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Creepy red crustaceans are still very much in vogue - diners are paying up to $180 a kilo for crayfish at New Zealand restaurants.
The Herald on Sunday found it was common for patrons at SkyCity's Ming Court restaurant in Auckland to pay up to $300 for a lobster - one, albeit large, serving.
"It normally costs $200-$300," an employee quoted us over the phone, after a call to the manager for this story saw her refuse to tell us the price.
A visit to the restaurant revealed the price wasn't putting off the tourists - there were no crays in the tank. "We have all run out," a waiter said.
Restaurants pay $40 to $50 per kg wholesale, the Herald on Sunday has learned. Some put considerable markups on the delicacy.
SkyCity finally confirmed the price at Ming Court in a statement - $180 a kg, subject to seasonality and availability.
Live crays in the restaurant's tank were tagged with prices, group executive chef Warren Bias said: "Our customers appreciate this transparency of pricing as they know exactly what they will be paying for their crayfish, before it is served."
Other Auckland restaurants' prices for crayfish meals were all over $130 per kilo. In Nelson and crayfish-infested Kaikoura they were a little cheaper - when in season, a 3kg cray at the Boat Shed Cafe in Nelson would cost $250.
But crayfish were scarce at present, the manager of Auckland's Fish Markets, Matt Cowan, said.
"It's pretty dry. I've just left one of the shops and they've got nothing left. It's all supply and demand. At present with the weather, no one's been fishing, which will push the price up."
If you're a lobster-lover on a budget, there's good news: a cooked whole cray, weighing 400 to 500g, at retailer Fishmart (at the Auckland Fish Markets) is selling at the special price of only $22.50. And top Auckland hotel, the Langham is offering live cooked cray as part of an all-you-can-eat buffet this month at its SBF Brasserie, for $69 a person. "We're not making any money on it, we're trying to lift the profile of the Brasserie," a spokeswoman said.
Jimmy Gerard, director of top Auckland seafood restaurant Harbourside, said the wholesale price of crayfish could fluctuate up to $20 during in a month. He said the delicacy was not labour intensive to prepare, and there was a chance for restaurants to make good profit. "There'd be some who milk it."
Craig Dunphy, executive chef at The Grill at Auckland's Duxton Hotel - where crayfish is served occasionally - told the Herald on Sunday it was always a gamble for restaurants like his, which didn't have a tank, to buy the expensive seafood. "A couple of weeks ago I bought two crays and some whitebait, and sold nothing," he said. "It is so expensive."
Crayfish only stayed alive in a fridge for five days, and there were problems with serving a refrigerated product. "They start to eat themselves - they lose some of the flesh and weight from their bodies." He said there would always be restaurants who would be looking to make as much profit as humanly possible. "If they can get it for $25 per kg and sell it for much more then they will, because that's how to make money."
He said it was advisable to only eat cray from a place where you could see it alive first. "It could say it's fresh, but mean freshly out of the freezer."
What it costs
* Ming Court Chinese Restaurant, SkyCity, Auckland: $200 to $300 for a whole - $180 per kg. Steamed, wok-fried with ginger, or wok fried with cheese.
* Hammerheads, Okahu Bay, Auckland: $55-$65 for 400-500g whole, grilled, with dipping sauces.
* Harbourside Seafood Bar and Grill, Auckland: $90 for 500g/$162 for 900g, grilled, char-grilled, steamed or raw.
* SBF Brasserie, Langham Hotel, Auckland: Buffet costs $69 a person and includes crayfish grilled at the live cooking station. This month only.
* Partingtons at the Langham Hotel, Auckland: $87 for 550g. Full poached cray in herb creamed sauce finished with hollandaise, pommes Pont-Neus and cress salad.
* Grand Park Seafood Chinese Restaurant, Epsom: $55 for one pound.
* Kermadec Ocean Fresh Bar, waterfront, Auckland: $85 for whole cray, 500g.
* Fishmart, downtown Auckland: $69.95 per kilo, still alive. Most crayfish are 2kg. Special: small, whole cooked cray, $22.50 (400-500g).
* Lobster Club, Tauranga: Whole cray, $115, half $50, tails $58.
* Boat Shed Cafe, Nelson: $55 whole (350g) to $250 for an xxl size (3kg).
* White Morph Restaurant, Kaikoura: $100, for 620-640g.
