A guide to great British seafood part 2

Gurnard

Over the years gurnard hasn’t been a star of the show, partly because of its obscure winged appearance. Trawler-men would throw them back and lobster fisherman would use them for bait. In recent years it’s humble reputation has changed as top chefs such as Nathan Outlaw are promoting modern gurnard recipes. In other countries such as New Zealand, gurnard is placed in very high regard. Gurnard is a good choice of wild Atlantic fish from a sustainability perspective.

Red mullet

Red mullet is packed full of flavour and has been adored throughout history. 2,000 years ago, show off Romans had a mania for red mullet. According to Suetonius, prices reached 10,000 sesterces per fish… about ten times the working man’s annual wage. All of our red mullet is from the British coast. Don’t be fooled you may commonly see cheap red mullet but I can almost guarantee you that it is Indo-Pacific goatfish being sold as red mullet.

John Dory

John dory is a peculiar looking fish. The john dory has a most impressive mouth that hugely overextends to snatch up its small live prey. The john dory has a black spot on each side of it’s body that is said to be the thumbprint of St.Peter. The Japanese love john dory to make sashimi because of its delicate white flesh, they call it ‘Matoudai’. Read this luxurious john dory in an orange glaze recipe to get the mouth-watering.

Potted shrimp

Morecombe bay is synonymous with potted shrimps. ‘Potted shrimps’ are peeled brown British shrimps that are cooked in clarified butter and then set in the butter. The traditional accompaniment is a generous pile of thinly sliced bread and butter and a pot of tea. But you should try tipping a pot onto a very hot crispy baked potato. Check out this video to watch some of the catch methods.