“This tastes like more.” “This is amazing soup!” Those were just a couple of the comments made by Yarmouth Elementary School students about a new soup featuring locally harvested pollock that is part of a project of the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association to introduce more seafood to Maine’s K-12 students. The Sweet Potato Pollock Soup the students sampled is one of several ready-to-serve products created by partner businesses to highlight underutilized species and build markets for local catch. It is produced by Hurricane’s Premium Soups & Chowders, who also makes Maine Coast Monkfish Stew, which has previously been on the Yarmouth High School menu.
The recent sampling day was a big hit with students not only because the soup was delicious, as evidenced by a high approval rating, but also because it was being served up for local restaurateur and Yarmouth parent, Chef Christian Noe of Freeport’s Nighthawk Kitchen. This isn’t the first time Yarmouth students have had a local chef in their cafeteria, though. Earlier this spring, students at the Middle School tried Japanese-style “karaage” fish sticks with yum yum sauce made by Chef Noly Lopez of Gather Restaurant. The fish sticks were made with local pollock that was donated through MCFA’s Fishermen Feeding Mainers (FFM) program that provides free groundfish filets to schools and food banks throughout the state. School Nutrition Director Blair Currier is a fan of pollock on the menu as well as under the water - see a video he took of a school of pollock swimming off the coast here.
Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association (MCFA) is grateful for partnerships with school nutrition staff, administration and students as well as local chefs who have helped make this project a success. They look forward to helping to facilitate serving more seafood on the menus at the Yarmouth schools this spring including an upcoming sampling of a new local Flounder Fish Tot made by Rockport-based Graffam Brothers’ Seafood.
