Following the launch of its Vietnamese-farmed cobia at Brussels’ European Seafood Expo (ESE) in April this year, aquaculture company Marine Farms has initiated a new UK website, www.cookingwithcobia.co.uk.
The site, which is primarily aimed at consumers and the food trade, highlights cobia’s culinary versatility, with recipes, photography and a cooking video. The video is hosted by Maria Elia, head chef at the Whitechapel Gallery Dining Room, London, and shows how easy cobia is to prepare and cook.
This site describes how Marine Farms used its decades of experience to develop the aquaculture facility off the coast of Vietnam, and the care that goes into looking after both the fish and the environment.
Carlos Massad, CEO of Marine Farms Vietnam, said the website was created because consumers, and indeed the food trade, need to know more about this new fish and the high standards to which it is produced.
“This website provides a central point of information on cobia, including why Marine Farms chose Nha Trang and our vision for fish farming both here and around the world,” he said.
The site also provides details on cobia’s nutritional profile as well as six different recipes, that show cobia being grilled, baked and pan fried.
Two of the recipes were created specifically for the campaign by Elia. She also demonstrates why cobia is ideal for sushi and sashimi; its firm white texture which means it can be easily and accurately sliced.
Massad said sales and interest in the product from the launch at ESE had gone better than anticipated.
Marine Farms has had to pull forward our planned volumes arriving in the UK and Europe to keep on top of demand.
“The very strong interest from the sushi trade in particular has been a pleasant surprise. Many are seeing cobia as an excellent sustainable replacement for tuna and swordfish and recognise the fish as an already highly sought after premium and prized fish in Asia, that until now has only been available in non commercial quantities in that region,” Massad said.
