France-based seafood supplier Escal has launched a series of sustainable, frozen fillet products, including organic salmon as well as Marine Stewardship Council-certified haddock, saithe, wild cod, and white tuna.
The fillets – which are prepared without additives to ensure Escal’s rigorous quality standards have been met – are deep-frozen directly after being fished, then vacuumed-sealed to avoid freezer burn. The products are ideal for pan cooking, grilling, and more, weighing 250 grams each. According to a company press release, the products are now available, having hit retail channels in June 2018.
Each product prizes sustainability, a key component in Escal’s mission as a business and an important distinction for the company’s customers.
“Preservation of the environment and sustainability have been key issues for Escal for many years,” the company said. “With the development of fish assortment, the German-French family enterprise corresponds not only to its own high claims, but to the wishes for consumers to enjoy sustainable seafood products.”
The sustainability schemes the company commits to have stringent, thorough criteria that align with Escal’s overarching aims as a supplier, it said.
“The MSC certification is awarded only to fisheries which fulfill certain criteria,” Escal added. “Among other things belongs the protection of the fish supplies as well as a low unwanted catch rate. Also, organic-certification is under severe rules, like the protection of the ecosystems or the ban of chemical products.”
Escal’s premium organic salmon product is sourced from biological aquaculture in Ireland’s Connemara region. It “is farmed, filleted on the spot, and deep-frozen only once,” the company said.
Meanwhile, the company’s MSC-certified cold water wild cod fillets are sourced from the waters above Norway. This fillet is perfect stewed and cooked, Escal said, with the meat yielding a low-fat content and a soft texture.
The fish used to create the South Pacific white tuna product hails from the Fiji Islands from an MSC-certified fishery. Best barbecued or roasted, the tuna medallions “dispose of a slightly salty and soft taste as well as a delicate meat,” according to Escal.
The haddock fillets are caught in the icy waters of Iceland, while Escal’s Nordic saithe originates from both Iceland and the Faroes islands.
Alongside the company’s new frozen fillet offerings emerges its Fingerfood Stuffed Mussels, prepared in crispy wafer shells. The product sets out to attract younger consumers by reviving a classic French culinary art, Escal said.
“The great classic of the French gastronomy declined in an original and fun way for a friendlier use and for a younger target,” the company explained.
The product features two flavors – butter, garlic, and parsley, as well as butter, tomato, and basil. The mussels are made in France with natural ingredients and are preservative-free. The edible shell is composed of wheat flour, rice starch, egg, powder yeast, and water. Its color comes from a natural coloring agent.
A prime producer of frozen specialties, Escal is committed to presenting a wide range of products boasting a French culinary "savoir-faire." The company’s products are developed by chefs skilled in gastronomy, and are created in Escal’s France-based IFS-certified factories. A family-owned business, Escal distributes its products in 25 countries. It specializes in sea products, escargots appetizers, and Alsatian specialties.
