Waikanae Crab
When Matt Whittaker and Narina McBeath first set up their company Waikanae Crab, demand for the crustacea was so limited that they often had to return the crabs to the sea rather than waste them. But they kept right on fishing and now their product is so sought after that Matt, the fisherman of the partnership, cannot catch enough.
As the name suggests, Matt fishes off the Waikanae coast and contracts others to catch crabs elsewhere in New Zealand. The species in question is the native paddle crab, ovalipes catharus.
Although they have overcome their initial marketing difficulties, Matt and Narina must still contend with the vagaries of weather and fishing that beset the fishing industry generally. Some seasons, just maintaining regular orders is a struggle.
Narina oversees the processing and sales of the crabs. They supply whole crabs, live and chilled, or frozen as well as crab meat, either fresh, chilled or frozen.
Processed humanely and with great care, the cooked crabs are painstakingly hand-rolled to extract the meat intact from the shell, while the claws are sold separately. And their dedication has paid off: the name Waikanae Crab frequently appears on menus in some of the best restaurants in New Zealand as more people become acquainted with the seafood delicacy.
Waikanae Crab
Akatarawa Rd, Waikanae
Ph/fax: 04-293 7314
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