7 ways to use fish and seafood to liven up your pub menu
Sustainable sourcing
“An amazing piece of fish is best roasted or grilled with a simple garnish – no pretentious foam, dots or swipes. Just honest, high quality, seasonal food, cooked and presented the way it should be,” recommends Joycelyn Neve, owner of Lancashire’s Oyster & Otter in Feniscowles.
“Few pubs can match our seafood knowledge or serve it within hours of unloading from the trawler. I come from generations of trawlermen and my dad has a wholesale seafood business at Fleetwood, where he once operated his fleet.
“Now he sources the freshest sustainable seafood for us, from favourites such as halibut and monkfish to seafood for dishes seldom seen in pubs, such as wok-fried crab claws and scallop ceviche.”
Fishing for compliments
For Dominic McCartan, co-owner of freehold the Snowdrop Inn, in Lewes, East Sussex, traditional fish pie is the ultimate comfort food. “I suggest using white fish, plus a little smoked fish, prawns and peas in a rich, thick white sauce flavoured with cheese and mustard, fresh parsley and maybe some chives,” says McCartan. “Finish with sliced eggs, and smooth creamy mash forked over the top. It’s great for using off-cuts, and a cheap fish such as coley works really well.
“You can’t go wrong matching it with a wheat beer such as Hacker-Pschorr Hefe Weisse, which we have on draught, or Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat Ale, a smooth, fruity American beer.”
Children’s choices
Encouraging children to select seafood from your menu can be challenging. Mike Berthet, director of fish and seafood at M&J Seafood, recommends offering free fish and seafood meals such as salmon fish fingers to children accompanied by an adult during school holidays, or from 4.30pm to 6.30pm on weeknights.
“Making fish and seafood more familiar helps break down the barrier that stops children choosing them,” says Berthet. “Try featuring fish and seafood in children’s colouring packs or games and writing your own separate children’s menu in language that is more in tune with them.”
M&J also encourages, and can support, establishments partnering with local schools to offer talks about seafood or provide kitchen tours.
Passion for paella
St Austell Brewery catering development manager Nick Hemming recently took to the Royal Cornwall Show’s stage to cook up a Cornish-inspired paella, which he matched with St Austell’s new Strawberry Blonde lager. “Paella ingredients vary,” says Hemming, who has lived in Spain. “My Spanish friend’s mother passed on this traditional recipe, to which I’ve added Cornish fish and seafood.
“It’s important to extract the oils and flavours, such as garlic and paprika, from the chorizo, to combine with the other ingredients and colour the rice. All our managed pub food is freshly prepared and I wanted to showcase produce from our excellent local suppliers. Paella also goes very well with our Clouded Yellow wheat beer.”
Seafaring tradition
Head chef Philip Galbraith at Shalfleet’s New Inn is proud of the Isle of Wight’s seafaring heritage, explaining that seafood for the 18th-century pub’s platters is sourced by island-based fishing company J&B, from a stretch of water from the Needles round to St Catherine’s Point.
“We sell 15 to 20 seafood platters daily,” he says. “Each contains half a lobster, crab, smoked salmon and locally baked crusty bread, made with island flour (£26.95). Our larger Seafood Royale platter has been on the menu for more than 10 years: we add fresh local fish and smoked fish such as trout and shell-on prawns and sell two to three daily (£60). For four, our biggest platter costs £100 and we sell about one a week.”
Fish and fizz
Half-price fizz on Thursdays has been relaunched as Fish & Fizz at Oxfordshire’s the Fleece, in Witney, owned by Peach Pub Company, where head chef Dan Kerr is able to buy the catch from day boats before it’s landed. “Our target market for fizz nights is female guests out enjoying themselves, and 60% to 70% of their dishes are fish. So it made sense to tie the two together.
“We’re inviting local groups such as teachers, nurses and social networks to a launch night, when I’ll chat about what we’re doing with fish suppliers M&J and Kingfisher, including supporting Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Fish Fight and serving sustainable native fish.” Kerr is also planning a gourmet fish evening, where he will match six courses with wine.
Flexible mussels
Fresh oysters can be pre-ordered at Heavitree Brewery lease the Anchor Inn, in Cockwood, on Devon’s River Exe — a pub that is particularly famous for its mussels. “We’re often referred to as the ‘mussel pub’ by DJ Chris Evans on his BBC Radio 2 breakfast show and can sell up to 500 kilos a week,” says manager Scott Hellier.
He recommends chilled Muscadet with a bowl of fresh river mussels, but confides: “Pretty much anything that swims can be turned into a tasty dish by our chefs.” The pub’s menu boasts mussels served 28 ways, five scallop dishes, and specials such as trawlerman’s gumbo and crab meat & prawn Thermidor with a light cheese & mustard sauce (£17.95).
