IT is the culinary equivalent of selling snow to the Inuit, coals to Newcastle or oil to the Arabian peninsula.
But now Scottish seafood firms are saying the business is booming in the Far East as they engage in the remarkable feat of selling sushi to the Japanese.
Sales of seafood to the Land of the Rising Sun have risen fourfold in just a year, increasing from 598 tonnes in 2017 to more than 2,630 tonnes in 2018.
Among them have been 760 tonnes of fresh salmon - a hit on sushi conveyor belt restaurants - worth around £5.5 million, while Scottish mackerel and shellfish, mainly crab and langoustine, are also proving popular.
Japanese consumers have a taste for Scottish salmon
Japan is the second-largest consumer of seafood in the world after China, and has one of the highest global consumption rates of fish at around 33kg per head a year.
Now ten top companies are heading East for the Japan Seafood Expo 2019 in a bid to bolster exports and tap into the growing appetite for Scottish fish.
As well as the established varieties, they will be hoping to introduce delicacies such as Scottish haddock,scallops, cod, monkfish and Langoustine.
READ MORE: New homes ensure salmon farms catch and keep staff
Natalie Bell, Head of Trade Marketing Asia, Europe and Middle East at Seafood Scotland, said: “Asia, and in particular Japan, is one of the largest consumers of seafood in the world. Their desire for Scottish seafood is on the increase, mirroring their appetite for high quality, sustainable and traceable products.
"The Japanese culture values prestige, reputation and respect above all else, with consumers aligning themselves with products and organisations that embody these values, the Scottish seafood story is the perfect fit. It is a traditional market, so our continued work here is imperative.
"Our aim is to continue to help Scotland grow in Japan, and the Japan Seafood Show provides a fantastic platform for this. It offers our most ambitious exporters the opportunity to take advantage of and make the all-important connections with buyers across the region.”
Natalie Bell at the 2016 Expo
The Japan Seafood Expo 2019 will be attended by a host of international trade buyers, wholesalers, distributors, retailers and restaurateurs, with 35,000 visitors expected at the show.
The group of Scottish companies making the trip represents a substantial proportion of Scotland’s catch, with two of the firms - JPL Shellfish and Associated Seafoods - attending the show for the first time.
Neil Greig, commercial director at Associated Seafoods, said: “We see Japan as a new and exciting opportunity for Associated Seafoods. We know the Japanese consumer values high quality seafood and we believe our authentic, premium Scottish smoked salmon is ideally placed to be well received by arguably the world’s most discerning seafood consumer.
“We already have a track record of delivering excellent quality and service to a number of leading global retailers and believe Japan represents a major opportunity.
"The support and guidance we have received from Seafood Scotland in the past in opening new markets has been invaluable and we see them playing an important role as we move forward in Japan."
READ MORE: Scotch distillery in smoked salmon alliance
John Paul Thomson, sales manager at JPL Shellfish, added: “Scottish fish and shellfish is renowned as some of the best in the world for both quality and flavour, with many trade buyers now applying a greater emphasis on locally sourced, top quality produce. We source a wide range of our seafood from local boats or direct from fishermen all over the far North of Scotland."
The firm, based in Scrabster Harbour in Caithness, Scotland's most northerly port, specialise in sustainable fishing, something much sought-after in Japan.
"All our shellfish is caught using sustainable methods which help maintain a healthy marine environment. These are key attributes sought out by buyers in Japan which stand us in good stead for this market.
"We’re always looking to explore new business overseas and the show is an excellent opportunity to do just this.”
Scottish seafood is proving a hit in the Far East
Scottish chef Scott Lyall will join the delegation to prepare and showcase the versatility of Scottish products, fresh from the Seafood from Scotland stand. He will demonstrate how Scottish seafood can be used for more traditional Japanese cuisine and offer tasters to attendees.
READ MORE: Scottish Salmon Company's £10m investment will ‘mean long-term job security’
In addition to attending the Expo, the Scottish contingent is hosting a ‘Taste of Scotland’ Seafood reception at the Ambassador’s Residence in the British Embassy, to form new ties with buyers and chefs that might include Scottish seafood on their menus.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel