North American seafood could be the answer to dwindling supplies. Sponsored by Pacific Northwest Seafood, a round table showed the area's capabilities
There is nothing chefs enjoy more than sampling new products, so it was no surprise that The Caterer's round table on seafood with a tasting of species from north America drew an enthusiastic crowd, including suppliers, buyers, chefs and operators.
Pacific Northwest Seafood had teamed up with The Caterer to host the event at Launceston Place in Kensington, London, as part of a new market development drive in the UK.
The North Pacific, the area around Oregon, and the states of Washington and California, boasts a large population of environmentally sustainable seafood. Launceston Place's award-winning chef patron Ben Murphy had designed a menu to showcase some of the seafood in its cooked form, matched with wines from Oregon.
Before the meal was served, guests had the chance to taste cooked samples of the four key North Pacific species and to discuss some of the market dynamics around seafood.
Seafood from the Pacific Northwest came into demand during World War Two, Erick Garman, trade development manager, at Oregon Department of Agriculture and Pacific Northwest Seafood told the round table, with more processing taking place on the US west coast from then. The area became overfished, which resulted in the fishing of some species being halted, in a conservation initiative in the late 1990s. Today, with quotas in place, there has been a recovery, and a total of some 90 species are available on the US west coast.
There are currently three major processors that wholesalers can purchase from in the UK at larger volumes: Pacific Seafoods, Bornstein Seafoods and Dayang Seafoods. The four sustainable species being tasted at the round table are available: the sablefish, petrale sole, Pacific hake and coldwater prawns. Pacific Dover sole and Pacific rockfish are two other fish that are now being targeted at the UK market. All products are Marine Stewardship Council certified and in abundance.
Save our sole
So, what were the round table delegates' thoughts about sourcing from the waters of the Pacific Northwest?
Cyrus Todiwala, chef patron at Café Spice Namasté, commented that sustainability was the number one focus for him in sourcing seafood. "So long as sustainability is verified, it is good to have new species as it helps us to protect our own waters, and gives species time to restock themselves," he said. So if the US was confident it has adequate stocks, sourcing these would give the UK time to restock, Todiwala argued to agreement around the room.
The UK does also have plentiful stocks of native fish that we should all be eating, but unfortunately these are not popular with consumers, Todiwala added. Herring stocks, for example, are in plentiful supply. In fact, there is an industry-wide problem of UK consumers being reluctant to step out of their comfort zone with fish. This became a talking point, with delegates setting out the challenges seen in their own sub-sectors and looking for solutions.
Data shows that the UK likes what it knows in terms of fish, with five big species dominating the market. Tuna, cod, salmon, haddock and shrimps and prawns were the top five species imported in order of volume to the UK in 2021, according to the UK body Seafish. In terms of value, salmon was the number one. Shrimps and prawns, cod, tuna and haddock were next, according to latest figures, with total seafood imports worth £3.2b.
The dominance of the top five species is a key reason why it is tricky for restaurateurs to promote sustainable and possibly better value but less familiar options, the round table guests agreed.
Westminster Kingsway College's head of school for hospitality and culinary arts Paul Jervis commented that while chefs are much more open to change, customers won't buy what they don't know. Due to the narrow ranges available in supermarkets, the familiarity with species isn't there in the customer base. Adam Bateman of the Grand, Birmingham, said his restaurant runs specials and tries to use fish that is priced well and available, but that does not sell as well as the familiar names that diners recognise.
"If we run cod or turbot, we can sell them, but customers need to be educated," Bateman said. Sean Burbidge, executive chef at the Ivy Group, commented that sustainability was important from a brand perspective, but it was important to find products that the customer feels confident to try and a familiar name makes all the difference.
This must be the plaice
The pressure is now on in the sector to change consumer perceptions, with costs on the rise in the supply chain due to Brexit and the war in Ukraine, and inflationary pressures.
A 35% tariff on Russian seafood imports (on top of standard duty) came into force on 19 July and applies to any direct imports of seafood of Russian origin. In 2020 more than 430,000 tonnes of whitefish were imported to the UK, with Russia controlling 45% of the global whitefish supply. With the supply chain yet to fully recover from the upheaval of the Covid pandemic, one buyer at the round table said that availability of the big species has now been hit by the "Russian situation".
It would be simpler to bring consumers on board with the changing dynamics if fish could just be referred to in generic terms on menus, for example "battered fish and chips", without stating the species, many in the room agreed. However, while this might be an option in the quick-service end of the market, customers would more generally expect to know what type of fish they were being offered.
Sam Potter, head of hospitality at BaxterStorey, said the end consumer is one step removed in workplace provision. "It is tricky in my sector, we are governed by clients, who have their own policies. There is a massive education piece that needs to be done, but we hit various hurdles in getting to who is buying the product."
For a workplace catering company dealing with a variety of customer types, it was about pushing on the right doors, suggested Candice Webber, culinary director at Bennett Hay. Maybe a media business would be more open to a proposal that they put new fish options on the menu than an old school law firm, she said.
Those in Gen Z might be open to new seafood options, operators speculated, with sustainability arguments carrying most weight with a younger age group. Social media is a great platform for getting messages across to this demographic, Webber suggested.
Laky Zervudachi, sustainability director at Direct Seafoods, said schemes that guarantee the standards in the supply chain are of potential interest to the industry as they allow suppliers to reassure consumers and other third parties. The Responsible Fishing Vessel Standard is in the process of continued development by the Global Seafood Alliance, he said. The scheme looks at all different aspects of seafood, from food safety to sustainability, and certifies that the fishing vessel is safe and is looking after its crew.
Michael Hansen at Bidfresh commented that while an accreditation scheme was welcome, the flipside was that a big buyer can't commit if volumes are sporadic. "We can't put it on the menu until it is at commercial scale," she said.
Schemes with guaranteed standards offer a "story that we can bring out to customers", commented Webber, and were welcome in that they may hold sway in pricing negotiations.
Give and hake
Availability had been the biggest challenge for the past couple of years, so critical mass for any scheme was key, said Ben Wheeley, head of merchandising, fish and seafood, at Brakes Group. But initiatives chime with work Brakes has been doing in going back through the supply chain to verify its processes, he added. Seth McCurry, senior commercial manager, Marine Stewardship Council, said it was challenging for a standards scheme to make good headway into the foodservice industry. "MSC is more established in the retail sector because foodservice is so disparate," he said.
The reality was that price was key in most discussions alongside sustainability. Indeed, many agreed that the price has to be right before discussions were properly under way. "There will be a few customers that specify MSC, but for the majority it is a price-matching exercise," commented one supplier.
However, with prices and availability changing daily, supply uncertainty made for a very challenging negotiating environment. The fact that Pacific Northwest Seafood was sustainable and was supplied frozen would be good for consistency on price, Paddy Lyell said.
Those tasting the products gave the new Pacific Northwest seafood options a similar vote of confidence, but everyone agreed that the challenge remained tackling consumer reluctance to try unfamiliar seafood on menus, for any number of reasons, such as worrying about bones.
The foodservice industry needed to come together to find solutions, Laky Zervudachi and others argued. Demand for sustainable proteins from consumers and health messages around fish should make it a go-to option.
Martin Finegan, managing director at Pacific West Foods, said: "We have all got the same issues. We are in business to make money, but we have not collectively come together as an industry. We could help bring new species in."
The conclusion, a familiar one to many, was that the foodservice industry needs to work together to promote new seafood options to customers, particularly now with supply and prices under pressure.
The round table attendees
- Lisa Jenkins, managing editor, The Caterer
- Adam Bateman, culinary director, the Grand, Birmingham
- Jonny Smith, senior chef de partie, Gravetye Manor
- Mike Berthet, market development UK, Global Seafood Alliance, and consultant, Sopexa
- James Buckley, culinary director, Levy UK (Compass)
- Sean Burbidge, executive chef, the Ivy Group
- Martin Finegan, managing director, Pacific West Foods
- Erick Garman, trade development manager, Oregon Department of Agriculture and Pacific Northwest Seafood
- Michael Hansen, head of central frozen, deli and ambient seafood purchasing, Bidfresh
- Paul Jervis, head of school for hospitality and culinary arts, Westminster Kingsway College
- Paddy Lyell, commercial director, Wright Brothers
- Seth McCurry, senior commercial manager, Marine Stewardship Council
- Richard Moore, director of operations, Wright Brothers
- Jason Parsons, commercial director, Unibond Seafood
- Sam Potter, head of hospitality, BaxterStorey
- Cyrus Todiwala, chef patron, Café Spice Namaste
- Matt Wade, purchasing director, Young's Seafood
- Candice Webber, culinary director, Bennett Hay
- Ben Wheeley, head of merchandising, fish and seafood, Brakes Group
- Laky Zervudachi, sustainability director, Direct Seafoods
On the table
The venue
D&D London group's Launceston Place in Kensington, London, was awarded three AA rosettes in 2021. Chef patron Ben Murphy, who trained at Westminster Kingsway College, has just been named National Chef of the Year 2023. The general manager is Ian Toogood.
The menu
- Ceviche: hake, radish and calamansi
- Prawn: ravioli, lemongrass, bisque
- Sablefish: miso, broccoli, wasabi
- Sole: onion, vin jaune, chip
- Tart: clementine, yogurt, honey
Wines
- Joel Gott Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley, Oregon
- Sokol Blosser, Evolution Red Blend, Dundee, Oregon
On the tasting plate
- Sablefish. Also known as black cod, sablefish is a velvety, flaky fish with a buttery texture, rich in omegas 3, 6 and 9.
- Pacific hake. Also known as whiting, Pacific hake is a mild and slightly sweetfish, that is rich in protein and trace elements that include potassium and phosphorous.
- Coldwater prawns. Small and sweet coldwater prawns are a lower-calorie option, rich in calcium and B12.
- Petrale sole. This flatfish has a delicate nutty flavour and fine texture.
From the sponsor
Oregon is a global leader in the sustainable seafood movement. Collaborative environmental stewardship between commercial and recreational fishers, native tribes, scientists, environmental groups, and regulatory agencies including the Marine Stewardship Council, means that the Pacific Ocean boasts a rich plethora of the world's most environmentally and socially sustainable seafood.
Not only do innovative practices such as new trawling techniques reduce the negative impact of fishing, but a shift towards more sustainable practices helps to ensure the viability of local fisheries for future generations.
To learn more visit: www.pnwseafood.net
