When you think about the stereotypical Australian diet, you’ll likely think of seafood. Perhaps it was Paul Hogan sharing with the world all those years ago the idea of throwing another shrimp on the barbie, or maybe it’s the fact that Australia is the world’s largest island continent? Whatever it is, the idea that Australia is home to a bountiful supply of seafood is not entirely true.
Australia’s fishing grounds are the third largest in the world and some 3,500 marine species call the waters around this country home. Yet interestingly, the low productivity of our marine waters limits wild capture fisheries production. It’s also worth noting that Australia differs from most other developed countries, choosing to export most seafood rather than supply to the domestic market.
But why is this so?
Australia is the world’s driest continent and the waterways, which feed our coastal zones are often low in nutrients. With drought comes relatively barren marine life, a far cry from the abundant pictures people have in their heads.
On top of this, Australians are now eating more seafood than ever, averaging 25kg of seafood per person each year. This may be significantly less than the average Japanese person, who eats roughly 213kg of seafood each year, but it’s a dramatic jump from the 8.5 kg we consumed just 10 years ago.
The good news is that we have some of the most advanced and sustainable commercial fisheries in the world. We have to, in order to protect the limited resource available. Fisheries in Australia are highly managed, which means that quality, sustainability and the ongoing availability of Australian seafood are pretty much guaranteed. We’re also lucky enough to enjoy fresh seafood from New Zealand, which also has one of the best reputations when it comes to sustainability and quality of seafood.
Quite simply, Australian and New Zealand seafood is special. It’s for this reason that we choose to celebrate it in the best way we know how.
Seafood at Kobe Jones
At Kobe Jones, we’re all about celebrating fine examples of seafood. One of the first things you’ll notice about us is the exceptional quality of each and every dish. This is particularly true of our salmon and toothfish dishes which are subtle in flavour, delicate in texture and vivid in colour. Whether it’s sashimi or nigiri, or marinated in poke sauce, choosing seafood from the Kobe Jones menu makes for a unique eating experience.
Salmon
Our choice of salmon at Kobe Jones is the incredible Saikou sushi grade salmon from Mt. Cook Alpine Salmon.
Mt. Cook Alpine salmon live in the pure glacial water amid the Southern Alps of New Zealand. They develop firm flesh with high levels of omega-3 fatty acids and less intramuscular fat than ocean-reared salmon, from swimming against the cold current. As a result of this, it is often said that Mt. Cook Alpine salmon are among the healthiest salmon in the world.
At 600m above sea level, Mt. Cook Alpine Salmon is the world’s highest salmon farm. Over two million gallons of pure glacial water flows through the farm every minute. It has the highest water flow of any farm in the world and leaves no agricultural or environmental pollution. In fact, Mt. Cook Alpine Salmon’s non-polluting farm is so pure, the water is drinkable both above and below the farm.
Mt. Cook Alpine Salmon farm houses a modern, state-of-the-art processing plant that is certified as a Best Aquaculture Practice facility. The salmon are euthanised using either traditional Iki Jimi techniques or the latest technology in mechanical stunners, killing fish quickly and humanely. Fish are not treated with vaccines, pesticides or antibiotics at any stage of the life cycle, and are kept naturally healthy due to the pristine, highly oxygenated water and high level exercise.
Firm in the mouth, clean and sweet on the palette, Mt. Cook Alpine Salmon is like no other salmon in the world. And the type we choose, Saikou, is the pure king that compliments the Kobe Jones menu perfectly.
Toothfish
Many of our white fish dishes at Kobe Jones showcase the Glacier 51 Toothfish, which offers the most sensational white flesh you can imagine. Found deep in the isolated sub-Antarctic (a staggering 4,109 km from mainland Australia) around Heard Island, nothing can rival its story.
The highly prized toothfish is found patrolling the treacherous icy waters that pour from the breathtaking Glacier 51 (Fiftyone Glacier). Gale force winds, horizontal snow, ten metre swell and as little as four hours light each day doesn’t sound like much fun, but thanks to volcanic crevices found 2,000 metres below sea level, the Glacier 51 offers ideal conditions for the Marine Stewardship Council(MSC) certified sustainable fishery.
Toothfish are caught using longline and hook techniques and once plucked from the earth’s coldest and roughest waters. They are humanely killed, filleted, packed and frozen on board the fishing vessel within minutes of being caught. This maintains the freshness and is the reason why we can’t get enough of this delicious fish.
Only the 10-12 kg whole fish are caught, and the Glacier 51 programme tags and releases thousands of fish each season to monitor population and migration dynamics.
When it comes to eating the toothfish, the Glacier 51 Toothfish has a snow white fillet with no bloodline and a broad scalloping flesh. Having fed on a range of live deep sea animals such as squid, its flavour is sweet, clean and delicate. The fish has a naturally high fat content which gives the fish a rich, luxurious feel, and is ideal for crispy skin preparations.
Try it for yourself
There’s a reason seafood is becoming increasingly popular in Australia. With some of the most advanced and sustainable fisheries in the world, Kobe Jones is able to produce Japanese inspired fresh and high quality seafood for our diners every day.
Why not dine at Kobe Jones and see if you can taste the difference?
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