The current high price of "big birds" and the rising number of "new Irish" is fuelling an unprecedented demand for fish, including freshwater carp, this Christmas.
Tonnes of fresh carp have been flown in by fish dealers over the past week, as eastern European residents, mainly from the Baltic region, prepare for the festival.
However, retailers are also reporting growing numbers of Irish residents who are spurning turkey and opting for a seafood dinner next week.
Fresh turkey prices have risen by up to 20 per cent, due to a combination of factors, including high feed costs and the impact of the avian flu outbreak in Britain. Pat O'Connell of K O'Connell's fish retailers in Cork says that turkey price may not be the only factor in a marked rise in demand for prime fresh fish this year.
"We've been selling far more turbot, brill and black sole, along with smoked salmon, prawns, crabmeat and lobster, because Irish people don't feel they need to stick to turkey anymore,"he said.
He estimates he will sell about two tonne of carp to eastern European customers, at about €9 a kilo, while salted ling is also very popular. Carp is the "turkey" of traditional Christmas Eve meals in Poland, and is eaten with courses such as borscht soup, vegetables, dumpling and potatoes. The freshwater fish can be stuffed with parsley root, or can be filleted, fried, jellied or covered in sauce.
Cheflink, a seafood distributor in Co Meath, says its sales of carp, imported from Lithuania and other locations via the Runghis market in Paris, have seen a steady increase this year.
Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), the Irish sea fisheries board, has reported that Christmas sales of smoked salmon will exceed last year's figure and may reach €7 million this Christmas.
