The six finalists in Seafood Scotland's 'Young Seafood Chef of the year competition' landed in Peterhead on Monday 23rd June to see at first hand, how fish gets from the sea to their kitchens.

They enjoyed a seafood dinner with representatives from the fishing industry, including John Buchan, Ocean Venture, well know from the BBC Trawlermen series, Mark Addison of the Benarkle, and Mark Buchan of the Quantus, one of the youngest skippers in the pelagic fleet.

An early morning trip to Peterhead market left the young chefs impressed by the volume and variety of freshly landed fish, while visits onboard the 18 metre whitefish/shellfish trawler Allegiance and the 65m Quantus enabled them to see how fish are caught, handled and stored at sea to maintain quality.

 

Tours of Select Shellfish, a local shellfish processing company specialising in Scottish langoustine, and GMR Seafood Ltd, which processes and smokes whitefish, herring and mackerel, completed the chefs' look at the supply chain. Their trip was topped off with a fish and chip lunch at the Dolphin café in Peterhead harbour, which uses fish fresh from the market.

"We were delighted to welcome the young chefs to Peterhead to showcase our sustainable industry, and have encouraged them to use more fresh Scottish species on their menus," explained Jess Sparks, Environmental & Technical Manager of Seafood Scotland.

The competition is part of a wider package of measures sponsored by Scottish Government, that are designed to encourage greater consumption of Scottish seafood, with key messages including Healthy Eating, Sustainable Supply, Responsible Fishing and Provenance.

Rural Affairs and Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead said: "Our new seafood campaign recognises the value of fish in a balanced diet – it's great value for money and can deliver major health benefits.

"I asked Seafood Scotland to launch a young seafood chef competition to recognise and encourage the skill, talent and innovation which we have in abundance as a nation. We will publish the successful candidates' delicious recipes on a dedicated website, providing consumers with a one stop source of advice on buying and cooking seafood.

"And we are also working with the media and retailers to help promote seafood and demonstrate that it is a delicious, healthy, simple and cost effective option."

The finalists fought off stiff competition to reach the final and are now preparing for the 'cook off', which takes place on 3rd July at the Edinburgh School of Food & Wine. Top prize is a specially commissioned trophy, a week's work experience with seafood chef Roy Brett, and the opportunity to cook the winning dishes at a Ministerial dinner. The chefs will be cooking a variety of species including hake, megrim, herring, crab, squid and razor clams.

< Prev		Next >