Gulf of Maine Sashimi is on a mission to do things differently with New England’s seafood. They’re focused on improving the value of local catch for fishers while providing top-quality sashimi-grade product for consumers and chefs. They’re new, they’re hard-working, and they are motivated to make seafood better for chefs, consumers, and especially local fishers.
I first noticed Gulf of Maine Sashimi on Instagram. Their feed displayed beautiful fish, descriptions about handling fish “ike jime” style, fishers smiling over their catches and chefs showing off their stunning dishes. Obviously, I was interested!
If this wasn’t exciting enough, they have a blog that people actually want to read. Their posts are short (I still don’t know how they make the time to write!) and they share insights into what goes on behind the scenes on fishing boats, at their facility, and with their fishing partners. They share how they take pride in not always having a constant supply of fish, saying out loud that sometimes they stink at the end of the day (but their fish doesn’t!), and that they hope the term “sashimi-grade” will one day be defined by regulation. In short, they’re honest.
Make Change. Be Different.
After talking with GoM Sashimi’s CEO and President, Jen Levin, it is clear that they are doing things differently because they want to create change. GoM Sashimi is using thoughtful fish handling practices like ike jime, giving fishers incentives, and providing customers with a diversity of seafood options at unsurpassed quality. The combination of these three practices - ike jime, incentives, and diversity- is what makes GoM Sashimi truly special and a total game changer.
What Is “Ike jime”?
Did you know that fish excrete ammonia and lactic acid when they’re stressed? This chemical response compromises the flavor, texture, and shelf life of the fish. There is a way to reduce the amount of stress that a fish experience - it’s called ike jime and all GoM Sashimi fish are processed by ike jime techniques.
Ike jime refers to a Japanese approach to killing fish humanely and quickly. Crews on the four boats that GoM Sashimi works with receive training on how to conduct ike jime on different fish. After ike jime, fish are bled and then placed in a icy salt water slurry. Taking these extra steps preserves the taste and texture of the fish. It also has a better shelf life.
Give Fishers Incentives
It’s not new news that small-scale fishers in the Gulf of Maine are having a difficult time making a living. Being a New England fisherman/woman has been especially difficult these past 10 years because of increasing operation costs, challenges from climate change, low and volatile prices for most species, and frequent changes in regulations.
GoM Sashimi is doing their part to provide some relief to fishers.
GoM Sashimi gives fishers anywhere between 20%-400% more per pound than the auction price. For instance, if fishers get $0.60/lb for redfish at the auction one day, GoM Sashimi may give them at least $1.60/lb if the fish was handled according to their specifications. This is a HUGE and well-deserved incentive!
“By guaranteeing premium prices to fishermen in exchange for high quality product, we are creating a new seafood business paradigm that contributes to coastal economic health, food security, and environmental stewardship.”
-Gulf of Maine Sashimi
provide What Nature Gives - diversity
GoM Sashimi prides themselves on providing customers with a diversity of seafood at exceptional quality. When I asked Jen what GoM Sashimi has provided to customers in the past few weeks, she took a deep breath and detailed a vibrant long list of delicious items.
The list included skate, squid, hake, hake livers, cod, cod livers, monkfish, milt (yup!), butterfish, sea raven, sea sculpin, and at least 4 different types of flounders - yellowtail, grey sole, american plaice, and winter.
Remember though, fishers can only perform ike jime on fish that are in season and that come onto the deck alive. So sometimes GoM Sashimi has a lot of fish for customers and sometimes, especially when there are stormy conditions, they don’t. Inconsistent availability is a reality that buyers should embrace, or at least accept, when it comes to wild seafood.
And customers are OK waiting for GoM Sashimi fish because the quality is unmatched.
Jen recounted a time when they overnighted a box of samples to a potential customer across country. She was excited to show off the quality and freshness that GoM Sashimi provides despite the distance. However, Fed-Ex lost the box for five days! But when the samples finally did reach their destination. the customer bravely opened the box and was thrilled to see ice packs still frozen and fish that still looked and tasted great. That’s the GoM Sashimi difference.
Get On Board!
If you’re in the industry and want to connect with GoM Sashimi, you can contact them through their website and sign-up for email/text alerts. They want to hear from you!
Love what GOM Sashimi is doing and what they stand for? Then consider sharing their mission with others! You can
follow and share their social media content (@gulfofmainesashimi)
talk with your friends and family about their blog or about the seafood items that you haven’t been able to try yet (hake, anyone?)
or tell your favorite restaurants and food markets about the amazing options they could offer to customers if they partnered with GOM Sashimi.
After all, their story, mission, and seafood deserves to be shared.