From the
Yankee Food Service Newspaper
"The Voice of the Hospitality Industry in New England"

February 2000 issue
Volume 22, No.2

Cape Cod Bay Seafood’s Salmon Surfburger
Could Give Operators a Fresh Sandwich Alternative

by Mike Berger

The picture looks like a hamburger on a bun but it’s a Salmon Surfburger, a farm-raised Atlantic salmon developed for food service in the form of a patty.

Cape Cod Bay Seafood, Hyannis, Mass, manufacturers and distributors of the Surfburger, are counting on the fact that the new product will deliver seafood to consumers in a familiar medium, such as a hamburger.

"The Surfburger delivers a nutritious, fast and easy-to-prepare fish product.  For the operators, it’s no preparation, no shrinkage, portion controlled and has a long shelf life," says company president Steve Moreton.

With more than a year in research and development, Mr. Moreton unveiled the product last May (1999) and already the product has proved successful.  Hill Food Service has decided to offer the products and Mr. Moreton announced that the product recently received an Award of Excellence from the American Taste Institute, San Francisco, California.

Billed as fast, easy, versatile and fun, Surfburgers are made from farm-raised Atlantic salmon harvested from the waters of the North Atlantic year round.  Surfburgers are individually formed, immediately vacuum packed and quick frozen for freshness and flavor. Particular attention is given to harvesting and selecting only sushi grade salmon fillets for greater quality.

Surfburgers are all-natural and contain no artificial chemicals, preservatives, colorings, filler, bread crumbs or by-products.  Each salmon Surfburger is rich in Omega III polyunsaturated fatty acids and other proteins, vitamins, and minerals associated with overall good health and cardiac fitness.

The Surfburger is a very versatile product offered in many forms and with many types of meals.  Suggested servings include: traditionally served with lettuce, tomato, onion, and tartar sauce on a bulkie roll or bun; melted with favorite cheese and served with mayonnaise or Dijon or honey mustard.  Suggested are a smoky cheddar or Harvarti Cheese with dill; a topping with salsa; pan fried and served with a dollop of dill butter and fresh lemon on a bed of rice and garnished with greens.

For a lighter lunch, a Surfburger can be placed in a pita pocket along with shredded lettuce and cucumber.

Surfburgers can be used for appetizers.  They can be served on toothpicks and served with your favorite dipping sauce.

Surfburgers can be served on a bagel or toasted English muffin with a layer of non-fat cream cheese and slices of red onion or scallions and a crisp cucumber. Surfburgers can be a companion to egg dishes and can be substituted for Canadian Bacon in Eggs Benedict.

The Surfburger can be cooked in one of four ways: grilled, fried, baked, or microwaved.

The products do not require thawing before cooking and there is no shrinkage during the cooking process.

Cape Cod Seafood is a fairly new start-up venture, engaged in the production and sales of high gourmet style, value-added seafood products such as salmon and tuna patties, pies and seafood sausages containing shrimp, lobster, and scallops.  All of these products are portion controlled, individually packaged and containing 100 percent pure fish with no fillers or stuffings.

Cape Cod Bay Seafood initially will be targeting restaurants in southeastern Massachusetts both directly and through regional food service distributors.  Within three years, it is expected that Cape Cod Bay Seafood's products will be distributed nationally to the food service industry by major distributors and food brokers.  A retail mail-order business is envisioned for development within the same time frame.

Cape Cod Bay Seafood is targeting middle, upper middle and high demographics as the ultimate end users of its products. National Restaurant Association Surveys indicate that these demographics are most likely to patronize a restaurant or take-out dinner a minimum of once per week.

Statistics obtained through the National Fisheries Institute and the National Seafood Council indicate the same segment of the population orders out or serves seafood for lunch or dinner meals an average of 1.5 times per week.

Other products in research and development are different sizes of salmon patties such as hors d’oeuvre size; tuna patty and shrimp-scallop combination.