Pinnacle Awards - Dec 2021

KATE INGLIS [BELOW]; CNW GROUP [SIDEBAR IMAGE]
hen COVID-19 struck and it was
clear that her business would
shift to takeout, Victoria
Bazan, owner of Toronto’s
Honest Weight, a combination
fishmongerseafood
restaurant, was
worried about how her
food would travel. But, she
says, “even now, when restrictions have lifted, people
are still ordering takeout [items] that I would never
have thought people would order.”
Across the country, it seems many COVID-forced
survival strategies are going to stick around long after
the pandemic has faded away, especially in the fish
and seafood niche. Comfort food, already popular,
has become a mainstay: doubly so if it’s handheld.
Crystal MacGregor, director of Communications and
Marketing for PEI’s Food Island Partnership, refers
to “nostalgic, fond food memories with an elevated
twist,” such as fish balls and crab cakes, while Bazan
says “anything in between bread” is a winner, such as
fish sandwiches and burgers.
The taste for zestier international flavours
continues as well, says Jordan Sclare, executive
chef for Toronto’s Chotto Matte, which focuses on
Nikkei cuisine, a Peruvian-Japanese fusion (think
sushi meets ceviche). The restaurant, with sister
establishments in London and Miami, is owned by
the NZR Group.
“Trendy culinary approaches seem to include
savoury, bold flavors and more spices such as
cardamom, ginger and pink peppercorn,” says Sclare.
“Trendy seafood and fish include wild salmon,
hamachi, mackerel, lobster handhelds and seafood
boils. The Asian seafood trade in Canada is centered
around large fresh Atlantic lobster, Alaskan King
crab and Vancouver crab.”
World champion oyster shucker and restaurateur
Patrick McMurray, formerly of Toronto’s Ceili Cottage,
notes an undiminished proliferation of fish- and seafood-based
restaurants such as chef Gordon Bailey’s
FiN Take Away at Old Tracadie Harbour in P.E.I. and
Drift, soon to open in Halifax under chef Anthony
Walsh of Toronto’s Canoe. There’s the new upscale
“sea-to-fork” restaurant Pink Sky in Toronto’s former
Weslodge location, while Toronto’s Gerrard India
Bazaar now hosts Puerto Bravo, a Mexican taqueria
specializing in seafood. Hamilton, Ont.’s Shuck Truck,
launched in 2019, continues to thrive with shrimp po’
boys and oyster takeout and delivery.
Steve Murphy of the Blue Mussel Café in North
Rustico, P.E.I. added a converted trailer (the “Blue
Roller”) to the back of his restaurant to sell handheld
foods as takeaway. It helped maximize reduced
dining-room seating, too, since some customers “get
a lobster roll and go for a walk while waiting for
indoor seating,” says Crystal MacGregor.
GROCERY REVOLUTION
In 2019, forward-looking operators were already blurring
the line between retail and restaurant, either by
selling their branded foods through chain grocers or
by offering take-home packaged products to diners.
During COVID-19, this trickle has become a landslide.
“You’re seeing massive creativity in the shape of
dried, smoked, canned and frozen product,” says
Ned Bell, chef and partner at Naramata Inn in B.C.’s
Okanagan Region.
“We’ve always done really strong retail sales, but d
uring COVID — wow!” says Bazan. “We’re selling cans
of tinned seafood in the $30 and $50 range. It flew off
the shelves.” High-end canned fish from Portugal and
Spain are booming in many outlets, while its P.E.I.-
P.E.I. mussels (left)
and oysters
FAUX FISH
Plant-based “fish” and “seafood” is
surfacing, a trend partly motivated
by concern for dwindling wild-fish
stocks. The international market
research firm Fact.MR predicts
the U.S. market for plant-based
fish products will attain a CAGR
(compound annual growth rate) of
28 per cent through 2031. It says
patties will be the most popular
format, with fillets close behind and
plant-based “shrimp” as the most
consumed type.
In 2020, Nestle launched a plantbased
tuna alternative based on pea
protein, and the flavour and fragrance
company Givaudan revealed it was
carrying out research into plant-based
fish products with the University of
California. Last July, the plant-based
seafood brand Good Catch roamed the
streets of major international cities
in its “OurWay” food van, handing out
free faux-tuna subs in a stunt to get
Subway restaurants to go fish-free.
Canadian suppliers are also making
waves. Vancouver-based Modern
Plant-Based Foods Inc. is launching
a plant-based seafood division
called Modern Seafood. Its core
products will include plant-based
“crab cake” and “smoked salmon.”
In July, the Canadian Team ProFillet,
a partnership of Terra Bio Inc,
Smallfood Inc and other contributors,
was shortlisted in the $15-million
XPRIZE “Feed the Next Billion Award”
for their plant-based “fish fillet.”
These products are beginning
to show up on menus; for instance,
in September, the Canadian vegetarian
restaurant chain Copper
Branch launched a limited-time New
England Style Crab Cake patty with
lettuce, tomato and a creamy aioli
sauce and a Crab Cake appetizer
to its menu, both made with Swell
Catch plant-based seafood.
Expertise and experience
leads to excellence - every time.
For more than two and a half decades,
Lagoon Seafood has been a leader in
the distribution, import, export,
processing and curing of fresh and
frozen fish and seafood products.
With two quality-driven processing
facilities and expansion plans ahead,
Lagoon Seafood prides itself on offering
premium products and services to its
longstanding customers across Canada,
USA, Europe, and Asia with brands
Blue Tide and Royal Harbour.
Lagoon Seafood was built on a strong
foundation of dedicated seafood
experts and professionals who search
the world for the highest quality
products.
Drop us a line today -
enjoy a profitable and
rewarding catch.
Lagoon Seafood 1301 32nd Avenue, Lachine, QC H8T 3H2 Canada
18 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM