The McLean, Virginia-headquartered National Fisheries Institute’s (NFI) Shrimp Council has signed up prominent online influencer and cookbook author Chungah Rhee, creator of the widely followed Damn Delicious food blog, to boost shrimp consumption in the United States.
Under the extended partnership agreement, Rhee will create and publish through Damn Delicious a series of shrimp-focused blog posts and recipe videos encouraging consumers to eat more shrimp at home and in restaurants.
While shrimp remains the most popular seafood in the USA, per capital consumption has pretty much remained static at four pounds for the past several years. Total intake of fishery products among Americans is 15.5 pounds, with salmon ranking second at just under three pounds. Third is canned tuna at 2.2 pounds, followed by famed tilapia and Alaska pollock at 1.4 pounds and just under one pound, respectively.
Rhee’s Damn Delicious blog, which attracts millions of viewers each month, is a wildly successful website featuring recipes and cooking techniques. In addition to the blog, in 2016 she authored her first cookbook, “Damn Delicious: 100 Super Easy, Super Fast Recipes.”
“After working with Damn Delicious for several years, we are thrilled to join forces with Chungah in a more-fulsome relationship,” said Brandon Phillips, NFI’s senior director of communications and advocacy. “The Shrimp Council’s goals include showcasing the ease of preparation and versatility of shrimp, and Damn Delicious is the perfect partner for sharing this message with consumers. Through Chungah’s approachable recipes, which require minimal ingredients and nominal cooking time, shrimp will be highlighted as a delicious protein that can easily be a staple of any weekly meal plan.”
The 2017 partnership with Rhee focuses on four key selling seasons: Lent, summer grilling, football tailgating, and the winter holidays. For each season, she has agreed to create an original shrimp recipe for posting on her Damn Delicious blog and amplifying via her social media channels.
“By sustaining the partnership throughout most of the year, we’ll be providing consumers a range of shrimp recipes they can interact with,” commented Phillips. “From craveable shrimp-and-pasta dishes to bite-sized shrimp appetizers, there will be something for everyone.”
Shrimp Pasta Kicks Off Campaign
To coincide with Lent – one of the top seafood-selling seasons of the year in the United States – Damn Delicious published its first blog post of 2017. Featuring a recipe for Shrimp Pasta with Tomato Basil Cream Sauce, the post and related social shares have already garnered over 198,000 views.
In addition to the four shrimp recipes and corresponding blog posts that Rhee is creating for the Shrimp Council this year, the Damn Delicious maven will produce four shrimp recipe videos for viewing via her YouTube and Instagram channels, beginning in May. Like the blog posts, these videos will feature a variety of shrimp recipes – from appetizers to main courses – designed to encourage consumers to eat more shrimp.
“Short, playful recipe videos currently are dominating the online space, and the Shrimp Council sees our partnership with a powerful online influencer such as Chungah as an opportunity to capitalize on this trend and keep shrimp top of mind with consumers,” Phillips said. “Chungah’s Damn Delicious videos will show how shrimp is such an easy-to-prepare protein, while getting viewers to start craving their next shrimp dish. The idea is to connect with an extensive audience of engaged consumers who are looking for mealtime inspiration, whether they plan to cook at home or dine out.”
About the Shrimp Council
The mission of the NFI’s Shrimp Council is to promote shrimp as a nutritious and delicious protein that is sourced sustainably from around the globe for consumers to enjoy at home and in restaurants. Council members include major importers and exporters of frozen shrimp including Censea, Devi Seafood, Eastern Fish Company, Great American Seafood Import Co., H&N Group, King & Prince Seafood, Mazzetta Company, Rich Products Corporation and Sea Port Products.
Associate members of the NFI Shrimp Council are A&B Chemical Co. Inc., Apex Frozen Foods Pvt. Ltd., Aquactiva, SA de CV, Certified Laboratories, Inc., Crystal Cove Seafood Corp., Del Mar Multiples, SA de CV, Devi Seafoods Ltd. India, Fortune Fish & Gourmet, Joseph C. Murray & Co. Inc., Kader Exports Pvt Ltd., Los Angeles Cold Storage, MSeafood/Minh Phu, Nekkanti Sea Foods Ltd., Penver Products Private Limited, Preferred Freezer Services, PT Bahari Makmur Sejati, PT Bumi Menara Internusa, PT First Marine Seafood, PT Mega Marine Pride, Pyramid Transport Inc., Rod International, Santander Bank, N.A., Seajoy Seafood Corp., and Williams Clarke Company Inc.
