A partnership between a Tasmanian Aboriginal fishing enterprise and a former Masterchef contestant has seen wild-harvested abalone added to the menu of Tasmania's Taste of Summer festival in Hobart.
The seafood delicacy, previously difficult to source within the state is being supplied by Tasmania Aboriginal Seafoods, with Tasmanian chef Sabina Newton putting her spin on the traditional staple of coastal-dwelling Aboriginal Tasmanians.
Offering herb-buttered blacklip abalone served in thin slices on flatbread topped with herb butter and lemon Ms Newton's offering is promptly selling out on a daily basis at the week-long festival.
Ms Newton said she was passionate about giving both tourists and Tasmanians access to what she believes is the best produce in the state, saying "it is a thrill to see people trying abalone, for what is often the first time".
"I grew up diving on the East Coast and catching and eating abalone was such an important part of my childhood," Newton said, as reported by Pulse Tasmania.
"But it is so hard to find abalone on restaurant menus in Tasmania, particularly at an affordable price."
Cuisine served up by Ms Newton is being supplied by Tasmanian Aboriginal Seafoods, a subsidiary business of the Land and Sea Aboriginal Corporation Tasmania (LSACT), which recently secured a landmark fishing rights agreement with the state government.
Considered a significant step toward truth-telling and treaty in the state, the 40 abalone quota units secured in perpetuity by LSACT aims to increase the availability of Aboriginal harvested abalone on the domestic market, while offering training and employment opportunities for Aboriginal people.
"Tasmanian Aboriginal Seafoods is committed to putting wild-caught abalone back on Australian plates and creating employment and economic empowerment for Aboriginal people," Tasmanian Aboriginal Seafoods chief executive officer Tim Russell-Jarvie said.
"We are thrilled to be working with Sabina again this year to give visitors to the Taste of Summer the opportunity to try this incredible ingredient in such an honest and simple way."
Tasmanian Aboriginal Seafoods currently employs nine Aboriginal divers and deckhands, with plans to offer employment opportunities for 60 Aboriginal trainees through its Wave to Plate program.