Seafood Seasonal update - December 2017

Fishtails of the city

Given the much-publicised poor diet-related health stats in some parts of the city, it’s easy to overlook Glasgow’s historic – and enduring – love affair with fresh seafood and shellfish.

At Rogano, the city’s iconic Art Deco seafood restaurant and oyster bar founded in 1935, head chef Gordon Provan is currently going through 1500 oysters and more than 50 kg of scallops each week. Lemon sole meunière and hake, simply pan-fried on the bone and served with vegetables, are also popular. He always endeavours to source Scottish using Fish Bros, Campbells Prime Meat and Andy Bell.

“We have a loyal traditional clientele who love their fish, but we’re also seeing demand from younger diners too, to the extent that we’ve rebalanced the Café Rogano menu to include less meat and more fish,” he reveals. “And when we have salmon on the menu, it simply flies out the door.”

Scotland produces some of the world’s finest seafood from the cool clean waters of its deep lochs and surrounding seas. Take a look at what else is available from Scotland here

Meet the Skipper – or Meet the Farmer!

In addition to overseeing the recruitment of new staff for the ever-expanding business of Atlantic salmon farming and keeping abreast of developments in technology, he’s also involved in the building of a new £93 fish feed plant on Skye. So it’s fair to say Steve Bracken, Marine Harvest Scotland’s business support manager, is a busy man.

With 40 years’ service under his belt, he started out in 1977 when fish farming in this country was in its infancy, and Marine Harvest Scotland was producing around 250 tonnes annually. That figure is now an astonishing 55,000 tonnes. Scottish salmon exports rose to £483M for first nine months of 2017, up 56% compared to same period last year. Highly prized in international markets, Scottish Atlantic farmed salmon can be up to ten times more expensive than that sourced from elsewhere.

This success has also been felt closer to home, over two-thirds of Marine Harvest Scotland’s salmon is sold in the UK, with Sainsbury’s supermarket its biggest customer. Hot and cold-smoked salmon are now neck-on-neck in popularity.

CLICK HERE If you would like a copy of the Seafood Seasonal Guide for your kitchen  or  help on fishing methods, sustainability or advice on sourcing Scottish seafood for your restaurant, get in touch: enquiries@seafoodscotland.org, 0131 557 9344. 

Article written by Cate Devine, Scottish based food writer @CateDvineWriter (catedevinewriter.com)