Market for gurnard created by chef's passion
By Lewis Smith
January 31 2012 Lewis Smith
Spoilt for choice: Jim Cowie inspects the fish just landed at Scrabster from the boat, Minerva
Frank Bradford
A restaurant with sustainability at the heart of its menus has single-handedly created a market in gurnard.
Fishermen in Scrabster regarded gurnard as an unwanted and unprofitable catch that was more often than not best given away but Jim Cowie, of the Captain’s Galley in Scabster, has made it a mainstay of his menus.
The fish has become so popular amongst his customers that during the Christmas and New Year period 70 per cent of diners at the restaurant opted for gurnard.
Mr Cowie’s championing of the species has improved its status among diners in Scrabster and further afield to the point that when fishermen land it they know it can be worth their while taking it to market rather than give it away.
“It’s something I’m so pleased about and I feel I have played a part in helping it along as a marketable commodity,” he said.
“Fishermen would say, ‘Go on, help yourself, it’s only gurnard.’ I thought that was so sad to hear. It’s a wonderful fish. Now a lot of them keep the gurnard and put them in the market - and they get a good price.”
The Captain’s Galley is among the most sustainable restaurants in the UK, having been awarded Fish2fork’s highest rating of 4.5 blue fish. It’s success at sustainability derives from Mr Cowie’s passion for and knowledge about fish and fishing. “I eat, I sleep, I drink, I read it – it’s my interest, it’s my hobby, it’s my livelihood,” he said.
Fish he serves from sustainable sources include pollock, saithe, mackerel, and sea bass caught on rods by people standing on beaches.
But he believes there are plenty more species of seafood that are sustainable and could - and should - be served more widely in the UK. Many of these are already caught in commercial quantities but are sent abroad because there is so little appetite for them in the UK.
Looking at the sea view from his restaurant he said: “We have the most wonderful larder, probably the most wonderful in the world. I believe it’s the biggest multi-species fishery in the world.
“I believe we could increase the markets for our own fisheries. In Scrabster 100 tonnes of crab are landed every week and go to Spain. They know the value of it. You take anything other than cod, haddock and lemon sole and it’s sent over to the Continent. We could do better as an industry – fishing and catering.”
Customers who walk into the Captain’s Galley are told that the restaurant has a close relationship with “like-minded fishermen” and that all the seafood is not only fresh and of high quality but is from sustainable sources.
Front of house staff are briefed every day on the dishes on offer but any customers who want to know more about the sourcing are either invited into the kitchen to speak to the chef, or have Mr Cowie emerge to speak to them at their tables. The idea is to win over the trust of the diners so that they enjoy their meal while the restaurant does the worrying about stocks.
The restaurant in Scrabster, Caithness, overlooks the most northerly port harbour in the UK mainland. Being just “20 steps” from the port is a guarantee of freshness that few restaurants can rival. He can see boats as they come in, which means that there are days when the menu can change during service.
Mr Cowie believes fish stocks around the UK and the rest of Europe can be managed much better and that a good start would be made if the quota system calendar was changed.
Quotas are awarded for each year, an arrangement which has the merit of simplicity but which, he argues damages fish stocks unnecessarily. He wants to see the quota year running from May to April so that as many fish are coming into their spawning seasons the fishermen have used up most or even all of their catch rights.
He said: “As boats catch their annual quotas, and stop fishing the fishing grounds, in turn the spawn beds would get a rest. It enables mature fish to spawn uninterrupted and prevent breaking up the spawn which in turn permits more eggs to hatch and survive.”
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