Bocuse D'Or Winner Launches Casual Dining Concept Showcasing Salmon In a Lunch Hosted by Norwegian Seafood Council
by Darinee Durai
@ 24 May 2018
In a lunch that was hosted by the Norwegian Seafood Council at FiSK Seafood Bar And Market, winner of 2009 Bocuse D'Or, Norwegian Chef Geir Skeie unveiled his latest venture, Pink Fish. Dressed in a white chef's jacket with the Pink Fish logo on the upper left of his jacket, he shares, "It's all about salmon in a fast-casual way of serving the dishes; it's something between fast food and restaurants. It's the fastest growing part of a restaurant business, especially in Europe and America. People want the convenience and ease, but they also want the quality."
He continues, "They want their food to be fresh and appealing. This concept took a few years to develop as we wanted to find ways to get seafood out to more people. I already have three casual seafood restaurants running, so I wanted to come up with a concept that is expandable enough to reach all over the world."
Norway's Ambassador to Singapore, Her Excellency, Anita Nergaard graced the lunch and shared her insights on her nation's seafood. "We are very pleased to work with the Norwegian Seafood Council and are very proud of the work that is put into caring for the industry. It's an incredibly important part of the Norwegian economy. Eating seafood is healthy and a sustainable way of living."
One of the organisers, Mr Jon Erik Steenslid, Seafood Division Counsellor and Regional Director introduced another special guest of the day, Dr. Dee Dee Mahmood, "I'd like to introduce Dee Dee. She is both a health fanatic and a nutritionist. We have a common interest in promoting health and seafood, particularly the benefits of consuming Norwegian salmon."
Mr Steenslid continued, "I am going to share a bit about why we are here today and what we do. Basically we are a marketing organisation established in 1991 for Norwegian seafood and we are owned by the Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs. We promote seafood from Norway as a whole. It is important for people to know where their fish is coming from and it is in fact Norwegian salmon that consumers are eating in Japan."
He even discussed a particular issue, " There have been some news lately that you can get parasites from eating raw fish. It does happen every year, particularly in regions where lots of raw seafood is eaten. In Europe and many other countries around the world, there is a regulation that states that if any fish or seafood is to be eaten raw, it has to be frozen for at least 24 hours or more before consumption. So if you go to Norway, whatever seafood you consume adheres to EU regulations and is frozen if to be eaten raw, except Norwegian farmed salmon and trout. Farmed salmon only eat processed feed that has been heat treated, not allowing room for parasites to enter their diet. Norwegian salmon is the most frequently tested seafood we have; we test 12,000-14,000 individual fish every year. Till now, we have never found any parasites in the fish at all."
The 7-course lunch showcased the wide range of quality Norwegian seafood available; from the obvious jewel salmon to mackerels, cods and langoustines. Skillfully curated and prepared by Chef Skeie, Executive Chef Markus Dybwad as well as his team, the dishes highlighted the pristine freshness of Norwegian seafood.
Pink Fish serves salmon in every way possible; tartares, wraps, soups, salads and grills. Salmon burgers anybody? Plus the fact that all these recipes are designed by a talented chef who has won one of the world's toughest culinary competitions is a testament to the flavours you'll be tasting.
Check out Dr. Mahmood's fitness website here: https://deedeefitness.com/
Visit the Norwegian Seafood Council: http://en.seafood.no/ if you have questions for the knowledgeable Mr Steenslid
And of course, check out the mouth-watering salmon options here: https://www.pinkfish.no/en and http://fisk.com.sg/seafoodbar/
