Chile’s national fishery service Sernapesca has brought a selection of added-value fish products to one of Chile’s largest culinary fairs as part of its effort to develop the country’s artisanal fishing and increase consumption of seafood products in Chile.
Sernapesca’s participation in the Echinuco 2017 festival is part of its “Te Quiero Caleta” initiative, and this year’s selection includes five different products and projects which were on display for the public event. Echinuco is open to the public, but also frequented by restaurants, culinary writers, and international visitors in Santiago’s upscale Vitacura neighborhood.
One of the highlighted products is called “Caleta de Agua” (caleta means pier in Spanish but is also a colloquial Chilean term for abundance or a large quantity of something), and will demonstrate how authorities have implemented reverse osmosis systems in Chilean fishing bays to produce desalinized drinking water, using 100 percent renewable energy, according to a Sernapesca press statement.
As part of its “from the sea to my table” initiative, Sernapesca has also arranged cooking classes at the fair using seafood preparations, as part of its efforts to significantly increase seafood consumption in Chile’s domestic market over the next 10 years.Despite Chile’s status as one of the world’s largest seafood producers, per capita fish represented only eight percent of total protein consumption in Chile in 2013, according to local daily Economia y Negocios – although that number has grown in recent years.
Seafood products showcased and sold at the event include filets of Chilean jack mackerel; smoked clams sold under the Julive brand; premixed combinations of kelp marmalade and sea salts; and frozen seafood from Almar, a seafood firm based in Coquimbo, in northern Chile.
The festival is also featuring frozen La Serena razor clams from the San Pedro Cooperative. The razor clam is a popular delicacy at Chilean restaurants, but stocks have dwindled in many areas of the country – a situation that has attracted attention from international NGOs. La Serena’s production has been highlighted for its sustainable practices and environmental controls.
