Katharine Wootton Yorkshire may be renowned for its good old fish, chips and mushy peas, but beyond this battered cornerstone of our food heritage, Yorkshire has plenty else to offer from under the sea. From the exotic to the everyday, the white to the oily, the stinky to the elegant, Yorkshire’s sea treasures offer a school of fish types to help you towards a tasty yet balanced diet full of fishy goodness that can make you healthier, more resilient to disease and even more intelligent.
Low in fat and high in protein, fish is also brimming to the skin with important omega 3 fatty acids which your body uses to maintain a healthy heart and aid brain function. This means that the risk of heart disease, strokes and heart attacks can be significantly reduced. Some studies have also shown that eating fish full of omega 3 (oily fish is best for this) could even stave off dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. We all will remember the universal truth preached by school dinner ladies too that eating fish makes you cleverer, a statement backed by a number of studies into the benefits of eating seafood.
Whatever type of fish best floats your boat, it is recommended to try and vary your seafood choices, as sadly certain types of fish are now reaching high levels of risk of extinction due to overfishing in the past. One way to spice up your fish palette that has recently boomed in the UK is sushi. Not just raw fish as some sushi virgins might believe, sushi is one of the healthiest kinds of fast food available on our high streets that is also really easy to make yourself. Mixing all different kinds of fish from tuna to Japanese cumberjack to mackerel and salmon, with rice, vegetables and sometimes egg, sushi is a filling yet tasty healthy option. If you’re looking for a sushi nibble, Asia Gourmet and Yo Sushi are the main vendors of the Japanese fishy stuff here in York. If you’d like to try your hand at making a sushi sensation yourself, check out this great how-to guide.
If you want great locally sourced fresh fish straight from our nearby coasts, you can do no worse than head to Newgate Market where some of the finest fresh seafood from the likes of Whitby is on offer. Here are a few simple recipes for some of the hottest fish and shellfish who come from Yorkshire seas:
- Plaice fillet with nut-brown caper butter
- Turbot in red wine
- Squid with thai basil
- Sauteed whelks with Aioli
- Lobster thermidor
Or here’s some more off-the-wall suggestions:
