Listen
Young Seafood Chef of the Year
24/06/2009
The six finalists in Seafood Scotland's 'Young Seafood Chef of the Year Competition' landed in Peterhead to see at first hand, how fish gets from the sea to their kitchens.
They enjoyed a seafood dinner with representatives from the fishing industry, including John Buchan, Ocean Venture, well-known from the BBC Trawlermen series, Mark Addison of the Benarkle, and Mark Buchan of the Quantus, one of the youngest skippers in the pelagic fleet. 
An early morning trip to Peterhead market left the young chefs impressed by the volume and variety of freshly landed fish, while visits onboard the £18 million whitefish/shellfish trawler Allegiance and the £65 million Quantus enabled them to see how fish are caught, handled and stored at sea to maintain quality.
Tours of Select Shellfish, a local shellfish processing company specialising in Scottish langoustines, and GMR Seafood Ltd, which processes and smokes whitefish, herring and mackerel, completed the chefs' look at the supply chain. Their trip was topped off with a fish and chip lunch at the Dolphin café in Peterhead harbour, which uses fish fresh from the market.
The competition is part of a wider package of measures sponsored by the Scottish Government, that are designed to encourage greater consumption of Scottish seafood.
Fisheries Secretary Richard Lochhead said:
"Our new seafood campaign recognises the value of fish in a balanced diet - it's great value for money and can deliver major health benefits.
"I asked Seafood Scotland to launch a young seafood chef competition to recognise and encourage the skill, talent and innovation which we have in abundance as a nation. We will publish the successful candidates' delicious recipes on a dedicated website, providing consumers with a one stop source of advice on buying and cooking seafood.
"And we are also working with the media and retailers to help promote seafood and demonstrate that it is a delicious, healthy, simple and cost-effective option."
Jess Sparks, Environmental & Technical Manager of Seafood Scotland, said:
"We were delighted to welcome the young chefs to Peterhead to showcase our sustainable industry, and have encouraged them to use more fresh Scottish species on their menus.
The finalists fought off stiff competition to reach the final and are now preparing for the 'cook off', which takes place on July 3 at the Edinburgh School of Food & Wine. Top prize is a specially commissioned trophy, a week's work experience with seafood chef Roy Brett, and the opportunity to cook the winning dishes at a Ministerial dinner. The chefs will be cooking a variety of species including hake, megrim, herring, crab, squid and razor clams.
The finalists are:
Colin Nicholson, Langass Lodge Hotel, North Uist (20)
"The fishing industry in the northeast is much bigger than that on the islands where I live and the trip gave me a really good insight into all the processes involved from net to plate."
Craig McKenzie, The Milton Restaurant, Banchory (18)
"I think that fish is a fantastic product and it was great to see so much good quality seafood on the market. The trip has really encouraged me to be a bit more adventurous with it," he said.
Robbie Penman, Adam Smith College, Glenrothes (22)
"The visit really made me appreciate the efforts that are made to get seafood to my door and to make the fishing industry sustainable."
Fraser Green, The Seafood Restaurant, Fife (22)
"I hadn't expected there to be so much fish on the market and the trip made me think about where it comes from and how much work is involved."
Gavin Fitzpatrick, Hilton, Glasgow (19) and Claire Gardner, Hilton, Glasgow (22)
"This was a really worthwhile trip to see how the fishing and seafood industries work and it has given us new respect for fishermen and for the effort they make to catch a top quality, sustainable product."