Around the Bluhmin’ Town

By

Judy Bluhm

Something fishy is happening. And it is coming to a grocery store near you. Just when we thought we’ve seen it all, like six-dollar loaves of bread and ridiculously shrinking bottles of orange juice for five bucks, now we will have to carefully wonder if the meat we just bought is actually fish. Disguised as beef, chicken or pork.

It appears that Americans aren’t that interested in eating seafood, since the average person only consumes about nineteen pounds a year (compared to 98 pounds of chicken and 58 pounds of beef). What can the seafood industry do? Make fish seem less fishy.

Yes, why not create, package and market fish more like salami? Or how do fish meatballs sound? The marketing trend is now to win over the fish-skeptical American palate with “thrilling” new ways of enjoying seafood. Companies are making fish taste like chicken, spareribs, sausage and even salami. Move over chicken nuggets, because why should children covet the little round breaded pieces of deliciousness, when they could be eating “healthier” with deep-fried balls of fish.

And here we are. A country obsessed with health but not exactly eating healthy. Now the food industry has realized that Americans like things quick, easy to prepare and deep fried. Many folks do not like the “fishy smell” of salmon, cod or trout. But maybe we will love a salmon snack that doesn’t taste or look like salmon? It is packaged like a Slim Jim and available in smoked, lemon-pepper or mango flavors. A true feast for the senses.

The reluctance of Americans to embrace fish is not new. This behavior hasn’t changed in one-hundred years. But now the seafood industry wants a bigger share of the “meat-pie.” Marketing is geared towards younger folks, and those who demand convenience. So, why not make fish more like hot dogs, chicken tenders and hamburger sliders? Sounds completely (horrifying) reasonable.

I can’t wait to try the new fried calamari snack, which are shaped like Cheetos and have a similar flavor. Well, I gave up chips a long time ago, but a little calamari crisp to go along with a shrimp slider or a salmon meatball might be tempting. There is a Florida based company that cures salmon, shaping it into a roll so it can be sliced just like salami. Perfect on a cracker. Or it could be a substitute for pepperoni on pizza.

Any fish you wish? Or maybe a better question is, just how gullible are the American people? Are we going to be fooled by salami looking like salmon? Come on, when kids eat their beloved goldfish crackers, they know they aren’t eating anything derived from goldfish. And while indulging in a chocolate Easter bunny, did anyone think they were eating rabbit? If people enjoy a plate of buffalo wings, they don’t think they are eating bison. We tend to know what we are eating!

I happen to love seafood. Looking and tasting like seafood. Will Americans become hooked on fish when it appears as something else? Cod only knows.

Judy Bluhm is a writer and a local realtor. Contact Judy at [email protected] or visit www.aroundthebluhmintown.com.