AFTER a rapturous welcome from the public last year, Seafood Scotland (SFS) doubled the size of its stand at this year’s Edinburgh Taste Festival (May 28-30) and added a new interest – a fresh Scottish fish display featuring cod, haddock, gurnard, whiting, witch, megrim, hake, squid, monkfish, saithe, langoustine, lobster, crab, mussels, whelks, clams, scallops, sea urchins and oysters.

SFS participated in the event as part of an ongoing Scottish Government-backed “Eat More Fish” campaign.

Chef Eadie Manson, from Adam Smith College in Fife, prepared a constant supply of Scottish seafood samples, all of which feature in a new SFS recipe book. “I wanted to show how quick and easy seafood is to prepare and cook and that it goes really well with salads, making a healthy ingredient even more healthy,” said Manson.

SFS staff were on hand to reassure the public about the sustainable aspects of Scottish seafood supply and to explain the conservation measures currently in place.

“The show was a huge success for us,” said SFS Marketing Executive Sarah Holmyard, who organised attendance at the event. The public got really excited about trying our new recipes and they especially loved the fish display. Most people have no idea we land so many different fish in Scotland because they rarely see them on the fish counter, or don’t know where to buy fresh, locally sourced seafood.

“We have now printed a Scottish species guide and a list of all independent fishmongers in Scotland. This will help people to find good Scottish seafood locally and perhaps to persuade their local fishmongers and restaurants to be a bit more adventurous in their offering. 

Top chefs Nick Nairn, Daniel Galniche, Tristan Walsh, Aldo Zilli and Roy Brett used Scottish seafood sponsored by SFS during their cookery demonstrations and were thrilled by the quality.

SFS held 12 masterclasses over the weekend, each for about 50 people, demonstrating how to choose, prepare and fillet round and flat fish, and how to open oysters. Participants were also introduced to Scottish langoustines, which are in the final stages of the assessment process for MSC sustainable certification, and learnt how to cook, peel and enjoy them.

Scottish author Sue Lawrence added colour to the stand when she stopped by to sign copies of her new book “Taste Ye Back”, which features plenty of fishy offerings. Sue interviewed 70 prominent Scots about their memories of childhood food and recreated recipes from celebrities as diverse as Ewan McGregor, Gordon Brown, Andy Murray and Gordon Ramsay. 

Holmyard said: “Our bigger and better presence really paid off this year, allowing us to engage with thousands of people, to explain that Scottish seafood is sustainable, to prove that it is very tasty, and to persuade consumers to ‘Eat More Fish’ to remain in good health.”