Summer time is the perfect season to enjoy the delicate taste of light fresh seafood. All of our produce is sustainable and locally caught, fished in a way that is damaging to the environment, or been factory produced. The majority of the items on both our Asknish Bay Restaurant and Chartroom II Bistro menus have a heavy focus on seafood. Our menus are driven by the twin themes of seafood and foraging.
West Coast produce that our menus feature include mussels and sea bass. We also feature Tarbert landed lobsters, crabs and hake, and all our salmon is Scottish. Our langoustines and oysters come from Loch Fyne; our mackerel is line caught in Argyll; our trout is from Arduaine; and our scallops come from Islay.
We treat all of our seafood ingredients with respect and create dishes which showcase and enhance, not mask, their flavours. If you want to experience a diverse selection of the beautiful seafood we have to offer, we recommend you choose either the hot or cold seafood platters that we offer in Asknish Restaurant. We are proud to use sustainable seafood providers, including Ritchie’s of Rothesay, Isle of Bute, and John Vallance, Glasgow.
Two of our favourite seafood delights to serve are scallops and oysters. Both are very fresh and delicate shellfish and do not require a lot of cooking or flavouring; their natural flavour is delicious. Oysters can be paired with stronger flavours, such as the tempura batter we cook them in, but one of our favourite ways to cook them is simply to grill them. Grilling helps concentrate oysters briny flavour. Add a fresh squeeze of lemon juice to cut through that saltiness, or a garlic and chilli dressing, and they are perfect to serve as an appetiser.
Scallops should be cooked very carefully, as over cooking can ruin them. One of the best ways to cook scallops, and ensure they retain their subtle sweet richness, is to sear them quickly in a very hot pan. This traps the flavour in but is very simple and easy to do. Scallops should be the last ingredient you cook when preparing a meal, so have your plate of salad or pasta waiting, add your scallops and drizzle with a lemon and herb butter to finish.
