Eat the Seasons: summers seas edition
A summer of glorious seafood, at the peak of its season.
Prawns
Andi Oliver is tossing some juicy shrimps on the barbie for her Caribbean Jerk-Spiced Chicken menu, drizzled in a honey and chilli-spiked butter for maximum flavour. Andi loves the sweet and flavourful prawns sourced by the Wright Brothers for her Antiguan-inspired dishes. José Pizarro also heroes these succulent shellfish in his Summertime Gazpacho & Prawn Canelones menu, featuring a summery twist on a Catalan pasta dish.
Sea Bass
A versatile crowd-pleaser, sea bass has a delicate, buttery flavour with a hint of sweetness. In Hoppers’ Sri Lankan Summer Grill, the whole fish is flavoured with fresh herbs and spices, then steamed inside a banana leaf — a commonly used method in South India. Ideal for al fresco grilling, inside the leaf the flesh stays soft and moist, served with a punchy green sauce made with coriander, garlic, ginger and lemongrass.
Pollock
This underrated white fish is similar to cod, with a slightly milder flavour. Try Michel Roux Jr.’s Vermouth-Poached Pollock, marinating delicious — and sustainable — British pollock in orange zest before gently poaching then serving with a delicate vermouth sauce. The menu features pollock landed by day boats in Cornwall, sourced from renowned suppliers The Sea, The Sea.
Salmon
For the rillettes featured in his Provençal Veal Ribeye and Vermouth-Poached Pollock menus, Michel Roux Jr. combines both fresh and smoked salmon with aromatic fennel, horseradish and crème fraîche. The salmon fillets are sourced from The Sea, The Sea and slowly poached until tender, while the high welfare smoked salmon is from east London’s Secret Smokehouse, cured with salt then smoked over oak chips using traditional techniques.
Octopus
José Pizarro’s Summertime Gazpacho & Prawn Canelones menu kicks off with meaty octopus tentacle, seared in a hot pan until lightly charred and tender. It’s paired with creamy mashed potato stirred through with Spanish smoked paprika, then dressed with picada: a Catalan-style sauce made with finely diced jamón, pine nuts and a splash of good olive oil.
Bouillabaisse
Finally, for a dish that truly encompasses all the flavours of the sea, don’t miss Michel Roux Jr.’s classic Provencal Bouillabaisse. “You can’t get much more summery than bouillabaisse,” he says. I start by making a stock using lobster and langoustine heads for a really wonderful depth of flavour,” he explains, “from that, I make a rich fish soup flavoured with fresh aromatic herbs, saffron and tomato.” The soup comes ready to heat at home, before king prawns, mussels, sea bream and red mullet pieces can be added and cooked until just succulent.