Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC) launches Norwegian shellfish, targets high-end restaurants in Bangkok

Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC) has teamed up with Jagota Brothers Trading in launching premium Norwegian shellfish, aiming at high-end restaurants in Bangkok after a tremendous success with salmon and trout from Norway in Thailand.

Participating in the launching event were esteemed chefs, trade partners and media who were introduced to King Crab, Langoustine, Scallops, Brown Crab, and Cold-Water Prawns through an exclusive culinary experience at Lord Jim’s restaurant, the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok. The guests enjoyed their shellfish courses in an interior of a luxury yacht at Lord Jim's whose decor is inspired from the setting of a famous novel “Lord Jim” by “Joseph Conrad” whom the author himself had made a visit to the hotel in late 1888. 

Dr. Asbjørn Warvik Rørtveit, Southeast Asia Regional Director, Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC), said: “We’re proud to present the launch of our most premium product line: Norwegian shellfish. With the variety of shellfish products available, there’s a room for potential growth in high-end market as Thailand’s food trend recent years has been revolving around premium restaurants, such as fine dining and omakase.

We’ve worked closely with Jagota to promote Norwegian shellfish as we value Jagota’s commitment in representing the trend setting and bespoke food solutions that inspire the cuisine industry to receive the best premium quality ingredients in every dish serve. "

Apart from the delicate taste, King Crab, Langoustine, Scallops, Brown Crab, and Cold-Water Prawns also contain incredibly rich nutrients while being raised in a sustainable matter as the seas and fisheries in Norway are strictly protected by law from limiting fishing quota and choosing selective equipment to maximize targeted catch while making sure larger or smaller fish are spared and to protect the fragile ecosystems along our coast.

He added that Norway is the world’s second largest exporter of seafood and therefore responsible management of resources was at the very core of the Norwegian seafood industry.

The delicate taste of shellfish from Norway is a result of the way it was raised naturally and sustainably undeer the country's strict regulations. By choosing premium shellfish from Norway, consumers can be assured they are eating one of the most sustainable and highest quality seafood.

Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC), a representative of Norwegian seafood industry, sponsored the event with top-quality seafood freshly flown from Norway. The highlights of the afternoon are shellfish which consisted of King Crabs – known for its juicy claw meat and sweet flavour, Langoustines – Norway lobster with white firm meat and delicate taste, Scallops –tender texture with slightly sweet flavour, Brown Crabs – fresh white meat with hint of sweetness, and Cold-Water Prawns – light pink deep-water prawns with sweet and salty tasting. 

Mr. Gopal Jagota, Director - Business Development, Jagota Brothers Trading, “At Jagota we always look on the horizon for trends that drives innovation and refinement. When it comes to seafood, we select the products that offers the highest quality, sustainably caught and usability for our clients. We believe quality in 2022 is more than just texture, flavor and appearance. How we define quality anchors factors such as, sustainability, minimization of bycatch, responsible labor conditions and low co2 emissions from the production, shipping and to consumption. So, we have sort of changed the way we define the term “quality” as we see that as a necessity for a more sustainable and responsible approach which aligns with the principle of how Norwegian seafood industry continue to manage sustainable ecosystem with great responsibilities that’s why it’s our privilege that NSC has invited us to be their first partner to promote shellfish from Norway line at Lord Jim’s restaurant.” 

At the exclusive luncheon at Lord Jim’s restaurant, guests are welcomed with five signature Norwegian shellfish dishes by Chef Christian André Pettersen, Norway’s representative in the Bocuse d’Or Europe gastronomy competition. The dishes consisted of “Brioche bun” (King Crab with Norwegian sour cream and horseradish), “East meets West” (Cold-Water Prawns with green tomatoes, yuzu juice, avocado cream, and fresh pomelo), “Royal” (Langoustine with soft egg custard and fennel & shitake sauce in Norwegian style), and “Bocuse d`Or” (Scallops & peas with brown butter sabayon and aromatics), and “Cha Plu” (Brown Crab with onion and lemongrass salad). The gastronomic journey is inspired by the chef’s Nordic root blending well with the East culture influenced from his mother’s heritage. The five signature dishes represent both west and east through selected ingredients, adding in his own creativity to uplift the delightfully rich flavor of shellfish in each dish. After the event, NSC will continue to promote premium quality of Norwegian shellfish in Bangkok high-end restaurants for Thai consumer to indulge in the sweet and delicate taste of Norway through talented chefs in luxury dining experience. While working with more importers in 2023 to bring shellfish to be accessible for more high-end restaurants in the future.