NewFish is delighted to be named as a finalist in three categories for the 2021 New Zealand Food Awards with our world-first Pāua Saucisson—a fermented Blackfoot Pāua (abalone) and Kurobuta Pork salami. The categories where NewFish was recognised are the Artisan Award – Sponsored by Cuisine, the Primary Sector Award – Sponsored by New Zealand Food Safety and the Novel Award – Sponsored by KiwiSo.

The New Zealand Food Awards have celebrated New Zealand’s food and beverage manufacturers, focusing on innovation, sustainability and excellence, since 1987. Powered by Massey University, the awards are open to small and large food and beverage manufacturers, primary food producers, food service providers and ingredient supply companies. Finalist and winning products earn the New Zealand Food Award’s quality mark to highlight their technical capability, consumer acceptability, regulatory compliance and food quality and safety to shoppers and industry.

The NewFish Pāua Saucisson combines New Zealand’s magnificent Blackfoot Pāua (abalone) with natural fermentation techniques and native ingredients, including free-farmed Kurobuta Pork, wild Akaroa Kelp and Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

The result is an entirely new take on the saucisson. Unique ingredients like wild Blackfoot Pāua (endemic to New Zealand) are expertly harnessed to create a complex, umami taste that complements old world wines and future-friendly palettes.

While fermentation techniques have been around for thousands of years, NewFish is building up extensive natural and precision fermentation capability, at its R&D Pilot Plant and in partnership with Cawthron Institute, Kernohan Engineering and Amisfield Restaurant, which enables the cultivation of ‘blue foods’ involving derivatives from sustainably-sourced macro and micro algaes amongst other ocean-derived micro-organisms. 

Wild Blackfoot Pāua, hero of the NewFish Pāua Saucisson, is only found in New Zealand. The species (Haliotis iris) is only harvested once it has reached an industry-agreed legal size and all catch is registered and reported to the New Zealand Government—ensuring sustainable management via the New Zealand Quota Management System. “As pāua is a taonga and important to many New Zealanders, it should be valued as such”, says Hamish Howard, NewFish General Manager.

“At NewFish, we use the entire pāua, embracing the ‘whole fish’ philosophy in order to reduce waste and explore unknown potential. While some parts of the pāua, such as the hua (gonads), are often discarded, we see every part as an opportunity to innovate and champion new ingredients and flavours. Hua adds umami and complexity, while allowing for unique flavour profiles that hint at the native seaweed diet of the Blackfoot Pāua”, Hamish explains.

As part of an Eat Towards Abundance philosophy, NewFish have also made a commitment to use a percentage of seaweed in every product released, including the Pāua Saucisson, which features wild Akaroa Kelp, another New Zealand native. Fast-growing, carbon negative, critical to our marine ecosystems, and able to be farmed with minimal intervention, kelp is unlike any  land plant and is packed with essential nutrients and bioactives.

While seeking to develop world-class alternative seafood products from New Zealand, NewFish are creating exceptional, future-friendly seafood products for release via exclusive foodservice and retail partners, both in New Zealand and internationally.