Held in London and Edinburgh earlier this week, the tastings pitched some of Scotland’s finest seafood against emerging gin brand Edinburgh Gin.
Described as a “fusion of Scottish seafood and botanical beverages”, the pairings were created by TV chef Mark Greenaway and gin connoisseurs at the Edinburgh Gin distillery.
Guests included influential chefs and food writers from London and across Scotland.
Seafood Scotland is a not-for-profit organisation set up and run by the Scottish seafood industry to help maximise the value of return to this vital sector.
Ongoing mission
Clare MacDougall, trade marketing manager at Seafood Scotland, said the event was part of an ongoing mission to inspire and engage chefs and the culinary stars of tomorrow with Scottish salmon and seafood.
“We created this fantastic opportunity to show off the quality and diversity of what Scotland’s waters – as well as our growing drinks industry – has to offer,” she said.
The first event took place at Mark Greenaway’s restaurant in Edinburgh. Renowned for its locally-sourced seafood dishes and Loch Fyne crab cannelloni, Seafood Scotland said the restaurant was an ideal surrounding to showcase the quality of Scottish seafood in a mix of complex but complementary flavours.
A second event was held at the Perrier-Jouët private dining rooms at the London Gherkin.
Representatives of the trade told first-hand ‘tales of the catch’ and highlighted the skills and work it took to bring it to the plate.
Top export
Fiona Richmond, project manager at Scotland Food & Drink – the trade organisation set up in 2007 to grow the nation's industry, said: “Taking place as part of the Year of Food and Drink celebrations, both events provided a great insight into the skill and work involved in producing Scotland’s quality fish and seafood offering.”
“Salmon is the country’s number-one food export, and pairing the extensive range of seafood we have in Scotland with our innovative, fast-growing distilling sector, has created a menu that represents Scotland’s modern and sophisticated approach to cooking, but also demonstrated why Scotland is recognised as a land of food and drink,” she said.