Scientists are generating a fillet of fish that looks and tastes like the real thing, but never had a head, tail, bones, skin or scales. Instead they’re starting with real fish cells.
“We’re not making the fish, we’re making the fillet,” says Lou Cooperhouse, president and CEO of BlueNalu, based in San Diego.
The process involves no genetic modification, Cooperhouse said, but is referred to as “cellular aquaculture,” and it provides an ocean of opportunity for the food industry.
He will expand on the topic at the ninth Eat Think Drink event Monday, called “Making Waves — BlueNalu & the Future of Food,” sponsored by the Hawaii Agricultural Foundation. Afterward, five local chefs will highlight sustainable seafood in dishes served on the rooftop deck of the Swell Bar at the Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach.
It was at the same forum two years ago that Cooperhouse spoke about this “brand-new technology” in aquaculture, which sparked interest from corporate investors and the birth of BlueNalu.
One of the investors was chef Roy Yamaguchi, founder of Roy’s Restaurants and now a board member of BlueNalu. (“Nalu” means “ocean wave” or “contemplate” in Hawaiian, which the company says represents its “new wave of thinking.”)
“I call it the Holy Grail,” Cooperhouse said of cell-based aquaculture, which he views as having the potential to address problems from food shortages to environmental pollution. “It’s a unique opportunity to deal with global problems. The demand for seafood is at an all-time high, yet the supply is disappearing.”
Cooperhouse compared the technology to in-vitro fertilization, in which an egg is fertilized outside the womb, “but here we’re not making living fish, we’re making seafood.” The process involves taking the muscle, fat and connective tissue cells from fish, isolating them and growing each type independently in what looks like microbrewery tanks. “It’s a very natural way, and it grows in large volumes.”
These three elements are assembled, or “layered like lasagna,” and extruded into the desired form so the final product should be indistinguishable from the real thing, with the same taste and texture, Cooperhouse said. “It has to look great, and it has to taste great, so it matches what consumer expects.”
“Some people will find it a little bit strange,” Cooperhouse acknowledged, but he noted many benefits. The fillets will have the same nutrients as regular fish and will be free of the mercury, micro-plastics and other environmental contaminants that can affect marine life. “BlueNalu will provide products that are healthy for people, humane for animals and sustainable for the planet.”
One advantage of creating a fillet without bones, skin, scales or any of the extraneous matter that is usually discarded, is that the yield in the kitchen will be 100%, compared to the 60% yield from a conventional fish after it’s cleaned.
The company is initially focusing on creating finfish, and has already developed mahimahi and yellowtail (hamachi); next they’ll work on crustaceans. The process, approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, works on salt or freshwater fish.
Select consumers will get a taste of the fillets at a private event in December in San Diego. Cooperhouse expects to test-market the first products in two or three years, and to break ground on a large-scale production facility in five years.
At the Eat Think Drink event, Greg Murphy, BlueNalu’s director of corporate development and strategic partnerships, will introduce the “Eat Blue” sustainable seafood initiative and moderate a panel discussion to include Rachael Roehl of Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii, Anthony Aalto of Green Island Films and Yamaguchi. A question-and-answer period will follow.
‘Making Waves’
A panel discussion on sustainable seafood:
>> When: 6 to 9 p.m. Monday
>> Place: Swell Bar, ʻAlohilani Resort Waikiki Beach
>> Tickets: $65 in advance (at OnoRevolution.com) or $75 at the door. Must be 21 or older to attend.
>> Also: The event will conclude with dishes served by chefs Shaymus Alwin of La Vie, David Lukela of the ‘Alohilani, Eric Oto of Hoku’s, Gary Tamashiro of Herringbone Waikiki and Rodney Uyehara of Viaggio.
