Who gets the fish?

by Ruth Levy

The New Year approaches and especially with the change of a decade it is a time for reflection, resolutions and of course predictions.  We have all experienced the changes that have occurred this past decade so I prefer to look forward to what might be ahead.  My crystal ball is subject to operational error, so I give myself the disclaimer of ‘Subject to Change’.

‘Subject to Change’ has certainly been the mantra of seafood prices and availability.  Looking ahead, I see this continuing and intensifying.  Seafood prices hit some historic lows this past year and have been correcting themselves since.  With a relatively weak dollar (although the current strengthening is very welcome!) and a hungry world population, there is major competition for the last wild hunted food group.  Farm raised seafood does help to ease some of this demand.  However, when a major farmed seafood category like Atlantic Salmon is at historic production lows for 2010, or Basa production is predicted to be lower, the question becomes:  Who is going to get the fish?  Is it just those that can pay? How does ’sustainability’, ‘green movement’ or ‘carbon footprint’ impact this?

We all have heard how India and China are the upcoming world powers.  Will they get the fish and if so, at whose expense?  Currently both countries are global sources of seafood. When will they start to consume most of what they produce?   Already, certain species remain for local consumption and are not entering the global marketplace.

For me, one of the big issues in the year or years ahead is ‘Who gets the fish’.  Overall seafood supply is not going to increase that dramatically.  No longer is it just ‘Who can afford the fish’ as there are more and more populations that are able to pay.  Is the trend to ‘local consumption’ a preview of what is ahead for seafood?  Our business is a global business.  But as with everything, a correction is due here as well.  My crystal ball isn’t clear enough to know when this ‘global correction’ will happen.  The dynamics for ‘getting the fish’ are not just going to be based solely upon price.  Other factors will enter in as we start to define in the next decade ‘Sustainability’, ‘Buy Local’, ‘Carbon Footprint’ etc.  So be ready, ‘Subject to Change’ remains a basic fundamental to sourcing and supplying seafood.

I wish everyone a Very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!

General State of Seafood

It’s the holiday season and no matter what is going on in the world you cannot help but be infused with the spirit of the season.  I usually take this opportunity to connect with friends and associates in the trade to review how we have done this year and discuss what we can think about doing together in the New Year.   I recently had the opportunity to sit down with one of our retail customers over lunch and although the conversation covered a myriad of topics, the one that I found most interesting was the one on relationship building.

For almost 10 years I was associated with a company that in its heyday was considered to have one of the best products in its category and to be one of the leaders in the development of branded seafood.  Since that time, as invariable happens, the competition increased and became more sophisticated - both in what they offered and how they went to market.  Competitors were able to eliminate the quality differential that existed and in many cases surpass it.  There is no doubt that this had an impact on sales, but for this retailer this supplier still reigned supreme in his stores.  Admitting that the company’s product offering was not what it once was and by most measures was middle of the road, my friend stated that the reason they still continued to do well with this product line was service.  If you called any one of their stores and asked the seafood associate if they had the company’s sales rep’s number, not only would he be able to provide it but in most instances comment that he had just seen them in the past few days.   This could not be said for most of the competitors. 

This attention to the store personnel resulted in the stores themselves getting behind the company’s products.  The store personnel would talk it up during promotional periods in order to maximize results and make sure it was well stocked and placed in the case.  Although corporate can dictate product selection - at the end of the day, my friend stated, it is up to the stores to make the sale.  By focusing on selling multiple layers of the organization, this salesperson was able to maximize results.  The salesperson was building and maintaining loyalty in the face of stiff competition.  Although this type of selling requires time (and consequently money), the results, if entrusted to the right hands, can be well worth the investment.

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 Opah (Latin name: Lampris Regius) is an exceptionally colorful and beautiful looking fish that most people do not know much about. It is sometimes referred to as Moonfish because of its large round shape. Opahs can grow to almost 200 lbs, but typically range somewhere between 60 and 200 lbs. They have a silver/grey upper body color that shades to rosy red, dotted with white spots toward the belly. Its fins are crimson red and it has large, bright eyes that are encircled with golden yellow that really make them stand out. All Opahs are long-line caught.

There is no directed Opah fishery and you don’t see it sold in abundance anywhere in the United States other than Hawaii. It certainly isn’t consumed much here on the East Coast, but I am here to say that perhaps it should! Since it is an incidental catch by fisherman, it is available more often than not. Most of the Opah sold commercially is caught in Hawaii.  However, right now there is a small Opah fishery off of the Catalina Islands located off of the Southern California Coast that runs through January 31^st (starting in mid-November), weather permitting.

Opah has a very rich flavor, due to the high fat content in the fish. While it gets consumed raw (sashimi), I found it best served broiled where the oiliness really comes off the meat and on to your taste buds. I have seen it smoked and since the fish is so oily, I am sure that it “smokes up” well and tastes great!

Seafood Distributors purchasing Opah will more than likely receive what is referred to as the “rack” (head removed, tail and fins removed, and much of the lower two quadrants of the fish removed ). When the fish is cut to be sold, the “top loin“, or the meat at the top halves of the fish, is most desired. The meat is firm and bright pinkish red in color. The bottom loin, while edible, can be grisly, and generally ends up as kabobs or in dishes like tacos.  

Hopefully, you now know much more about this magnificent looking and tasting fish than you did before.

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Cephalopods are in big demand during the Christmas season.  The three major types that are purchased and consumed are:  Pulpo/Octopus, Sepia/Cuttlefish & Calamari/Squid.

Many people do not understand the difference between these three and tend to lump them all together.  However each type is a distinct animal.  Cooking methods can be quite similar but there are distinctive characteristics to each.

Pulpo or Octopus: 

Sold as large cleaned (each individual octopus weighs one to several pounds) or baby cleaned (several octopi per one pound).  These are typically boiled for salad or stewed in tomato sauce and transcend several cuisines:  South American, Mediterranean and Asian etc.  The cooked meat is chewy but flavorful. The tentacles are quite long and are cut into pieces while the head meat is sliced.

Sepia or Cuttlefish: 

This cephalopod is not as well known in the USA as its cousins the squid or octopus.  However, in Europe and Asia, this is the prized cephalopod for flavor and consistency.  The animal is a cross between both the squid and octopus in appearance.  The thick meat cooks up snow white and is tender with a subtle flavor.  It is delicious when grilled or stewed but is just as tasty fried or boiled. The tentacles are shorter and the body (or tube) is where the thick slices come from.  Once again the forms sold in the marketplace are either:   large cleaned, large uncleaned or baby cleaned.

Calamari or Squid:    

Most everyone knows this cephalopod.  The tube and tentacles are fried or the tube is stuffed.  Product is sized by tube length and there are many tubes or tubes & tentacles per pound. 

Happy Holidays!  May cephalopods be included on your holiday menu!

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