From sea to supper: Mark Hix cooks up a feast with scallops, lobster and octopus

Telegraph

2 days ago

Growing up by the sea, I've always felt spoilt when it comes to seafood. We had easy access, often swapping shellfish with local fishermen for my grandfather's tomatoes or his gardening tips. My school snacks were unconventional – freshly caught queen scallops from my friend's dad, splashed with vinegar and eaten in one bite. Sadly, those queenies have vanished from our coast, but scallop diving is prolific, which is great news for seafood lovers.
I used to have half a dozen lobster pots but I don't get out on the boat as much anymore, so I passed them on to a fisherman friend. I loved hauling them in at the end of a trip – whether it was a good day or not, there'd usually be a crab or lobster (or two) for supper. Catching your own shellfish is incredibly satisfying, though nowadays it's more likely I'd be landing octopus rather than lobster.
A few years ago, a fisherman friend of mine asked if I fancied some octopus. 'English octopus? I said. 'No thanks, they're chewy and tough.' He laughed. 'These are actually Mediterranean ones. They're eating all the lobsters!' Sure enough, when I went out the next day, the first few pots held only lobster shells. But then, there they were – two octopuses happily tucking into my catch.
Many seafood lovers don't realise these invasive predators have moved into UK waters. They're hammering our shellfish stocks, and they're not leaving anytime soon. The buffet's rich and plentiful – though maybe not for much longer.
Since My Octopus Teacher, the 2020 Netflix documentary of a filmmaker's unusual friendship with an octopus, public fascination with these brainy creatures has grown. But while our admiration for these creatures has risen, so too has the urgency to act.
The sea is changing, and fast. I recently saw Ocean, David Attenborough's latest film, with my daughter, and it honestly brought a tear to my eye. When you've spent your life connected to fishing, those changes (for the worse) hit hard.
And it's not just invading octopuses we need to worry about. After The End of the Line documentary was released in 2009, Bluefin tuna were labelled unsustainable. Now even mackerel are listed as endangered. Commercial fishing mates tell me sea bass are hugging offshore wrecks, hiding from predators – making them much harder to catch.
These shifts in marine life are part of the ocean's natural rhythm, but climate and environmental changes are speeding things up, as is overfishing. It's time to rethink how we eat seafood, choosing species that can be sustained and treating them with the respect they deserve. My dishes here are perfect for making the most of what the sea's offering right now.