Why you’ll never eat lobster this cheap again
Normally an intimidatingly expensive delicacy, lobster prices have plummeted as trade to China slows in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, with Queensland restaurants now serving it for a steal in a bid to support local fishermen.
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IT’S long been a delicacy out of the price range of most, but now lobster is hitting restaurant menus across Queensland at rock bottom prices.
In a bid to recoup losses on shipments unable to reach China due to the Coronavirus travel bans, Aussie fishermen are selling their best catches at close to half their usual price.
SK Steak and Oyster in Fortitude Valley is one restaurant taking advantage of the bargains, offering a five-course lobster menu for just $85 in a bid to support the fishermen doing it tough.
“This is a super cheap value-for-money menu that we’re not making money on but supporting Aussies,” said SK chef and co-owner Kelvin Andrews.
“Lobster is such a delicacy and it’s usually so expensive so we’re making it more accessible to people.”
The restaurant has ordered 150kg of the popular Tasmanian-caught crayfish and have had more than 100 bookings in less than 24 hours to take advantage of the $85 deal.
Seafood supplier John Christopoulos, from Ocean Made Seafood, said Aussie fishermen had tanks full of product normally that had been destined for the Chinese market but now needed a new home.
He said this is the time for consumers and restaurateurs to get the deal of a lifetime.
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“I don’t know when we’re going to see these prices again,” Mr Christopoulos said.
“They’re literally nearly half the price of what they were.”
Mr Christopoulos said the fishermen had hundreds of thousands of dollars in crustaceans that needed to be sold urgently.
“Average Joe can now have something that the precious few can normally only have,” he said.
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