In this business every day is unpredictable. Conditions can go from calm to dangerous, still to stormy in minutes. Fish can come under threat for a variety of reasons and at M&J Seafood we aim to stay one step ahead and preserve the future of our oceans.
We’re immersed in the whole process from ‘sea to me’. Pick our brains for new varieties and we’ll help you get creative in the kitchen. Whatever it takes, M&J Seafood will work alongside you and your chefs to put delicious, sustainable, responsibly caught fish on the menu.
Fish and seafood have never been more popular. So how can you give your customers the best choice without putting pressure on tomorrow’s supplies? M&J Seafood works with key industry bodies, peers, customers and regulators to make sure our supplies are sustainable.
We champion the responsible fishing scheme, keep an eye on our food miles and support ethical sourcing. We’ll even give you recipe ideas for using under-utilised species.
Here we have created some quick guide lists to keep your offer sustainable, giving both your and your customers peace of mind.
Fresh Devon Crab Pâté
Our Devon brown crabs are pot-caught – the most traditional method for over a century and one which causes minimal damage to the habitat and to other species. This fresh natural pâté provides a lighter textured alternative to traditional meat pâtés on your menus. Perfect for starters, canapés or buffets.
Black Pearl Sea Scallops
These hand selected ‘Black Pearl’ Atlantic sea scallops are sustainably harvested along the Atlantic seaboard and processed daily. While we supply these excellent quality scallops chilled through most of the year, Christmas is always a patchy time for availability. This is why we also offer these scallops which are frozen at sea within an hour of harvesting ensuring a premium textured superior scallop. This offers a more cost effective and consistently available product throughout the year.
Fresh Cod Cheeks
A true delicacy, the cheek is tender, succulent and the tastiest part of the cod. Cut from mature 5kg+ British fish caught within a quota, the cheek is the tiny pocket of meat just below the eye.
We believe a big part of making sustainable choices is by using under-utilised species, however we also believe in encouraging a greater use of off-cuts from prime species such as cod, monkfish and skate, bringing back a more responsible and economic “nose to tail” approach to fish.
Fresh Red Sea Prawns
Our Fresh Red Sea Prawns come from the largest desert coastal fully integrated aquaculture farm located in the pristine waters of the South Western stretch of the Red Sea.
Our supplier is a founding member of the prestigious GAA (Global Aquaculture Alliance, which is dedicated to advancing Sustainable, Environmentally and Socially friendly Seafood farming).
An excellent, low fat and low calorie protein great for a healthy menu option!
Fabulous across a range of different cuisines.
Meagre
Highly prized for the quality of its succulent white flesh, Meagre is a member of the sciaenidae family (which can also be marketed as croaker, drum or jewfish), and offers a similar taste and texture to wild sea bass. Due to its similarity, Meagre is also sometimes incorrectly and misleadingly sold as stone bass, so always make sure you know what you’re buying.
Meagre is a widespread species found from Norway down to the west coast of Africa where the largest fish are found.
Fresh Whole Yellowtail Amberjack
Amberjack also known as hiramasa, ricciola, yellowtail kingfish or Australian kingfish.
With an aim to preserve local fish stocks of indigenous species the fish are produced in on-shore hatcheries from wild brood stock, fingerlings are then grown in offshore sea cages in the pristine ocean environment of the Spencer Gulf, South Australia.
Cages are positioned away from the coastline and miles away from heavily populated estuarine environments or other aquaculture ventures.
Fresh Cornish Albacore Tuna
Albacore is a less-familiar species of tuna in the UK, where we are more used to seeing Yellowfin from warmer waters. Albacore is a smaller fish than Yellowfin, but the benefit of this is that it yields smaller loins which offer a difference presentation, where they can be seared and sliced like a pork loin. In terms of eating, Albacore offers a comparable meaty taste and texture to Yellowfin, but with a much lighter coloured “white” meat.
Fresh Lake Victoria Nile Perch
Wild Nile Perch (Lates niloticus) from Lake Victoria in Africa is one of the biggest fresh water species in the world, with fish as large as 20-30kg often being landed. Its size means that Nile Perch yields superb bone-free fillets which are cut into meaty suprêmes of firm white flesh with a mild, clean flavour. It’s prized for its delicate flavour which is highly versatile.
Dorset Char
A close relative of salmon and trout, Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus) is favoured for its light earthy flavour, natural colour and firm flesh. Arctic Char are found in various freshwaters around Northern Europe, including our current source – Houghton Springs Farm in North Dorset. The incubation, hatching and early rearing is carried out in water chilled to 6˚C for three months to reflect their natural environment and harsh winters.
