February 13, 2026 — Is there a better Valentine’s Day date than cozying up with a warm bowl of hearty, local seafood with the ones you love? Choosing domestically produced seafood, wild and farmed, helps show your affection for working waterfronts.
We have a special place in our hearts for farm-fresh seafood. It’s hard not to fall for savory mussels, steaming salmon, and succulent seaweeds at first sight!
Here are some of the ways NOAA experts show their love for American-grown seafood.
Developing a Love of Mussels Early
Michael Murphy, Communications Director, NOAA Fisheries
“I have been feeding our two children seafood since they were toddlers. They both have generally preferred mild fish throughout their childhood such as West Coast rockfish (preferably caught by dad). Now that we live on the East Coast, I usually buy (or catch) striped bass, cod, and blue catfish. You can imagine my delight a few years ago when our oldest asked to try the mussels my wife and I were enjoying at our favorite French bistro. Our mouths dropped when she proceeded to inhale almost the entire bowl!
Since many wild-caught fish can only be purchased fresh at certain times of the year, the good news is fresh mussels are readily available throughout the year in most major supermarkets across the country. They are also really easy and quick to make! The mussels we enjoyed recently (pictured here) were from a Rhode Island farm and we prepared them using a classic French recipe. I am now smart enough to know to buy enough for the parents and our 15-year-old to enjoy. Our 11-year-old is still not on board with the rest of her mussel-loving family but we know it is only a matter of time!”