124 | PRODUCTION Omega Seafood T T Ange Davidson Packaged, cooked mussels a superfood The Marlborough Sounds’ Greenshell mussels are harvested from September to June. If you’re ordering Greenshell mussels at a restaurant near you, there’s a high chance they’re from the Marlborough Sounds and processed by family owned and operated business Omega Seafood. Marlborough grown Greenshell mussels are the top gourmet shellfish product purchased by New Zealand Foodservice that supplies restaurants and cafes throughout the country. Processed by Omega Seafood, the shellfish are scrubbed and cleaned, and cooked in shell in their natural juices. These are vacuum packed in pouches to ensure a long shelf life. The company process small to medium grade mussels for a convenient mouth sized morsel. Omega Seafood’s marketing and sales manager Lizzie Redwood says the smaller mussels are much sweeter and an ideal size for restaurant and home chefs to cook with. “Providing chefs with high quality and conveniently packaged seafood makes mussels a really attractive product. New Zealand Greenshell mussels are the biggest in the world and the smaller sized shells we use were once considered a waste product in the industry,” says Lizzie. “We cook them as wholeshell and in their own natural juices, so the shellfish tastes fresh, juicy, and delicious. The wholeshell actually protects the meat from drying out and keeps the mussels tasting succulent and tender.” “Greenshell mussels are endemic to New Zealand and they’re a real superfood, high in iron and protein. They’re good for you and good for the environment as they filter feed and help clean the ocean as they grow.” Marlborough Sounds is home to 80% of the country’s Greenshell mussel farms as the sheltered bays provide ideal growing conditions. Rough seas and strong tides cause the shellfish to close and stop feeding. Lizzie’s father, Chris Redwood, grew up on Forsyth Island in the outer Marlborough Sounds and diversified into mussel farming in the late 1970s to make use of his farm’s flattest paddock, the ocean. The farm sold live mussels in bulk bags across the local market like the Wellington fish market, until 2003 when the family established their own processing plant at Riverlands near Blenheim. Omega Seafood now process mussels from farms throughout the sounds alongside harvesting their own farms around Forsyth Island and the outer heads. “With share farming we can process mussels all year round. We harvest full time from September to June, and over winter the mussels are spawning and left alone.” “With share farming we can process mussels all year round. We harvest full time from September to June, and over winter the mussels are spawning and left alone.” “We now export 80% of our products across the globe, with our biggest markets being the USA and China, mainly to restaurants as chefs love the convenience and quality. It seems most people prefer a chef to prepare mussels rather than cook these at home, but Covid was a great example of why you don’t want all your eggs in one basket. We went from a full order book to zero,” recalls Lizzie. As a result, the gourmet mussels can now be purchased in select supermarkets throughout New Zealand and are sold on-line through Saltwater Seafoods which offer a next day delivery. There is also a new retail focus across Omega’s export markets with large retailors coming on board. Omega Seafood also process and retail Littleneck Clams sourced from wild catch, quota managed fisheries near Dunedin. “Our aim is to create all natural, lightly cooked shellfish which can be eaten straight from the pack or used anywhere live shellfish would normally be used. “We take nature and make it safer and more convenient.” 239 Old Renwick Road, Blenheim 03 578 2648 admin@provincialcoldstores.co.nz 41 Gouland Road, Spring Creek 03 570 5944 provsc@provincialcoldstores.co.nz www.provincialcoldstores.co.nz Let us take care of all your storage requirements. Frozen, Chilled, Blast Freezing and Ambient storage available.
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