I ate dogfish, and more people should do so
Norway pout, swimming crab, dogfish and whiting worthless fish? Not if it’s up to chefs such as Sergio Herman, Syrco Bakker and Soenil Bahadoer. Following in the footsteps of their Belgian colleagues, they are casting their nets to put bycatch on the menu. I joined them for a bite.
So I had never even heard of dogfish, let alone eaten it. The same goes for megrim, swimming crab, red mullet and whelks. And that’s not so strange, because these fish are caught accidentally as bycatch and then dumped, dead, back into the North Sea. Because: no commercial value. We’re talking enormous quantities every year, and that’s obviously ridiculous, because fish is fish, right?
From sea bass to cuttlefish
Yes, you’d think so, but nothing could be further from the truth. All fish species that aren’t specifically targeted but do end up in the nets are classified as bycatch. These are mainly fish with too little commercial value, making them not worth trading. If fish such as cuttlefish, whiting and spider crab are traded, the risk of overfishing familiar species such as plaice, turbot and sea bass also decreases. A win-win situation!
So hooray for NorthSeaChefs Nederland. This remarkable group of chefs, which alongside Sergio, Syrco (Pure C) and Soenil (De Lindehof) also includes Benny Blisto (BAK) and Jonnie Boer (De Librije), among others, researches unknown fish species throughout the year. This produces a wealth of information and recipes.
Eating what the fisherman catches
To experience for myself how delicious bycatch can be, I drove to Restaurant Pure C in Zeeland for a seven-course menu centred around sustainably caught North Sea fish. Here’s what I ate.
Whelks with white asparagus, green strawberry, buttermilk and yeast by Benny Blisto (BAK). An incredibly light and fresh dish featuring the unfamiliar sea snail whelk, whose texture is reminiscent of octopus.
Speaking of octopus, or squid: Soenil made an amazing dish with it, short rib and ponzu. If you don’t know ponzu yet, get some in your kitchen soon, because this Japanese soy sauce with a citrus flavour lifts pretty much any dish. Soenil’s cooking style is incredibly flavourful, and that certainly applies to this fantastic dish too. And why do we hardly ever eat squid in the Netherlands? Such a shame!
In France, whiting is a classic on the menu, but here you’ll generally find this tasty, inexpensive alternative to cod only in fried form, as fried whiting or kibbeling. Nicolas Misera (AIRrepublic) proves that whiting is also perfect without a deep fryer, with his dish of whiting with little prawns, peas and young leek.
Syrco Bakker got to work with the dogfish. The fish with the most delicate texture of the evening was served in the most delicious sauce I’ve ever eaten. The ultimate balance between creamy and fresh. And surrounded by the crunchiest green vegetables ever. Pure love!
‘Do you have whiting too?’
After seven courses of bycatch, one thing is clear: these unfamiliar fish belong on the menu, fishmonger’s counter and supermarket shelf too. So ask your fishmonger for whiting or whelks, and keep insisting. Because if we ask for more bycatch, the value of these fish will rise and the selection at the fish auction will automatically become more diverse. Now we just need to learn how to cook like a Michelin-starred chef.
Also read:
