Glenmar Shellfish, which exports premium seafood to places as far afield as Japan, China, Singapore, Taiwan, Canada and US, from its Co Cork base, found a new domestic market as a result of a downturn in sales. Irish consumers can now order online from Glenmar Seafood at Home and have premium quality fish, normally reserved for top-end restaurants, delivered to their homes.
All sorts of fish and shellfish can be ordered, and prices are keen. A whole turbot, about 1kg, is €22, for example. The Glenmar Luxury Box, which includes a west Cork lobster, Porcupine Bank deep-sea prawns, spider crab claws, crab toes, smoked salmon and wild shrimp, costs €100 including delivery, and will serve four.
Glenmar's sales and marketing director Juan Blanes, who was born in Buenos Aires to Argentine-Irish parents and went to school in Ireland, is a trained chef. "I did my studies in international commerce simultaneously with a degree in culinary arts. I worked as chef in the US, Spain and Ireland, while finishing further studies in business and food innovation at UCC."
Due to Blanes's culinary skills, Glenmar's online recipe section is particularly strong, for example these tips for serving Basque pilpil sauce with a baked fish, which I tried and it worked a treat: "Once the fish is cooked, add a drizzle of apple cider vinegar on top and leave to rest for four minutes. Vinegar will help to release the collagen from the fish; this is like gold for emulsifying your sauce. Use all the liquids at the bottom of the tray, pour them into a bowl, and blend slowly, adding olive oil, and emulsifying them like a mayonnaise." glenmarathome.com
Sicín tonight?
Sicín Sásta is a new Irish chicken brand, from Carton Brothers in Co Cavan, which is being launched in supermarkets this month. The premium product is free-range and fed on a mix that is milled on-site and made of 70 per cent wholegrains sourced from local farmers.
Packaging innovations have also been introduced. The whole chickens are sold in bags rather than trays and clingfilm, and the fillets come in trays that use 60 per cent less plastic. Stockists will include SuperValu and Tesco plus independent retailers.
Top-class cooking at home
A new eight-part series of Cook-In with chef Mark Moriarty begins on RTÉ1 on Wednesday, April 7th, at 8.30pm. "Home cooking has become a big part of life over the last year, and the aim is to showcase some simple, delicious recipes that people can replicate at home," Moriarty says.
In the first episode he will be cooking chicken Kiev, spicy pork tacos, Bolognese and garlic bread, and giving bacon, cabbage and parsley sauce a restaurant-worthy twist.
