how to create the perfect fruit de mer

The fruits de mer (or fruits of the sea) is all about celebrating the best seafood that’s on offer. It can be a mix of hot and cold, fish and shellfish, but will always look stunning.

It’s less, “You shall have a fishy on a little dishy”, and more about pushing the boat out, big time. With all that in mind, Head Chef Sean Currie’s given us a few tips on creating the perfect platter at home for Christmas.

keep it sustainable

Using sustainable Scottish seafood is at the heart of everything we do – and I’d really recommend doing this at home. When choosing your seafood, try to use a reputable MSC registered fishmonger and ask if they have any traceability of their produce. Ideally, you want to get hand-dived or creel-caught shellfish and line-caught fish – this type of fishing isn’t harmful to the environment. Plus, it lets the other fish reproduce and keeps numbers up.

simply the best

When you’re choosing your fish, make sure that the flesh is firm. If the fish is whole, make sure the eyes are not sunken into its head. The biggest thing? There should be little to no fishy smell – it should just be super fresh.

For shellfish, ensure that all the shells are closed – discard any that are open. Speak to your fishmonger and ask for a harvest date – just as for fish, there should be a fresh ocean smell and no other aromas. If you’re using lobster or langoustine, make sure they are still alive and are not limp.

perfectly balanced

When planning your fruits de mer, make sure you choose a wide selection of fish and shellfish – you want to showcase a variety of seafood.

Avoid having lots of items that too similar: only use one type of oily fish, have a good mixture of raw, cooked and cured dishes, and make sure all your components work well with each other.

the final flourish

However, it’s not just about the seafood. Make sure you use garnishes that will enhance what’s on your platter. Here’s my top tips:
~ Use different dressings to go with the oysters (we use a Bloody Mary dressing and lemongrass dressing)
~ Add little ramekins of dips—like a confit garlic mayo—to go with lobsters or langoustines
~ If you’re serving mussels with a sauce, then don’t forget to slice up some good-quality bread for dipping
~ Lemons to squeeze on the fish

service, please

There are two different ways you can serve a fruits de mer:
Use a stand: use one level for cold dishes (serve on ice) and the other level for hot dishes
Or
Use one big, large platter: I’d recommend using seaweed or some grain and sea herbs as a base to stop everything sliding about!

But if that all sounds like a wee bit too much bother, just swing by with friends and tuck into our fruits of the creel.