IntelligenceMarket

sUMMER 2010

As Nature Intended

pasture farmed

New

Zealand

IntelligenceMarket

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 PrIMeFresh scallops, cockles and pipi. Flounder, mullet, all the inshore fish really. Local bananas, berries, red currants and stone fruit. All the game meats and of course lamb. New season potatoes and kumara. Beans, tomatoes, all the summer vegetables and some decent garlic at last.FaLLING OFFBrussels sprouts and leeks. Most of the citrus and kiwifruit. Pacific oysters.

SHOt tO BItSWhitebait sadly and piper. The fresh seasons for orange roughy, hake and ling have ended. Fresh veal. Tamarillos and cherimoya. Yams and Brussels sprouts.

Dry GOODS

Grain/flour Our local flours are, as always, very good if a little weak; supply, as always, is tight. The harvest in this country is always a little fraught so we will just have to await autumn to see what this year’s harvest brings. The best and strongest New Zealand stone-ground organic flour is from New Zealand Bio Grains.

Salt 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 uses only 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

Himalayan Crystal salt is supposedly mined from an ancient seabed laid down zillions of years ago and contains 50 different minerals. The taste test suggests a fine delicate flavour and it comes in finely ground form. www.healthysalt.co.nz

Murray River salt is available from sous Chef and is worth having a look at.

Wild Fungi The minced truffle blend – both the black and white from sous Chef – is a damn fine product and priced at

around $28 net is a steal. sous Chef also carries a range of very good dried porcini products. Lots of suppliers are bringing in dried cepe these days, just make sure you check the label and that the only variety mentioned is edulis.

DaIry

The array and quality of New Zealand cheeses has improved immensely in recent years and one of the best ranges around in Auckland at least is held by The Produce Company. Check out their website with 150 artisan cheeses listed, most are New Zealand cheeses. Try out Over The Moon’s goats curd, New Blue Moon and their wonderful Trappist style Galactic Gold.

A couple of cheeses from offshore worth noting are the top quality Cantarelli parmigiano reggiano and the new (to New Zealand) range of Tomini cows’ milk cheeses in oil from Italy. These are great little cheeses with various flavours, including truffle, which is a killer.

eGGS

Battery Whatever, this sad excuse for an industry still produces the cheapest egg so if you are happy to use them, go for it.

Duck eggs are about but as they do not

BETTER sOURCE INFORMATION FOR PROFEssIONALs

Sous Chef . 09 269 6373 . 1/84 Spartan Road . Takanini, Auckland

www.souschef.co.nz

2

The Free Range Egg Co. 7 Capehill Road, Pukekohe, New Zealand. Phone 0800 373 697 Email info@frenzeggs.co.nz

www.frenzeggs.co.nz

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 and seasonal supply consistent.

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 around for my money. And why? Well last year this egg was unanimously chosen as the best egg in a blind tasting by the grill tasting panel. The Frenz free range egg is damn fine also.We will be taking an in depth look at the whole issue of eggs, (battery, barn, free range, and organic), in the next issue of this magazine. Quail eggs are available and even more so at this time of year.

POULtry

Chicken Factory chook seems to still appeal to many punters and it is the most economic option. But here is something special; organically farmed and free range chickens and chicken portions from Rolling Hills. These

people are dedicated to quality of both their products and the environment their products live in. Remember what chicken tasted like when we all raised chooks at home? Probably you younger chefs don’t these days so order some and see what granddaddy is talking about, because this is as close as it gets and available from Zealfresh.

While on the rave about free range chooks you will have noticed that the big producers are also on the band wagon and this is no bad thing. However we at grill put out a challenge to all producers of free

range chickens; invite us to come to your facility (as some of the smaller producers already have) to see your operation and then we can assure our readers that yours are indeed happy little chooks. We will be doing a feature on this in the next (autumn) issue of grill.

Cornish game hens still bloody near impossible to get. Duck There is a lot more duck around these days. Check out the websites www.nzduck.co.nz and www.cantervalley.co.nz and you will be pleasantly surprised at the range.

Goose It is almost impossible to find good, fat, farmed goose in this country.

Poussin is becoming more and more available and still at a reasonable cost per serve. Squab No more sadly. Turkey You could do a lot worse than getting hold of Canter Valley as they still have a good range of whole, bone-in turkey roasts and portions.

FrUIt

This is the fruity time of the year what with all the berries, melons and the so-called summer fruit – that is stone fruit to us peasants. Apples still some New Zealand apples at time of writing but don’t panic, we do not have to wait too much longer before we can enjoy all that good-looking, floury, tasteless rubbish from offshore. Then more local fruit in March.

Avocados The last of the old season’s fruit is gone and new season Hass and Hayes (pebbly skinned), our best avocados, are in the market and will stay so for the foreseeable. The Reed will not arrive until January, February and are the round green variety. 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 summer is the best time to get our local bananas if you are going to want them. These are the real thing – fresh sweet ones out of Northland, both Cavendish and Lady Fingers, and many are organic or at least pesticide-free.There is also the regular supply of imported bananas available.

Berries Fresh raspberries are here and will be finished by April. Look also to boysenberries until early February, blueberries through to mid March, with blackberries a little later. Loganberries are always around. The very short season for gooseberries is on now.There are always frozen berries available and these can be useful and convenient.

Blackcurrants will be in full production over January and February.

Citrus We are coming to the end of most of our local citrus varieties. New Zealand tangelos, oranges and lemons will still be around but will peeter out in February. Mandarins and navelinas are now well over. Local limes will not be available until March.

Grapes New Zealand fruit if you can find it will be around from mid January for

just a few weeks. Otherwise it is the tasteless, hopefully not black widow-infested, stuff from offshore. Kiwis The main crop New Zealand fresh fruit, both the green and

gold, has been going strong but do not expect it to last. By the end of the period covered in this issue it will be back to Northern Hemisphere stuff.

Melons All varieties of New Zealand grown melon are at their most abundant in summer. First in large numbers are prince in January with water, rock, and honeydew hitting their straps in February.

Pears There will be Kiwi pears about, but the season will to all intents and purposes

As Nature Intended

pasture farmed

New

Zealand

Intelligence

MARKET INTELLIGENCE 3

Prepared Produce Limited . 09 276 6079 . 118 Savill Drive . PO Box 43098, Mangere East . Auckland 2024

www.preparedproduce.co.nz

be over. The nashi hold on a little longer. Then it is imports though, lucky old us. Hang in though – the early Kiwi varieties, Morretinni and Belle Du Jumet, should be available from late January with other cultivars arriving in February.

Pitaya This is another summer fruit to try out – it’s rare as we have only one grower.

Pomegranates are all imported but are also a fruit to look for in summer.

Redcurrants are on the way but for a very short time only – don’t you just love the seasons?

Stone fruit No more of the imported pretty but pretty tasteless crap. Yes, it is that time of year again, a glut of our own wonderful cherries, plums, apricots, peaches and nectarines. Just three whole months of fresh juicy fruit.

Strawberries New Zealand strawberries are in full swing but the season will be over by the end of January.

Tropical fruit All the imported tropical stuff is as usual and it’s up to you to demand quality.

VeGetaBLeS

The ultimate time for vegetables and you do not have to even attempt to pander to silly customers that expect out of season summer vege!

Artichokes (globe) will be in the markets for another month to six weeks.

Asparagus It has been heaven, but it will be all over bar the scraps by January.

Aubergines All local stuff should be available for the next period. All the odd ball colours and shapes will be in soon and many can be eaten raw; some say they taste a bit like beans and they do, but mostly they taste a lot like egg plants. Beans The New Zealand glasshouse

season for the flatter varieties such as Mangere Pole has arrived. The outdoor round ‘French’ beans, (mostly Gisborne grown) have reached the market finally.

Beetroot is most plentiful from November until April. Avoid roots with scaly areas around the top surface as they tend to be tougher. Broccoflower is a hybrid mix of cauliflower and broccoli. The florets are bright green (lighter than broccoli) and packed into a round head like cauliflower. The flavour tends to be sweeter than both cauliflower and broccoli. supply is limited.

Broccoli supply and quality has improved and prices are down after some shocking charges recently. Broccolini is still plentiful and prices better.

Brussels sprouts Do not bother – well, if you really must, some Ohakune product may turn up.

Cabbage The green varieties are available all year as usual; autumn is really the time for red cabbage. Capsicum Almost all the New Zealand-grown varieties are starting to come back again. These will be locally grown hothouse (usually hydroponic) – their main season is from January until April and it is the same for fresh chillies.

Carrots are always available. The so-called spring carrots are available mainly in the spring and summer months. The tops should be fresh and bright green.

Cauliflower is available all year. Miniature cauliflowers, ideal for a single serve, are sometimes available – ask Prepared Produce.

Celeriac is also now available most of the year, but is better from autumn through to early spring.

Celery is available all year and still reasonable quality now.

Chard (silver beet) 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 You can buy fresh sweet corn from January until April.

Courgettes This is the season for this vegetable. Scaloppini and zucchini flowers will also be available.

Cucumber The main time for fresh Kiwi short and telegraph cucumbers. Fennel bulb (Florence) is better in autumn and winter so watch the quality.

Garlic January is the season for fresh New Zealand garlic. The vast majority of New Zealand garlic is grown in the Marlborough region.

Ginger supplies of ginger in this country are always sourced offshore.

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. The sweet corn sprouts are still around and make an unusual garnish for the right dish.

Herbs With summer definitely here all the annuals are still up and will stay in supply.

Kohlrabi is available all year now.

Kumara All varieties of new season: Beauregard (orange, softer, sweet), Tokatoka, (yellow, firm, good flavoured), Owairaka and Northern Rose, (traditional red, very firm), will hit the markets this summer.Kumara should not be stored at less than 12°C as this will result in chilling injury which shows as shrivelling, increased decay, surface pitting and sometimes causes a hard core, this fails to soften on cooking.

Leek will get seed stems soon, so buy the baby leeks as they are about to come on.

MARKET INTELLIGENCE4

Prepared Produce Limited . 09 276 6079 . 118 Savill Drive . PO Box 43098, Mangere East . Auckland 2024

www.preparedproduce.co.nz

Mushrooms and fungi All the commercial mushrooms are available as usual, including the exotic stuff at a price.

Onions Good supplies of jumbos with few New Zealand red onions coming on this month. There are two types of reds: the spanish-type red onions are large and round, while Californian red onions tend to be flatter and milder. Baby onions are available all year round, but at their best about March. Rakkyo is a small onion with bulbs that are about 4-5cm in diameter. They look like small shallots. Its taste is mild, somewhere between garlic and onion, and it is crisp in texture. As the name suggests this little onion is originally from Japan.

Parsnips are often thought of as a winter vegetable but are available all year round. The sweet flavour comes about when the starch is converted to sugar – this happens in cold weather, preferably frosts. For pre-winter crops you can store parsnips at low temperatures (0°C) and there will be some starch conversion to sugar – but why bother, they still will not be as good as winter ones.

Peas The few fresh around will be gone in a month or so. Pikopiko is available all year these days.

Potatoes Lots of good quality new crop potatoes all over the place and plenty of variety too. The (so-called) early Maori potato varieties have arrived, the first are the waxy ones. These old trad spuds are generally worth the trouble as they knock the socks off the more common commercial varieties.

Pumpkins are a summer and autumn crop. Buttercup has dark rich green hard skin with speckles and stripes and a round flat shape. They are available from December onwards. Butternut has a creamy beige skin and an elongated cylindrical shape. They have orange flesh

and a sweet flavour. Flavour differs with variety, growing conditions and season. They are available from January onwards. Crown and grey pumpkins are your main crop keeper pumpkin and arrive on the market in late January. Spaghetti squash have pale yellow skin, are about 20-30cm long and have a light yellow flesh. spaghetti squash have limited availability and are generally available in the early months of the year. Kumi kumi are stocky in shape with heavy ribbing. They are available from December to April. Radishes salad radishes are all in good supply and there is still good daikon about.

Salad leaves – as always. Rocket is a little less expensive than it was last month. The lettuces are all out there. Shallot This is the time for this lovely little lady.

Snow peas are available from late spring to late autumn mainly. They are always expensive.

Sorrel Not common, but there is more of this around than in the past and it grows all the time.

Spinach This vegetable is always out there.

Spring onions Always good supplies on the shelves.

Swede and turnip If you like to use these vegetables, now is your time.

Taro Varieties of taro vary in colour and size. Taro is a starchy root crop and the leaves are also edible. Taro is not grown commercially in New Zealand; all supplies are imported from the Pacific Islands.

Tomatoes New Zealand main crop is all on and will get cheaper from mid January to the end of February. A few outdoor fruit will start showing up in January. Yams Gone!

GaMe MeatS

If there is ever a good time for game it is over the next few months with lots of feed and animals in prime nick.

Birds Farmed quail and pheasant are in good supply and a very good supplier for the whole range is Canter Valley Farm. Guinea-fowl are available again over summer and autumn.

Boar ‘Wild’ wild pork is available; talk to Premium Game.

Farmed wild boar Yes as presaged in the last edition of grill there is really now such a thing. Free range boar bred from wild stock and legally reared on farms. At present only available from selected outlets: Neat Meat, The Produce Company and Harmony Foods, and sold under the Razorback brand. Great eh!

Cervena That is farmed deer guys. Hard to believe it but a chef asked me what cervena was the other day. It is always good quality and therefore still a very good bet at any time of the year and more suitable for those delicate palates.

Chamois are in top nick from now on so go to Premium Game to get it. This is one of my favourite red game meats and New Zealand is one of the very few places in the world where these animals are available. Chamois is worth the attention of any decent chef. 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.

Goat is in top condition and animals are putting on weight with the exception of nursing nannies. It is always important to source only young animals and the older billy goats don’t half stink.

Hare Once considered the king of game, back today and remarkably well priced.

MARKET INTELLIGENCE 5

Zealfresh . 09 419 9165 . Unit 2, 84-90 Hillside Road,Wairau Valley, North Shore

www.zealfresh.co.nz

With the mad mating season over hares are packing on condition – this makes them prime at this time of the year.

Kangaroo Like croc, this is imported and a damn fine red meat.

Possum since the catching and fattening little enterprise fell over this tasty animal has been off the menu, again! Road kill is the only option – a sad state of affairs as there are always fat ones about even over winter. Rabbit numbers are on the increase at this time of year. Try Premium Game for whole wild rabbits. Tahr is a wild mountain goat native to the Himalayas, now happily (barring DOC) at home in Godzone’s alps. Like other goats, sexually active males can be a bit manky so it is particularly important to choose younger fatter animals.

Wild venison is at its best from early November to March, but hinds will be starting to drop fawns so find a supplier you can rely on, we have told you who!

Wallaby There is plenty of frozen stuff around. New Zealand wild wallaby is available through Premium Game and Food Chain in Auckland.

RED MEAT

All the hoofed animals are in fine condition and the schedules look to be holding steady; thank goodness for the higher NZ dollar eh. But farmers are starting to worry a little about feed as we move into summer with many areas

still requiring better rains. But supply all round is improving at least in the short term.It has come to my attention again that some so-called meat suppliers are claiming to sell premium branded beef at

cut-rate prices and climbing on the back of the hard work that good companies have done to put a decent reliably

branded beef into the marketplace aimed at the hospitality sector.This must be bloody annoying for all concerned and chefs and restaurateurs owe it to their diners to be very aware of what they are buying – that it is the genuine product – and look just a little bit deeper than the surface and that really, really good price. Premium suppliers have branded labelling, chefs need to ask questions, like where they were slaughtered, hot boned or cold boned and where is the branded packaging? We should be able to trace our meat, identify the breed of animal, have knowledge of the processing procedure, to be sure of ageing, (hopefully 14-21 days), and have branded packaging to support this. Chefs should be able to trust their suppliers and get what they ask for and know what they are being sold by the supplier, not bullshitted to!so chef should one of these cowboys try it on, do let us know at grill and we will follow it up.

BeeF

The weak Us dollar is affecting New Zealand beef sales and spring export and local trade schedules are falling, good eh. Local beef

prices are tied to the export schedule and the Us dollar and are still reasonable (at least compared to lamb). so as long as the Us market is depressed and the Kiwi dollar stays up (although at time of writing it is showing some signs of dropping) prices will be at least bearable. Condition coming through the works will be excellent for the period, so expect the best from your supplier.

CerVeNa

schedules are now easing, as the season

changes from chilled to frozen and the trend is falling.

VeaL

Basically the veal season is all over for another year. There is always some frozen stuff about and it is not bad.

SHeePMeat

If we get another drought then our trade may benefit in the short term but it will cost us in the long.

Lamb Last year’s store and prime lambs are now at an end and spring lambs are starting to be seen at saleyards, fetching strong prices. There is some lovely new spring lamb out there but supply is tight and the trend is rising. In the short term lamb cuts will be small and supply short as farmers hold on to lambs for weight gain.There have been some damn big lamb cuts (? lamb) on the market lately. Chefs need to look at what they are getting and just think how does a lamb get this big? Age baby, that’s how! We say again – get a decent reputable supplier.And another issue, estimates of this coming season’s lamb kill at 31 million may be wildly exaggerated, more like 25 million is the word I am hearing. so stay in with your good supplier and show some commitment to him/her. Come the big cup time late winter and spring you could be out of luck if you have wandered about picking the eyes out of the suppliers all year. One of the best deals still around is the shoulder racks from Zealfresh which specialises in lamb in particular.

Mutton schedules are trading at record levels on limited availability and still rising as supply constraints push prices up and up.Zealfresh has another good deal in the sheep line – check out their mutton neck

MARKET INTELLIGENCE6

fillets and just see what you can do with them.

POrk some of the best pork in the south Island (if you can get it) comes from Havoc in south Canterbury. 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 and a very good product it is too. They care about their animals and controversy aside they are well looked after and happy little piggies. Their pork products are available through Zealfresh in the northern region.

PreSerVeD MeatS

Much the processed pork we see is made from imported raw carcass meat. The label may say this is a ‘product of New Zealand’ but often fails to mention the fact that the pig was actually farmed

overseas. These offshore producers do not have to meet New Zealand regulations when it

comes to matters like feed and hormones.

That is another good reason why we need decent country of

origin labelling in this country.

The quite-famous-in-New-Zealand Little Boys range of small goods products is available to the trade and includes chorizo, salamis and gourmet sausages. These products are only available to the industry and a few selected delis. All good for our trade and it gives our industry exclusive access to a very smart line of products. Their products by the way are all gluten free.

Zealfresh . 09 419 9165 . Unit 2, 84-90 Hillside Road,Wairau Valley, North Shore

www.zealfresh.co.nz

All this stuff is available through Zealfresh and Neat Meat.

Why pay for water in your bacon? It’s no cheaper in the long run as the water will evaporate on cooking.If you use a good local butcher he will have good dry smoky bacon, so why buy that wet rubbish?

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.

There is one New Zealand version of prosciutto which I believe is better than anything out of Aussie and bloody near as good as the original but with something just a little bit Kiwi about it; again this is from the Little Boys range.

Havoc produces a good ham, traditionally cured bacon and a fabulous range of sausages from free range pigs.

smoked duck and turkey breasts are available from Canter Valley Farm.

FISH AND SEAFOOD

Things are hotting up and prices should come down at least for some species as this is the season for all those inshore fish; flounder, snapper, gurnard, trevalley, kahawai and mullet.

SaLtWater FISH

Frozen Convenient and economical and you get what you get.

FreSHWater FISH

Albacore The season for this underrated little white fleshed tuna starts in mid summer as the waters warm up. Another fish that is too good for the cat.

Antarctic toothfish This is available

during this period only and is definitely not PC.

Blue cod is not actually a cod, some sort of wrasse I think. It has beautifully flavoured, if delicate, white flesh and the best fish come from the furthest south for my money.

Bluenose is a bloody good replacement for the bloody good Hapuku and all year round as well. But most still goes to Aussie.

Dory (black and smooth, mirror, in other words all deep sea Oreo Dory family). All 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 perfect for single servings.

Flounder It will be flounder madness for the next four months as the quality improves and prices drop. Groper (Hapuku) This is still a bloody good time for hapuku as it is a bloody good fish and bloody expensive.

Gurnard is always available and there is always a flush of gurnard in January so the cost should be right. There are usually some small ones in the market at an even better price also. Lovely fish you can’t afford to ignore, especially at this time of year.

Green bone A terrible name for a wonderful fish. This is the time for this kelp fish.

Hoki This is our largest commercial fishery and the annual hoki harvest finished at the end of september. There is always plenty of frozen, battered, crumbed etc around, although this is another fish on the dreaded red list.

John Dory There is always a dribble of this best of fishes coming in so there will be a little available at a price, mostly as by catch.

Kahawai January and February will be the

MARKET INTELLIGENCE 7

Sharks summer is

the good time for doggies (rig, spotted dogfish etc) and school sharks,

although they may not agree, but they are all great eating. Big sharks are a no no these days.

Skate If you know how to use them, great. Skipjack tuna summer is the time for this little red fleshed tuna. Our people need to take a closer look at this tuna and push for it to be made available fresh instead of it going to the canning industry. One of the few tuna not red listed either.

Snapper The season has started and it only gets better. The smaller plate-sized fish will be the best price.

Sole 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.

Spotted gurnard The best priced fish in the market. Tarakihi November is the main time for this fish but there will still be a good supply over summer. And there is always the eternal frozen product, usually as ‘skin on’ fillets, and skinned and boned fillets, all in 10kg cartons and handy as back up.

Trevalley This fantastic common fish is always very well priced. The main season is on and over summer the numbers taken increase as the fish school, with up to 60 tonnes taken in January alone.

Tuna 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 by-catch species.

Solander . 0800 555 548 . seafood@solander.co.nz . Cross Quay PO Box 5041 . Port Nelson 7040

www.gourmetseafood.co.nz

best time for this delectable inexpensive fish that is 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. Later this period (February) is likely to be the best for kingis price-wise.

Ling The fresh season for ling has just ended, but the frozen and smoked product is available.

Monkfish (stargazer) I cannot give this 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 Lots of this beautiful fatty fish over summer and very economical, even smoked.

Piper This fish is a winter fish and in recent years it has been damn hard to find in the marketplace even in season.

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 not exactly PC these days. Red cod must have mothers so someone can love them. A bloody awful fish! 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 of larger fish available and all three producers have good quality product.

Sardines We have lots around our coast and now you can get them. You can order direct at salty Dog seafoods on 0-9-433 7002. Can be supplied fresh or snap-frozen free-flow and you can designate the size.

Warehou This is another southern species and the price is always reasonable.

FreSHWater FISH

Catfish are now available from the AFM; try them.

Eel, longfin and shortfin The fresh

season is all year in the North Island. south Island eel on again. smoked eel is always obtainable.

Koi That pretty pest of our waterways, the koi carp, is also now available from the Auckland Fish Market; well priced and worth a shot.

Salmon, quinnat some good fish available and the fish are larger from now on. The product from Mount Cook salmon is excellent as the very cold fast water of the hydro-electric canal between Lakes Tekapo and Pukaki, where these fish are farmed, tends to make their flesh firmer than pond-reared fish as the fish have to constantly fight the current.

Whitebait The bait season sadly done and dusted, bugger!

SHeLLFISH

Bluff oysters Done and dusted.

Clams Restaurants will find the Golden Bay variety of cockle (littleneck) always in good supply. For my money northern cockles are still the premium shellfish and things have improved just lately with the quieter weather.

Clevedon Coast oysters always good but not quite as good over the high season January to March – but still damn fine oysters.

Farmed Flat (Bluff) oysters, are now available from solander and a mighty fine

MARKET INTELLIGENCE8

oyster they are too. Effectively farmed Bluff oysters, these giants come in pottles under the southern Glory Oysters brand.

Geoduck sometimes called king clams so as not to frighten the punters, Geoducks 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.

Kina Just the thing for that something extra in a sauce. Available live and there will be literally acres of them in late summer.

Kiwi surf clams (hard 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 (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 cool for bulking up that chowder.

New Zealand scallops This is the season, so go get this lovely fresh fat New Zealand shellfish at least until the quota runs out.

Octopus When it’s fresh it’s the best mollusc from

the sea and there have been lots in lately. And its smart enough to wander out of the kitchen on

its own.

Pacific oysters will not be at their best and fattest from now. supplies of this shellfish should be okay this year but next year looks like being a problem.

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, Wilson Hellaby and Neat Meat.

Solander . 0800 555 548 . seafood@solander.co.nz . Cross Quay PO Box 5041 . Port Nelson 7040

www.gourmetseafood.co.nz

Paua (farmed) This smaller version of the wild paua is now available at a much more realistic price these days.

Paua (wild) This is the seabed and foreshore packaged in a shell. Use it all year if you have a robust bank account. Do NOT be tempted by the crooks coming to the back door, these #%*^& cowboys are destroying the stocks with half the paua harvest being illegal.

Pipi Very, very good eating, though usually only in local markets. The rain has been a real problem, but now supply has improved with the more settled weather.

Queen scallops These are a deep water type and can be sourced all year; however they are usually only available frozen.

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 is the best bet for supply.

Squid The main season for arrow squid starts about now and it’s so much better fresh. The broad squid (sometimes mistakenly called female squid; this is a different species and I think the better eating one), is available often, also fresh. We can always get the frozen calamari product.

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.

Tuatua (inshore) I feel these have the best flavour. These 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.

Yellow eyed mullet, sprats if you will, are now more available fresh and not just for bait. Try them – great eating and great buying.

CrUStaCeaNS

Bugs Your imported seafood supplier should have these and they can be a good economic option.

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. A very few are turning up here and there.

Tis the season for your paddle crabs. A top crab will always be 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 The main season should have started again, but bugger all in the market and exorbitant at $60 plus per kg for the littlies. It will not likely go down either as supply is short and the export market strong despite the high NZ$.

Koura (farmed organic) The season is away. The only legal producer is still New Zealand Clearwater Crayfish in Marlborough.

New Zealand prawns are available from the hot water prawn farm at Wairakei near Taupo. They have a more delicate flavour than other prawns and are definitely worth a shot.

Imported prawn Ideally the only good prawn is a fresh one.

MARKET INTELLIGENCE 9