Where to go to get seafood without paying the earth-cfoodlover?!
Where to go to get seafood without paying the earth-cfoodlover?
Why is it that when you are hungry for seafood you must pay the earth for it and it is so hard to get.Yet restaurants can obtain hard to get things and sell them at triple the price.Does anyone know who commercially grows these things (crayfish,paua etc) and if they sell to the public as well as the restaurants..know wonder people are doing things illegally.Your response would be appreciated.
Answers:
It is possible to buy direct off the wharf, if you've got a car and you're able to get out to where the fishing is taking place in New Zealand.
I *do* know that you can legally harvest seafood yourself - while you might not have lobster pots handy to go out and nab yourself a crayfish dinner but I do think that it's relatively simple to BUT check the Ministry of Fisheries website to ensure that it's legal in the area. I know that many areas are signed and clearly state the limits that each person is allowed. I only moved to New Zealand a year and a half ago so my experience with this is limited!
I'm not sure of the specifics of paua and crayfish (abalone & lobster for non-Kiwi readers!) but I do know that according to the 1996 Fisheries act any commercial fisher can sell up to 10 kg of whole fin fish or up to 6 kilos of shellfish/3 kg of crustaceans (so unfortunately that would only be two or three crayfish, depending on how big they were!) per customer/day.
The January issue of Cuisine had an article on NZ "fresh-off-the-boat" fish and listed the following proprietors (see the back issue for more detailed info):
Akaroa warf: Murray Kiely (Fri to Sun 11am - 5pm, 03 304 6887)
Littleton Farmer's Market: Archie Laird (Sat morns, 027 687 9898)
Kaikoura: Shayne Garbes (Fri 10am - 1pm, 03 319 5977)
Taieri Mouth: Pauline Fraser (Weekends + Public Holidays, 12pm - 6pm, 03 481 7120)
Riverton: Barbara Lawless (1pm - 7pm, 03 234 8978)
New Plymouth: Robert Ainsley (retail outlet in the port area near their boatshed, 027 629 9048)
Wairarapa: Jean Kibblewhite, Masterton Farmers' Market, Sat mornings, 06 377 3614
Greymouth Wholesale Fish & Oyster: Mon - Fri 9am - 5pm, 03 768 7962
Picton: Over the Tracks Market, Blenheim, Sat 7am - 12pm, Redwood Sat 8am - 12pm, Picton Friday 2pm - 4.30pm, 03 573 8123
Source(s):
http://www.fish.govt.nz/en-nz/publicatio...
http://www.cuisine.co.nz/
Go to your local fresh/whole foods market for great fresh seafood, or some grocery stores carry quality seafood. Depending on where you live and the time of year things like crawfish can be difficult to find, but for most types you can find them anywhere. Some of my favorite seafood recipes come from Paula Deen or Emeril, both of which you can find on http://www.foodtv.com I hope that was helpful!
Go to all-you-can-eat seafood buffet restaurants.