Flying Fish Market Report from Day Boat Specialists #4

Missed Flying Fish Report 3, read it here.

Jumbo Plaice

The humble plaice has long been popular in the UK, although it is largely overlooked. Judged on its own merits, plaice is a superb fish possessing a fine, moist texture and subtle but distinctive flavour. Given the right treatment it makes a simple, yet absolutely delicious lunch or supper.

Plaice is available throughout the year although the quality varies. From summer through to mid-winter (outside the spawning season) it is generally fleshier and tastier. The jumbo plaice are starting to show now and are in superb condition, these are generally around 1-2kg.

By the early twentieth century over-fishing had seriously depleted stocks of plaice in British waters, although they recovered somewhat during World War II. Current stocks are below minimum recommended levels and EU fishing quotas have been reduced by 20% this year in an attempt to safeguard numbers.

Plaice is popular throughout Europe, with Britain and Denmark being the biggest consumers, followed by Sweden, France and Spain.

The European plaice - is Europe's most important flatfish. It is found throughout the waters of the UK and Scandinavia, the Barents Sea off Russia, around Iceland and along the southern tip of Greenland, and also south into the Mediterranean.

It is a demersal fish (i.e. swims close to the sea bed) that feeds on clams, razorfish, crabs and other shellfish. It reaches maturity at 5 to 7 years and can live for 30 years.

Upon hatching it resembles a normal round fish but metamorphisizes into a flatfish during its second month when its left eye moves around to the right side of its head and it develops its distinctive colouration; white below and greyish/brown with orange spots on top.

Top Tip from Flying Fish

Try cooking your plaice on the bone! It retains it moisture and intensifies the unique flavour of the fish.

Hand Dived Scallops

The quality of scallops from UK waters is frequently excellent: mild, sweet flavoured morsels with a satisfyingly firm, yet fine, texture are widely sold by quality fishmongers. Today a number of species are found in waters around the world and scallops are esteemed in seafood-eating cultures everywhere. UK waters are a source of very fine scallops and some of the best are found off the coast of western Scotland, which is where we source ours from.

Buying hand dived scallops is a far more sustainable, as dredging not only damages the sea bed, but it also mops up any marine life in its wake obviously creating by-catches which are discarded.

Advice on buying scallops

When buying pre-cut scallop meats; look for plump, firm, moist scallops with a sweet aroma. Some scallops are soaked in water; this increases their weight but impairs flavour and texture. Unsoaked scallops should be creamy or slightly off-white; soaking tends to produce overtly white scallops