Every third week of August in the Faroe Islands is marked with Seaman’s day – or Sjómannadagur as it’s known locally. This year it was held on Saturday 23rd August
The Faroese are really proud of their fishing industry. It’s the main business on the island and everyone involved has a lot to share and talk about. So when the Seaman’s day finally arrives in Klaksvík, the whole week is devoted to conferences, lectures, exhibitions and workshops. But on Friday and Saturday the main events are on. For some, there is the traditional Seaman’s day swim across the fjord, and for others a friendly festival water fight.
On Saturday, the main competitions are among vessels and guests. This is also where many different companies in the seafood industry offer free food, such as cod, mackerel, salmon and more.
A team from the JFK fishing vessel The Gadus serves fish and chips on this day and, once again, the work started early in the morning and ran late into the night with an incredible 9,000 plus portions of fish and chips cooked and served.
As in past years, skilled friers from fish and chip shops in the UK were in charge of frying the delicious cuisine. Craig Lewis from Lewis’s Fish & Grill in Maidstone, Kent, joined experienced chefs Telom and Ruben Martins Cerveira and the Gadus team to help serve as much as they could. The first 1,000 plus portions were delivered to the hospitals, elderly homes, care homes and other Klaksvík locations.
The fish supplied was premium fish from The Gadus, while chips were made using potatoes from Isle of Ely in Ely, Cambridgeshire, and were ideal for the purpose. To reduce wait time, there was a limit of no more than four servings per person. In total, two tonnes of fish and 3.5 tonnes of potatoes were used, with the islanders thoroughly enjoying every bite.
Frozen at sea filleted fish is vital to British interests as 90% of the UK’s fish and chip shops use the cod and haddock produced this way. A wild caught, natural product, it is deep frozen within hours of being caught, benefiting from a fresher than fresh taste and offering consistent quality and price.
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