Offices
Wholesale: Pier 33
San Francisco, CA
Tel 415.956.1986
Fax 415.956.5851
Retail:
1582 Hopkins
Berkeley, CA 94707
Tel 510.525.5600
Office:
1620 Hopkins
Berkeley, CA 94707
Tel 510.525.0999 Fax 510.525.4109
Tai
Snapper
he New Zealand Tai Snapper of the family Sparidae or
Sea breams - also known as Porgies - are caught commercially
on longlines. The common name 'snapper' was given to
this fish by Captain James Cook in 1770. He mistook
it for a member of the true snapper family Lutjanidae,
a group of fish with which he had become familiar in
American waters.
The Chinese and Japanese word for snapper is 'tai',
which also means 'good fortune'. Hence snapper is a
must for every important family celebration. Caught
on longlines and killed immediately by the 'ike' method,
they are the cooled quickly in brine. The hook may be
left in the mouth to verify the preferred method of
capture. These fish are then flown to northern destinations
within a few hours of being caught, recent innovations
in technology have even allowed some fish to be flown
to Japan and China arriving alive to command the highest
of prices.
Tai Snapper flown to the United States are always of
the finest quality. Over 30,000 tons of snapper are
landed annually in New Zealand; this is the most popular
eating fish both for local consumption and for export.
They can be ordered as accurately graded to a size perfect
for serving as whole fish.