Seafood treats have us hooked
PRAWNS, oysters and bugs will be hitting Christmas tables across the region as seafood fans rush for the traditional fare in the leadup to the big day. Simone Reimann at Ocean World Seafood Market is keeping busy replenishing stocks of customers’ favourites such as Moreton Bay bugs.
AN ARRAY of locally caught seafood is expected to take its place on tables across the Far North this festive season with cooked prawns proving to be one the biggest sellers.
Ocean World Seafood Market owner Peter Adams said locally caught tiger, endeavour and red spot prawns had proved the most popular buy for Christmas this year.
He said orders had started to come in from the beginning of the month with most people opting to buy frozen cooked prawns as they required less work and were ready to eat. He said Christmas Eve would be one of the busiest days with about 1300 people expected through the doors.
“Christmas is prawns, oysters and bugs, they’re the main three,” he said.
“We’re lucky here we’ve got the local catch.
“Over the Christmas period we’d sell probably three or four tonnes.
“Our sales have slowly gone up every year since we’ve been here for 10 years and I think that the town is going pretty well so it’s a reflection on that.”
Mr Adams said locally caught prawns were also making their way to families all over Australia for the all-important Christmas seafood tradition.
“We see people take our seafood with them to Melbourne and Sydney and Tasmania,” he said.
“We’ve been doing a lot of country orders, island orders and a lot of the outback orders over the past couple of weeks.
“It was not as big a catch this year … the product is there but it’s a little bit dearer this year.”
Queensland Seafood Industry Association president Keith Harris encouraged people to support their local seafood markets.
“Buy local-caught seafood and support your local economy,” he said.
“This is the busiest time of year for seafood and by Christmas Eve some retail outlets will have queues out the door and down the street.
“Ordering early is the way to beat the rush.”