Summer is a fantastic time for fish lovers where stocks from Hastings, Looe, Brixham and Newham are usually in abundance.
The wild fish that are typically at their best and in season in the summer:
Bream
Cockles
Crab
Crayfish
Flounder
Dover sole
Hake
Herring
Langoustine
Lemon sole
Lobster
Mackerel
Monkfish
Plaice
Pollock
Red mullet
Salmon
Sardines
Scallops
Seabass
Sea trout
Whiting
What to eat as the weather chills
As the weather starts to get colder, the species that are at their best include mussels, squid, cod and haddock.
It’s also when flat fish like lemon sole and dover sole are at their plumpest and juiciest.
The wild fish that are typically at their best and in season in the autumn:
Bream
Brill
Cod
Coley
Dover sole
Haddock
John dory
Lemon sole
Mussels
Oysters (native)
Plaice
Pollock
Ray wings
Red gurnard
Sardines
Scallops
Seabass
Squid
Turbot
Fish and shellfish that flourish in the cold
There are many species that are at their best in the winter months, before the spring spawning season begins for many species.
Monkfish is simply fantastic at this time of year, whilst Skrei cod – only in season for eight weeks of the year – is the best you will eat.
The wild fish that are typically at their best and in season in the winter:
Bream
Brill
Carp
Clams
Cockles
Cod (Skrei)
Cuttlefish
Dogfish
Haddock
Langoustine
Lobster
Mackerel
Monkfish
Mussels
Oysters (native)
Plaice
Ray wings
Red gurnard
Scallops
Seabass
Turbot
Whiting
What emerges best as the temperatures climb?
Spring is the spawning season for many species, a time when our industry should be very sensitive to allowing species the time to reproduce.
Without safeguarding their future, killing fish before they have had a chance to breed is senseless.
We refuse to buy any fish that is in roe, and if they slip through by accident, we let our suppliers know about it!
So at this time of year, we supplement wild fish with some species that are farmed well – like gilthead bream, rainbow trout and seabass, to help nature take its course.
The wild fish that are available include the following:
Coley
Crab
Herring
Grey mullet
John dory
Langoustine
Lobster
Mackerel
Pollock
Razor clams
Whiting
The 'R' in September marks the start of the native oyster season
There are two types of oysters widely consumed in the UK. The Pacific (or rock) oyster available all year round and the Native oyster available from September to April.
The flavour of oysters reflects the minerals, salinity and type of algae they eat in the water.
Like wine, oysters gain much of their flavour from their terroir.
When tasting an oyster, take note of flavour (light, medium or full), saltiness (neutral to briny) and sweetness (neutral to strong).
Below is a list of oysters that we can easily source for our customers:
Carlingford Rocks, County Down, Eire
Full, rich creamy oysters with a sweet finish of apples, pears and avocados. A sharp metallic zing in the midst of soothing sweetness.
Fin de Claire Rocks, Brittany, France
These oysters have been refined in a clay-bottomed bed which provide extra texture and sweetness, with a distinct nutty flavour.
Colchester Natives, Essex
Firm and creamy, a Colchester oyster smells of iodine and ozone: the open sea. It has a very clear flavour of salted butter, and a metallic finish tinged with potting soil and mushroom.
Scottish natives, Loch Ryan, Scotland
These oysters come in large and small sizes, and smell of a sandy shore. Juicy and plump, they have a clean, earthy zinc finish, combined with a nutty, woody flavour.
Just how you like it
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