BY KATHRYN STEANE
There’s something fishy going on at Oceanz Seafood in Silverdale, literally. The shop is one of six across Auckland that sell a wide variety of local and imported seafood, as well as fish and chips.
Since opening four and a half years ago, the Hibiscus Coast branch has gained an excellent reputation – something its manager, Paul Francis, attributes to “keeping everything as fresh as we possibly can.” This is largely achieved through Oceanz using its own boat to catch many of its in-shore fish species. The boat is based at Leigh, north of Auckland, meaning that the fish is delivered to the store within an hour of touching land. “When it gets here, you can just about see it still flipping,” says Francis with a laugh. And while customers don't necessarily get to see this side of things, there’s another way of determining that the fish is fresh. “You can tell the difference between our fish and other people’s fish because it’s so bright," Francis explains.
Indeed, one of the first things you notice when entering the shop is the vividly-coloured fish, which are displayed in big, open-top cabinets filled with ice. Other noticeable features are a tub packed with live pipis and mussels, and a tank housing some rather impressive-looking crayfish – indicators, once again, of Oceanz commitment to freshness, and the sheer range of seafood that's on offer.
“We sell anything and everything as far as fish goes,” confirms Francis. This includes the three species he says New Zealander's eat most – snapper, tarakihi and gurnard – as well as some more exotic varieties like albacore and mahi-mahi, which are flown in from Fiji. There's also a cabinet dedicated solely to another Kiwi favourite, smoked fish, which the company processes itself before sending to a contractor to be smoked.
But make no mistake – there are plenty of non-fish items on offer too, such as squid, crabs, shrimps, prawns and scallops. Francis and his team even make mussel chowder during the winter-time, which they serve in cups from a large urn at the counter.
As far as his own tastes are concerned, Francis admits he's a "typical Kiwi" who enjoys John Dory, gurnard and hapuka. He's not a fan of fussy food and believes that the best way to serve fish is by letting the flavour speak for itself. "I love my fish wrapped in tinfoil and grilled, and I normally put some herbs and a bit of silverbeet in with it."
That said, he isn't scared to try different varieites, and challenges others to do the same.
“Kiwis are funny people – snapper, tarakihi and gurnard are still their favourite. It’s a pity they don’t try other fish because there are lots out there that are very nice – in fact, equally as nice.” He gives trumpeter, boarfish (“which tastes a lot like hapuka”) and alfonsino as examples, and encourages restaurants and cafes do their bit by using lesser-known fish like these on their menus.
While Oceanz is strictly a retail outlet, the Silverdale store does provide some restaurants with a discount; and can prepare platters for weddings, birthdays and other special occasions. "These normally have a crayfish in the middle and prawns, mussels and salad around the outside," Francis says.
In addition to these services, the shop offers a mouth-watering takeaway menu. This comprises of battered or grilled fillets of gurnard, tarakihi, snapper, hapuka or flounder; and other seafood specialties such as prawn kebabs, crab sticks and squid rings. Scallop, whitebait and mussel fritters are also available, and provide a refreshing alternative to traditional fish and chips.
Each of these items carries the same standard of freshness as Oceanz other products, and earned the Hibiscus Coast branch the Best Fish and Chips title from Metro magazine in 2008. So what does Francis think is the secret to perfecting New Zealand’s favourite takeaway? “We have our own batter recipe which all the shops use, and we clean our vats every day regardless of how much goes through them – that makes 90 per cent difference to the takeaways.”
Whether it's a whole fish picked from the cabinets or a fillet cooked lightly in the deep-fryer, all seafood is the same in Francis’ opinion – wholesome, natural and delicious. "You have all of your other meats, which can be grain-fed or whatever, but seafood is just natural, straight out of the sea."
And Francis’ passion for seafood shows little signs of slowing, with Oceanz appearing to have him well and truly hooked. “I’ve had three shops in Rotorua and another shop in Auckland, and my wife’s parents have had shops in Thames for years and years but I still believe that Oceanz has the best produce out of all the time I’ve been in fish.”
For more information, visit www.oceanz.co.nz
Awards update
Seafood isn’t the only thing Oceanz’ Silverdale store does well – it was named the Best Chip Shop in New Zealand in 2009, as well as the Best Chip Shop in Auckland North. Francis says that after receiving these awards, he noticed a huge increase in the number of people ordering takeaways – in fact, takings of fish and chips doubled in the first three months. “It got to the stage where our vats couldn’t handle it, and we had to put in extra ones,” he laughs. Clearly the store is still riding high on this success, with people regularly coming from as far as south Auckland to sample its chips.
Fishing for the best products
Seafood makes a great addition to any menu, whether it’s that at a fish and chip shop or an upmarket cafe. Fortunately there’s no shortage of suppliers that can ‘hook’ you up with quality products – take New Zealand Wholesale Seafoods Ltd (www.fishonline.co.nz), for example. This company offers one of the country’s largest selections of fresh and frozen seafood; and has been providing its services to businesses, including those owned by Masterchef judge Simon Gault, for more than 20 years. Other companies that supply seafood to the foodservice industry include Auckland Fish Market (www.afm.co.nz); Moana Pacific Fisheries (www.moanapacific.co.nz); and Shore Mariner (www.shore-mariner.co.nz), which specialises in frozen products.
Create stand-out seafood dishes
Searching for fresh ways to serve seafood? Look no further than 500 Fish & Seafood Dishes by British food editor, recipe developer and food stylist Wendy Sweetser. It contains a comprehensive selection of recipes for all kinds of ocean fare, as well as the sauces they are typically served with. And because these recipes range from those made with fresh seafood through to canned, bottled and preserved varieties, there’s something for every occasion, taste and budget; whether you’re a fast-food outlet or a café. Also helpful is the inclusion of step-by-step instructions for some of the main methods involved with preparing seafood (scaling, filleting etc); and the information on cooking techniques. But creating a successful seafood dish isn’t possible without first sourcing quality ingredients – something which the book also addresses with its advice on buying, storing and freezing seafood. All things considered, 500 Fish & Seafood Dishes really is the only seafood compendium you’ll ever need.
Published by New Holland, 500 Fish & Seafood Dishes (RRP $24.99) is now available at all leading book stores.
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500 Fish & Seafood Dishes
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