The 'Deadliest Catch' – Red King Crab – now on sale at Dike’s of Stalbridge

06/04/09

Yes, we’ve got the very same sought-after delicacy featured in the Discovery Channel's Emmy-nominated series Deadliest Catch, which returns to our screens on Tuesday April 21st for a fifth season of adventures on the high seas in pursuit of giant Alaskan red king crabs.

This crabmeat is the new posh nosh currently being dished up in the finest restaurants in London – and to discerning customers at Harrods. So naturally our fish supremo Martyn Else, of award-winning firm Seafoods of Stalbridge, thought the people of the Blackmore Vale deserved a taste too.

Martyn says: “King crab meat really is delicious and, when you compare the price of a normal dressed crab, it is pretty good value, given the wow factor.”

It is sustainable too: the crabs, which measure up to 3 feet wide, are becoming a menace in Norwegian waters as they have few natural predators.

Originally native to the north Pacific, Russian scientists introduced them into the Barents Sea in the1960s in an experiment provide a new catch for local fishermen.

Now they are invading Norwegian coastal areas and numbers have risen by 10 times in the past 10 years, to an estimated 20 million crabs. Environmentalists are warning that crab-fishing quotas need to increase in order to control the advance.

Customers can visit Martyn’s fish counter at the back of Dike’s store to snap up a tub of this prime king crabmeat for just £16 – plenty to go round and a great talking point at any dinner party.

From sardines and squid to Osietra caviar at £137 a pot, Martyn’s range of fresh fish is unsurpassed in the area – he even has customers who come all the way from Bournemouth weekly to buy their fish at Dike’s of Stalbridge.

ENDS

For more information contact Adam Vincent, Dike & Son Store Manager on 01963 362204 or call Martyn Else of Seafoods of Stalbridge on 01963 363539 or 07790 592145, or visit www.dikes-direct.co.uk

Note to editors:

The Discovery Channel’s documentary series Deadliest Catch follows the fortunes of the captain and crews of king crab-fishing vessels as they struggle against the treacherous weather conditions doing one of the deadliest – and most lucrative – jobs in the world. Series five premieres on Tuesday 21st April at 9pm.

Seafoods of Stalbridge picked up Best Local Fish Business at last year’s Taste of Dorset Awards, while Dike & Son collected Best Independent Food Shop.