A New Plaice: Setting Up an Innovative Fish Restaurant
As a nation we’re known for our love of battered cod served up with a stodgy side of chips, but consumers are becoming more familiar with all kinds of fishy goings on - including non-cook methods such as smoking and ceviche, which has reached our shores from Latin America. If you’re thinking of setting up a fish restaurant of your own, here are our tips for keeping things fresh and interesting, without giving yourself a haddock.
What makes a great fish restaurant?
Think of your very favourite place to eat fish and there’s a good chance it’ll be a spot that’s close to the water, potentially with picture-postcard scenery. Certainly, a dining room with a view can be a bonus but it’s by no means a prerequisite to setting up a good fish restaurant. This year, Seafish set up its own Restaurant of the Year competition to celebrate restaurants that are cooking and serving excellent fish and shellfish dishes. The competition sought out eateries where staff in the kitchen and at the front of house displayed great knowledge, passion and respect for the produce making the journey from the sea to the plate.
Explaining what makes a fish restaurant stand out from the shoal, Andy Gray of Seafish cited “a strong focus on using the best raw ingredients, with care paid to responsible sourcing of sustainable stocks of fish and shellfish.” Mr Gray pointed out that seafood sustainability is becoming increasingly important to the customer, so it’s important to clearly communicate how and where your ingredients have been sourced. And, since many of us have a tendency to order familiar fish such as cod, tuna and salmon from the menu, a good restaurant should be able to successfully introduce them to other options too.
To put all of this into action in your establishment, you’ll need enthusiastic staff - and that starts with a head chef who is passionate about the speciality produce they are working with. Visit a restaurant where a chef can cook fish, but doesn’t particularly love to do so, and you will surely notice the difference.
Rules and tools for your fish kitchen
Storing fresh fish and seafood safely is fundamental, so you’re likely to need more chiller displays and fridge space if you’re starting up a fish and seafood restaurant. You can find government regulations for the safe storage of fish and shellfish here, including guidance on fish you intend to serve raw or slightly cooked such as sashimi or ceviche. You may also find our fridge buying guide helpful. When it comes to sourcing fish and seafood, Seafish has plenty of useful information about responsible sourcing and sustainable seafood; take a look at their fish sourcing risk assessment for thorough and reliable advice. As well as sourcing your fish and seafood responsibly, if you’re serving seafood such as lobster, you will wish to ensure that you or your supplier kills them humanely – particularly as scientific research suggests that lobsters and crab do in fact feel pain.
To give your fish dishes the perfect finish you can invest in gadgets such as smokers or barbecue grills, as well as fish descalers and oyster knives to open the shells. You’ll need extra kit and cutlery to make things easier for your diners too – from fish knives and lobster crackers and picks through to finger bowls and appropriate crockery. Don’t forget to prioritise bowls for mountains of mussels, broths and bisques!
The turning tide of fish trends
Simple, uncomplicated fresh fish dishes will never go out of fashion, but consumers are increasingly happy to try both new types of fish and dishes that have their heritage in different cuisines from around the world. Right now, some of the smokehouses that have been pumping out pimped-up burgers and ribs over the last few years are starting to add a few choice smoked fish options onto the menu too – something you can expect to see more of next year. We’re not predicting burger burnout, just a diversifying of the smokehouse offering.
We’ve already made our own Brazilian barbecue predictions for 2016 and don’t doubt that fish dishes from across South America will be grilling up a storm. Persian Cuisine has also been tipped for big and flavoursome things next year, which may mean we see more hot and spicy fish stews making their way into the main course section on menus.
Our love of kimchi, pickles and street food means that fish tacos are likely to keep popping up too, hopefully with some other fantastic fish finger foods that will sit happily alongside the UK’s favourite meal-on-the-move, fish and chips.
If you come across any unusual fish-focused street food on your travels, encounter the next big thing in seafood serving or are thinking of opening a seafood restaurant, we would love to know about it! Tweet us a pic over at @BunzlLockhart, or leave us a comment below to tell us how you’re incorporating fish into your restaurant menu.
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