Wild Alaska Pollock Industry Continues Work to “Make Surimi Sexy Again”

 

SEATTLE, Wash.— Deliberate storytelling around the real-ness of Surimi Seafood, and embracing the name, which is associated with higher perception, is critical to moving the needle and driving demand around the world, say data experts and industry speakers at the sixth Annual Meeting hosted by the Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP) today. According to the year-over-year GAPP survey results, presented today, amongst attributes that drive intent to purchase, “knowing surimi seafood is made from real fish, Wild Alaska Pollock,” rose by 5 percentage points in importance amongst respondents.

That consumer desire for understanding the “realness” behind surimi seafood was echoed by Angulas Ainaga’s Yaiza Donaire later in the day, when she sat down for a fireside chat with Expana by Urner Barry, Angel Rubio, to discuss the company’s experience with surimi consumption in its native Spain.

“Consumers [in Spain] don’t really know what it [surimi] is made of, they think it’s leftovers or low-quality. When the lockdown came, we were home, we had a lot of time, we had social media—and the “fake news” grew a lot in Spain,” said Donaire. “Because we are the first surimi-based product company in Spain, we thought it was our responsibility to teach consumers that surimi wasn’t something we invented, but it was something that was invented hundreds of years ago in Japan and we use wild Alaska Pollock [in it] which is pure protein.”

Donaire described the history of Angulas, which started as a company manufacturing the Spanish delicacy—baby eels—which are popular in Northern Spain and the Caribbean. When the wild baby eel populations declined, Angulas innovated, working and learning from Japanese companies, to create a substitute product made from Wild Alaska Pollock surimi seafood. After launching other surimi-based product lines, Angulas faced misperceptions about surimi amongst Spanish consumers—especially from younger consumers—and, as Donaire explained, once again turned back to its Japanese roots.

“In 2020, whenever we shared content on social media the comments weren’t very nice, but now when we talk about the origin of surimi in Japan or Alaska it really helps—it’s a nice story and people are engaging with it and we’re getting really good results,” said Donaire.

Other efforts led by Angulas in Spain include taking journalists to Japan to see original surimi production, social media and television advertisements and other campaigns.

“After we started talking about the Japanese version of surimi and saw that it had great potential in storytelling, we thought we could innovate with products that are inspired by Japanese cuisine,” said Donaire. “We launched some surimi sticks with teriyaki flavor, we’ve launched tempura surimi sticks and also launched surimi noodles and those are working really, really well and helping us gain new, especially younger, consumers.”

In addition to making surimi ‘sexy’, a later panel focused on innovation that is focused on making Wild Alaska Pollock roe ‘racy,’ again.

Bret Lynch and Alexandr Klokov, of Seattle-based food technology and innovation firm Culinex, told attendees about the project they’ve undertaken, with GAPP, to find ways to introduce the American pallet to roe through new menu and product ideations. Such ideas, presented at the meeting and served to attendees included:

• Tekkamaki Alaska Pollock Roe Bite: This classic maki roll is presented on a delicate eel sauce pillow, topped with Alaska Pollock Roe and a colorful garnish mix, highlighting the roe’s adaptability and appeal across different culinary settings. Roe is also incorporated into a flavorful aioli, served on the side as a condiment, or can be used as a vibrant topping for sushi in food service applications.
• Soba Noodle Salad with Alaska Pollock Roe: Introducing freeze-dried Alaska Pollock Roe as a standout ingredient in seasoning. This versatile form allows for endless possibilities in the culinary industry, adding unique umami-rich flavors to a variety of dishes.
• Green tea soba noodles are dressed in a zesty miso yuzu dressing paired with crunchy pickled vegetables. The salty-sweet furikake blend with freeze-dried roe enhances the fresh and vibrant components of the dish.  
• Mediterranean Flatbread with Alaska Pollock Roe: The Mediterranean flatbread highlights the incredible versatility of freeze-dried Alaska Pollock Roe, proving that it’s not just for Asian-inspired dishes. Creamy basil ricotta spread and a flavorful sun-dried tomato relish, the roe & gremolata add a bright, citrusy finish. The combination of these Mediterranean elements showcases how roe can blend into a variety of culinary traditions.

“The last preparation highlights that roe—as a core ingredient and flavor element—doesn’t just lend itself to Asian cuisines or flavors, but can be used as a seasoning for a variety of cuisines, like mediterranean,” said Culinex Chef Bret Lynch.

Ultimately, both the data and the first-hand speaker accounts underscored the importance of both education, communication about the ‘realness’ of surimi and roe, and product and industry innovation are the keys to unlocking long-term success for these Wild Alaska Pollock products.

“The Surimi market in Spain has been decreasing over the last few years, and one of the main reasons is that people don’t really know what it is, there have been some companies providing low-quality products, and the mix of both things doesn’t work,” said Donaire. “We need to keep educating different [consumer] targets and we need to adapt our messages to different targets to connect.” 

“You need to utilize deliberate, surround-sound storytelling about surimi, calling it by name, to get these messages about real fish across and drive fish eaters down the purchase funnel,” said Kinch.

GAPP would like to thank its generous sponsors for this year’s event: USI Insurance Services (Title); Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, Glacier Fish Company, and Global Seas (Gold); Alaska Airlines, American Seafoods, Aquamar, Arctic Storm Management Group, Beck Pack Systems, Delta Western, Gorton’s Seafood, NORPEL, Port of Seattle, Rabobank, Trans-Ocean Products, Trident Seafoods, UniSea, and Westward Seafoods (Silver); Ag West Farm Credit, APICDA, Alaska Marine Lines, Arionbanki, Baader, Clark Nuber, Coastal Transportation, Golden Alaska Seafoods, High Liner Foods, Íslandsbanki, Ketchum, King & Prince Seafoods, Lafferty’s EMS, Lucky Louie Fish Shack, Marine Stewardship Council, McDonald’s, NSEDC, Parker, Smith & Feek, PPLP, Rogge Co. (Charlie’s Produce), and Wells Fargo (Bronze); Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation, Angulas-Aguinaga, Bank of America, Frontier Packaging, Global Seafood Alliance, Industrial Resources, Inc., InnaSea Media, Neptune Snacks, Perkins Coie, Restaurant Depot, Seattle Tacoma Box, Umpqua Bank, and U.S. Electric (Supporting).