South west chefs and fishers learn to adapt to new fish species

Chef director Jamie Park said his menus would have to adapt to the lack of some species and proliferation of others.

He said: “The crab that we’re going to probably see in the future won’t be Cornish crab, it will be from further north, so you’re talking sort of around the top of the north coast of Wales, around Irish waters and the North Atlantic.

“Things like red mullet and other Mediterranean species, there’ll be loads of those in the water here.”

He said the octopus were eating everything in their path, including scallops, cockles and whelks, which would effect other fish which fed on the shellfish.

Park has recently added octopus to the menu at the Tartan Fox near Newquay.

He said: “I chose to feature octopus because of what’s happening with the industry at the moment – it’s here, it’s in our waters and the fishermen are catching it.

“We’ve told customers they’re an invasive species at the moment, they’ve sort of taken over the waters, they’re eating all of the native species and they’re disruptive for our local fishermen and it’s causing problems.

“We almost make the guests a part of a solution, we say ‘come eat more octopus, you’re doing everyone a favour at the end of the day’.”

Looking to the future the chef said: “I’ll have to get the Mediterranean encyclopaedia of fish out to start understanding the newer species.

“For as long as I can get these ingredients that we love in a responsible way, and in a sustainable way, through small, independent fishermen, then will continue to serve it, but if Buck calls me tomorrow and says we can’t do it anymore because of X-reason, then we’ll adapt and we’ll move with the times.”

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