Catch of the day!

The UK’s first gourmet jackfruit fish fillet launched at Harbour Lights Fish and Chips

The Cornish Seaweed Company and plant-based food tech pioneers Jack & Bry have come together to release the UK’s first gourmet jackfruit fish fillet.

The burger was launched at the Harbour Lights fish and chip shop in Falmouth, which in 2019 was placed in the top 10 shops in the National Fish & Chip awards. Jack& Bry are also looking to sell the burger into other UK fish and chip stores, with this launch the first of what they hope will be many location launches. It can be purchased through fish industry supplier T.Quality.

To give the fillet its unique taste, the cooked white flakes of jackfruit are marinated in The Cornish Seaweed Company’s unique blend of seaweed, to infuse the whole fillet with the beautiful fresh flavours of the sea. Other ingredients include a hint of lemon and a splash of healthy apple cider vinegar to mimic the unique texture and taste of fresh fish.

Founded in 2012, The Cornish Seaweed Company harvests, washes, dries and packages by hand only the highest quality seaweeds, ensuring quality through the use of traditional practices. The brand picks 19 tons of fresh seaweed a year across 10 different varieties and takes care to harvest only a small part of each seaweed plant in order to limit disruption to the marine ecosystem. In addition, the company has previously been recognised for its commitment to the environment; it was awarded the Cornish Sustainability Award for best contribution to a sustainable food economy.

The Cornish Seaweed Company provides customers with an honest superfood: sustainably harvested, local, edible seaweed. It seeks to introduce seaweed as an alternative food source that is healthy, nutritious, tasty and good for the environment; seaweed does not need pesticides, fresh water or fertiliser to grow and is amongst the most productive plants in the world. Alongside Jack & Bry, the brand also works with Abel & Cole, Tarquin’s Gin, The Eden Project, Lodge Farm Kitchen and more.

For Jack & Bry, the launch comes as the business continues to expand its fast-growing list of foodservice partners. Jack & Bry supplies the likes of Papa John’s, Prezzo, Zizzi and Neat Burger with alternative meat products made from jackfruit and also sells a direct-to-consumer range of products including burgers, sausages and mince which is available on the company’s website, and via The Vegan Kind supermarket.

Since its inception in 2019, the food tech business has been at the forefront of plant-based meat innovation and has focused on developing jackfruit, already a naturally sustainable and climate-change resistant crop, into a selection of delicious meat alternatives. Jackfruit pepperoni was the first product launched by the brand and continues to be its most popular offering. Last week marked the 40 millionth slice of vegan pepperoni sold in only two years since the business began trading, saving an equivalent 1560 pigs from slaughter.

Speaking about this exciting announcement, Founder and CEO, Bryony Tinn-Disbury, said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with The Cornish Seaweed Company to re-launch the UK’s first and only gourmet jackfruit fish fillet. They share our focus on quality as well as our sustainable ethos and have been integral in the creation of a truly unique product: a fish fillet indistinguishable from the real thing. We can’t wait for seafood lovers to try it and hope to see it on the menus of other restaurants.”

Tim Van Berkel, Co-Founder of The Cornish Seaweed Company, said: “We cannot wait to see the vegan fish fillet hit the streets. Our seaweed mirrors the distinctive taste of fresh fish perfectly, while only jackfruit can imitate its flaky texture. Both are sustainability and taste champions, so I really cannot think of a better match between ingredients or brands!”

Pete Fraser, owner of Harbour Lights, added: “We were thrilled when we heard of the partnership of Jack & Bry and The Cornish Seaweed Company to make a ‘fishless’ fish fillet. Our vegan sales have shown rapid growth over the last three years and this product I know will prove to be very popular and complement our existing vegan offerings very nicely. Best of all, it tastes great and it brought a lot of smiles to our team during testing.”

For more information, visit www.jackandbry.com