Seafood Supply In Restaurant

Ingredients are vital, especially if you want your chef’s creative juices to flow. Even if your restaurant has one staff that takes the lead or a whole food team that works on your menu, you need to concentrate more on ingredients. 

As many restaurateurs know, buying, preparing, and serving good seafood can be challenging. In this article, we’ll discuss all you need to know about seafood.

Characteristics Of Fresh Seafood

• Eyes should be slightly bulged and clear. 
• Fish should have a cucumber smell or seawater, not fishy, ammonia-like smell or sour.
• Flesh that have been exposed should have zero traces of browning.
• Fish should have unmarred and firm flesh.
• All scales should stick almost closely to the skin.
• For fish, its body should spring back when you press it with your finger.
• Natural colours and markings of fish species should not look faded. 

Pros Of Fresh Seafood 

• You can save more money by buying bycatch, unintentionally caught fish.
• Fresh seafood appeals to customers better than frozen seafood.
• You can quickly eliminate the time-consuming tasks of unthawing.
• Having fresh seafood in your restaurant markets it as being devoted to sustainability.
• Restaurateurs can choose between various seafood species depending on the fisherman’s catch. 

Cons Of Fresh Seafood

• You must prepare within a day or two.
• Availability of fresh seafood is unpredictable due to small catches, bad weather, and shifting ocean temperatures.
• It needs to be refrigerated, especially if the location is far from your restaurant.
• It requires more frequent trips to the local store or market.
• You face a huge risk of purchasing fresh seafood from a source that does not practise sustainable fishing. 

Tips On Purchasing Seafood

Below are various sustainable tops to consider before offering seafood in your cafe or restaurant.

1. Type Of Seafood.

Before going on a hunt for seafood suppliers, first consider what type of seafood you may need. Many customers expect that having seafood on your menu would mean it will change according to season, so surprise them by mixing your menu up now and again. 

2. Varieties Of Seafood.

Offer lesser-known varieties of fresh seafood; it is far more affordable than always having customers’ favourites like oysters, salmon, or barramundi. 

Other species like boarfish, mackerel, and ocean jackets are way more affordable. 

3. Consider Frozen Seafood.

Frozen seafood as a backup option or in between seasons is advisable, especially if your seafood supplier is short in supply. 

Additional Tips  

• Go for seafood suppliers with shorter travel time and the freshest fish.
• Ensure your chefs & staff have the necessary tools and knowledge for preparing and storing seafood before using it.
• Give attention to what your seafood supplier specialises in, as most of them have easy access to numerous and tasty seafood.
• If your restaurant is new to having seafood on its menu, start with two or three seafood menu options and then assess supply from there.

On A Final Note;

At Cafe Furniture Brisbane, we are committed to providing your cafe, bar, or restaurant with high-quality products. Check us out via our website.