High Liner Foods Inc., Danvers, Mass., added a new line of seafood products for the U.S. foodservice market.
In collaboration Diageo, the producer of GUINNESS beer, comes GUINNESS Distinctive Seafood, a blend of seafood cuts under the Icelandic brand, like cod, salmon, tilapia and shrimp, with the taste of stout. Available in battered, Panko-breaded, flame-seared barbeque-glazed and flame-seared herb-glazed varieties, GUINNESS Distinctive Seafood beer-battered selections are made with premium seafood and a light, authentic GUINNESS batter.
The flame-seared options are pre-seared and then glazed to provide the look and taste of seafood that was made from scratch. Available in 4- and 6-ounce portions, the flame-seared Atlantic salmon is glazed in a rich barbecue sauce with real GUINNESS stout, black pepper and molasses. The tilapia is glazed with real GUINNESS stout and a savory blend of herbs that includes rosemary, thyme, garlic and onion. The battered varieties include a 1- to 2-ounce battered cod tender; 2-, 4- or 6-ounce battered cod fillet portions; and battered shrimp in the large 21- to 25-pieces-per-pound size.
“Beer has been labeled the ‘new wine’ and has become one of the top food ingredients in the industry,” says Jim Papadakis, brand manager for Icelandic Seafood, which High Liner Foods purchased in 2011. “By developing a proprietary recipe with GUINNESS, High Liner Foods is able to provide its customers with a premium line of breaded, battered and flame-seared glazed seafood that carries the prestige of the GUINNESS brand name and delivers a truly tantalizing option for every menu application.”
“Because of the diversity of seafood and the unique flavors that each species holds, we were able to focus on many different flavor-enhancing aspects of GUINNESS stout,” says Owen Tilley, executive chef of High Liner Foods. “We’ve taken a well-known brand that has a special and widely recognized flavor identity all its own and made it work with the delicate flavors of seafood without one flavor overpowering the others.”
They come in two options—large shrimp perfect for dinner-sized baskets and platters, and popcorn shrimp for appetizers and sharing.