A Picky Tradition: Hand-Selecting Smoked Fish for Zabar's

"Because our industry is relatively small, we've developed a close relationship with a lot of different characters both on the buying side and the selling side, and there's probably no better example than Saul Zabar. He's definitely one of the last remaining members of the 'old guard'. He's a book of knowledge and kind of a historian of smoked fish." -Adam Caslow, Vice President, ACME Smoked Fish

Meet Saul Zabar, the co-owner of Zabar's, a famous specialty food shop on the Upper West Side of New York City. Over the decades, Zabar's has developed a reputation for high quality product and service when it comes to smoked fish.

Their smoked fish department is one of the busiest fish counters in the city, hand-slicing and selling thousands of pounds of smoked fish to loyal customers every week. It's a reputation Zabar's is very, very proud of; and Saul believes a lot of it has to do with his keen sense of taste for smoked fish.

Not long ago, I had the rare opportunity to join Saul during his weekly visit to ACME Smoked Fish in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, to see how he hand-selects fish for his shop's fish counter. ACME is Zabar's main smoked fish supplier - sourcing, smoking, packaging and delivering over 90% of the store's smoked fish. According to ACME, it's a "family" tradition and a very special relationship that began over 50 years ago, a weekly visit that often comes with a basket of Zabar's fresh bagels and rugelach. A tradition they are both sure will continue for years to come.

So, enjoy this special behind-the-scenes experience. You can think of it as: a little taste of history.

Thanks for watching food. curated.! Happy Eating!