Every month our Money team interviews top chefs from across the UK, hearing about their cheap food hacks, thoughts on the industry and much more.
Today, we talk to TV regular Mitch Tonks, founder and chief executive of Rockfish Restaurants.
Canned seafood is like a time capsule… Perfectly preserved fish that is full of flavour. A great budget-friendly recipe is Canned Sardines with Tomatoes and Tagliatelle – you don’t need many ingredients, and it comes together very quickly (and is still incredibly delicious). Another favourite of mine is Tinned Mackerel Shawarma: You chop the cabbage, red onion and some green chillies into pieces and mix them together; first grate the garlic and stir in the yoghurt and pretty much mix it all together. Layer the bread with a flour tortilla and some hummus, top it with cabbage, then top it with mackerel, sprinkle with za’atar or cumin, squeeze a squeeze of lemon and wrap the whole thing up like shawarma.
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The best place in the world for seafood… Northern Spain. There’s always something somewhere that inspires me. I love the culture of eating in ciderias (cider bars), and they’ve really had a huge influence on the interior design of our two newest Rockfish restaurants in Salcombe and Lyme Regis. Porto in Portugal has also always stirred something in me – I love the outdoor grills where seafood gets the simple treatment, cooked over charcoal and served with seasonal vegetables and cold beer. Beautiful.
As a chef with a 25-year career in seafood,
Brexit has… There is nothing good about fishing in Britain. Our fishermen have lost access to the 12-mile head limits, while the French fleet continues to fish in our waters under extended rights. Exporting to Europe has become more expensive and entangled in red tape. And at the heart of it all is this inconvenient truth: We don’t eat our fish. As long as we depend on Europe to buy our land, we will always be on the back foot. The only real answer is simple: we need to start eating more of our own seafood, especially the primary species found right here in the UK.
An underrated and affordable fish that I love… Sardines! They’re great pickled, great grilled, wonderful on toast and delicious in oil. That’s why we canned them; it’s a real art. They are very versatile and incredibly economical with instant flavour.
One thing that I have always found fascinating about the seafood we eat is… What an underappreciated number of incredible local species there are. As an island, we should be celebrating British seafood more – yet many delicious fish like red mullet, gurnard and cuttlefish rarely get the attention they deserve. They’re incredibly versatile, and what’s the best way to cook and enjoy them? Keep it simple. Don’t overpower the fish – let it shine.
Here’s a tip for anyone buying seafood… Always ask where it comes from and make sure it is caught sustainably. Be curious about what’s on your plate – it makes a big difference to the taste and the future of our oceans.
Restaurateurs or cooks should stop… putting food on square plates, covering things with foam, and creating extremely long tasting menus.
If I were Prime Minister for a day, I would… Reduce VAT to give more oxygen to businesses. I would overturn Seasonal National Insurance. I will forget the introduction of the new employers bill, which adds additional burden and complexity to doing business. If the government gives a level playing field to businesses, there will be more investment, more profits and ultimately more tax revenue.
One store-bought item that home cooks can never beat is… Kewpie Mayonnaise. It can’t be beaten.
Whenever I fancy a cheap eatery for a meal at £15 or less, I go there… A fresh umami hit at Goto Japanese in Exeter. I can get four or five pieces of sushi or a bowl of their seafood ramen and a tea for under £15 and always feel like I’ve got something of very good quality.
