WINTER 2011
Market
Intelligence
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Market
Intelligence Better source information for professionals
grill’s specialist resource Editor John Clarke updates developments in produce, fish and meat supply each issue. The products and or companies mentioned in this column are there because we at grill believe they are of quality and have value to the industry.
IN THEIR
PRIME
Muttonbir ds, truffl es. Plenty winter fr of uit: tama rillos, pe lemons a rsimmon nd mand s, arins. Ya parsnip, ms, chok nice main os, crop spu Brussels ds, and sprouts. K a h a wai, pipe and Nort r hern Blue fin tuna, oysters a Clevedon nd best o f a ll Bluff oy And of co sters. urse that rhubarb.
SHOT TO
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Our aprico ts, nectari nes and p New Zeala eaches. nd strawb erries and New Zeala feijoas. nd grown beans an tomatoes d .
Dry goods Grain/flour The best New Zealand stone ground organic flour, (in any real quantity anyway) is from New Zealand Bio Grains and should be something to look forward to this year. Chantal has a great selection of organic flours from offshore. Kinaki (Wild New Zealand herbs and seasonings.) Both horopito and dried kawakawa leaves are available through Pacific Harvest in Auckland. Try the fresh version but just make sure that whoever does the gathering knows what they are doing. New Zealand sea vegetables, dried karengo – sometimes called parengo, which is very similar to nori and kelp – similar to kombu, can be sourced through Pacific Harvest. You can gather and dry these seaweeds yourself if you know what you are looking for, or check with the local Tangata Whenua. The very fine Maldon Salt is imported by Greg Heffernan. He also imports a very good organic pepper. Maldon also makes an organic smoked salt that is an ideal finishing product. The wood for the smoking process is sustainable hard wood (mainly oak) from forests in the UK. These products, including Maldon sea salt flakes, are available from Greg Heffernan Ltd at nzmaldonsalt@xtra.co.nz. Murray River
Sous Chef . 09 269 6373 . 1/84 Spar tan Road . Takanini, Auckland
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salt is available from Sous Chef and is worth having a serious look at. Wild fungi All the good dries distributors/suppliers will have a selection of dried fungi products from overseas, but check the labels. Quite often, taking porcini for example, the front label says ‘porcini’, but when you check the tiny print on the back you see a number of Latin names. Many products labelled porcini that come into the country are bulked up with lesser boletes, so check carefully. For true porcini there should be only one name Boletus edulis. Anything else on the label, or more than one Latin name, and it is an inferior product and certainly not exclusively cepe. This may be all okay if it is cheap enough and it suits your purpose. Look for dried porcini powder – bloody handy as a booster. Sous Chef has a great range of dries from Menu and Igor including a top Arborio rice at a reasonable price and a range of Saparoso balsamic. A good gluten free pasta option you can offer coeliac diners and those avoiding gluten is the Coronilla range of organic dries, made from rice and quinoa flours. This produces a palatable pasta that is getting close to the real thing.
Dairy The array and quality of New Zealand cheeses is fantastic as I found out at this year’s Cuisine NZ Champions of Cheese
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As Nature Intended
Awards. Go to our website www.grill. co.nz and search NZ’s Champions of Cheese to see the full list of winners and a great little cheese company near you. You can also check out The Produce Company website with 150 mainly local artisan cheeses listed. Battery Whatever, this sad excuse for an industry still produces the cheapest egg so if you are happy to use them, go for it. They are ubiquitous and they do the job ... ish. But if you have an issue with cage eggs have a look at our ‘Animal lovers’ column on page 33. Duck egg production has slowed down and they do not travel well, so you will have to find a local supplier. Some farmers markets will have them also. Free range and organic egg production is now an industry in its own right; seasonal supply has levelled out and they are consistently available. They are more expensive but if you want quality you have to pay for it. The Frenz organic free range egg is the best widely available egg for my money. Quail eggs are available all year from Canter Valley farms in North Canterbury. They can send them to you anywhere in the country and quickly too.
POULTRY
and Gameford Lodge both supply a good quality product. Poussin is available readily but for some reason the cost is a little high. And there is also the silly precious cringe factor to contend with. So many diners these days seem to have a thing about eating anything that actually might look like a dead animal, not to mention a baby one and one that might also have bones in it. Squab Not any more damn it. Turkey Try to get hold of Crozier’s Turkeys. Philip ‘The Turkey Man’ Crozier has been supplying the market for 45 years and they are still out there. These are genuine free range turkeys and are processed without being pumped full of additives. Or you could go for Canter Valley Farm turkey; it has a good range of whole bone-in turkeys, turkey roasts and portions.
FRUIT An expert panel on antibiotic resistance recommended that fruit and vegetables should be monitored for streptomycin residues – but this has never happened as far as I am aware. So do we know whether all farmers stopped using the spray when they were supposed to, or whether antibiotic residues remain in fruit? Apples All the New Zealand seasonal apples are still available so we don’t need any imported rubbish quite yet.
Chicken Factory chook seems to still appeal to many punters and it is the most economic option. Good organic free range chicken is something seriously special and some of the best are the organically farmed free range chickens and chicken portions from Rolling Hills.
Avocados Lots of last season’s good quality well priced Haas fruit have been enjoyed by all. New season stuff is out so do not get palmed off with last season’s fruit. Watch the quality for the next month or so.
Duck Although there is a lot more duck around these days, Canter Valley Farm
Berries Most of the berry varieties should have been shot to bits long ago. There will
Banana What can you say – they just keep coming in. Nothing like the real thing, but there you go. The few fresh sweet ones from Northland are well finished.
still be a few raspberries coming onto the market from one grower who has them under plastic, but you will have to pay. There are also a few blueberries available at a price. Loganberries are always around and the last of the Keri berries are finishing too. But otherwise it’s the frozen product, which is pretty good for most things anyway. Blackcurrants All over. Cherimoya also known as the custard apple. Coming soon. Citrus New Zealand lemons will be around from now on. New Zealand mandarins are well under way. All other local citrus will start to come on towards the middle of July also. Feijoas The season is about finished and it appeared to be a very average one. Grapes No New Zealand fruit. It is the tasteless black widow infested stuff from offshore until late summer. Kiwis The main crop New Zealand fresh fruit is in, but it has been up and down a bit so far because of the bug perhaps. Over summer and autumn when there is so much other good local fresh fruit around it seems odd to me that we have to have northern hemisphere kiwis. What is happening to the joys of seasonality? Mangoes Lots of good Kent mangoes – the green ones – about at the moment. Melons All varieties of New Zealand grown melon are finished, so if you must have them, it is the imported product for you. Miro – only if you happen to have some in your freezer or know someone that does. The gathering season is over for another year. Passion fruit The season for this fruit is now supposedly over for another year but I have seen a few (expensive!) in the marketplace.
The Free Range Egg Co. 7 Capehill Road, Pukekohe, New Zealand. Phone 0800 373 697 Email info@frenzeggs.co.nz
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4
Market intelligence
Pears There will be a pear or two about, but they are deteriorating from now on. The nashi holds on a little longer. Imports are starting though. Persimmons Another good winter fruit. They finish about now, but are good keepers so they will be around for a while. Quince These wonderful things may still be ex-storage and as with pears they will be starting to deteriorate, but unlike pears there is no imported fruit. Redcurrants Are well over. Don’t you just love the seasons. Rhubarb Is around all year, but a fantastic fruit to have over winter.
the warming winter root vegetables are coming on.
Carrots Are always available and are a quite nice root at this time of year.
Artichokes (globe) Artichokes are not available until spring at least except for a few baby ones that should hit the suppliers at the end of August. The Jerusalem artichokes are here though and this is the time for this underutilised root vegetable.
Cauliflower is available all year and there were some very good heads at one market recently – and they aren’t all caulis.
Asparagus The season is done and dusted. The first of the new season’s will be along in September. You could, of course, buy imported from the US or the frozen stuff from suppliers such as Penguin.
Stone fruit All over, sadly. Tamarillos See there is lots of fruit in winter. Tropical fruit All the tropical stuff is as usual and it’s up to you to demand quality. Some quite good paw paw coming out of the Philippines at present.
NUTS Chestnuts have been coming to a place near you if you are one of the lucky ones, but they are about to end.
Aubergines Bugger all local of quality, but all the odd ball imported colours are in. Beans The New Zealand season is well over. There was a little local expensive hothouse stuff in the market, but like so much from now on, if you want it, it is really going to be imported product. Beetroot The main season is finished but beetroot is still produced, if in lesser quantity, until November.
Hazels are still hard to come by, but this is the season. Once again Chantal has them.
Broccoli is good now so long as the heads don’t get too wet.
Macadamia The New Zealand season for fresh nuts is over – plenty of dried and roasted though.
Broccolini is still plentiful, but the heads I last saw were a little too open and, for the quality, a little dear.
Wild walnuts are available from A Cracker of a Nut. Wild Hawke’s Bay nuts are often available from Chantal. All these nuts are getting older now. All other nuts are imported and it is up to you to demand quality.
VEGETABLES Yes It is now time for a winter root. Traditionally it’s comfort food time and all
Brussels sprouts are at their best until August. Cabbage The green varieties are available all year as usual and the red is just about done, except for an expensive trickle. Capsicum Absolutely the worst time for capsicums. Almost all the New Zealand grown varieties have gone. There will be some locally grown hothouse (usually hydroponic, and at a price), but it is mostly Aussie and Island stuff now.
Sous Chef . 09 269 6373 . 1/84 Spar tan Road . Takanini, Auckland
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Celeriac is also nowadays available most of the year, and so it should be. But winter is a great time for root vegetables and the quality is very good this season – if not the price. Celery is available all year and reasonable quality now. Chard (silver beet) You can get it all the time but from now on it is the most economic and available vegetable. Choko This handy early winter vegetable receives flavours very well. It will only be around, straight off the vine, until the end of July. But it keeps well so you will still be able to get it until mid August or so. I don’t know why we do not see more of this about as it grows like a weed and it should always be cheap, so make the best of it. Corn As I said there was good Kiwi corn in mid-April this year. We had the warmest autumn for years, (see raspberries) but it had to end. So unless for some reason you wish to use the expensive imported vacuum packed stuff, play the seasons, or there’s always the joys of frozen corn. Courgettes New Zealand zucchinis are finished so if you want them you will just have to pay for them from offshore. Cucumber The main time for fresh Kiwi short cucumbers has had it, but the telegraphs have come back in quantity – all hothouse of course. Fennel More Florence fennel is now available, with good quality and larger bulbs at this time of year. Garlic grown in New Zealand is getting scarce, but plenty of the Chinese (cheap) rubbish about. The imported American stuff is much better quality, but you have to pay for it.
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Market intelligence
Ginger There was some fairly scrappy stuff around, but I see it has come right. Supplies of ginger in this country have always been sourced from offshore until recently but I found some organically grown ginger from Northland the other day; but I will not give you the price – you really do not want to know! Garnish Always available are the varieties of micro leaves – very cute if you go that way. Herbs Prices for all the annuals are up and will stay up until the end of October at least. All the fresh herbs are available all year these days so it’s now only a matter of grievous bodily invoices if you go overboard. Have you seen the price of chervil lately? Kohlrabi is available all year now and is in pretty good nick at this time of year. Kumara All varieties of main season: Beauregard (orange, softer, sweet), Tokatoka, (yellow, firm, good flavoured), Owairaka and Northern Rose, (traditional red, very firm), appear not to be woody (which can sometimes be a problem as the year progresses), and still to be of good quality. Leeks are at their best. Mushrooms and fungi Ah well, all the wild stuff is just about over. There will be the occasional field bits around but not much to speak of. Our commercially grown truffles should be available during this period. Bloody expensive, but fresh mature truffle is the reason for life. Too expensive? Check out the dries section of this column. All the other commercial mushrooms are available as usual. Onions Good supplies of jumbos with few New Zealand red onions around so you may need to buy the Californian ones soon. Parsnip was history, now a very contemporary root.
Peas are history. Pikopiko is available all year now; especially good this time of year. Potatoes Lots of good quality main crop potatoes all over the place and plenty of variety too. The (so called) Maori potato varieties are becoming more easily sourced as more and more growers are getting into them. You should get samples before you buy as there are about two dozen varieties out there. Each type has a different texture, taste and colour and some varieties are not long keepers. We have been getting some great quality peruperu in particular this autumn and they look like holding on through winter. The trick is they need to be kept in the dark and away from plastic. These old trad spuds are generally worth the trouble as they knock the socks off the more common commercial varieties. Earth Gems are pretty available, pretty expensive and pretty pretty. Pumpkin Main crop crown pumpkins and butternut are still out there, but quality is variable. Buttercup and Japanese squash are over till early summer. Radishes Salad radishes are all in good supply and there is still good daikon about. Salad leaves – as always. Rocket is more expensive now. Nice crunchy icebergs in the markets. And on the note of rocket it’s good to see real older leaves available but the silly marketing gurus are still using the name ‘Wild Italian Rocket’ for this product – hell’s teeth, ‘wild’, oh really! Shallot Still some of this lovely little lady about, but not much. Snow peas are available from late spring to late autumn mainly. There are always
the expensive few New Zealand grown ones and the expensive imports of course. Sorrel Not common, but there is more of this around than in the past and it grows all the time. Spinach It’s a fine time for this vegetable. Spring onions Always good supplies on the shelves. Swede and turnip If you like to use these vegetables, from now on is your time. Tomatoes New Zealand autumn crop is about over, but there will be some main crop New Zealand hothouse available from the end of August if we are lucky and rich. Mostly, however, it’s the stink imported stuff and that is all too damned expensive for the rubbish it is. Witloof This is one vegetable you need to use as it arrives as it can deteriorate fast unless stored very carefully. I am assured there is some out there waiting for some poor restaurateur who wants to increase his mortgage to serve this delicious vegetable to his diners. Yams Now we can have this great little root vegetable for a few months.
GAME MEATS We are heading into the skinny time for most wild game. Birds Farmed quail and pheasant are in shorter supply and guinea-fowl are finished. Wild birds The shooting season has come to an end for most of the duck species and we still cannot get them in restaurants. The same also applies to our pukeko, black swan, wild pheasant, and wild (Canada) geese at this time of year. Fish and Game New Zealand has the wild game-bird food festival on at selected restaurants throughout the country. During this festival each restaurant puts on a special wild game bird menu so
Sous Chef . 09 269 6373 . 1/84 Spar tan Road . Takanini, Auckland
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6
that hunters can have their bagged birds cooked in a range of dishes. I checked out some of these restaurants and the scheme was going a bomb. The whole thing is a damn good idea so let’s hope this year’s success is an incentive for expansion in the future. The muttonbird (Puffinus griseus), titi, harvesting season has just finished for this year so we will start seeing this delicacy now. The price keeps going up and so it should. This is the only native that can be harvested for sale. Somewhere around 250,000 a season, but no one seems to know for sure. Anyway the rats get a hell of a lot more. Some of the people in the far south set a group with the cool name Kamate Nga Kiore (Death To The Rats) to get rid of this vermin on the Muttonbird Islands. It has not put more birds on the market but it has given the birds and other fauna a better chance. Chamois This species manages to hold on to its condition better than some at this time of year, possibly because they don’t mate till later in winter. New Zealand is one of the very few places in the world where these animals are available and are worth the attention of the chef. This antelope should be farmed in this country. Crocodile (imported). A damn fine white meat. For supply see under kangaroo. Emu and ostrich meat is available for those who want it. Farmed wild boar Yes, there really is such a thing. Free range boar bred from wild stock and legally reared on farms. At present only available in limited quantities from selected outlets but more coming on stream all the time from Neat Meat, The Produce Company and Harmony Foods and sold under the Razorback brand. Great eh! Goat Tends to be skinnier from now on so choose only the fatter young animals. Hare Always remarkably well priced but like most game they tend to lose condition over winter. Kangaroo (imported). A damn fine
Market intelligence
red meat. Available from South Island Gourmet. Possum This tasty animal is so hard to get that road kill may seem the only option – but we cannot get them, which is a shame as there are always fat ones about even over winter. Rabbit It’s true as suggested in the last issue; rabbit numbers are on the increase. Try Premium Game in Marlborough – the only choice for wild rabbit really. Tahr is a wild mountain goat native to the Himalayas, now happily (barring DOC) at home in Godzone’s alps. This species is still in good condition until mid August. Sexually active animals really stink and this can seriously taint the meat. Venison Wild animals lose their condition from now on as the roar has knocked them around, hinds are in fawn and feed is tight over winter. Wallaby The annual Timaru wallaby hunt knocked over 1000 animals and there is plenty of frozen stuff around. New Zealand wild wallaby is available through some game packing houses.
PRESERVED MEATS Harmony Foods produces organic small goods, cured products, salamis, dry cured bacon and Black Forest ham. Prosciutto di Parma It is of course now possible to get Prosciutto from Italy. And there is a New Zealand version of Prosciutto that is better than anything I seen out of Aussie and bloody near as good as the original with something just a little bit Kiwi about it and is from the Little Boy range originally designed and developed by chef Jeremy Schmid. The range also includes pancetta, chorizo, salamis and their quite-famous-inNew-Zealand gourmet sausages. Their sausages by the way are all gluten free. All this stuff is available through Zealfresh.
Havoc produces a good ham, traditionally cured bacon and a fabulous range of sausages from free range pigs.
RED MEAT Generally it is not good news on the red meat front for the short term but at least the beef price is looking a little better. And yes, it has come to my attention again that some so-called meat suppliers are climbing on the back of the hard work that quality suppliers have done to put a decent reliably branded beef into the marketplace. This must be bloody annoying for all concerned and chefs and restaurateurs need to be very aware of what they are buying; that it is the genuine product. Chefs need to ask questions like: where the animals were slaughtered; hot boned or cold boned; and where is the branded packaging. Chefs should be able to trust their suppliers and get what they ask for and not get bullshit! And chefs, if someone tries it on you let us know at grill and we will follow it up. That’s what we are here for.
BEEF Well it had to happen. Cattle export schedules have fallen somewhat under the influence of the strong New Zealand currency. The global beef markets also continue to soften as high prices affect consumer demand. But the prices, though down a little on last month, are still strong. Local trade prices for beef are 40-70c/kg ahead of last year, but the trend is falling.
DEER Farmed venison schedules are steady, but are predicted to rise to levels way above last year in the spring peak period. So buy
Zealfresh . 09 419 9165 . Unit 2, 84-90 Hillside Road,Wairau Valley, Nor th Shore
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Market intelligence
now while you can.
SHEEPMEAT Lamb At time of writing export schedule rises have slowed somewhat as the hot European summer, increased local supplies and tight economic conditions start to influence demand. But in local saleyards, the demand just continues to grow with store lambs breaking records in both islands. Prime lambs numbers are dropping, and so of course prices are firming up with lambs averaging $150 per head at many sales. The trend is rising – at 689c/kg average this is 188c/kg ahead of last year. Mutton prices continue high with prices still at record levels. In the south many in-lamb ewes are selling for up to $200 in the saleyards. Given the price, the best mutton for me is from two-tooth and four-tooth wethers (your supplier should understand this language). Don’t expect too much and quality is often down as farmers drop stock because they lack feed on the farm.
PORK
flesh and the best fish come from the furthest south for my money.
Murrellen has a good quality control system in place for this problem and not just a few chefs favour this product. Harmony Foods processes and sells very good free range pigs as does Havoc in south Canterbury. Their pigs are stress free and free range and damn near organic.
Blue Moki The season for this beautiful fish will be full on by the time you receive this issue. Bluenose is a bloody good replacement for the bloody good Hapuku and all year round as well. It is still in fairly short supply in the local market but it has picked up a little and I’ve seen quite a bit of frozen bluenose available. I guess it must be convenient in easy-care kitchens or something. Most still goes to Aussie as usual.
Whole piglet is still available if you want it – costly though.
VEAL
Dory (black and smooth, mirror, in other words all deep sea Oreo Dory family) are available throughout the year from off the southern east coast. These are often quite good buying, and are worthy of attention. The fillets are small and quite thin but quite perfect for single servings.
This is the time for real veal and Zealfresh, Harmony and Neat Meat have good lines of supply. I have tried these products and, yes, they are all top quality veal.
FISH AND SEAFOOD SALTWATER FISH
Some say the Australian pork we are getting is of better quality than ours, as it generally has a higher pH. Pork with a higher pH is considered to have a much better flavour profile (this is the opposite in beef by the way). New Zealand imports about 10,000 tonnes of pork from Australia where about 30 percent of pig farmers use the growth hormone PST. That means if you eat Australian pork there is a one in three chance it will have been injected with PST. And did you know that Aussie male pigs are routinely chemically castrated? Is this drug in this imported pork? Who knows? But one pork producer in this country tells me that “women are not allowed to jab these pigs and men who accidentally jab
themselves twice are often out of action for years”.
Flounder The autumn flounder season is over and numbers will be tighter from now till late spring.
Frozen Convenient and economical and you get what you get.
Fresh
Albacore The season for this underrated fish is done and dusted. Alfonsino Fresh alfonsino is in the markets these days. Anchovy New Zealand has bulk anchovies swimming around it but they all go for bait as companies say no one is willing to pay for them. Maybe not for much longer; I still have someone working on it but it may take some time to get a result. Antarctic Toothfish This is a summer species only and NOT PC. Blue cod Now that the albacore season is over many fishermen are now working the blue cod fishery. Blue cod has beautifully flavoured if delicate white
Green bone is terrible name for a wonderful fish. The season is finished. Groper (Hapuku) This is still a bloody good time for Hapuku and always bloody expensive all the time. Gurnard Always available and there are usually some small ones in the market and at a mere two bucks (yes $2) a kilo. Lovely fish you can’t afford to ignore. Hake Quite lovely eating if treated gently. The short fresh season for this delicate fish starts in July. Hoki This is our largest commercial fishery and June saw the beginning of the annual hoki harvest. So if you happen to be hanging out for a fresh piece of hoki this is your opportunity and it is better than many may think.
Solander . 0800 555 548 . seafood@solander.co.nz . Cross Quay PO Box 5041 . Por t Nelson 7040
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Market intelligence
John Dory The short full on time for this iconic fish is well over but there will always be a little available at a price. Kahawai Still a good time for those big kahawai, and I stick by my guns; as good at least as any other fish in the sea. Kingfish This is one of our best fish, especially for sashimi. It is damn hard to find as there is never enough quota. Ling The fresh season for ling started in June and will run till November. It is a bloody ugly fish but amazingly good eating when cooked fresh. The frozen and smoked product is available. Monkfish (stargazer) I cannot give this fish enough raps. This is one of our treasures of the sea. Mullet Less of this beautiful fatty fish for a while but there is always a few and at a great price. Orange roughy The fresh roughy season is August to October. Piper This is the best time for this forgotten delectable little fish. Rays Cut the wings off and dry them. You could use the cartilage as an alternative to shark fin as the practice of cutting the fins off sharks and junking the rest is supposed to be banned in New Zealand waters. Red cod Must have mothers so someone can love them. If you come across English or British cod it is just another alias for this cray-pot bait. Salmon, quinnat, king or chinook (sea cage) Plenty available and all three producers have good quality fish. Sardines You can order direct at Salty Dog Seafoods (0-9-433 7002). Can be supplied fresh or snap-frozen free-flow and you can designate the size.
Sharks Still a good time for doggies (rig, spotted dogfish etc) and school sharks, and they are all great eating.
few of these wonderful large flatfish are turning up in our other fresh fish markets. Warehou This is another southern species. The main season is starting and the price is always reasonable.
FRESH WATER FISH
Skate Still available at a very good price. I recently had a beautiful skate dish at a well known Auckland restaurant. Skipjack tuna There are no skippies for a while sadly. Our industry needs to take a closer look at this little tuna. Snapper The season has passed its peak, but there will always be a good supply about and still the small plate size fish are the best price. Sole The major catch is over and from now on it will be by-catch stuff. Supply is still restricted in the North Island as this is mainly a southern fish, but it is a much underutilised, premium fish at a relatively low price.
Eel, longfin and shortfin The fresh season is all year in the North Island. South Island eels start again in August. Smoked eel is always obtainable. The state of our eel fishery is becoming a disgrace, especially in the South Island. Salmon, sockeye can no longer be obtained from Mount Cook Salmon as it has stopped farming this smaller Pacific salmon. Salmon, organic sockeye is no longer available in this country sadly. Pollution seems to have killed off the last supplier.
Spotted gurnard Inexpensive and not a bad option, but bony as.
Salmon, quinnat Some good fish available and the fish are a little larger.
Tarakihi The main season is about finished but there will be some around as always. And there is the eternal frozen product, usually as ‘skin on’ fillets, and skinned and boned fillets, all in 10kg cartons and handy as back up.
Whitebait The seasons in the various areas around the country are now well over but not long to wait guys. Fresh bait will return in mid August with a bit of luck.
Trevally This fantastic common fish is usually well priced. The main season is over so there is less in the market. But by the same token at the moment this fish is of markedly better quality as trevally at this time of year are caught using ring nets around inshore reefs. Fresher, less squashed and tastier. Best very fresh as it is not a great keeper. Tuna This is the season for the northern bluefin tuna. This tuna has a far higher fat content than other tuna so get into ’em. The southern tuna season is over. Turbot and brill come from the west coast of the South Island and have always been a specialty in the area but now a
SHELLFISH Bluff oysters Yep, you can still get them now kiddies. Clams Restaurants will find the Golden Bay variety of cockle (littleneck) still okay, and this southern shellfish is always in good supply. The northern cockles are a premium shellfish, but are hard to come by. Clevedon oysters are always good, but are now coming to their very best. Geoduck Sometimes called king clams so as not to frighten the punters, Geoduck are even more oyster than oyster and delicious and at an average weight of
Solander . 0800 555 548 . seafood@solander.co.nz . Cross Quay PO Box 5041 . Por t Nelson 7040
www.gourmetseafood.co.nz
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Market intelligence
a mere 450gm, (that’s 1lb in the old parlance), somewhat more substantial than your average shellfish. Kina Just the thing for that something extra in a sauce. Available live from some fish markets and the roes in pottles are available from Solander in Nelson. Kiwi surf clams (tough shell) and Pacific surf clams (triangle shell) You can always get these very big (for New Zealand anyway) shellfish but be aware that the meat to shell ratio is not as good as most other shellfish. Mussel (Horse) or razor clam I have noticed a few of these giants turning up in the market of late. You may hear the name ‘Chinese scallops’, well this is what they are talking about. Ask Solander, they may have them if anyone does. They are bloody tasty and bloody good buying – try them! Mussel (New Zealand Greenshell) This is our endemic mussel and a very fine thing it is too. We see so many now that we tend to take them for granted – well don’t. It also has a very high meat-to-shell ratio, higher than any other. It is always available live in the shell and fresh or frozen on the half shell. Mussel meat is still cool for bulking up that chowder. Nelson Bay oysters You should be able to get them as you want them now. New Zealand scallops Fresh are back. Octopus When it’s fresh it’s tasty, and brainy enough to wander off on its own. Oysters Farmed Flat (Bluff) oysters, are available from Solander and mighty fine oysters they are too. Effectively these are farmed Bluff oysters from Stewart Island. These giants come in pottles under the Southern Glory Oysters brand. There are also in-shell farmed flat oysters available from Tio Point Oysters in the Sounds. Pacific oysters will be at their fattest over winter and spring and the price is
reasonable though due to the herpes virus volumes may be down. Paua (farmed) These smaller versions of the wild paua are available and getting bigger and better priced all the time. Paua (wild) This is the seabed and foreshore packaged in a shell. Use it all year if you have the cash. Do not buy contraband paua! Pipi Very, very good eating, though usually only in local markets. Queen scallops These are a deep water type and can be sourced all year; however they are usually only available frozen. Squid The main season for our squid finished in May but you can always get frozen.
available frozen as clusters (that is legs and a claw), and at the very tidy price of $51 per kg. Effectively this is the same crab but all the way from Chilean fishermen who don’t seem to be afraid to go out and get them. The best part of the paddle crab season is supposed to run until June but these crabs are available all year. The best crab is a live crab; however for convenience New Zealand crabmeat is available from Foodchain in Auckland. A cheaper lesser quality frozen imported crabmeat (usually from Vietnam) is also available. Crayfish Not the best time for fresh crays. Cost has been up there a bit and the big catches are well done. The main season starts again shortly. Koura (farmed organic) This season is over. No more for a couple of months.
Tuatua (deep water) Yes, you can get them now and forever. It is important to swim these and all other sand-gathered live bivalve shellfish on delivery.
New Zealand prawn are available from the hot water prawn farm at Wairakei near Taupo. They have a more delicate flavour than other prawns and are worth a shot.
Tuatua (inshore) I feel these have the best flavour. As mentioned previously they are getting harder to source as inshore pickers are having a hard time of it at present due to compliance costs and the water is bloody cold too.
CRUSTACEANS Bugs Your imported seafood supplier should have these and they can be a good economic option. Crabs (king and spider) As explained previously, quota for this very large tasty deep water crab has been allocated for a couple of years or more. Problem is right now it appears no one is that keen to go out and get them. But maybe by the time you read this there will be a trickle on the market hopefully soon turning to a flood. If not there is a brilliant new giant crab product available from Sous Chef; these crabs are
Imported prawn Ideally the only good prawn is a fresh one, but Sous Chef has a good supply. New Zealand scampi Always expensive and always exquisite, but there are some better deals at the time of writing for some reason. Scampi imported (frozen) Cheaper, larger and coarser and do not look half as good on the plate.
grill magazine would like to acknowledge our sponsors and the following for their support in the gathering of the unbiased information used in the collation of this column. The Produce Company, Jassid Fish Ltd, Wilson Hellaby and Neat Meat.
Solander . 0800 555 548 . seafood@solander.co.nz . Cross Quay PO Box 5041 . Por t Nelson 7040
www.gourmetseafood.co.nz