spRing 2010
Market
Intelligence
PREPARED PRODUCE
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Market
Intelligence Better source information for professionals
grill’s specialist resource writer 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.
ON THE W AY
The first Whitebait
IN THEIR
– YES! Ta ngelos.
PRIME
Kahawai, piper, blu e and silv also fresh er moki, ling, hok i, scallop Pacific oy s and sters. Plenty of early fruit . Lots of lemons, citrus: navels, a nd mand Kiwi kiwif arins. ruit, Hass avocados cherimoy and a. The la st expen tamarillo sive s. And go od old rh Still som ubarb. e yams, p arsnips a of the be nd the la st Brusse st ls sprouts Cervena . if you ca n afford priced ve it, and w al. ell-
SHOT TO
BITS
Bluff oyst ers damn it! Truffles and miro , feijoas .
Dry goods
DAIRY
Salty things Our indigenous wild sea vegetables are great and you can gather and dry these seaweeds yourself if you know what you are looking for, or check with the local Tangata Whenua, or try NZ Kelp which produces Valere kelp pepper from dried hand-harvested giant kelp growing on marine farms in Akaroa Harbour, Tory Channel and the Chatham Islands. It also sustainably harvests live kelp from the wild under fishing permits. Salt, Himalayan Crystal salt is supposedly mined from an ancient seabed laid down zillions of years ago and is supposed to contain 50 different minerals. The taste test suggests a fine delicate flavour and it comes in finely ground form. Greg Heffernan is the sole importer of all the Maldon Salt we use in this country. He also imports a very good organic pepper. He can be contacted at Zest in Taupo, maldonsalt@xtra.co.nz. Murray River salt is available from Sous Chef. New Zealand’s own salts from Dominion Salt in Marlborough and available from Cerebos are mighty fine salts also. The salts, Pacific Natural Salt (the unrefined version) and Marlborough Flaky Salt, are Bio-Gro certified organic products.
Tatua has a great range of chef-ready cream-based products ready and easy to use, great quality and designed for our industry; well worth a look. Check out The Produce Company website with 150 artisan cheeses listed, most are New Zealand cheeses with some of the very best Europeans thrown in. Check out Over The Moon’s goats’ curd, New Blue Moon and the wonderful Trappist-style Galactic Gold. Check out another washed rind cheese, one of my favourites; Neudorf’s gold medal winning Richmond Red – available once more. Neudorf Dairy has had a bit of a hard run lately but now has a new owner, so hopefully we can look forward to a steady supply of these award-winning sheep’s cheeses. Neudorf Dairy has had a bit of a hard run lately but now has a new owner, so hopefully we can look forward to a steady supply of these award-winning sheep’s cheeses. Check out Sous Chef and some of the best goat and sheep cheeses I have tasted recently. This is the handmade range of chèvre, feta and marinated cheeses from Meredith Dairy. And while you are at it take a look at the range of cheeses designed specifically for the foodservice industry from the Kaimai Cheese Company. Seriously good cheeses at seriously good prices.
Sous Chef . 09 269 6373 . 1/84 Spar tan Road . Takanini, Auckland
www.souschef.co.nz
3
Market intelligence
Eggs
good, fat, farmed goose in this country. Canter Valley may have a few. Battery An assault on the chooks, their eggs and our humanity. The cheapest egg, so just go use them.
Duck eggs are about but as they do not travel well you will have to find a local supplier. Some farmers markets 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. Quail eggs are available all year from Canter Valley farms in North Canterbury and can be sent anywhere in the country and quickly too.
POULTRY Chicken Factory chook seems to still appeal to many punters and it is the most economic option. Truly free range and/or organic chicken are now viable options. Talking about specialty chooks, here is something seriously special; the pasture-reared organic free-range chickens from Rolling Hills. These people are dedicated to both the chooks’ quality of life and the quality of their chooky products. Remember what chicken should taste like? You can get them only from Zealfresh, either whole or portions. Duck Although there is a lot more duck around these days, the better supply is not pulling the price back. Goose It is almost impossible to find
Quail are available all year, a joy to eat, fiddly to prepare and worth the effort.
Berries No more fresh berries around now except for loganberries, which are always around. Cherimoya, also known as the custard apple, is about to arrive in the marketplace. This is the time for this delectable fruit. They ripen in late winter and early spring and you really should take a punt and try them.
Poussin Tasty babies. Squab No way, sadly. Turkey You could do a lot worse than getting hold of Crozier’s or Canter Valley turkeys.
FRUIT Apples All the New Zealand seasonal apples are still good quality so we don’t need any imported rubbish quite yet. However, Royal Gala is about done and all the other New Zealand apples will effectively be gone by the end of October. So, lucky sods that we are, we do not have to wait too much longer before we can enjoy all that goodlooking, floury, tasteless stuff from offshore. Avocados The last of the old season’s fruit is still around, but these have just about done their dash. The new Fuerte (longer pear-shaped with smooth green skin) has been around since July and will finish in October. The new season Hass and Hayes (pebbly skinned), our best avocados, start to come on stream in early spring. However, with the weather we have had this winter it is reasonable to expect the new season prices to be strong and quality variable. Banana What can you say – the imported just keeps coming in. But you can get the real thing these days, fresh sweet ones out of Northland, both Cavendish and Lady Fingers. Many are organic or at least pesticide-free and will be available from the end of September through summer; cool eh!
Citrus This is the time for our local citrus varieties. Tangelos will be the best buying from mid to late September and keep an eye out for the Navelina, that orange out of Gisborne that’s been around for about five years now. It has a good, large, even shape and a great skin for zesting, with highly flavoured oil making this especially valuable for the particular chef and bartender – availability is July to November. Plenty of well-priced navels around at present. Mandarins are still going strong. The Clementine variety started in early July and the Satsuma were a bit earlier in late May/early June. Expect them to peter out this month. Feijoas What with the early winter weather knocking the stuff off the trees, there is bugger all stored fruit around. Grapes No New Zealand fruit. It is the tasteless dead (hopefully) black widow-infested stuff from offshore until summer. Kiwis The main crop New Zealand fresh fruit is running strong with good fruit available. Mangoes A good few Tommy Atkin (the red/gold variety) mangoes from Australia and Southeast Asia are in the marketplace. We are also seeing a few of the Kent and Keitt varieties (the green ones) from Mexico and very good quality they have been too. Mangosteen Here is a fruit we don’t see that often, but recently there have been
Canter Valley . 03 312 9805 . PO Box 293 . Rangiora
www.cantervalley.co.nz
4
Market intelligence
PREPARED PRODUCE a few in the market from Thailand. They may seem a little expensive, but are worth a try. Melons All varieties of New Zealand grown melon are finished, so if you must have them, it is the imported product for you. Passionfruit The season for this fruit is now well over for another year. But check out the fresh frozen pulp from Phoenix Orchards near Katikati for a product that is better flavoured than the imported stuff. Pears There will be a Kiwi pear or two about but they are deteriorating from now on. The nashi hold on a little longer. Imports are here though. Persimmons have been another good winter fruit but will finish around October. Redcurrants are well over but not too long to wait – the first will be here at the end of this season, and don’t you just love the seasons? Rhubarb is around all year and has been a fantastic ‘fruit’ to have over this miserable winter. Stone fruit It is all the imported pretty, but pretty tasteless, crap at present. Just two to three more months to wait though and we will see the first of the local early stuff again. Strawberries The first New Zealand strawberries arrive in October. It seems this fruit hits the market earlier each year.
NUTS Chestnuts I love chestnut season, so get into them now; they will be all but over for another year by mid-October. Hazels This is the time for those New Zealand
hazels. Once again Chantal has them, and good imported ones.
Broccoli and Broccolini supply and quality will be improving.
Macadamia The New Zealand season for fresh nuts is over but there are plenty of dried and roasted nuts available.
Brussels sprouts are still hanging on but will fall off until October when they disappear.
Walnuts This is still the season for those local nuts. Wild walnuts are available from A Cracker of a Nut. Local new-season plantation-grown walnuts will be available now. They have a more creamy texture, tend to lack bitterness and are generally larger. All other nuts are imported. If you don’t get good quality, send them back.
Cabbage The green varieties are available all year as usual but again price is up and supply and quality down. This will improve from now on. The red is finished.
VEGETABLES What with the flow-on effect from the filthy winter weather predictions for this period are for supply to improve but prices will firm for another month or two. Artichokes (globe) The very first globes (if we are lucky) will be in the markets as you read this with supply increasing over spring. The Jerusalem artichokes are popular but by October will be all over for another year. Asparagus The first of the new season’s spears are in at last and it only gets better. Four months of sheer bliss. Aubergines Bugger all local of quality, but all the odd ball imported colours and shapes are in. Beans The New Zealand glasshouse season for the flatter varieties such as Mangere Pole has started. The outdoor round ‘French’ beans, (mostly Gisborne grown) will not reach the market until November. Presently it is mainly Aussie stuff.
Capsicum Almost all the New Zealandgrown varieties are starting to come in again. These will be locally grown hothouse (usually hydroponic) and at a price, but there is plenty of Aussie and Island stuff around. Carrots are always available but were slowed a bit by snow. Cauliflower is available all year but like broccoli and cabbage has smaller heads and shorter supply. Celeriac is also now available most of the year, and so it should be. The quality is very good this season, if not the price. Celery is available all year and still reasonable quality now. Chard (silverbeet) You can get it all the time and from now on it should be the most economic and available vegetable – but it is not. Corn There is always the joy of frozen corn. Courgettes New Zealand zucchinis are finished so if you want them you will just have to pay for them from offshore. They start again in November. Cucumber The main time for fresh Kiwi short cucumbers has passed, but the telegraphs have come back. Shocking prices – and all hothouse. Fennel More Florence fennel is now available; there should be good quality and larger bulbs at this time of year. Some were damaged by the heavy rain; quality is about to improve though.
Prepared Produce . 09 276 6079 . 118 Savill Drive . Mangere East . Manukau City . Auckland 2024
www.preparedproduce.co.nz
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Market intelligence
PREPARED PRODUCE Garlic Less New Zealand garlic around but the imports are coming in bulk mainly from China and the USA. The American garlic is better but very expensive. Ginger Supplies of ginger in this country are always sourced offshore and price is reasonable. Garnish Always available are the varieties of micro leaves and very cute if you go that way. Prepared Produce’s cost-effective julienne salad garnish has become very popular in the Auckland arena. Herbs With the bad weather, prices for all the annuals are still up and will stay up until mid-October at least. All the fresh herbs except tarragon are available all year. Kohlrabi is available all year now and is one winter vege that’s in pretty good nick at this time. Kumara All varieties of the last season’s crop are starting to lose a little quality but don’t appear to be too woody yet, so it is going to be up to you to demand the best available.
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 losing condition. Earth Gems are pretty and available and believe it or not new season potatoes will turn up shortly. Pumpkin Main crop crown pumpkins and butternut are still out there but quality is variable. Buttercup and Japanese squash are over till early summer. Salad leaves – as always. Rocket is a little less expensive than it was last month. Nice crunchy icebergs in the markets. Shallot Still some of this lovely little lady about, but not much. Snow peas are available from late spring to late autumn. Spinach It’s a fine time for this fine vegetable.
GAME MEATS By the middle of this period we will be coming out of the skinny time for most wild game but only just – they improve as we move further into spring. Birds Farmed quail, pheasant and guinea-fowl are in shorter supply but from October everything should be on track again. The season is over for all our wild birds. Muttonbird (Puffinus griseus), titi The harvesting season is over for the year, but this delicacy is still available. Boar ‘Wild’ wild pork is available from the guys at Premium Game in Marlborough and Zealfresh among others. Farmed wild boar from Neat Meat, The Produce Company and Harmony Foods is sold under the Razorback brand and is the only product of its type on the market. This product goes a long way to giving us a consistently good wild pork which in the past has always been an issue. So order now. Cervena See RED MEAT Chamois will be skinny for a couple of months unless it is a young buck. It will start to look like a better option from October.
Leeks are at their best.
Spring onions Always good supplies on the shelves.
Mushrooms and fungi All the wild stuff is well gone. The few of our commercially grown truffles that were available for those who could get and afford them are over for another year. All the other commercial mushrooms are available as usual.
Tomatoes New Zealand autumn crop is over, but there will be some main crop New Zealand hothouse available from now on – expensive though. Otherwise it is the imported stuff I’m afraid.
Onions Good supplies of jumbos with few New Zealand red onions around so you may need to buy the Californian ones soon.
Witloof This is one vegetable you need to use as it arrives as it can deteriorate fast unless stored very carefully; you may also need to up your mortgage to acquire a leaf or two.
Goat is just starting to gain condition but there will still be a lot of skinnier animals around so choose only the fatter young animals.
Yams This great little vegetable will be around for a month or so.
Hare Unlike most game at this time of year hares tend to be in fair condition
Crocodile (imported) and a damn fine white meat. Available from all the suppliers – both of them! Emu and ostrich meat is available for those who want it and can get the best out of it.
Parsnip was history, now contemporary. Peas are history.
Prepared Produce . 09 276 6079 . 118 Savill Drive . Mangere East . Manukau City . Auckland 2024
www.preparedproduce.co.nz
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in early spring. Some of the males, especially the older ones, may be a bit manky as the mating season has begun. Kangaroo Like croc, this is imported and a damn fine red meat available from Premium Game. Possum For a couple of years this tasty animal has been occasionally available from one supplier to the game distributors so that road kill was not the only option. However, it is back to road kill again as the only supplier went under a while ago and the stocks Premium Game had have run out. Stupid bloody compliance rules and costs, again! Rabbit It is true; rabbit numbers are still 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. Until mid-October chances are they will be a bit thin, so it is particularly important to choose younger, fatter animals. Venison Wild animals will have generally lost condition over winter except for the odd barren hind. Deer will all improve as we move through spring, but then the hinds start dropping fawns. So make sure you have a decent supplier. Wallaby There is plenty of frozen stuff around. New Zealand wild wallaby is available through some game packing houses, (Premium Game), and Food Chain in Auckland.
PRESERVED MEATS Freedom Farms’ bacons and hams are an excellent product from happy stress-free New Zealand pigs.
Market intelligence
Havoc produces a good ham, traditionally cured bacon and a fabulous range of sausages from free-range pigs. Harmony Foods is producing great small goods, cured products, salamis, and a range of dry cured bacon and ham – for my money some of the best in the country. Also check out their ready-touse range of pork ribs. Prosciutto di Parma It is possible to get prosciutto from Italy, so why put up with the inferior, greasy Aussie stuff? Again Sous Chef leads the way and is one of the few importing this fine ham. The best New Zealand version of prosciutto from the Little Boys range of small goods is made in Te Aroha. The range also includes pancetta, chorizo, salamis and their quite-famous-inNew-Zealand gourmet sausages. Their products by the way are all gluten free. All this stuff is available through Zealfresh and Neat Meat.
RED MEAT Expect no drop in prices for New Zealand red meat in the near future. Sorry guys.
BEEF Prices are very strong with most chains closed for winter maintenance, but there will be improved throughput from now on – hopefully. Beef prices are driven by overseas trends, mostly the US market, and figures coming out of the US last month showed prices would remain strong well into the future, perhaps three to five years. The reason
– America’s cattle herd dwindled to 100.8m head as of the start of the month, down 1.2% year on year and the lowest July 1 figure on record. The beef herd fell by 2%, which may not sound like much but equates to 31.7m animals, (that’s a bloody lot of beef), and this is a decline which looks unlikely to reverse given that US farmers show no inclination to increase stock numbers. What all this means for us is that export beef will be in high demand, so we can expect to pay high prices in the foreseeable future. For all that, our grass-fed beef is the best in the world and is worth every damn penny we have to pay for it. Want a good example? Check out Harmony Food’s organic free-range beef range. I recently did a tasting of this beef and it was perhaps the best beef I have bought in a very long time and at a price commensurate with other beef available.
SHEEPMEAT Lamb schedules are still on an upward spiral. Export lamb is getting a premium as overseas buyers seem to have cottoned on to the remarkable quality of our highend chilled lamb cuts. So, what with this and the dire shortage of stock going through the works, we are just going to have to pay what the rest of the world is prepared to pay. The MAF Outlook Report has suggested lamb would average $4.13c/ kg in 2011 season, or $72 per head for a 17.5kg lamb. So get used to it. Mutton prices also are breaking all records – just not enough sheep in this country I am afraid.
CERVENA Good quality at present but another small rise has kept the venison schedule moving up, as plants start up again, ready for the spring chilled harvest. The prices may now still be $1.45/kg behind last year, (with many predicting
Fish & Game . 04 499-4767 . PO Box 13-141, Wellington 6440 . gamebirdfood@fishandgame.org.nz
www.f ishandgame.org.nz
7
Market intelligence
they will not reach last year’s levels), but demand for farmed deer meat is strong and supply will be restricted with the fall in hind numbers. Production levels are down a whopping 22%, which is helping to keep prices up. Kill estimates for the year are well back and are not predicted to pick up until 2012 when hopefully increasing hind numbers will have produced killable offspring from the previous year. So, with short supplies predicted, the traditional summer fall in prices may just not happen.
VEAL I guess the large number of dry stock farms converting to dairy has had one positive effect for our industry, that of putting a lot more veal products into the marketplace. The dairy industry produces 2.5 million bobby calves per year and most of them are turned into veal mince, but a good number are finished for white veal and a new product Rose Veal. Rose veal is a gourmet product – the result of five months of fattening calves producing smallish succulent primal cuts such as racks, shortloins, scotch fillets etc. This veal is very juicy and so tender that even lesser cuts such as topside are also suitable for fast cooking methods. Keep an eye out for this veal as it will be available for the first time later this spring. Generally veal is the best value for money at this time of year though it does have a very short fresh season; only months, so make the best of it. Don’t forget it is now time to put those veal sweetbreads on the menu. Veal liver is also a very good option for that something different on the menu. The cost is very reasonable and it’s a good offal introduction for diners.
Zealand’ but often fail to mention that the pig was actually farmed overseas. These producers do not have to meet New Zealand regulations when it comes to matters like feed and hormones. This is another good reason why we need decent country of origin labelling in this country. Some of the best pork in the South Island comes from Havoc in south Canterbury (if you can get it). Their pigs are stress free and free range and damn near organic. Harmony Foods at Paeroa processes free-range pigs and the pork is available from Neat Meat. Freedom Farms offers what is described as ‘Free Farmed’ New Zealand pork. This is a consistent and excellent product. Their pork products are all RSPCA certified and guaranteed to come from very happy pigs and are available through Zealfresh in the northern region.
FISH AND SEAFOOD With settling of the recent wild weather, the inshore fishery is back on track.
SALTWATER FISH Frozen Convenient, economic and you get what you get.
PORK
Fresh Blue cod Now that the albacore season is over many albacore fisherman are working the blue cod. Blue cod has beautifully flavoured, if delicate, white flesh and the best fish come from the furthest south for my money.
Much of the processed pork we see is made from imported raw carcass meat. Labels may say this is a ‘product of New
Bluenose is a bloody good replacement for the bloody good Hapuku and all year round as well. But most still goes to Aussie.
Flounder Always some around, but the main flounder season is over and numbers in the market are low and prices high. The season will kick in again in late spring. Groper (Hapuku) This is still a bloody good time for Hapuku. Always bloody expensive – all the time. Gurnard Always available and there are usually some small ones in the market at a very good price. Lovely fish you can’t afford to ignore. Hake Quite lovely eating if treated gently. The short fresh season for this delicate red-listed fish is on, but will finish in October. Hoki This is our largest commercial fishery and June saw the beginning of the annual hoki harvest. So, if for some reason you were hanging out for a fresh piece of hoki, you missed your opportunity. The season will be over by the time you read this; another fish on the dreaded red list. Kahawai Still a good time for kahawai. These will be ring-netted fish and therefore damn fine quality. I stick by my guns – at least as good 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 also started in June and will run till November. The frozen and smoked product is also available. Moki (Blue and Silver) The season for this beautiful fish is again under way and this is a very good option at this time of year – reasonably priced too. Monkfish (stargazer) I cannot give this
Zealfresh . 09 419 9165 . Unit 2, 84-90 Hillside Road,Wairau Valley, Nor th Shore
www.zealfresh.co.nz
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Market intelligence
fish enough raps. It has an interesting texture and flavour reminiscent of crayfish and more and more kitchens have caught on to its value. Mullet Less of this beautiful fatty fish for a while but there is always a few. Orange roughy The fresh roughy season is almost over. But don’t worry you people who think it’s a great fish; trawlers have been scraping the sea floor clean of everything that lives and you will be able to eat some of these 125-year-old red-listed fish ‘frozen’; yum yum. Red cod must have mothers so someone can love them. Do not be confused by anything masquerading as English or British cod, this is still just your good old crayfish bait. Salmon, quinnat (sea cage) Plenty available and all three producers have good quality fish. Sardines We have lots around our coast and now you can get them. 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. I have given up trying to get a bite of a great white. Snapper The season has past its peak, but they are starting to school again with improving supply and still the smaller plate-sized fish are the best price.
Tarakihi The main season is finished, but there will be some around as always. And there is the eternal frozen product.
season is all year in the North Island. South Island eel has started again. Smoked eel is always obtainable.
Trevally This fantastic common fish is usually well priced. The main season is over so there is less in the market. By the same token at the moment this fish is of markedly better quality as trevalley at this time of year are caught using ring nets around inshore reefs; fresher, less squashed and tastier. The main season starts again in November.
Koi That pretty pest of our waterways, the koi carp, is also now available from the Auckland Fish Market; well priced, but bonesville.
Tuna This is the season for bluefin tuna but you will see bugger all of these giants in our market (it has the highest fat content so it all goes overseas). This tuna is at the top of the red list and if we kept these fish to ourselves instead of allowing our exclusive economic zone to be raped for a short-term gain perhaps we could have a sustainable bluefin fishery. Most of the tuna we see here is big eye tuna from the Fiji area although there are also a few yellowfin on the market. Turbot and brill come from the west coast of the South Island and have always been a specialty in the area, but now a few of these wonderful large flatfish are turning up in our other fresh fish markets. These tend to be a bycatch species. Warehou This is another southern species. The main season is on and the price is always reasonable. Yellow eyed mullet, sprats if you will, are now more available fresh and not just for bait. Try them – great eating and great buying.
FRESHWATER FISH Catfish are now available, try them.
Soles The major catch is over and from now on it will be by-catch stuff. These are a much underutilised, premium fish at a relatively low price.
Eel, longfin and shortfin The fresh
Salmon, organic sockeye These delectable salmon are no longer available. More on this sad story in the next issue. Salmon, quinnat Some good fish available and the fish are larger from now on. Whitebait Yay, we are away again. Tis the season to be jolly tra la la la bla, bla bla etc.
SHELLFISH Bluff oysters Done and dusted. Clams Restaurants will find the Golden Bay variety of cockle (littleneck) still okay, and the southern version always in good supply. Omega Seafood has a chef-ready, graded-in-shell, precooked and vacuumpacked product. I tried this product recently and it was very good and easy to present either hot or cold. For my money northern cockles are still the premium shellfish, but there have been big problems for the pickers with beds constantly washed out by heavy rain. Things have improved just lately with the quieter weather. Clevedon Coast oysters are always good, but are now at their very best. Farmed Flat (Bluff) oysters in the shell, live, are now available from Tio Point Oysters and a mighty fine oyster they are too. Giant farmed Bluff oysters are available from Solander in the pottle under the Southern Glory Oysters brand and are also a great product.
Solander . 0800 555 548 . seafood@solander.co.nz . Cross Quay PO Box 5041 . Por t Nelson 7040
www.solander.com
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Market intelligence
Geoduck, sometimes called king clams so as not to frighten the punters, are even more oyster than oyster and delicious and at an average weight of a mere 450gm (that’s 1lb in the old parlance) somewhat more substantial than your average shellfish. For prep hints go to Market Intelligence on our site www.grill.co.nz. Kiwi surf clams (hard shell) and Pacific surf clams (triangle shell) You can always get these shellfish but be aware that the meat-to-shell ratio is not as good as most other shellfish. Mussel (New Zealand Greenshell) This is our endemic mussel and a very fine thing it is too. It is always available live in the shell and fresh or frozen on the half shell. And again Omega has a very good precooked chef-ready product. New Zealand scallops This is the season so go get this lovely fresh fat New Zealand shellfish.
usually only in local markets. The rain has been a real problem for supply recently, but supply should improve if we get a little more settled weather. Razor Clams Call them what you will, horse mussels, Chinese scallops, whatever. They are bloody tasty and bloody good for sashimi. As Kiwi chefs we have spurned this delicacy, but we shouldn’t; try them. Solander or Moana are good bets for a supply. Squid The main season for arrow squid finished in May and will start again in December. But the broad squid (sometimes mistakenly called female squid) is a different species and a better eating one, and is available fresh – and we can always get the frozen product. Tuatua (deep water) Yes, you can get them now and forever.
Octopus When it’s fresh it’s the best mollusc from the sea, and smart enough to wander out of the kitchen on its own. Pacific oysters will be at their best and fattest now; supplies of this shellfish should be good and the price reasonable. Paua (farmed) This smaller version of the wild paua from D’Urville Abalone is available live from Solander. Paua (wild) This is the seabed and foreshore packaged in a shell. Use it all year if you have the cash. Pipi Very, very good eating, though
Tuatua (inshore) I feel these have the best flavour. 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. Whelks (sea snails) are caught in baited pots. Usually available in one uniform size of around 65-70 pieces per kg at least the ones from Solander are. The meat is oval white, flushed with dark tan. Texture is firm, very slightly chewy and a taste not unlike crayfish.
A top crab will always be a live crab, however, for convenience New Zealand crabmeat is available frozen and a cheaper lesser quality frozen imported crabmeat (usually from Vietnam) is also available. Crayfish The main season should have started again but bugger all in the market and exorbitant at about $90 per kg. So have a look at the Karitane crays – they are smaller but a lot better priced per kilo. The reason – Karitane crayfishers are allowed to take crayfish with a smaller tail length than elsewhere, following research into breeding circumstances of the local stock. I see Solander has them. Koura (farmed organic) The season is away shortly. The only producer is still New Zealand Clearwater Crayfish in Marlborough. New Zealand prawns are available from the hot water prawn farm at Wairakei near Taupo. Imported prawn Ideally the only good prawn is a fresh one. New Zealand scampi Always expensive and always exquisite; all frozen. The fresh live ones that occasionally came into the market no longer seem to be available.
CRUSTACEANS Crabs Quota for the tasty deep water spider and king crab has been allocated for a couple of years now, but it appears no one is that keen to go out and get them and very few are turning up at the fish markets. Paddle crabs and soft shell crabs are available live and chilled and at good prices and a very good product too.
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. Zealfresh, Prepared Produce, Solander, Wilson Hellaby and Neat Meat.
Solander . 0800 555 548 . seafood@solander.co.nz . Cross Quay PO Box 5041 . Por t Nelson 7040
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