Home

Who We Are

News

Seafood

Seafood Safety

Sustainability

Recipes

Links

Contact Us

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.
© 2001 Monterey Fish Market, Inc. All rights reserved.