Since we started out a decade ago, we have striven to only serve fish from sustainable sources, adopting the strong ethical stance of Loch Fyne Oysters who remain our main supplier. This year is Loch Fyne Restaurants' tenth anniversary.
Loch Fyne Restaurants is proud to join Seafood See Life and promote the use of sustainable fish. The restaurant sector - with a few exceptions – has been slow to take responsible fish sourcing seriously, and from an industry perspective it's easy to understand why. Fish sells well.
A lot of people eat out to have a good time and just switch off. And while most of our customers at Loch Fyne Restaurants like to hear that their fish is ethically sourced, they come to us primarily because the food tastes good. At the moment, people who really scrutinise where their food has come from are in the minority, making it hard for businesses to perceive a need for action. But the evidence of the damage done by over-fishing is too big for anyone to ignore. It is on the global political agenda and ensuring environmental sustainability, is one of the UN millenium development goals. If restaurants continue to sit back, and wait until consumer pressure forces them to serve sustainable fish, which it inevitably will, it will be too late and fish could be off the menu completely.
“There are no more
excuses. Restaurants
need to act now to help
safeguard fish stocks”
Mark Derry
Ten years ago suppliers were reluctant to employ sustainable methods of securing fish stocks, they just didn't see the need. Finding reliable sources of sustainable fish was difficult, particularly for white fish, but we sought out suppliers who would adhere to our tight specifications. We know which water and what batch the fish we serve comes from, when it was transported and how it got here.
Many within the industry now recognise that sustainability is in the long term interest for everyone. There is fresh innovation on the scene, dramatic growth in the organic food movement and a good take up of accreditation schemes. This means that it is now far easier to find suppliers who can deliver sustainable fish. There are no more excuses. Restaurants need to act now to help safeguard fish stocks for years to come.
Below Loch Fyne's executive chef Douglas Wright generously shares two of his favourite sustainable recipes with us. Thanks, Douglas!
Red Gurnard with tomatoes and olives
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
| Ingredients | ||
| 800g | 4 x 200g red gurnard fillets | |
| 120g | plum tomatoes |
|
| 80g | red onions, finely sliced | |
| 80g | Kalamata olives (quartered) | |
| 2 cloves |
garlic | |
| 20g | basil | |
| 1 pinch | rosemary | |
| 120ml | white wine | |
| 120ml | fish stock |
|
| 2 tbsp |
olive oil | |
| seasoning |
||
Method
Heat oven to 200° C
De-seed tomatoes and cut into quarters and then slice again. Finely slice garlic and roughly chop herbs (reserve a little basil for a garnish).Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and place these ingredients with the sliced onion and olives and sweat the ingredients for two minutes.
Place the gurnard fillet on top and pour over the white wine and the fish stock, season, cover with a lid or foil and cook in the oven for 5 minutes.
To serve:
Remove the fish, place a quarter of the tomato and olive mixture on each plate and top with the fish and some fresh basil.
Serves: as many as you like – allow 2-6 oysters per person
| Ingredients | ||
| Fresh oysters in their shells | ||
| 200g | one bag ready prepared spinach | |
| 1 pinch | salt | |
| medium oatmeal (the amount needed will depend on the number of oysters used |
||
| 15g |
knob of butter, plus more if needed |
|
| 2 tbsp |
double cream |
|
| lemon juice for squeezing |
||
| lemon wedges | ||
| fresh flat leaf parsley to serve |
||
Method
Carefully remove oysters from shell - (lay on a clean kitchen towel to allow surplus liquid to run off). Retain the shells so that they can be used to serve the dish.
Wash the spinach and then put it in a large saucepan, tearing any large leaves into 2 or 3 pieces. Add just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan and sprinkle with a little salt. Cook covered over a medium heat until the spinach has shrunk - remove lid to boil off excess water.
Spread some oatmeal on a plate - gently roll the oysters in it to lightly coat them all over.
Heat frying pan until medium-hot. Put a good knob of butter in the pan - fry the oysters, for two minutes on each side, until the oatmeal has turned golden brown.
While the oysters are cooking press all remaining water out of the spinach - stir in some cream - heat through. Spoon some spinach into each of the oysters’ shells and then lay oysters on top to serve. Serve immediately, squeezing a little lemon juice over both oysters and spinach.
More: hear from other top restaurateurs and chefs who support Seafood See Life »
