TASTE THE SEAFOOD LEXICON - Seafish - Seafish seafood lexicon 9 oct 2012.pdf · supporting the...

supporting the seafood industry for a sustainable, profitable future supporting the seafood industry for a sustainable, profitable future

TASTE – THE SEAFOOD

LEXICON Maureen Reynier (Reynier Research)

Heather Middleton (Seafish)


Lexicon - Definition

• Definition of lexicon

• Noun

• The vocabulary of a person, language, or branch of knowledge


INTRODUCTION

The Seafood Lexicon devised as a means of helping the

consumer & foodservice sector better understand the

characteristics of a broader range of fish

In order that they can begin to have the confidence to use

alternative species

De-mystifying the species which are less familiar

Encourage less enthusiastic consumers and the more

conservative chefs to feel comfortable in trying new species

OVERALL trying to raise awareness and knowledge in the

sector

So that, the TOP 5 fish are not the ONLY ones that turn to

time after time


WHAT DID WE DO?

• Two extended tasting workshops

• Westminster Kingsway College

• Consumers & chefs

• 15 species tasted at each session so 30 species mapped

• December 2011 & July 2012

• Fish all served plain, unseasoned, steamed

• Spontaneous and prompted vocabulary

• Looking for feedback on FLAVOUR AND TEXTURE

• Comparing with characteristics of known fish


WHO DID WE SPEAK TO?

• CONSUMERS:

• Women

• Good age spread

• Mix of working status

• Above average interest in food

• Self-declared good palates

• CHEFS:

• Mix of levels of skill and

establishments

• From schools, event

caterers, pubs, hotels,

care homes

• Mix of men and women

• Mix of length of time in

profession


Private Nursery

Fish x 2 a week

On a budget but

need quality

(parents look at

menus)

Mashed mostly

(no bones!) &

sushi

Guidance from

owner &

authorities

Residential Care

Home

Fish 2 or 3 times a

week

Traditional tastes:

- haddock

- sea bass

- salmon

- skate

Strict monitoring

from authorities

(esp. portion size

– under feeding!)

Care re

preparation &

bones

Event Catering

Often canapé

based

Fish not that

popular with

clients

Concerns re

poisoning & bones

Smoked salmon,

dressed salmon,

mini fish & chips

But oyster bars =

increasingly

popular at

champagne

events

Gastro Pub

Seafood starter

every day

Plus, daily fish

specials

Fish from

Billingsgate

Sole, beer-

battered fish, cod,

haddock, prawns,

mussels

Chef had licence

to try new dishes

Tied Pub

Suppliers provided

by owner

Traditional fare:

- Fish & chips

- Scampi

- Fisherman’s pie

- Haddock

No experimenting

Set budget

Set budget

Budget

dependent upon

client & event

Budget = issue

Need to keep

prices consistent

Tight budget

controls

PROFILE OF CHEF SAMPLE


Fixed budget &

species

Event Caterer

Spanish origins

Adventurous

Corporate, retail &

private customers

Creative approach

needed

Satisfying clients =

paramount

From show-off

corporate events (ie

lobster) to Spanish

family gatherings &

weddings

Spit & Sawdust Pub

Basic cuisine

Price = critical

Classic dishes

No surprises

Buy from local High

Street fishmonger

Regular order

Fish & chips, scampi,

fish pie

Schools

Private but still

restricted budget

Bursar holds purse

strings

Conservative fish

repertoire

Kids need to like &

eat

Fixed suppliers

Little personal control

Fixed budget &

species

Fixed budget &

species



Sushi Restaurant

Long-standing venue

Established

restaurant

Japanese cuisine inc

sushi

Quality & freshness of

fish = paramount

High standards all

round

Event Organiser

Organise local

London events

(West Indian cuisine a

speciality)

Set recipes

Known cuisine, native

species

Independent Café

Family bias

Child-friendly

Offers ‘healthy family

food’

Happy to experiment

Good family fare

Care Home

Conservative menu

No shellfish at all (no

red meat either!)

Fixed budget

Nutritional guidelines

enforced

Portion control

Spot visits from health

inspectors

Easy to digest/eat

Fish pie = most

popular

Flexible budgets &

reasonably flexible

species

Fixed budget &

reasonably flexible

species

Fixed budget &

flexible species

Fixed budget & fixed

species



What did we learn about each fish?

• An example of how they classified and described Hake

• Repeated for all 30 fish

• Spontaneous and prompted feedback

• This data collated and used in conjunction with Seafish

expertise to devise work-in-progess lexicon


HAKE: FLAVOUR DESCRIPTORS

SPONTANEOUS FLAVOUR PROMPTED FLAVOUR DESCRIPTORS

Consumers Chefs & Students Consumers Chefs

Fishy**

Mild**

Bland

Delicious

Like sea bass

Non-fishy

Rich

Full

Buttery

Neutral

Good base for other

flavours

(Very) mild**

Fresh**

Salty

Subtle

Slightly sweet

Strong

Over-powering

Strong

Fishy

Like an oily fish

Creamy****

Meaty***

Earthy***

Medium flavour***

Sweet**

Buttery

Green plant

Herbs

Clean

Musty

Herbal

Strong flavour

Sweet***

Milk***

Mild flavour***

Oceanic**

Meaty

Clean

Vanilla

Medium flavour

Strong flavour


HAKE: TEXTURE DESCRIPTORS

SPONTANEOUS TEXTURE PROMPTED TEXTURE DESCRIPTORS

Consumers Chefs & Students Consumers Chefs

Melt in the mouth***

Flaky**

Soft

Interesting

Meaty

Less boney than sea

bass

Fluffy

Buttery

Firm

Squeaky

Filling

Doughy

Moist***

Meaty**

Soft

Rough

Flaky

Firm

Grainy

Fluffy

Melting

Succulent****

Meaty***

Moist***

Tender***

Medium texture***

Melting**

Medium flakes**

Large flakes**

Soft texture**

Fibrous

Silky

Dry

Firm texture

Medium flakes****

Succulent**

Meaty**

Moist**

Tender**

Juicy**

Melting**

Soft texture**

Medium texture**

Silky

Smooth

Small flakes


ADDITIONAL LEARNING

• MUCH more likely to try lesser fish now:

“For me, the cod and the coley were very similar and I

would definitely consider using coley more in a dish. In

a curry or a fish pie whereas I wouldn’t have done

before”

• Seeing where fish might be substituted:

“A lot of the fish seemed interchangeable so you could

use a cheaper version or if one was not available you

could buy another one”


ADDITIONAL LEARNING CONTINUED

• Using better value fish in dishes where more

expensive fish used previously:

“I imagine that coley is a lot cheaper. Pollock, the poor

man’s cod, but still got the meatiness”

• Some saw familiar fish in new light:

“Surprised how bland the cod was in comparison”

• Others still impressed by familiar fish:

“The cod was gorgeous”


SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF THE TASTINGS

– Pollock good but lacked the aesthetics of cod

– Coley better colour than the pollock and meatier for some

than the cod

– Hake = VERY popular

“Soft, moist, meaty. Melts in the mouth. Sweet as well”

“I’d cook with hake now, try a light sauce, batter or a fish

pie, whatever worked best”

– Pouting = new to all, likened to cod by some

– Herring and Mackerel liked by those who liked fishy fish:

“Like salmon, a strong flavour, slightly sweet”

“(Herring) Like Mackerel, earthy, savoury”


– Cold Water Prawns could be disappointing (cf. Warm

Water Prawns which some were more used to) but a good

ingredient in dishes such as stir fries and curries

– Langoustine = one of the stars of the show:

“Delicious, like eating Lobster!”

– Squid and Cuttlefish not shown at their best steamed

and served plain!

– Witch = popular (not too fishy so pleased some as a

result), nice and moist:

“Didn’t taste of fish so I liked it!”

“Neutral for me, nice, I liked it”

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE TASTING


Shellfish

Separate category

Crustaceans & molluscs etc =

different

Require a separate section

Indication of strength of flavour

+ nature of texture = important

Fish

Scale of fishiness

Within this, degree of meatiness: soft, medium or firm

texture

Bold, strong

flavours

Pronounced fishy

flavour

Distinct flavour

profile

Delicate light

flavours

Mild & Gentle

Easy on palate

Child-friendly

Smoked Fish

Smoked Salmon

Kippers

Smoked Mackerel

Separate section

Strong, distinct flavours

Textures = different

TOWARDS A LEXICON

There were some good indications as to how the lexicon should

be structured based on this feedback and output


TOWARDS A LEXICON

• Consumer would like each fish defined in terms of :

– Simple flavour and texture descriptors (avoid flowery

language, keep to food terminology)

– Relative price/expense indicator (£/££/£££)

– “A posh curry or a family curry”

– “People want to know how much does it cost and what

does it taste like”

– “If you’re feeding your family, save £5 by switching to

hake”


TOWARDS A LEXICON

– Pictures showing appearance of fish once prepared

for cooking

– Cooking methods (e.g grilling, frying, poaching, baking)

– Recipe suggestions suitable for that species and links

to those recipes

– Accompaniments (vegetables, rice, pasta etc.)

– Wine suggestions?

– Seasonality = best time of year to buy (new idea for

most)

– Health properties (but not in scary scientific way)

– Alternative species to try


MAPPING ON THE GRID

Taking the fish we sampled we can plot them on a grid to help

devise the Seafood Lexicon

Pangasius (basa)

Ling Hake

Witch

Lemon sole

Plaice

Scallops

Pouting

Catfish

Mussels

White crab meat

Mackerel

Herring

Cold Water Prawns

Langoustine

Haddock

Coley

Whiting

Cod

Pollock

Halibut

Squid

Cuttlefish

Tuna Salmon

Sea bream Sea bass

Monkfish

Warm water prawns

Medium Mild Bold

So

ft

Me

diu

m

Fir

m

TE

XT

UR

E

FLAVOUR

T

EX

TU

RE


Bring the Lexicon to Life in Language

Just as we have with wine and cheese, a common language

will now be used when describing the flavour and texture of

seafood.

FLAVOUR TEXTURE

Sweet Soft

Mild Medium

Medium Flaky

Savoury Firm

Strong Meaty


Bring the Lexicon to Life in Symbols


Bringing the Lexicon to Life – Next Stages

• Developing a 100 species face file

• Developing tools for consumers and the trade including online

guides via www.fishisthedish.co.uk, staff development

materials and prompts for buyers

• Consumer and trade PR programme

• Supporting companies to use the Lexicon in their business.

For assistance and guidance please contact

[email protected]

http://www.fishisthedish.co.uk/

TASTE THE SEAFOOD LEXICON - Seafish - Seafish seafood lexicon 9 oct 2012.pdf · supporting the...

Documents

Transcript of TASTE THE SEAFOOD LEXICON - Seafish - Seafish seafood lexicon 9 oct 2012.pdf · supporting the...