During October’s National Seafood Month, Rancho Cucamonga, California, U.S.A.-based seafood and surimi company Aquamar is continuing its “Chickensanity” campaign by encouraging consumers to reach for seafood-based products instead of chicken.
“Seafood deserves a seat at the head of the table all year long, not just for 31 days each fall, and this season it's ready to crash the wing party,” the company said in a release.
In the U.S., tailgate season is prominent in October, meaning consumers often reach for protein dishes containing chicken – chicken wings, chicken tenders, and chicken nuggets. Aquamar certified master chef and Chief of Culinary Development Brad Barnes told SeafoodSource that chicken has become the “default” protein for many households due to its comfortability and predictability – and that’s “chickensanity.”
“There’s nothing wrong with chicken, but consumers don’t need to eat the same thing every time they watch a game,” Barnes said. “Seafood can play in virtually all of those same craveable, shareable occasions."
Instead of chicken nuggets or boneless chicken wings, Barnes said Aquamar’s crispy scallop bites can serve as the main dish for any occasion. He added that surimi could be mixed into a variety of cold or hot dips, as well as topping on nachos or appetizer dishes.
“The opportunity is really about giving consumers more choice,” Barnes said. “Seafood brings great flavor, protein and variety to an occasion that has become incredibly chicken-centric. At Aquamar, we believe seafood should be an option every day of the week, and that includes game day.”
Ask Barnes for a new recipe, and he’ll suggest “cevichos,” or ceviche nachos incorporating the familiar gameday favorite nacho with Aquamar’s Flake Cut Surimi.
“The best thing for a human diet is variety; people eat too much chicken and forego variety,” Barnes said. “As Americans begin to look more at the value of food in their daily routines, seafood adds variety and nutrients that chicken cannot replace, making it a valuable choice for a meal.”
Overall, Barnes said adding seafood-based proteins into diets more frequently is positive, because it adds in vitamins and minerals only present in fish like Omega-3s. Consumer trends are shifting towards protein-heavy diets, especially in snack foods, and further price spikes on beef are driving consumers towards seafood as the protein of choice.
“I wouldn’t characterize it as consumers moving from chicken to seafood in a significant way yet,” Barnes said. “The consumption gap is still enormous. Americans eat nearly 100 pounds of chicken per capita annually compared with only about 19 pounds of seafood. The question for our industry is how we turn consumers’ existing love of seafood into more eating occasions. Closing even a small portion of that nearly five-to-one consumption gap would represent tremendous growth for seafood.”
