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How a Nordic Marketing Campaign Made Salmon a Sushi Staple
And how Norway ended up being the largest exporter of Atlantic salmon
Salmon is my favorite sushi-topping. It’s also one of the toppings you’re pretty much guaranteed to see in any sushi restaurant that’s out there. It hasn’t always been that way, though. Even though the Japanese have eaten raw fish for centuries, salmon didn’t use to be a common sight in sushi.
Salmon was present at the Japanese market, but only as grilled, fried, or smoked products selling at fairly low margins. High-end raw fish served as sushi and sashimi were dominated by suppliers of tuna.
Norwegian seafood
This all changed in the 1980s after a Norwegian seafood delegation visited the country. You see, this Nordic country had a problem. They had too much salmon. And Japan didn’t have enough fish.
Thor Listau, member of the Norwegian parliamentary shipping and fisheries committee, became intrigued with the idea of selling Norwegian fish to the Japanese during a trade delegation visit to Japan a few years earlier.
He went back in 1985 towards the end of his term. With him, he brought a seafood delegation of almost 20 people representing Norwegian seafood exporters, ministers, and…
