Source spotlight - Clear winner

The cold, clear waters of Norway provide the perfect habitat for producing top-quality seafood.

 Jo Bruce joined the winner of this year's Norwegian Seafood Recipe Challenge to see for herself the quality on offer.

 If Aggie MacKenzie and Kim Woodburn from TV's How Clean is Your House? turned up to inspect the home of Norwegian seafood, they'd be out of a job. For pristine is the only way to describe the bountiful waters - equating to the size of Greenland - which are home to the sealife that makes up the 2,000 different products available to Norway's home and export seafood markets. These cold, clear waters are one of the main reasons attributed to the superb quality and taste of Norwegian seafood; fish grow more slowly in cold water and their flesh develops a firmer, more flavourpacked structure.

 It would seem that Norway's bitterly cold climate (you can't imagine lingerie retailer Agent Provocateur doing well on these shores) and rugged geography were specifically designed to raise seafood. On a fishing trip in a fjord at Tromsø, in the north of the country, I was amazed at how ripe for the plucking Norwegian cod were, even to fishing virgins such as myself. We dropped our lines and literally within minutes were reeling in huge cod. The quality of the fish was amazing too, with bright eyes and clear skin that many a woman would kill for.The impressive size of the fish I snared - the cold waters also make the cod grow larger - nearly had me writing boastfully to Angling Times.

 One of the main impressions you get in Norway is of the great respect and pride that the Norwegians have for their fish. But then, fish is big business; Norway is the world's largest exporter of seafood, after China and Thailand, and invests the most in the joint marketing of it. It exports to 150 countries and marketing body the Norwegian Seafood Export Council has offices in eight. The UK is Norway's fifth biggest export market for seafood - after Denmark, Japan, France and Russia - and in 2002 exports to the UK were worth 2 billion kroner, a staggering £161m.

 Norwegian seafood imported to Britain - mainly prawns, cod and haddock - is regarded in some of the nation's top kitchens, as being the best. It is used by some of the biggest names in the industry, including Jean-Christophe Novelli at Auberge du Lac, in Hertfordshire, Ralph Porciani at Chamberlins, in London, Chris Wheeler at the Stoke Park Club in Buckinghamshire and Aldo Zilli. And if further proof were needed of Norwegian seafood's exceptional credentials, last year it was selected for the third time as the official seafood product for the highly-regarded international culinary competition Bocuse d' Or.

 In recent years there has been much media coverage claiming that cod is threatened with extinction. But the Norwegian Export Council says that this is a misunderstanding of the facts. A main source of Norwegian cod for international markets is the Barents Sea. Last year the quota for an allowable catch was 395,000 tons, with an additional 40,000 tons from the Norwegian fjords. This year a new long-term harvesting strategy, agreed by Norway and Russia, comes into force. Norway shares the cod stocks in the North Sea and the Skagerrak with the EU and has entered into annual quota agreements, pledging last year to co-operate on guidelines for calculating fishing limits that ensure the rebuilding of the fish stocks.

 The cold waters mean Norwegian cod has a winning combination of firm white flesh, large flakes and a low moisture content. In fact Norwegian cod was used in the winning dish in this year's Norwegian Seafood Recipe Challenge, which seeks innovative recipes showcasing the quality and versatility of Norwegian cod, haddock and cold-water prawns. There were 161 entries this year, including 12 from pubs, and the winning dish was that of Kenny Atkinson, who is head chef at the Greenway Hotel in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Kenny served up roast Norwegian salt cod with a basil crumb, asparagus, baby eeks, lemon noodles and sweet pepper and olive dressing.

 He came up with the recipe after researching Norwegian cookery and finding many recipes using salt cod. He says that salting the cod for half an hour before cooking draws out the moisture and helps firm up the fish as well as seasoning it. "The fish itself has such a great texture and beautiful flavour, I didn't want to overcrowd it by the garnish and the sauce,"Kenny explains."The fish has to be the star."​ He adds: "Norwegian cod is so versatile, you can be very inventive with it. It's quick and easy to prepare and popular among customers, as it's light and easily digestible."​

 Kenny won a gastronomic tour of Norway with his partner where he saw for himself the clear waters that Norwegian seafood comes from on a fishing trip, dined in some of the country's top restaurants including Oro in Oslo, and visited a prawn processing plant and a food market. He was certainly impressed by the quality of the seafood in Norway. "When I saw the size of the halibut that I was about to eat in one restaurant, I expected pected it to be a bit tough, it was so large. But I was wrong,"​ he says. "It had great flavour and was so fresh, caught that morning. Even the cheaper cuts were sensational."​

 Winning the competition has generated plenty of positive PR for Kenny, who has featured in the media in both Norway and the UK and spoke of his winning trip on Norwegian television. But it's not just Norwegian cod which is hailed by UK gastronomes and chefs - Norwegian prawns are seen as among the best in the business. Sourced from the Barents Sea, Norwegian Fjords and Arctic Ocean, the prawns' slow growth, as a result of the icy waters, leads to a firmer, juicier and sweeter prawn, which is much redder than warm-water types.

 One of the biggest markets for Norwegian prawns in the UK is sandwiches, but they are also increasingly being used in a variety of other ways such as in salads or soups. With suppliers of Norwegian seafood throughout the UK, bringing the quality of Norwegian seafood to your kitchen should not be difficult. If cooked with the same respect with which it is caught, the end result should be as invigorating to your customers as if they had leapt into those cold, clear Norwegian waters.

 Seafood symphonies​

 Norwegian prawn and avocado cocktail sandwich, with sundried tomato dressing. Serves four

 Ingredients:​ 200g/7oz Norwegian prawns - cooked and peeled 2 avocados - peeled and diced 2 tbps finely chopped dill 2 tbsp finely chopped chives 1 red pepper - finely diced 1 green pepper - finely diced 3 tbsp lemon juice Bread (plain, crusty white is ideal) For the dressing ​Olive oil 50g/2oz sun-dried tomatoes 1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce 3 tbsp tomato juice 4 tbsp mayonnaise

 Method:​ Mix the avocados, peppers and herbs with the lemon juice. Add the prawns and set aside. When ready to serve, make the dressing by placing all of the ingredients in a food processor and blending until smooth. Combine the prawns mixture and dressing and arrange your sandwiches.

 Norwegian prawns, artichokes and sugar snap salad with truffle dressing ​

 Ingredients:​ 200g/7oz Norwegian prawns 200g/7oz preserved baby artichokes 150g/5oz sugar snaps 150g/5oz lamb's lettuce For the dressing:​ 7 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp sherry vinegar 2 tbsp groundnut oil 2 tbsp tbsp lemon juice 1 tbsp truffle oil

 Method:​Make the dressing by combining the five ingredients for it. Toss the prawns in 1 tbsp of the dressing and set aside for about an hour. Drain and quarter the artichokes. Briefly boil the sugar snaps, drain immediately and cool, then mix them with the prawns. To assemble, toss some lamb's lettuce leaves in the dressing and place in the middle of a serving plate. Place some artichokes on top then spoon on the prawns and sugar snap mix. Drizzl