Chinese seafood processor and importer Dalian Rich Enterprise Group is targeting a new line of seafood dumplings at the U.S. and Southeast Asian markets.
“It is our new project [and a] popular item,” company sales executive Sara Shi told SeafoodSource.
The frozen dumplings for boiling come with seven types of stuffing, including mackerel, pollock, salmon shrimp, scallop, and squid. The pan-fried fish gyoza (a Japanese culinary term for dumplings) range feature four types of stuffing: scallop, salmon, pollock, and shrimp.
“We are targeting retailers and wholesalers. We do our own brand and also do OEM brands,” Shi said.
Dalian Rich is headquartered in Dalian, one of China’s largest ports and seafood processing hubs, which was also impacted earlier this year by restrictions on movement due to COVID-19 outbreaks and a heightened food safety inspection regime of all inbound seafood. It remains difficult to get imported seafood products through Dalian port due to COVID checks, according to Shi.
“It takes a longer time to get the imported cargo from the seaport,” Shi said. “The seaport jam is [now a] normal situation due to the COVID inspection. There is also additional cost to do disinfection in a centralized warehouse.”
Even with heightened scrutiny of seafood imports due to public concern over reported discoveries of COVID-19 on the wrapping of some imported seafood, demand and pricing remain strong in China, Shi said.
“Most fish species are in short supply in China because the raw material can’t enter smoothly,” Shi said. “Wild salmon and farmed salmon is popular and in short supply in the market. Twice-frozen pollock fillet block is also a hot sale because the [European Union] market can’t get enough single frozen block from Russia and Alaska.”
Photo courtesy of Dalian Rich Enterprise Group
