Seafood is often avoided during the monsoons, After Hrs explores if it’s really unsafe and what are the various alternatives
The monsoon has often been considered a season to stay away from seafood. There are many reasons for this, including the fact that it’s the fish breeding period and also the rough seas accompanied by lashing rain is not ideal for fishermen to venture out in their trawlers. However, for those who want to continue to consume their seafood there are alternatives. Some restaurants import their catch from elsewhere, while others turn to safe frozen foods.
Chef Nachiket Shetye of 36 Oak & Barley, which serves a variety of seafood like prawns, calamari, basa and salmon, says the advances in transport and freezing technology is a boon to the restaurant industry. “We ensure the safest produce is served. Most of the catch still comes fresh to Mumbai from Kolkata, Gujarat and Chennai. There are a lot of vendors that carry frozen seafood like basa, john dory, barramundi, ccallops, tuna, so the product is the same year round and perfectly safe.”
Chef Joo Kiang Ng, Emperors Court, Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel feels the monsoon catch is safe provided it has been cooked properly. “One needs to ensure that the seafood is coming from a good and reliable supplier. Further, checking for a strange odour, is the quickest way to detect if it is stale. Fresh fish should have a moist feel, whereas spoiled fish seems slimy. The temperature at which the fish is stored can also affect the quality,” he says.
Frozen packaged seafood is also providing an easy option. Rahul Kulkarni, Director — Marketing, West Coast Group says there’s an increase in sales of frozen seafood during these months. “This is attributed to the non-availability of much fresh sea catch.
Consumers who love their fish and prawns have little option than to buy frozen seafood products,” he says, adding that a stringent pro-biotic process is carried out to ensure the food stays fresh. The produce is immediately frozen after it is harvested, ensuring a higher percentage of nutrients are preserved.
“During the monsoon, it’s breeding season on the west coast, so officially fishing is banned. Our fish comes from the east, during this period, from the shores of Vishakapatnam and Bengal,” says Sangram Sawant, Managing Director, Pescafresh that continues to provide fresh seafood throughout the year. They also import salmon from Scotland and trout from the Himalayas and deliver it to households.
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