nice, full cupped shell is 3-4 inches in length and the briny, crisp oyster meat makes this oyster a Puget sound favorite)
• Imperial Eagle (Raised in the ocean waters of the  Imperial Eagle Channel waters in West Vancouver, it's strong on salt but light on follow-through
• Kumamoto (the "Chardonnay of oysters” because it’s sweet, fruity, non-intimidating, and everybody likes it. Many consider it the perfect oyster).
• Kusshi  (small in size and an ultra-clean flavor; similar to Kumamoto.  From British Columbia.)
• Malaspina  (A sweet oyster with a distinct watermelon-rind aroma, with creamy-white flesh)
• Midnight Bay (4" in size with a nice shape and meat content, good on the half shell)
• Mirada (4" in size)
• Penn Cove
• Stellar Bay
• Sunhollow
• Sunset Beach

Caviar

We can order a large selection of both domestic and imported caviar.  Please inquire if you have a specific request, we can certainly get it for you.

• Salmon Roe

• American Paddlefish
• Farmed Siberian Ossetra
• American Pacific Sturgeon
• Calvisius Caviar Traditional White Sturgeon
• Oscietra Classic Russian Sturgeon
• Oscietra Royal Russian Sturgeon
• Venise Siberian Sturgeon 28 grams



Champaign Urbana

We send out an email Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings with a list of all seafood that can be ordered for pickup the following day.

To order fish reply to the email with the quantity you want, your name and phone number.

Our fishmonger will reply with a confirmation email by 8pm that evening and your fish will be ready for pickup the following day after 2pm.

To sign up for the email click here (this is for fish at our Champaign store).

Bloomington Normal

We will be sending out emails 3-4 times a week with a list of all the fresh fish.  To order simply reply to the email with your name, phone number and what fish you want.  The fish can be picked up from the Bloomington Normal store the following day after 2pm.

We anticipate having the store open mid-June.  As soon as the store is open we will know what days the fish list will be going out.  We are still working out logistics with our vendors.

You can sign up now to get on the fish list for Bloomington Normal here - click here to sign up.