Delicious tapas - Browns Hotel, Dartmouth

During our recent Devon visit we had an evening to spare. Having had excellent dinners, breakfasts and lunches for some time, we weren't really feeling up to another full blow-out, and were wondering what to do. Then we struck lucky at Browns.

This is a boutique hotel just set back a couple of hundred yards from the busy front at Dartmouth. The restaurant is certainly stylish, with interestingly modern furniture and decor. Perusing the menu we tucked into a plate of green padron peppers - fried and salted - which were a new find for me. About one in ten is really hot, so there's an element of russion roulette about popping one into your mouth!

Two starters seemed like the way to go - all the started looked very interesting. Jen had a mixed tapas platter, for which this place is justifiably famous - grilled chorizo, salami, machego, anchovies, hummus, tara, olives... what's not to like? I had a plate of local marsh samphire (a real find these days) with poached egg and caper dressing - very tasty.

We followed up with squid, pan fried with a caper, lemon and harissa dressing. This was really first-rate, delicious juices to be mopped up with bread, tasty, and a fine way with squid. I washed it a bottle of West Country Ales' Shingle Bay, a light-ish and well hopped brew. A splendid way to end our trip. Browns Hotel and Restaurant, 27-29 Victoria Rd Dartmouth Devon TQ6 9RT Tel: (+44) 01803 832572 http://www.brownshoteldartmouth.co.uk/

Distant Devon delights - The Anchorstone Cafe, Dittisham

This is the story of a seafood platter. Not just any seafood platter, but the seafood platter from the Anchorstone Cafe, Dittisham. This may perhaps be the hardest seafood platter to get in the whole world...

During our visit to Dartmouth (see the previous post on Mitch Tonks' Seahorse restaurant) we had a nice lazy day exploring the area. One option is to take the little ferry up the river Dart to the village of Dittisham. Small red and yellow ferry boats - maximum capacity 12 persons - leave from the Dartmouth Town Steps jetty every half hour or so, and the roughly three miles (along the river) trip takes 20-25 minutes depending on the tide.

Arriving in Dittisham, what strikes you is firstly the beauty of the spot (Agatha Christie's Greenway mansion is just across the river, which plays host to millions of pounds worth of yacht), and second just how remote it is. I am assured that it IS possible to drive there - but the roads are utterly narrow, hedges give zero visibility and the jetty, pub and the cafe at at the bottom of a very steep hill. Boat is much the easiest option. Then you have to get a table.

I phoned the Anchorstone in advance, who do take bookings but only for 12 noon sharp! We were there bang on time and were rewarded with a very choice table overlooking the river, so it was well worth the effort. The menu features various interesting looking seafood options which change daily, often including fresh Start Bay crab salad. However, we went for their seafood platter...and what a platter it is. Ready?

Shell-on prawns, smoked salmon, fresh dressed crab, rollmop herrings, peeled salad prawns, an oyster, smoked mackerel, anchovy fillets, salad leaves, cous cous, tomato and cucumber, potato salad, red cabbage coleslaw, marie-rose sauce, brown bread and butter - and then freshly fried crispy calamari arrived a few moments later to complete the deal. £14.95, but very well spent. A nice pint of cold Peroni lager, a sunny lunchtime, wonderful scenery... ah, the essence of SeafoodShack.

The Anchorstone Cafe, Manor Street, Dittisham, Dartmouth TQ6 0EX Tel: 01803 722365 No website but try http://tinyurl.com/mbo46o.

Arresting arosto – The Seahorse, Dartmouth

Our quick summer trip in search of good UK seafood led this year to Dartmouth in Devon. With the dramatically picturesque Dart valley carrying the season’s rainfall from Dartmouth through the steep-sided landscape, this has been a seaport since time immemorial – Walter Raleigh was a visitor, and the Royal Navy still trains its officers at Britannia Naval College which overlooks the bustling town centre.

Commodore of the clams is seafood entrepreneur Mitch Tonks, formerly to be found at the helm of fish shop/restaurant chain Fish Works. Tonks has taken a back-to-basics approach with his new Seahorse restaurant, with char-grilled fish as the house speciality. We arrived to find the restaurant completely fully booked on a Wednesday, so he’s clearly doing something right. Fortunately we had a table reserved, and enjoyed a glass of champagne with smoked cod roe and butter – slightly taramasalata-ish with some nice bread while we perused the menu.

Bright young maitre-d Ed showed us the days selection of fish, including some nice-looking queen scallops which would be grilled on the shell with breadcrumbs. Six of those to share then, with shrimps on toast for me and linguini with lobster, chilli and parsley for Jen. The scallops were excellent, very hot from the grill and just perfectly done. My shrimps on toast were also lovely, the delicate flavour complemented by plenty of butter. The linguini was perhaps a touch short on chilli according to my companion, but as she like chilli sauce with everything this may or may not be am observation of general relevance. We washed it all down with a bottle of slightly upmarket Nocolas Choblet Signature Muscadet, which was very dry (of course) and also had enough flavour to go well with everything (a nice surprise).

Mains – well, it has to be fish. I picked the arosto misto selection of char-grilled fish, the signature dish, while Jen had fritto misto (fried fish). My arosto was top-notch, the selection of fish including monkfish, squid and sea bass, cooked beautifully with herbs and olive oil. The fish was a great combination of different textures, and was very tasty indeed. The fritto misto featured gurnard alongside the other fish, and was similarly good. Sides of chips and salad went down well. Keeping on, we shared a cheese plate (including some wonderfully well-chosen tasty Gruyere, a very pleasant surprise) and a couple of glasses of port.

The Seahorse is clearly competing with John Burton Race’s New Angel which is just a couple of doors down. Tonks has priced his establishment very well indeed – quite a bargain, not much more that one might pay in an average restaurant for what is really top-quality fare. No wonder it was full. Book early – and, if you’ve any sense, book often. The Seahorse Restaurant, 5 South Embankment, Dartmouth TQ6 9BH, Tel: 01803 835147, http://www.seahorserestaurant.co.uk/.

Icelandic lobster - Rauða Húsið, Eyrarbakki

Continuing our Icelandic trip along the South Coast, Jenny and I came across the twin sea-side town of Eyrarbakki. This place was once the main trading post along the south coast of Iceland, and has a long heritage of fishing. The trading element has long since passed onwards to more modern ports, but the town itself is still clinging to the edge of the island. We were in search of local lobster and, having failed to get in at the better-known Við fjöruborðið in Stokkseyri we wound up at the Rauða Húsið.

Even though it was a busy holiday weekend we were quickly seated by one of the efficient team of young waitresses. Starters - what's it to be? I avoided an invidious choice by having the starter selection - a taste of lobster soup (very rich), tempura langoustine tails and chicken liver pate. A bottle of cold Thule beer from the northern town of Akureyri washed it down very nicely.

The lobster here seem to grow rather smaller than the ones we see from Maine - perhaps better described as large langoustine. One never sees the front part of the creature at all - it's just the tails that appear. The local Icelandic style is to split the tail shell and draw the meat over the shell - which is then grilled. It looks a little odd at first sight, but is very effective! We both opted for a large plate, served with garlic butter on chopped lettuce - this worked very well indeed, with the hot butter wilting the lettuce and making a nice yet rich background to the lobster tails. And as we had 9 or 10 each, that's plenty of meat!

Rauða Húsið, Búðarstíg 4, 820 Eyrarbakka, Iceland Tel +354 483 3330 www.raudahusid.is.

A rising star in Reykjavik - Hrefna Rósa Sætran and Fish Market

Quite a backlog of interesting seafood places to report on during the past couple of months, and I am very exciting to start with a remarkably excellent restaurant in Rejkjavik, Iceland. The Icelandic Kronor having collapsed in recent months, the country is even more accessible to tourists and we've been up there sampling the marvellous landscapes and eating the wildlife - in this case fish.

Fish Market is run by head chef Hrefna Rósa Sætran - she is just 27 years old and is definitely one to watch. The place has a very nice sophisticated atmosphere, very groovy and offering fusion cooking based around local fish and other ingredients. Normally I run a mile from 'fusion', but here it's carried off very well indeed, lots of Japanese influences. The place won an award from Condé Nast Traveler, Hot List Tables 2008, who say it's the chicest hangout in Rejkjavik.

We went for the 9-course tasting menu at Kr 8900 each (around £40) - a pretty reasonable price in this still-expensive-but-now just-about-affordable part of the world. Three starters - firstly (and deliciously) clams with caviar, soy and seaweed served with chilli. Then Chinese-style pork rib with star anise, and bread with black rice vinegar sauce. Finally wasabi salad - crisp lettuce with parmesan crunch, soy jelly (wonderfully intense) and sesame.

Then a sushi plate arrived - excellent quality, featuring scallop, eel, salmon and squid. The basement sushi bar is very upmarket Tokyo, not a conveyor belt in sight. Delicious.
Mains started with lightly salted cod (rather like bacalao) with jerusalem artichoke (a flavour you don't get very often, and very nice), celery, raisins and black cherry sauce. Next up Atlantic catfish with brown rice, pineapple and chilli/satay sauce. Finally lamb chops (another icelandic favourite, they have lots of sheep) with blueberry sauce, pickled onions and potato foam (works better than it sounds!).

A selection of deserts concluded our meal - creme brulee, Snickers tart (excellent and peanutty, obviously), white chocolate mousse, mango sorbet, vanilla icecream, meringue and fruit including watermelon, kiwi, strawberries, melon and blueberries. All washed down with a couple of bottles of pinot grigio, very nice and clean.

This was by some way the most imaginative food we have had during our visits to Iceland, and would be a must-try for any seafood enthusiast in the area. And as for Hrefna Rósa Sætran, keep an eye open...

Fish Market (Fiskmaradurinn), Adalstraeti 12, Rejkjavik, Iceland, Tel +354 578 8877, www.fiskmarkadurinn.is.

Freshly smoked sole – a tradition in Texel, the Netherlands

I was at the SOLWorld 2009 conference on the Dutch island of Texel last week. Texel is the largest of the Fresian Islands on the North Sea coast, has 28km of wonderfully sandy beach and is a popular holiday destination for the Dutch.

As part of the event, the organisers had put on an evening dinner featuring freshly cooked specialities from the island – spit-roasted Texel lamb, freshly fried whole plaice, oysters on the half shell (rock oysters – delicious!) and smoked sole.

Now I hear you wondering – just a minute! Sole meuniere, yes, Grilled Dover sole, perfection. Pan-fried lemon sole, lovely. But smoked.....What's all that about? This was a rare treat, and absolutely delicious.

Cooking the sole were local fishermen Ron Buijsman and Robert Schulze – normally to be found aboard the fishing boat Biem Jan (TX3, if you're boat spotting in the North Sea). They are out every week, fishing for plaice, sole and turbot. Even though this was a local delicacy, it was the first time they had actually done smoked sole for a public group (even though they looked like old hands to me!).

The baby sole are slotted onto metal skewers and hot smoked over a wood fire. They are then simply taken out, skinned and eaten! What could be simpler? There is a definite knack to the skinning; first break off the head, then pull back towards the tail, taking the top skin off in one piece. Loosen the edge bones around the fish, then turn it over and, starting from the tail, remove the bottom skin and outer bones with another good pull. This leaves the main body of the fish around the central main bones – you simply pull the fish away from the bones and munch!

The smoked sole has quite a delicate taste – in this case the flesh was very soft and easy to eat, and the flavour, while well-defined, was not overpowering. A real outdoor eating treat. I have no idea how to get any more of this, but you might look out for it at your local smokery. Details about trips to Texel can be found at http://www.holland.com/global/discover/coast/resorts/texel.jsp.

Rick Stein's squid and lemon sole - my skills in action

You may remember that I visited Rick Stein's seafood school in January for a one-day course (read about it at http://seafoodshack.blogspot.com/2009/01/learning-about-fish-rick-stein-way.html). My sister, a professional chef, suggested I repeat some of the recipes to reinforce the learning - an excellent idea! So I went down to her place near Chepstow and off we went...

SALAD OF SQUID WITH NOODLES, MUSHROOMS, GINGER AND TRUFFLE OIL

1 medium sized squid, approx 250g, cleaned (by me!) and cut into 4/6 pieces.
120ml olive oil
5cm piece of cinnamon stick
2 star anise
Dried rice vermicelli noodles, one section of noodles.
50g enoki mushrooms
50g chestnut or shitake mushrooms
4 thin slices of peeled ginger, cut into fine julienne.
2 spring onions, halved and finely shredded
10ml dark soy sauce
20ml truffle oil.
Seves 4
Source: Rick Stein Padstow Seafood School

METHOD
Oven 110C/225F/Gas Mark 1/4.

Put the squid pieces into a small ovenproof dish with the olive oil, cinnamon and star anise. Cover and bake for 25-40 mins. The squid needs to be opaque and soft. The squid is cooked in the oil 'confit' style. Leave to cool. After cooking in this slow way the squid looks like this.

Cook the rice vermicelli noodles by dropping into boiling water in a large pan. Remove from the heat and leave to stand for 2 mins. Move the noodles around with tongs or a large fork to ensure even cooking. Drain the noodles and refresh under cold water to remove excess starch.
If preparing in advance add a little light vegetable oil to keep the noodles separate.
This will prepare too many noodles, this is unavoidable. There is no need to use all the noodles in the dish.

Prepare the squid by slicing into the thinnest slices possible.
Prepare the rest of the ingredients and place in little bowls ready for assembly.
Slice the enoki mushrooms away from their base.
Slice the chestnut or shitake caps into thin slices.

To Assemble.
Build up the layers on 4 plates into mounds about the size of a cricket ball.
Start with noodles, then add squid,mushrooms, ginger and spring onions. Repeat at least twice.
Drizzle with soy sauce and truffle oil and serve. And the final product looks like this: A yummy starter.

FILLETS OF LEMON SOLE WITH OLIVES, CAPERS AND ROSEMARY

Lemon sole per person or 4 fillets - I filleted them myself!
50ml extra virgin olive oil
2 anchovy fillets (optional)
2 medium sized tomatoes
4 pieces marinated sun dried tomatoes
4-6 black olives (pitted if possible)
A small bunch flat leaf parsley
12 capers, preferably the tiny non pareil
10 rosemary needles (approx.)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Serves: 4
Source: Rick Stein Padstow Seafood School

METHOD.
If you have whole lemon sole, fillet each fish to give 4 small fillets.
Line a baking tray or large grill pan with olive oil.
Place the fillets on the foil and brush again with oil.
Cover and place in the fridge to keep cool until needed.

Remove the skin from the tomatoes. Cut the tomatoes into quaters, remove seeds. Slice each quarter into three. Place in a bowl.
Slice the sun-dried tomates into long thin strips, add to the tomato pieces.
Slice the olives, add to the tomato mix.
Add the rosemary needles and capers.
Take the stalks off the parsley and cut up roughly, large pieces are best.
Chop the anchovy if using.

When ready to serve, preheat grill to high.
Season the fish fillets and grill until just cooked.
Put the extra virgin olive oil in a small pan and add the tomato mix and anchovy.
Warm through but do not overheat, just to infuse the flavours.
Add the parsely just before serving, check seasoning.

To serve:
Put a little of the tomato mix on 4 warmed dinner plates.
Arrange the fish fillets over the tomato mix.
Divide the remaining tomato mix over the fish.

Seafood in the Stroud valleys – William’s Fish Market and Foodhall

The little town of Nailsworth just south of Stroud is a bustling place, known these days as the home of conference football team Forest Green Rovers. This area, close to Tetbury and Cirencester, also has Royal connections – Prince Charles’ Highgrove estate is not many miles away and his estate shop opened in Tetbury last year.

William’s Fish Market and Foodhall is right in the centre of town next to the pretty clock tower. As the name suggests, it’s mostly a food shop which specialises in wet fish and seafood as well as lots of other lovely produce including fresh chorizo from Spain, a great selection of cheeses and a range of locally sourced goodies. At the back is a collection of café-style tables and the blackboard outside promised ‘oyster bar – brunch till 3pm’. So, I couldn’t resist.

The shop offers both Fowey and Loch Fyne oysters, and I started with three Fowey beautifully served with crusty bread and French butter. The menu offered a good range of lunchtime dishes including fish soup, scallop chunks in garlic butter, whole baked sand sole, mussel chowder, warm kipper with melted butter and smoked salmon with scrambled eggs. There were meat and veggie options too, including seared calved liver with sage & lemon butter, and gnocchi with tomato and basil sauce.

Our cheery waitress told me that the mussels were particularly good at the moment, so I went for the moules frites (£8.50). The mussels were from Shetland, deliciously plump and with a very rich colour. Some nice thin chips made up an excellent dish. My companion couldn’t resist the fresh grilled chorizo sausage and mash (£9.50). You don’t often see fresh chorizo like this, it’s more normally found as a salami-type dried sausage, but these were wonderfully tasty and spicy and served with garlicky mash and a tomato sauce.

William’s is a great find, a lovely place for lunch and stocking up. Their website is under reconstruction as I write, and it seems as if there may be plans to open in the evenings too. At the moment it’s only open during the day. William’s Fish Market and Foodhall, 3 Fountain Street, Nailsworth, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL6 0BL, Tel: 01453 835 507, http://www.williamsfoodhall.co.uk/

Michael Ward from the Highwayman wins Pub Chef of the Year!

You may remember I was lucky enough to meet Michael Ward at the Highwayman near Kirkby Lonsdale last December (http://tinyurl.com/cyfjqb). Michael showed me his very impressive recipe for potted shrimps, which were absolutely delicious. Well, I just had news that he has been awarded two titles - Pub Chef of the Year and also Game Chef of the Year - at a national awards ceremony in London. Congratulations to Michael! The full story from Ribble Valley Inns (RVI) runs as follows:

RVI yet again seems to have found the recipe for success as two of its chefs dominated the awards at this year's Pub Chef Food Excellence Ceremony in London.

These “Oscars” for the industry attract hundreds of entries from some of the most talented chefs in the country and taking home these top accolades involves a lengthy judging process including “national cook offs”

This year Michael Ward, Head Chef of the Highwayman at Burrow, won the award as Game Chef of the Year for his partridge dish of Partridge with Black Pudding Croquette, Creamed mash, Foragers Bacon and Juniper Sauce.

And in a double header for RVI, his counterpart at Mitton's Three Fishes, Thomas Pickering, was named Poultry Chef of the Year for his Devilled Breast of Goosnargh Chicken.

But the best was yet to come as Michael picked up the night's top honours as UK Pub Chef of The Year. Michael, a quiet but extremely talented chef, was stunned on the night when he was presented with the main award and we are enormously proud that all Michael's hard work has now been recognised nationally.

You can read more about it, and see a lovely picture of Michael's potted shrimps, at

http://www.highwaymaninn.co.uk/popup/Michael-Ward.pdf .

Superb smoked fish on the banks of the Severn - the Severn & Wye Smokery

Many people don’t know that the county of Gloucestershire is almost split into two parts by the river Severn. The larger eastern part is home to the Cotswolds, Cheltenham, Gloucester, Prince Charles and much of the country’s polo scene. In the west, however, a small sliver of the county extends down the bank of the Severn. This area is best known for the Forest of Dean, but there is also a verdant band of farming territory close to the river.

And there, about 5 miles down the A48 Gloucester – Chepstow road, lies the Severn & Wye Smokery. I must have driven this road a number of times and yet never noticed this particular establishment – its modest façade gives little clue of either the smokehouse or the café that lies within. Severn & Wye smoke fish on the premises, and specialise in locally caught wild salmon. They offer a whole range of smoked fish, meat and other products, all smoked over a blend of oak chips and chipped whisky and calvados barrels for a unique taste. The finished product ends up in Fortnum & Mason and Selfridges amongst other places – they also supply the Reservoir, another of our favourite spots. And you can even shop online at http://www.severnandwye.co.uk/.

Even more excitingly for the seafood lover, Severn & Wye have a café and shop on the premises. I went for lunch this week, and was absolutely stunned by the scope and range of what was on offer. I had expected a modest place serving up smoked fish. What I found was pretty much a full-on yet informal fish restaurant, the finest array of fresh fish for at least 20 miles in all directions, cheeses and meats and other products from artisan suppliers and a welcoming café with wonderful cakes and pastries. What a find!

Our party of three went for a full range of lunchtime food. I had the smoked fish platter (well, you have to check out the core product, surely…). Smoked mackerel, salmon, eel and halibut slices with some salad, lemony mayo (quite sharp, very nice) and bread and (locally churned) butter. It’s not often I find smoked halibut on my plate, and this was very delicious, white and meatily textured.

My companions went for the seafood stew (quite tomato oriented, with excellent salmon amongst the other fish) and scallops with pancetta (a huge slice of pancetta flying high like a sail above the scallops – see the picture alongside). We could have chosen from a great variety of fish dishes, and the menu is chalked on the wall and clearly changes frequently. Another party were tucking into huge portions of fish and chips. We ended our visit with a major round of shopping, picking up fishcakes, smoked salmon and lovely bread. This is a crucial spot for anyone in Gloucestershire or South Wales to come and try. Note that it’s only open during the day, lunch menu from 12 – 2.30.

Severn & Wye Smokery, Chaxhill, Westbury-On-Severn, Gloucestershire GL14 1QW, 01452 760190, http://www.severnandwye.co.uk/.