For over a decade, Browne Trading Co. of Portland, Maine has provided the best restaurants and home kitchens with the freshest fish from New England, the US and the World. We continue to provide the finest offerings of caviars from around the World that are graded and hand packed by our expert caviar team. In our boutique smokehouse here in Portland, our smokemaster handcrafted smoked salmon, fish and a variety of shellfish following the traditional techniques passed down from generations of Maine fisherman. Browne Trading also offers a line of gourmet items such asolive oils and salts to better provide a total culinary experience to our customers.

For those living in Portland or visiting Maine, our Retail Market is open six days a week and offers the customer the same quality seafood that is being served in the best restaurants in America.

All our products are available via overnight delivery anywhere in the United States as well.

About Our Company

The Browne family of New England has been in the fish and caviar trade for generations. Today, Rod Browne Mitchell and his wife Cynde continue the family tradition of providing the freshest seafood and the finest caviar to restaurants and seafood connoisseurs throughout the United States.

Years of experience have provided Rod and Cynde with the knowledge and privileges needed to acquire only the finest quality seafood from local and oversea markets. Many of the most prestigious and talented chefs and restaurants throughout the nation rely on our products every day.

A family-owned and operated company located on Merrill's Wharf in Portland, Maine, Browne Trading specializes in sourcing the ultimate in pristine quality, fresh seafoods from our own Maine waters to those across the world. In addition to our wild harvested seafood offerings, we are proud to carry a constantly expanding inventory of responsibly sourced, farmed fish, empowering our customers to make the choice that best suits their kitchens. Many of today's seafood menu items were first introduced to the domestic market by Browne Trading. Our line-caught Black Sea Bass and East Coast line-caught Halibut are the finest examples of day-boat quality. We source superior shellfish from the pristine waters of Maine and other regions of New England. Most notably are our Maine diver-harvested sea scallops, Peekytoe crabmeat, fresh Maine harvested oysters, and sashimi grade farm-raised Scottish Atlantic Salmon bearing the "Label Rouge" mark of quality.

Browne Trading Company is well known for importing high quality farmed European Turbot, Daurade and Loup de Mer (Mediterranean sea bass.) We also import wild-caught Turbot, wild Loup de Mer (Atlantic sea bass), wild Dover Sole, Rouget, along with seasonal specialties such as sardines, anchovies, Brittany Blue Lobsters, Langoustines, and Cuttlefish (Sepia.) We also specialize in seafoods shipping fresh from Australia and New Zealand.

Browne Trading Company also has a long legacy as one of the premier providers of the finest caviar in the United States. As the market for wild Caspian caviar became more and more restrictive due to the endangerment of overfishing of caviar producing sturgeon, Browne Trading was among the first in the U.S. who turned to resourcing farm raised caviar options. We are now a leading supplier of the world's finest farm raised caviars, offering several sustainable varieties of the best quality aqua cultured caviars. Browne Trading caviar can be found in the nation's elite restaurants and through such recognized distributors as Williams Sonoma, Dean & Deluca, and Balducci's stores.

We are the exclusive producer of Chef Daniel Boulud Smoked Scottish Salmon and our Browne Trading label Scotch-cured Smoked Salmon, both of which are produced here in our smoke house under the direction and care of our smoke master. Our smoke house also produces several other smoked delicacies, among which are our Citrus Basil Smoked Salmon, Rainbow Trout fillets, cold smoked Alaskan Sablefish, a trio of hot smoked mussels, Maine shrimp and sea scallops, and ourFinnan Haddie which has been featured in several major news articles.

Our dedicated staff carefully packs orders for shipping so that our seafood and other products arrive in the same beautiful condition as it was when received by us. Shipments are delivered next day primarily by UPS, and refrigerated truck where available. Our shipping department's careful attention to package tracking contributes to our reputation for reliable dependable service.

It is our goal to continue sourcing the finest seafood and freshest caviar, provide exemplary service to our distinguished clientele, support sustainable fisheries and continue the pursuit of perfection in our business. We believe that quality, dependability, and trust set us apart from other companies.

Rod Browne Mitchell and the Story of Browne Trading Company

Raised on the coast of Maine in a family with a tradition of fishing, hunting and guiding, Rod Browne Mitchell developed his passion for the sea and fishing at the side of his Grandfather Browne. Working summers with his uncle fishing by hook and line out of Boothbay Harbor, and with his cousin, a guide on the Kennebec River, further honed his appreciation of what it takes to find, harvest and care for seafood. In 1976 he earned a degree in marine biology from Southern Maine Technical Institute in South Portland, Maine. An entrepreneur at heart, in 1979 Rod opened and managed a wine and cheese shop, the Winemporium in Camden, Maine, where he cultivated his taste for fine wine and excellent food.

It was here in the early 1980's that he met Chef Jean Louis Palladin. Jean Louis, new to the United States and frustrated with the quality of seafood, asked Rod to find him fresh scallops. From Rod's knowledge of the local waters, experience as a scuba diver, and understanding of the local fishing culture, the now classic "Maine Diver Scallop" was introduced to America's cuisine at the talented hands of Chef Palladin.

Rod's true professional expertise had been discovered. His love of the sea, the thrill of the discovery and hunt, combined with his passion for great food and perfection now combined in the pursuit of new products for Jean Louis. Soon live urchins, Piballes (glass eels), live Lamprey, and the sweet Maine crabmeat which he coined "Peekytoe" (from the name "picked toe" used by the cottage industry of Maine crab pickers) were being served at the finest restaurants in the country. As more young talented chefs were trained or inspired by Jean Louis Palladin, the demand for Rod's expertise grew. Moving on from the wine store, Rod established his first wholesale business Caspian Caviar in 1984. From his Camden location he continued to source and ship seafood and caviar to his growing customer base of fine young chefs throughout America. 

In 1991, Rod and his wife Cynde established Browne Trading Company with headquarters on the working waterfront in Portland, Maine. From here he was able to expand his sourcing to procure products from ports around the world and pioneered overnight shipping of the highest quality seafood to chefs and home gourmets around the United States.

His relationships and sources of international caviars began to bring Browne Trading to the forefront of the caviar industry as well. Rod's understanding of the best methods to care for and deliver seafood from the moment of harvest to the kitchen have single-handedly raised the bar in the fine dining seafood industry. Soon he was called upon to provide the source of spectacular products and photographs to compliment the next expression of a great chef's talent: the cookbook. Working with his good friend Jean Louis in the production of Jean Louis Cooking with the Seasons was an unforgettable experience. Both locations and harvesters around Maine were brought to life as never before under the talented eye of photographer Fred Maroon. Rod's talents, sources and products have also been utilized in such fine culinary works as Alain Ducasse's Harvesting American Excellence, Charlie Trotter's Seafood, Eric Ripert'sLeBernardin Cookbook, and Daniel Boulud's many cookbooks. 

Soon Rod Mitchell and Browne Trading were becoming noticed by more than just the nation's great chefs. In 1992 Lear's Magazine did a feature article on Rod Mitchell including photographs on location with Maine scallop divers and "Peekytoe" crabmeat pickers with Jean Louis Palladin, Daniel Boulud, and Guenther Seeger. In March of 1997 Rod Mitchell received the Silver Spoon Award in Food Arts. Art Culinare's "Raw Fish Volume 44" Industry Spotlight declared: "While most seafood purveyors claim to carry quality seafood, the meticulousness with which Mitchell hand selects his products ensures that only the freshest, choicest fish and shellfish are shipped to his discriminating customers". New York Magazine featured Rod Mitchell with a 600-pound blue fin tuna at Browne Trading on the cover of their August 1999 issue "Where The Chefs Shop". As recently as April 2006, Coastal Living Magazine rated Browne Trading Company second only to Pikes Place in Seattle as the Best Seafood Market in the nation.

Under Rod's direction, Browne Trading Company, in addition to its signature fresh seafood andcaviars, developed a renowned smoked seafood line including producing Daniel Boulud's signature smoked salmon. The quality of Browne Trading's smoked seafood and caviars have won many accolades in blind taste tests hosted by the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Boston Globe.

A frequent speaker in such venues as the French Culinary Institute, the New York Wine Experience, and many product seminars in chefs kitchens, Rod Mitchell and Browne Trading Company have come to symbolize dedication to both quality and leadership in the seafood industry and culinary world. Having successfully built Browne Trading Company into a multimillion dollar business, Rod and Cynde Mitchell are also called upon to speak to educational groups and to be a resource for local entrepreneurs in many fields. Rod is a frequent guest on televised cooking programs where his knowledge of ingredients compliments a chef's talent in creating consumer understanding, interest and excitement in culinary excellence.

Rod's passion for quality, and pleasure in sharing the knowledge of ingredients has led not only to long term relationships with many of the most talented chefs around the nation, but also to a commitment to promoting education and acknowledgment of culinary excellence. Browne Trading Company has sponsored many events at the James Beard Foundation and continues to be called upon by chefs wanting the best quality ingredients for special events. In partnership with the Jean Louis Palladin Foundation Browne Trading Company is one of the first sponsors of the Internship Program hosting young chefs from around the country for an intensive education in seafood procurement, quality and preparation. Browne Trading Company also sponsors long term internship opportunities to culinary students in their local community.