A unique partnership between an Aboriginal finishing enterprise and a former Masterchef contestant is hoping to make a rare Tasmanian delicacy more accessible.
Tasmanian Aboriginal Seafoods has collaborated with Tasmanian chef Sabina Newton to bring wild caught abalone to Hobart’s Taste of Summer.
The herb-buttered blacklip abalone is being served in thin slices on flatbread topped with herb butter and lemon, cooked in a pizza oven .
Newton said she was excited to bring such a “quintessentially Tasmanian ingredient” to a broader audience.
“I grew up diving on the East Coast and catching and eating abalone was such an important part of my childhood,” Newton said.
“But it is so hard to find abalone on restaurant menus in Tasmania, particularly at an affordable price.”
“I am passionate about giving tourists and Tasmanians access to what I think is the best produce in the state and it is a thrill to see people trying abalone, for what is often the first time.”
The stall at the Taste only opens at 4pm each day and usually sells out within one hour.
The Land and Sea Aboriginal Corporation Tasmania, which runs Tasmanian Aboriginal Seafoods, recently secured fishing rights for 40 abalone quota units in perpetuity.
The agreement with the Tasmanian Government has been hailed as a significant step towards truth-telling and treaty.
“Tasmanian Aboriginal Seafoods is committed to putting wild-caught abalone back on Australian plates and creating employment and economic empowerment for Aboriginal people,” CEO of Tasmanian Aboriginal Seafoods Tim Russell-Jarvie said.
“We are thrilled to be working with Sabina again this year to give visitors to the Taste of Summer the opportunity to try this incredible ingredient in such an honest and simple way.”
The commercial venture currently employs 9 Aboriginal divers and deckhands and is looking to provide job opportunities for 60 Aboriginal trainees through the Wave to Plate program.
