SeafoodSource recently interviewed Rick Spalding, director of foodservice marketing at Fishery Products International, a division of High Liner Foods, about the launch of the company’s new value-added FireRoasters™ Flame-Seared Seafood line, which includes Asian Barbecue Salmon, Southwest Style Cod, Citrus Peppercorn Tilapia, Applewood Salmon, Thai Basil Tilapia and Rustic Italian Cod.
Grandin: Why did you create these ethnic-inspired seafood products?
Spalding: We’ve been working on our FireRoasters™ line for three years now, incorporating culinary and consumer trends that we felt were changing the landscape of value-added seafood. As we’ve done with our UpperCrust®, Pan-Sear Selects® and Tiki Island innovations, we looked to white tablecloth to determine what the next ‘trickle down’ culinary trend would be in foodservice. Heavier breaded and battered seafood items were and are being replaced with fresher, natural, lightly prepared items emphasizing the quality of the raw material and the authenticity of the ingredients.
Crusted was hot in the early part of the decade, and our launch of UpperCrust capitalized on that trend. Now chefs are working with open-flame cooking and traditional high heat roasting to deliver on-trend seafood. Once again, we’ve practiced “culinology” in taking this culinary trend and executing it in a mass production environment. Operators are able to get delicious, fresh and flavorful flame-roasted seafood without having to invest in expensive high-heat roasting equipment or a uniquely skilled culinary staff. Our 5-ounce IQF natural fillets are designed for simple preparation — simply bake and serve requiring only a convection/conventional oven, microwave and no unique BOH skilled labor.
How are these flavors being received in the market?
The line consists of six different flavor profiles, some mainstream and some more exotic. We have a popular and proven “Citrus Peppercorn” profile on our super deep-skinned natural tilapia fillets. We also have a more exotic Thai Basil profile using coconut milk, lemongrass, ginger and other authentic ingredients.
Overall, all six items are doing extremely well. In only 30 days, we’ve secured distribution on all items nationally with most of our major distributor partners. Feedback from operators and distributors has been very positive, reinforcing our belief that the line’s attributes would be on the mark. Healthcare has taken a great interest in this line as it’s very nutritionally strong. An excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, lower in sodium (some even under 200 milligram per portion), all natural ingredients, and trans-fat free — these are perfect for this high volume channel.
Are there plans to expand the product line?
Down the road, we definitely will continue to expand this to other flavor profiles and to additional species, both finfish and shellfish.
What do you hope to gain from entering the International Boston Seafood Show’s New Product Showcase?
We are confident that our line is truly innovative, bringing value-added seafood to an entirely new place. We hope that the criteria for recognition/award will be driven both by the culinary innovation and by the “marketability” of the product, i.e. can this be something that will support a broad spectrum of foodservice operators and drive significant volume? In the past, some of the New Product Showcase winners produced unique products that couldn’t be produced or marketed to a larger foodservice audience. FireRoasters is truly innovative and marketable throughout the commercial and non-commercial channels.
What’s been your biggest success in launching these products?
We are only a month or so into this launch, so it’s hard to gauge a single success at this point. However, the impressive initial demand and enthusiastic response from the field bodes well for future success.
What’s been the biggest challenge launching these new products?
Based on the complexity of delivering open-flame roasted seafood in a ready-to-bake, value-added IQF format, this line took multiple years in development and commanded resources across our company.
What retail outlets do you hope to sell the product in?
This line has value across most foodservice channels. From healthcare to colleges, casual dining to hotel F&B, resorts to B&I, this line appeals to a broad audience. The versatility across the menu also presents opportunities to expand seafood into less traditional, center of the plate applications. Whether used as a premium topping on a salad, an ingredient in a soup or pasta, or a key component of an on-trend wrap or sandwich, this line expands what’s possible in seafood menuing.
