Clearwater Seafoods hits mark on innovation: expands culinary-inspired, value-added product line

BEDFORD, NS, March 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ - Clearwater Seafoods (Clearwater) announced today that it has expanded its value-added retail and foodservice offerings, introducing six new culinary-inspired seafood items. The new offerings include Reduced Sodium Shrimp, Split Lobster with Butter, Scallop Selects, Bacon Wrapped Scallop Selects and two new flavor additions to the Scallops & Sauce line - Marinara and Sun-Dried Tomato. They are now available to foodservice operators and grocery retailers throughout North America.

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"Our focus on culinary and innovation is consistent with marketplace trends," says Jeff Duffin, Vice President, Marketing, Clearwater. "Consumers palates are sophisticated and they're adding more seafood to their diets for health and nutrition reasons. With this line of products, we've identified a way for in-home cooks to enjoy flavorful, easy-to-prepare seafood meals and for chefs to save time when creating signature dishes for their restaurants and foodservice operations."

Clearwater began 2014 on a high note, having achieved strong growth in 2013 driven by the company's focus on offering the widest selection of sustainable, premium quality, MSC-certified species of any seafood harvester in the world. "There is a limited supply of wild seafood and our goal is to provide remarkable seafood that is responsibly sourced. A majority of chefs and consumers care about sustainable practices, and they can feel good about serving and eating these items," says Duffin.

Reduced Sodium Shrimp
General awareness of sodium consumption has risen and is a health issue for many consumers. These MSC-certified, wild-caught shrimp are harvested from the icy waters of the North Atlantic and are cooked, peeled and frozen within 20 minutes of arrival at the company's facility in St. Anthony, NL, ensuring optimum freshness, texture and taste. While sodium is naturally occurring in shrimp, Clearwater has developed a proprietary process that reduces the sodium by 25 per cent, making it a perfect choice for health-conscious consumers.

Scallop Selects & Bacon Wrapped Scallop Selects
As the demand for sustainably-sourced Atlantic sea scallops continues to outpace supply, Clearwater introduces Scallop Selects, individually formed scallop portions made with MSC-certified wild-caught Patagonian scallops. An excellent value-priced alternative for foodservice operators, the uniform portions are made by chopping, forming and individually quick freezing the finest sweet scallops. Available in natural and bacon-wrapped varieties, they provide the taste and appearance desired for multiple foodservice menu applications.

Scallops & Sauce
Clearwater is expanding its line of Scallops & Sauce with the additions of Marinara and Sun-Dried Tomato following the successful launch of Garlic Cream in 2013. Scallops & Sauce are a frozen seafood meal solution, consisting of Clearwaters' MSC-certified Patagonian scallops evenly coated in one of three signature sauces. They can be prepared on the stovetop or microwave, and once heated, consumers or chefs can add their own ingredients to make a custom seafood meal in minutes. Scallops & Sauce were recently named one of the top new products of the year by Seafood International.

Nova Scotia Prime Split Lobster with Butter
Clearwater Premium Hardshell Fresh® Lobsters are harvested when protein levels are the highest, ensuring high quality and maximum meat content. This half lobster portion comes chef-ready, with the Clearwater HPP (High Pressure Processing) fresh frozen raw meat from one half tail and one full claw, topped with two herb and garlic butter disks for flavor infusion during preparation. The split lobster can be prepared in as little as 7 minutes - poached in its portion-controlled pack and finished on the grill for attractive plating. The lobster is also easy to use for banquet or convention settings.

"These six new varieties were identified as a result of consumer and customer research and through our daily discussions with leading chefs and restaurateurs who are familiar with our seafood and are working constantly to anticipate menu and flavor trends in their operations," says Duffin. "We anticipate a strong response as they become available in the marketplace."

About Clearwater

Clearwater Seafoods Incorporated (TSX:CLR) is one of North America's leading vertically-integrated seafood companies and the largest holder of shellfish licenses and quotas in Canada. It is recognized globally for its superior quality, food safety, diversity of species and reliable worldwide delivery of premium wild, eco-certified seafood, including scallops, lobster, clams, coldwater shimps and snow crab. As a leading harvester, processor and marketer of sustainably sourced seafood, Clearwater supplies its products to wholesalers, retailers and foodservice distributors throughout the world.

Since its founding in 1976, Clearwater has invested in science, its people and technological innovation as well as resource ownership and management to sustain and grow its wild seafood resource. This commitment has allowed it to remain a leader in the global seafood market and in sustainable seafood excellence.

SOURCE Clearwater Seafoods Incorporated