Retailers have been urged to stock up on Scottish langoustines for the new year, when locally caught seafood will get a boost from Jamie Oliver’s new TV series.
Oliver and fellow presenter Jimmy Doherty have dedicated an entire episode of Channel 4 series Jamie & Jimmy’s Friday Night Feast, airing on 8 January, to encouraging consumers to eat more local seafood.
The pair visited fishing ports on the east and west coasts of Scotland, inspecting the catch and speaking to seafood experts, as well as hosting an event showcasing Scottish langoustines for journalists and food bloggers.
Oliver’s London restaurants Fifteen and Barbecoa will put langoustines on their specials boards during January, while the Jamie’s Italian chain is set to add langoustines to its fish stew.
According to Aberdeen fishermen interviewed for the programme, 95% of their catch currently gets shipped to Europe as there is no market for langoustines in the UK.
“Langoustines are the Aston Martin of the sea so it would be great if more people in this country knew about them,” said Oliver.
Trade body Seafood Scotland welcomed the support and said the industry was hopeful it would benefit from the ‘Jamie Oliver effect’, with a surge of demand for langoustines and other locally caught seafood.
“We are delighted to see that Jamie and Jimmy are supporting our cause by championing home-caught langoustines,” said Natalie Bell, trade marketing manager at Seafood Scotland
“Scottish seafood is some of the best in the world, and this is a fantastic opportunity to highlight the diverse range and high quality of seafood Scottish waters have to offer, helping us to grow the industry in the UK.”
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