Unloved British seafood - rebranding

[Ditto]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-55996938

 

Interesting article talking about rebranding one of our strong seafood exports.

 

The name is possibly important. I remember learning that Rock Salmon and Dogfish are the same thing - one certainly sounds more appealing than the other! Has anyone had Spider Crab or Megrim Sole - what did you think? I'd certainly be up for trying them. Perhaps they need a celebrity chef to promote a dish or two.

[TechMonkey]

Just read this too. I can see spider crab being an issue, not a great connotation for some, but I don't see why Megrim Sole would be an issue apart from not a well known name. If it was offered I'd give them a go.

I think the issue is that it is one of those circular arguments. Supermarkets sell what people know, customers buy what supermarkets sell so don't know anything different, so supermarkets sell more of what people know. Look at the fish section and it will be cod, haddock, salmon, tuna. My local has started doing a few little differences so I've been able to get monkfish but it really is luck if it is there.

I remember Jamie Oliver and his friend Jimmy doing a some segments on foods we produce in the UK that we don't really eat. Langoustines was a massive export but I'd never heard of them. We really need to eat more of what we can harvest here.

[bald_pig]

Just read this too. I can see spider crab being an issue, not a great connotation for some, but I don't see why Megrim Sole would be an issue apart from not a well known name. If it was offered I'd give them a go.

I think the issue is that it is one of those circular arguments. Supermarkets sell what people know, customers buy what supermarkets sell so don't know anything different, so supermarkets sell more of what people know. Look at the fish section and it will be cod, haddock, salmon, tuna. My local has started doing a few little differences so I've been able to get monkfish but it really is luck if it is there.

I remember Jamie Oliver and his friend Jimmy doing a some segments on foods we produce in the UK that we don't really eat. Langoustines was a massive export but I'd never heard of them. We really need to eat more of what we can harvest here.

 

I assume people read it as "Me Grim".

 

 

I think getting it into restaurants is probably a better way of getting people on board. I remember many years ago being offered pollock instead of cod at a chip shop as part of the overfishing campaign at the time. Bigger portion, same price, and just as tasty. Stick it on a menu and people will eat it!

[Norphy]

They tried similar with pollock, calling it Colin for some reason.

 

Langoustines are used in scampi most of the time.

[elsiegee40]

They tried similar with pollock, calling it Colin for some reason.

 

Langoustines are used in scampi most of the time.

 

Colin (pronounced coe-lan (ish)) is the French word for pollock

 

I have eaten both megrim and spider crab and they’re both tasty.

 

If it sounds better to the sensitive then I suppose it’s OK.

Edited February 9, 2021 by elsiegee40

[Ditto]

Pollock being called Jack-son would make more sense! I presume Colin has got the same derivation as coley, which my mum used to cook up for our cat years ago. Cat loved it and went a bit crazy whilst it was cooking. I'm actually lucky as I have a superb fish-monger in a neighbouring village - I really should use it more. I bought four Sea-bass fillets there last week and they must have been treble the size of the shrink wrapped ones in Waitrose. The challenge I had was fitting them in the pan. They had plenty of monkfish, which as a meaty white fish actually works in curried or spicer dishes. I'll ask them about the ones in the article and see what their take on it is.