Eat Ethically Plenty more fish in the sea: a guide to British fish

Date Published:

24/07/2008

There's a whole ocean of seafood delights on offer around our island home but when it comes to fish suppers we're set in our ways. It's time to start cooking out of our safety zone

According to the Marine Conservation Society, cod makes up 22 per cent of British seafood consumption and just 10 species of fish account for 75 per cent of all seafood sold in the UK.

Varying our seafood diet won't just please the taste buds. With fish stocks in crisis and food miles under scrutiny, it's never been more important to take another look at the best of British fish. Unfamiliar fish are easily incorporated in to classic fish dishes and generally cheaper than their more familiar piscine pals.

To help you sort your carp from your cuttlefish, champion of ethical and regional eating, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, shares his tips for picking sustainable fish. We’ve even got recipes to get you cooking.

£ = Pocket pleasing
££ = Mid range
£££ = Blow the budget

Hugh says:
Ask for black bream or wild sea bream.
A versatile fish but cook it simply… or eat it raw!

Try Hugh's black bream ceviche recipe.

Hugh says:
Pilchards are sometimes also called 'Cornish sardines'.
Choose pilchards that are caught by gill or ring netting.
They are great on the barbecue.

For a super quick supper, try this pilchards with red onions, garlic and coriander recipe.

Hugh says:
Catch them yourself or order them from your fishmonger.
Avoid dredged clams.
Eat them raw or flash fry.

Try Hugh's razor clams with chorizo recipe.

Hugh says:
Buy them alive if you can.
Avoid crabs with clean shiny shells.
One large crab serves two people.

Try Hugh's devilled brown crab on toast recipe.

Hugh says:
Organic farmed trout fed on live feed is best.
Look for pale pink flesh and well developed fins.
Also great smoked.

Bring the taste of the Orient to your kitchen with this lime cured trout with wasabi dressing recipe.

Hugh says:
The UK's most underrated fish.
Lovely delicate fillets for frying.
Great in fishcakes.
Keep cool, eat fresh

Try Hugh's crumbed pouting with chunky tartare sauce recipe.

Hugh says:
Ethnic fishmongers in cities are good places to go for carp.
Look for organically farmed carp coming soon.
Why not raise carp at home?

Try this succulent roasted carp with pancetta and peppers recipe from Baltic restaurant's Silvena Rowe

Hugh says:
Eco-friendly alternative to cod.
Look for labelled line caught fish.
Look out for smoked pollack.

Try Hugh's salt pollack, bacon and tomato soup recipe.

Hugh says:
A sustainable alternative to monkfish and bass.
Great in soups and stews.
Try it baked and whole.

Try Hugh's pot roasted gurnard recipe.

Hugh says:
A Mediterranean and Chinese favourite.
Underrated in the UK.

Great cutlets for stews and casseroles.
Give your wallet a treat with this grey mullet with ginger and green onions recipe.

Hugh says:
Sustainable and plentiful UK catch.
Avoid mess - ask the fishmonger to prepare it.
Either flash fry or stew gently until tender.

Make space amongst the burgers for something special. Try this barbecued cuttlefish recipe.

Hungry for more? Browse our fish recipes
Find out which restaurants are tackling the fish issue on the Fish2Fork blog
Watch the Q and A with Charles Clover, author of End of the Line

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