Seasonal fish dishes

At any time of year, you'll find a wealth of world-class seafood available in Shetland. Our fisheries are not just bountiful in terms of volume of catch; they are also incredibly varied with the whitefish fleet landing more than 55 different species over the past decade. Taste of Shetland has produced a brilliant page of fishy facts, listing the top 23 species caught in local waters, also available as a print poster for the fisherfolk in your life.

Just like the land, the sea follows the rhythm of the seasons. Each season brings fresh delicacies; best enjoyed when Mother Nature gives us the nod. Unlike land-based produce, fish is the only food we still hunt on any great scale. The winter catch is just as varied and exciting as any other season and, for those who live with the raw power of the winter sea, it comes with a deep-rooted respect for the rugged fishermen who brave all weathers to give us access to the sea’s riches.

Cooking fish is, and should remain, an art which binds us closely to the idea of eating what nature offers us on her own terms. Always let your fish choose the recipe rather than the other way round. Find yourself a good fishmonger and adopt a spirit of discovery when shopping for fish.

A fishmonger worth his or her salt will clean and fillet the freshest fish for you, give you handy hints on how best to cook your purchases, and gently nudge you to branch out and try something new – one of the best things we can do to help make fishing more sustainable. To find out more about what to cook for a seafood feast during the colder months from January to March, I spoke to one of Shetland’s leading fishmongers, John Martin Tulloch of Island Fish. A fisherman himself, John Martin has made it his mission to make the full range of fish caught locally, available to the local market.

He explained that while you will find a bit of everything year-round, the species that come into their own during the colder months in Shetland are hake, skate, witch and megrim. Whiting is also available in abundance, as well as local delicacy Raans – haddock or cod roes. These are eaten lightly boiled with butter and potatoes. Queen scallops are particularly good from November onwards and Shetland farmed mussels are at their very best during the winter months. There are even local langoustine available from late autumn onwards, caught in a secret location 40-odd nautical miles southeast of Sumburgh Head.

The day I popped in, John Martin and his sister Valerie had some excellent hake for me along with something entirely new to me: monkfish liver. Monk liver is truly delicious, though there isn't much commercial demand for it in the UK. In Japanese cuisine it's prepared as a prized speciality, known as Ankimo. In other parts of the world from Croatia to areas of North America it's often billed as the foie gras of the sea, though it is free from the ethical dilemma linked to its anserine cousin.

In the UK they are often discarded. If you taste them, you’ll realise what a sin this is. Distinctly liverish looking, they are surprisingly large, though the tail and the liver are the only edible parts of this relatively big fish. They are better eaten in the colder months when the liver is free from parasites. The raw liver is a little fiddly to clean as you will have to remove as many of the veins as possible but the silky smooth results are well worth the effort.

Below you will find a deceptively simple menu for a winter feast of fishy delights: Monkfish liver pâté followed by hake baked with tatties and tomatoes, an old favourite from Italy. The pâté can be prepared the day before, so if you’re having guests around for dinner they’re both dishes that will cut a fine figure with minimal faff! Whether you’re making a treat for yourself or having friends round, remember to pop a nice bottle of Riesling or a dry Malvasia on to chill.