Latimer’s
Seafood

In Season

This is a  guide to the best in season, local fresh fish and seafood from your award winning fishmongers in Tyne and Wear.

For what’s good each and every day have a look on the “Today’s Catch” page – we upload photos and information on the best of every days catch. Follow us on Twitter to receive “tweets” about what’s come in and for latest news and offers!

 

This winter look out for:

Wild Sea Bass

With any luck the season for these will last a couple of months until March time.  This fish is very versatile, you can pan-fry the fillets, bake whole in the oven or steam it. Try going Asian and healthy – stuff the whole fish with a mix of fresh coriander, ginger, garlic, chillies, lemongrass and spring onions (rub into slashes into the flesh too for extra flavour), steam the fish by putting in a baking parchment parcel for 20-30mins in a hotish oven – perfect with rice a steamed Asian greens!

Shellfish -

Mussels – Rope Grown: Ours come from a lovely small family business in Shetland. They grow their mussels in the beautiful clean waters around the Shetland and Western Isles to ensure that we get the best mussels almost year round –  the new season starts in September.  Simply steam them – add whatever takes your fancy to the pan – garlic butter and white wine / cider.  Or Asian style with lemongrass, corriander, chilli, lime and ginger – anything goes!

Langoustines: Our native prawn – these are ABSOLUTELY fantastic, local and seasonal. They are so easy to cook – just throw them into boiling water for 2-3minutes, and serve with melted flavoured butter.  You can use them the same way you would use any type of prawn – just don’t forget the gorgeous sweet meat in the claws – get out your nutcracker and crochet hook!

Oysters: Great raw plain, with a squeeze of lemon or dash of tabasco. Also great cooked – but some breadcrumbs and butter on the top and grill for a couple of minutes – yum yum. (Remember only 2 out of 3 works…!)

Crabs – Brown and Velvet: Local, native and fished just off our doorstep. We sell crab all ways – live, cooked whole, dressed (we dress about a tonne a week), legs, claws, and hand picked white meat. Crab is very versatile and very good for you, put it in sandwiches, pasta, risottos,  salads, baked potatoes, on toast or straight from the pot.

Razor Clams: Bizarre looking dinner – but very tasty, ours come from the clean waters around the West of Scotland. Cook them as you would mussels – steamed for 3-5mins with whatever takes your fancy.

Scallops: Cook in a really hot pan with a dab of butter to sear them on either side for a couple of minutes (don’t over cook!).  De-Glaze the pan with a splash of wine, add cream and Bobs your uncle – tasty dinner to go with whatever you like – pasta, rice, potatoes and veggies.

Flat Fishes:

Lemon Sole, Plaice, Turbot, Brill, Dover Sole, Witch Sole, Dover Sole: “En-papillote”  style of cooking is brilliant with these fish, keeping all the flavour and moisture sealed in, get the oven moderately hot, and put whatever flavours you fancy in with the whole fish or fillet – wine, herbs, butter, oil etc, wrap in foil parcel  - a simple easy to clean up way of cooking!

White Fish:

Cod, Haddock, Whiting, Ling, Hake, Catfish: All brilliant and very useful fish. Ling and Hake for the uninitiated are members of the cod family  - Ling and Catfish are brilliant “filler” fish for fish pies, fish cakes etc and Hake you can treat exactly like Cod – it is gorgeous and a sustainable fish to buy.  Whiting is very similar to Haddock and can be used in totally the same way – its much more sustainable and cheaper too!

Squid: Fantastic local squid is right in season during the autumn months.  You can buy it whole and prep it yourself – save the ink for squid ink recipes! Or we clean and prepare them how you want – tubes, rings etc. Simply soak in milk for a couple of minutes then dust with flour (add paprika if you like a bit of spice) and pan fry for literally 2 minutes – don’t overcook it goes chewy!

Monkfish: Beautiful meaty firm fish. This is great oven roasted – wrap the piece in pancetta and bake for 20-30 mins (depends on thickness of fish). It is also fantastic in curries, stews, soups etc and it stays in its chunks and doesn’t flake too much.

 

Red Mullet: Bake the whole fish on bed of Mediterranean flavours – chorizo, tomatoes, garlic, sweet peppers, onions and then stuff the cavity with oregano, thyme and rosemary. Wow

 

 

Smoked Fish:

Cod, Haddock, Hot and Cold Smoked Salmon (and any other fish Alan head smoker is allowed to do!) We smoke our own here on the premises, using a special mix of oak and beech woods.  We find our own smoked fish has much more texture, flavour and is moister than all the rest.  The salmon is soaked in brine for 1 hour and then smoked for  36 hours, the hot smoked salmon is then cooked – it is the best I have ever had!

Ready to eat for salads, parties, lunches, teas and dinners –

Prawns – tiger prawns in garlic and herbs, luxury prawns, crayfish tails, normal prawns, crevettes, langoustines – you name then we’ve got them

Mussels – Plain, Vinegar, Smoked, New Zealand Green Lips – all cooked and ready to go!

Crab – Whole, dressed, claws, legs

Cured salmon in raspberry and champagne or honey mustard and dill

Juniper cured queen scallops

Octopus salads

Rollmops, sweet cured herring, baked herring

Anchovies – banderilles, marinaded

Cockles

Whelks

Winkles

Smoked Mackerel – plain, peppered, chilli, lemon and parsley

Olives etc!

 

I’ve probably forgotten a few – come and have a look at the best display of fresh fish and shellfish in Latimers Fishmongers, Tyne and Wear – to find out which!