Fish and chips with a side order of mushy peas has been a Friday night tradition for generations. A Jewish immigrant, Joseph Malin, opened the first recorded fish and chip shop in London in 1860 and dedicated takeaways have been serving customers ever since.
Yet despite this heritage, if you choose battered cod, plaice or haddock to soak up your vinegar, it’s unlikely to have been fished from UK waters: the majority of the cod and haddock we buy is imported from the Barents Sea or around Norway or Iceland.
According to the Sea For Yourself campaign, which is largely funded by Defra and aims to inspire the UK to eat seafood caught in UK waters, close to half of adults would buy more seafood if they knew it was caught locally. The good news is that if you’re keen to eat more seafood that’s been caught closer to home, there’s a wealth of alternatives to choose from.
We know fish is good for us and the catches found in our waters, from mussels, oysters and crab, to oil-rich mackerel and flaky lemon sole, are a great source of protein, vitamins and minerals. The NHS recommends that we should all enjoy at least two portions of fish a week, one of which should be an oil-rich variety.
“Most of us are familiar with nutrition advice that encourages us to eat a wide variety of fruit and vegetables for optimal health, and it’s the same when it comes to seafood,” says Juliette Kellow, consultant nutritionist at Seafish, a non-departmental public body set up to support the UK seafood industry and funded mainly by a levy on all first-hand purchases of seafood products in the UK, including imported seafood. “Many varieties of fish provide a range of B vitamins, which help fight fatigue for those of us always on the go.
“Incorporating fish such as herring, coley or hake, and shellfish like crab and mussels into your diet is smart, as they provide a great source of protein and allow you to make the most of all the health benefits seafood offers.” When you’re trying to get more variety into your diet, it makes sense to try something new.
Trying a wide variety of fish dishes instead of sticking to well-worn favourites supports UK fishermen, helps stocks stay sustainable and keeps your mealtimes creative – because of course, the real beauty of seafood is its endless versatility.
Four in 10 of us claim we’d be more likely to cook seafood at home if we felt more confident using it in the kitchen, and whipping up a Friday night fish supper – whether you’re angling for a pile of battered monkfish bites, a plate of simply dressed devilled herrings or a steaming bowl of moules marinière – is a lot easier than you might think.
If a fish and chip supper is non-negotiable on a Friday night, beer-battered dover sole is a delicious alternative to cod, while shellfish is a great choice if you’re bored with chicken and looking for an alternative source of low-fat protein.
In warmer weather, go for fresh hake with seasonal asparagus and Jersey Royals, or a poached hake salade niçoise. For something a bit different, crab thermidor is surprisingly quick to make, while fish tacos made with coley goujons make the ideal bite for sharing in front of the TV. Fresh oysters on ice or spiced coconut mussels are perfect for impressing. When the weather cools down, there’s a wealth of winter warmers to choose, from roast hake with curried stew to smoked mackerel risotto.
Plenty of seafood dishes are surprisingly quick to pull together. Monkfish and coconut curry takes about 15 minutes to prepare, while an Asian-spiced crab and noodle salad with black sesame seed dressing can be on the table in 10 minutes flat. Children love fish too, which is always a bonus when faced with picky eaters – coley goujons instead of fish fingers, or mackerel fishcakes made with mash are easy weekday crowd-pleasers.
We all have a favourite fish, and when you’re seafood savvy it’s not hard to find an often-overlooked alternative to your usual choice – from soft, flaky flounder to firm, boldly flavoured sprats or rainbow trout.
With so much choice, you may struggle to decide what to cook, but to make things a bit easier, Seafish has created a website so you can arrange for the best of UK seafood to be delivered to your door. Head to fishisthedish.co.uk, enter your postcode, and find out how to buy online for easy ways to explore a world of new flavours.
Hake, asparagus, Jersey Royals and mint en papillote
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Serves: 4
Skill level: Easy
Recipe by: Billingsgate Seafood School
Ingredients
4 x hake fillets
2 spears asparagus per serving
300g peas
2 cooked and quartered Jersey Royals per serving
For the dressing:
50g butter
1 lime, zest and juice
Small handful chopped mint
2 lemon wedges
1. Preheat the oven to 220C/gas mark 8. Cut 4 large heart shapes out of greaseproof paper. On one half of each, arrange potatoes and peas. Put the hake fillets on top with the asparagus.
2. Put a slice of butter on top of the fish and a couple of lemon wedges. Sprinkle the fresh and roughly chopped mint over the top of it all. Seal the parcel thoroughly.
3. Arrange the fish on a baking tray. Cook for 10 minutes and then serve the parcels directly to your guest.
Monkfish and coconut curry
Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking time: 16-20 minutes
Serves: 4
Skill level: Easy
Recipe by: Seafish
Ingredients
500g monkfish, cut into 2.5cm chunks
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 onions, finely chopped
3cm piece of ginger, peeled and grated
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
8 curry leaves
2 red chillies, finely chopped
2 green chillies, finely chopped
1⁄2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp turmeric
2 tbsp tamarind paste
1 tsp ground coriander
Juice of 1 lime
400ml can reduced-fat coconut milk
300g long grain rice
Chopped fresh coriander, to garnish
1. Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat, then add the onions, ginger, garlic and curry leaves. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the onions are browned, then add the chillies, cumin, turmeric and ground coriander. Cook for 1-2 minutes, then add the tamarind paste, lime juice and 150ml water.
2. Add the monkfish to the pan. Pour in the coconut milk and bring to the boil, then turn down to a gentle simmer. Season with salt and pepper and allow to cook gently for 5-10 minutes or until the fish is just cooked.
3. While the curry is simmering, cook the rice according to the pack instructions, then drain. Serve the rice with the monkfish curry, garnished with fresh coriander.
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