The Pommery Dorset Seafood Festival was recently ranked number 1 in Conde Nast Travellers’ UK’s best food festival list and also featured in CNN’s list of the 10 best food festivals in Europe. Perusing the array of nearly 100 stalls, against a backdrop of working fishing vessels and luxury pleasure cruisers in Weymouth’s enchanting old harbour, it is clear why. On Saturday, the sun shone bright, glistening on the port’s still waters, whilst on the quayside FishBox Dorset, Fish to Go and Catch sold whole fresh fish, plucked straight from the fishing grounds of Lyme Bay.
My initial sense, was of frustration, frustration at the abundance of non-native species amongst the ready-to-eat wares – a paella of New Zealand green-lipped mussels and south Asian tiger prawns, a red snapper curry and everywhere, grilled king prawns, king prawn salads, tempura king prawns. The British palate has become infatuated by these sweet juicy crustaceans and exotic fish, turning its back on the more mundane sounding native species. In a clear attempt to combat this trend, the organisers have introduced a sustainability award “to reward exhibitors using regional and seasonal seafood”. The Hive Beach Café and Dorset Shellfish were both recipients of Gold awards, whilst The Ilchester Arms Hotel and Crab House Café took silver. The Jailhouse Café and Jurassic Seafood were awarded bronze. The award winners’ menus featured local haddock, crab, hake, line-caught sea bass and whelks.
Day 2 saw a downturn in the weather but an upturn in my culinary search for sustainable delicacies. Whelks are one of our most under-utilized sea foods; of the 10,000 tonnes harvested off our shores each year, around 95% are exported to the Far East. Last year, the festival launched its’ Great British Whelk Revival, which Taher Jibet of The Dining Room Restaurant again spearheaded this year, with a ceviche of whelk – quite simply the best whelks I’ve ever tasted. Elsewhere, Dorset Shellfish served their whelks smothered in a zingy wild garlic pesto- again, excellent. From The Dining Room too, clam popcorn, sweet juicy morsels in a crisp breadcrumb shell, with a dusting of smoked sea salt and an exquisitely balanced ceviche of the freshest sea bream. Another abundant but oft overlooked ingredient, seaweed, provided the focal point for The Loving Spoonfull’s vegan platters- a medley of seaweed treats, including sea spaghetti bhaji, sea greens spring roll and dulse and kombu salad. Genuinely one of the most delicious dishes I tasted all weekend. Other highlights included lightly spiced fish pakoras from The Curry Man and prawn yellow noodles from Authentic Thai Food – yes even I succumbed to the allure of the prawns. The sushi selection from Sushi & More was so good I returned for seconds. Sushi & More have recently opened a Japanese restaurant and Delicatessen in Dorchester, which having tasted their excellent sushi, I am now eager to try.
In a show of support for Dorset’s up and coming culinary talent, the festival hosted the Dorset Young Seafood Masterchef Competition. The final was tightly fought by Matt Little of The Bull Hotel, Bridport and Brassica Beaminster’s, Kiaran Mason. Judges Russell Brown and Graham Singer awarded Kiaran the title for his hake and clams dish, with Russell describing the standard as “superb”.
A demonstration from Creative About Cuisine’s Russell Brown was a fitting end to my weekend. The dish on show was a simple combination of pan-fried brill and scallops with a ragout of peas, lettuce and bacon, a reminder that the freshest seafood needs little more than a gentle touch, sympathetic seasoning and the lightest of accompaniments to allow the fruits of the sea to shine.
Alison Smith @chefalismith
