He mightn’t cook it up for you but Jeff Arthur reckons his fresh wild-caught Aussie seafood would win any contest going.
He’s operated the Prawn Hauler mobile vendor van out of Townsville for nine years now, servicing western Queensland, and he says the east coast waters that the majority of his product comes from would help win the national Fish and Chip awards announced by assistant Agriculture Minister, Anne Ruston in Canberra today.
With Jeff’s help and delicious product, there’s no reason why a fish and chip shop way out west can’t be in the running for one of the awards on offer.
Ms Ruston said eating fish and chips was possibly more Australian than a pie at the footy.
“It’s part of our way of life, but who can lay claim to having Australia’s best,” she asked.
She said the 2017 Australian Fish and Chip Awards would be an opportunity for Australian consumers to have their say on the nation’s best fish and chips and she encourage all seafood lovers to get their vote in.
“Australia produces world-class seafood and consumers can be confident that the fish they eat comes from the world’s best managed fisheries.
“It is important to recognise the success stories in our seafood industry and the hard work of our fishers who bring food to our table.”
Jeff runs out of product on nearly every trip west, coming out once a month with one to two tonnes a trip, which he says is an indicator of how sought after it is.
“People like Australian product,” he said. Having been in the industry since leaving school, unloading trawlers and processing the harvest, he should know.
The awards consist of two categories – Peoples Choice and the National Fish and Chips Awards.
All fish and chips will be rated against a set of five criteria – taste, service, choice, information and labelling.
The national winner will be announced on September 28 at the National Seafood Industry Awards in Sydney.
For more information and to vote, go to www.fishandchipsawards.com.au/.
The awards are coordinated by the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, in partnership with the state and territory fishing industry councils.