Fishmonger aims to net title

A LOCAL fishmonger is hoping to net a national title in his chosen field of employment. 

Eimantas Zvirblis, who works at Donnybrook Fair, Malahide, is among eight talented people who will compete for the Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) Young Fishmonger 2017 Awards.   

The eight, four from Independent seafood specialists and four from supermarket seafood counters, will compete for the coveted titles: ‘Independent Seafood Specialist of the Year’ and ‘Supermarket Seafood Counter of the Year’.

They will receive in-depth visits by the judges to assess their knowledge of seafood, their understanding of quality issues, their skills, techniques and customer service. 

The final stage in October will rigorously test the finalists’ skills with each fishmonger required to fillet and prepare a range of fish and shellfish under time constraints as well as discussing their future plans and ambitions for their career in the seafood sector. 

The awards will be presented at BIM’s inaugural Seafood Awards on November 17 at the Clayton Hotel, Dublin.

Eimantas’ passion in life is fish. He realised he had a skill in this area when he started working for the Dublin Smoked Fish company in 2010. He also previously worked at Nicky’s Plaice in Howth, where he developed his customer service skills.

Eimanatas particularly enjoys sharing fish recipes with his customers. 

“It gives me great pride when people come to the store specifically to see me,” he said.

“Many of my colleagues in Donnybrook Fair are now eating more fish and many customers are telling me that they are eating more fish too. 

“I believe that spreading this passion is a very important part of being a fishmonger.”