12:50 p.m. — The finalists for the 2012 Seafood Prix d'Elite new products comptetion have been announced!
12 p.m. — Scott McLane and Gerald Magid, president and VP of One Earth Organics just stopped by the SeafoodSource booth and told me about how they’re helping the seafood industry turn their waste into dollars.
The company has been working with SeaWatch International, which hired them to tackle the 10,000 tons of waste their New Bedford, Mass. plant produces annually and has “been making good progress.”
One Earth started by getting them to switch from disposing their waste in a landfill to a compost site for half the price. SeaWatch’s waste also now ends up as feed for the mink industry and poultry industry. They’re also looking into a number of other options including turning what was once thought of as waste into products for human consumption since they discovered it has high nutraceutical value.
McLane said they are at the show today to not only try out the popular ping pong tables, but to try and find other seafood companies who produce a lot of waste who may be in need of One Earth's services.
11:15 a.m. — Alaska Symphony of Seafood judges know what they’re doing. I stopped by the 2012 foodservice award winner, American Pride Seafoods’, booth and got a sample of their Sweet Potato Crunch Alaska Pollock Sticks and was wowed, and I’m not the only one.
“People are loving it, we can’t keep up,” said Ben Keylor, marketing assistant, who said winning the award will absolutely increase sales of the product and advertisements for the products display the Alaska Symphony of Seafood logo.
1 a.m. — Ocean Beauty, known mostly for its products hailing from Alaskan waters, is debuting its just released line of Chilean mussels.
The company’s St. Andrews brand of frozen blue mussels is available for both the retail and foodservice markets and Ron Christianson, VP of U.S. sales told me that what’s going to differentiate their product line from others is its breadth and affordability.
The product comes in 12 items including breaded, whole shell, half shell, mussel meat, as well as sauced. The sauce varieties include Mussels in White Wine Sauce, Mussels in Butter and Garlic and Mussels in Tomato Garlic Sauce.
The one-pound boxes will retail for USD 4.99, but be marketed for as low as USD 3.99 or better.
Christianson said Ocean Beauty has been involved in Chile for a number of years and felt that the area matched well with both its operations in Alaska and its products.
Ocean Beauty will start shipping the sustainable line in mid-April.
9:00 a.m. — Follow SeafoodSource bloggers Chuck Anderson and Roy Palmer as they navigate the show floor and give you their take on the atmosphere of the biggest International Boston Seafood Show ever.
5:00 p.m. — Chef Chris Gould of Boston’s Uni Sashimi Bar has won the second round of the Shucks Maine Lobster’s Lobster World Series.
Gould’s Butter Basted Lobster was a home run, beating out three other U.S. chefs to move on to the final round of the competition, which will take place in Maine later this year.
“It’s great! I can’t complain,” said Gould of winning. Gould said he will prepare a completely different recipe for the final round, applying more seasonal ingredients than he used on Sunday.
The first round of the competition took place at the Asian Seafood Exposition last September, with Patrick Goubier, executive chef of Chez Patrick in Hong Kong, winning. The third chef will be selected at the European Seafood Exposition in late April.
3:30 p.m. — Grieg Seafood Hjaltland and Dish Hospitality won this year’s Seafood Excellence Awards. Grieg’s WildWaters Gravadlax Limoncello won best new retail product, while Dish’s Oriental Shrimp Nest won best foodservice product.
2:00 p.m. — SeaWatch International’s fifth annual Creative Clam Challenge has come to an end. After two hours and 500 votes, finalist Jesse Roberts, a culinary student at Johnson and Wales University, took home USD 2,500 for his Clam Butternut Squash Spring Rolls with a Spicy Lime Ginger Dipping Sauce.
“I’m speechless,” said Roberts of his win, adding that he’s going to use his prize money on school books for next year.
“I saw a poster on the wall up at my school and thought ‘I should try that,’” said Roberts. “I was thinking about it for a week and then I went to a Korean restaurant and has springs rolls and it hit me.”
Culinary Institute of America student Hristine Misafris placed second and took home USD 1,000 for her Clam Crepes with a Sherry Cream Sauce.
12:30 p.m. — Live video streaming of the Keynote Address, “Economic Crises and Natural Catastrophes as New Normal?” is starting now. Go to www.ustream.tv/channel/ibss2012 to watch!
11:40 a.m. — Getting envious of the judges sampling the finalists for the Seafood Excellence Awards at the New Products Showcase right next to the SeafoodSource booth No. 1301. Can’t wait to see who takes home the grand prize!
11:00 a.m. — Just stopped by Samuels & Sons booth No. 1551 to have my first mouthwatering taste of Peruvian wonderfish paiche. The sustainable, farmed fish recently made an appearance on The Food Network’s “Iron Chef,” garnering praise from both the chefs and the judges.
ArtisanFish, the exclusive supplier of the fish to the U.S. market, has already seen success in getting paiche into the foodservice segment, with business growing four-fold since the last time I talked to CEO Adrian Burstein a year ago.
Burstein said there is also a retail deal very close to completion.
8:55 a.m. — The call to boycott Canadian seafood to save baby seals got a boost on Sunday in the form of artist Ke$ha who has teamed up with Humane Society International to deliver an emotional plea to stop the clubbing of the marine mammals. The SeafoodSource team is hoping the “We R Who We R” singer takes her cause to the next level and makes an appearance at SeafoodSource booth 1301 to “meet the editors.”
