The greatest oysters of my life arrive on a polystyrene tray, eaten elbow-to-elbow with strangers at a desk suffering from empty shells and damp paper napkins. We huddle beneath a tarpaulin, sheltering from the high-quality spray of rain rattling on the roof, the wind whipping across the hulking CalMac ferry moored metres away, and the beady-eyed scavenging gulls.
“Have you ever tried this? It’s important to,” says a girl who has pushed from Glasgow simply to eat right here, urgent a rollmop herring into my hand. I take a chunk, the thick pores and skin giving technique to candy and salty flesh, juices operating down my chin. Elegant eating this isn’t, however all the higher for it. That is Oban Seafood Hut, tucked beside the ferry terminal for boats heading into the Sound of Mull. Diners shuffle round a shared desk, listening for order numbers, with plates piled excessive with langoustines, crab and oysters. It’s money solely. Within the again room, a staff of girls butter thick slices of sentimental white bread for crab sandwiches, wrapping them in clingfilm with out ceremony, to be offered inside minutes.
Typically on Scotland’s west coast, it’s the least assuming locations which are price searching for out. The resort down the street could have a wholesaler on speed-dial, whereas a shack in a parking lot is serving seafood introduced ashore simply hours earlier than. Although west coast seafood is rightly lauded internationally, it’s right here, eaten metres from the water, that it tastes one of the best. For years Scotland’s greatest seafood went on to prime eating places in main cities, however now extra of it stays native. Whether or not loved in a shack, a windswept croft or cosy eating room, there’s a dedication to getting the freshest fish and shellfish to the most individuals, in a manner that honours the produce, individuals and panorama.
And a brand new technology of cooks is profiting from native produce, cooking it merely and letting the standard converse for itself. In a small automotive park in Scourie, a village strung alongside the street between Lochinver and Durness, is Crofter’s Kitchen. Grant Mercer was beforehand head chef on the close by Kylesku resort, however grew to become satisfied native seafood shouldn’t be reserved for high-quality eating. Together with his spouse, Heather, he opened the modest shack on their working croft by the attractive sandy seashore, and began cooking it for everybody. The ethos is a 30-mile menu, constructed completely round what’s landed domestically, so it adjustments consistently, “generally every day, generally mid-afternoon if the catch dictates it”, Heather says. The home particular is hand-dived scallops from round Handa Island, a couple of mile from the kitchen, served with chorizo risotto and chilli black pudding. No white tablecloths required.
In Ullapool, Kirsty Scobie and Fenella Renwick began The Seafood Shack trailer above the harbour, decided to maintain extra of the native catch within the city. Each from fishing households, their close-knit provider connections assure one of the best of the day’s catch, and the menus are constructed round it. Suppose lobster macaroni cheese, crab claw salad and haddock tacos. After years of cooking by means of Highland climate, they’re lastly constructing a everlasting restaurant on the identical website. Whether or not this implies the season (normally April-October) can be prolonged, we’ll have to attend and see.
I additionally love the Creel Seafood Bar in Fionnphort, on Mull, beside the Iona ferry. I confess I skipped touring Iona Abbey to verify I didn’t miss final orders, however the langoustine and chips had been price it.
Similar title, totally different island, The Creel in Elgol on Skye sells freshly cooked chilly seafood from their horsebox close to Elgol seashore, supreme if you happen to’ve booked a wildlife tour close by. The “Elgolian” squat lobster rolls are one of the best vendor, for excellent purpose. It’s a wild spot, making opening hours very climate dependent, so examine their social media first. The Oyster Shed at Carbost, additionally on Skye, is one other gem. Run by an oyster farmer, it’s a easy setup with picnic desk seating and the standard is sky-high.
On the mainland, Blas na Mara Seafood Shack in Fort William is a superb addition to the city, and the “lunchbox” with Loch Linnhe langoustines, mackerel paté, salad and oatcakes makes a really particular picnic.
Rising up within the Lochaber area, to me Crannog was the definition of fancy. When it opened in Fort William in 1989, it stood as a uncommon beacon of high-quality eating within the Highlands. Lochaber ought to at all times have been a gastronomic haven, its west coast and sea lochs producing Europe’s most interesting seafood. It wasn’t. As a substitute, refrigerated lorries thundered by means of the villages, carrying Mallaig’s catch south with out stopping. Fisher Finlay Finlayson helped change that, reworking a bait shed on Fort William pier into a particular red-roofed restaurant. The ethos was easy: serve the freshest seafood potential. It’s the place I had my first oyster, noticed lobster served and found the quiet magic of eating places – setting a normal for the Highlands, and for me.
At present the unique lochside restaurant is storm-battered and awaiting repairs to the city pier, so it has relocated to the protected haven of Garrison West on the Excessive Avenue. Right here, chef Philip Carnegie runs a tight ship, with beloved staples like mussels, oysters and Cullen skink nonetheless in place. Parts are hearty, and so they have to be: usually diners arrive after a day on the hill or celebrating the top of the West Highland Approach. Attempt the Mallaig cod with mussels, and at all times examine the specials board.
One other favorite is The Pierhouse hotel by the Lismore ferry in Port Appin, which affords a welcome refuge, with cosy fireplaces and heat service. The menu tells you who caught your supper and from which close by loch. The most effective tables overlook the pier, the place you might even see the catch arriving. Order contemporary Loch Leven rope-grown mussels cooked in cider, Loch Creran oysters, or push the boat out and share The Pierhouse platter.
Loch Leven Seafood Cafe (on the north shore) is an ideal informal pit-stop if you happen to’re heading west, or after a day in Glencoe. Freshly cooked and easily served, there’s usually extra uncommon seafood right here, similar to contemporary razor clams and surf clams with garlic butter. The shellfish soup with aioli is great.
Some meals require extra of a trek. Till final 12 months, Gareth Cole ran Café Canna, elevating the profile of meals on the eponymous pint-sized island, and giving it a forager’s twist with dishes similar to dulse seaweed croquettes and kelp miso ramen.
He has now moved on to a brand new culinary journey on the Isle of Coll (a 2hr 40min ferry experience from Oban) that guarantees to be definitely worth the journey. The Urchin is called after considered one of Cole’s favorite components. “There’s an unbeatable larder on this island,” he says. He has just lately began a brewery too. The Boathouse on Ulva can also be price travelling for – it requires a ferry to Mull then a tiny passenger boat to Ulva, however the seafood, welcome and views make up for the journey.
As a meals and journey author I’m fortunate to have eaten everywhere in the world, however it’s right here, the place I grew up, I’ve had my greatest meals. After years consuming my manner across the Highlands and Islands, it’s a delight to have found so many extra locations – and to see extra artistic cooks succeeding.
Again at Oban Seafood Hut, I watch a creel of reside langoustines being hauled out of a small boat and despatched straight to the kitchen. Maybe I’ll keep just a bit longer …
