Taste of Tasmania: Restaurant tackles aquatic pest one dumpling at a time

A Launceston restaurant aiming to eradicate a pest in Tasmania’s water by eating them is tasting success at their first Taste of Tasmania.

From left, William Wong, Nancy Liufujian and Oscar Zheng at the Sea Urchin Dumplings stall at the Taste of Tasmania. Picture: CHRIS KIDD

THE guys at this stall might have the answer to a uniquely Tasmanian problem, and it comes in the form of a tasty plate of Chinese dumplings.

Sea Urchin Dumplings are serving a pest on a plate at the Taste of Tasmania – dumplings stuffed with the roe of long-spined sea urchins.

“Sea urchins are regarded as a pest in Tasmania because they swim across from New South Wales and they pretty much clean the bottom of the ocean,” seafood processor and restaurant director Oscar Zheng said.

NEW YEAR’S EVE AT THE TASTE OF TASMANIA

The invasion of the sea urchin has resulted in the decline of abalone and crayfish.

“And the best way to solve the problem is to turn the pest into the food,” he said.

Having sold about 5000 dumplings in the past few days, Mr Zheng said he wasn’t expecting their offerings to be so popular with the locals.

“We were thinking about the Asian tourists but since we came to Taste of Tasmania, we’re quite surprised with how many Tasmanians give us the support,” he said.

Mimosa Auiper and Dana Cleary try some bubbles at The Taste of Tasmania. Picture: CHRIS KIDD

This is the first time Sea Urchin Dumplings have had a stall at the Taste, and are located year-round in Launceston on Invermay Rd.

Sea Urchin Dumplings can be found in The Marketplace – near the main entrance to the Princes Wharf Shed – but if sea urchin roe is not to your taste, they also sell a range of other fillings, including vegetarian.

The Taste of Tasmania continues until Friday evening, with festival director Brooke Webb saying it won’t be easing off by “any stretch of the imagination”.

“If anything, the tail end of the festival is in some ways more important for us, because it’s so easy for us to peter off but we go out with a bang,” Ms Webb said.

The program for the final three days has been upgraded following Monday’s closure because of the weather, with some of Monday’s acts to be playing later in the week.

“The last three days are really epically jammed,” Ms Webb said.