Keper Connell is a native of Rye, New Hampshire and a lifelong fisherman. Aboard his boat, ‘The Figment’, Connell sails the Gulf of Maine when weather conditions permit in search of the prized bluefin tuna that migrate each summer from the Gulf of Mexico, attracted by a buffet of smaller fish.
Connell has been a lobsterman and has led charter fishing for trophy hunters, but lately he has focused on the sustainability of the bluefin tuna fishery and is also a member of the Board of Directors of the American Bluefin Tuna Association.
Connell’s passion for gastronomy is doing something that no one else in the United States is apparently doing. Instead of selling their bluefin tuna to a wholesaler, their fish is shipped to Oregon, where it will be packed in cans with a high-end olive oil and a little salt. Note that there are no canneries on the east coast where an independent fisherman can bring in his catch.
Connell has set out to change the perception many Americans have of canned food and especially canned bluefin tuna as many consider canned food to be bunker food. It now sells its bluefin tuna, as well as canned mackerel and smoked eel, under the Gulf of Maine Preserves brand. The six-ounce cans are available through its website, other online retailers, as well as specialty food stores throughout the region, priced between $20 and $25.
“All of our canned seafood products are produced from wild fish and lobster in the Gulf of Maine. Canned by hand in an FDA-approved facility, this ensures that quality and health standards are met. Our bluefin tuna is carefully caught one at a time by rod. Giant bluefin tuna is the only tuna fed in the Gulf of Maine. Unlike other canned tuna, bluefin tuna acquire fat as they consume herring and mackerel in the cold waters of Rye, NH, which makes this tuna especially rich and delicious.”said the expert.
Canned fish is having a moment of splendor in US culinary circles, also some food influencers have found Connell’s products on Instagram surprising by its exquisite taste and the endless possibilities it offers.
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