There is a wide range of seafood that can be sourced from the waters off Dorset, with a choice of over 40 different species available. The range covers shellfish like oysters and mussels which are harvested in the clear waters around Poole and Portland, crab and lobster found all along the Dorset coast, through to flatfish like Dover sole, plaice and dab and round-fish like sea bass, pollock and the ever-popular mackerel. This fish variety provides a great opportunity to try something you haven’t tried before and helps to spread demand across a wider variety of species, this in turn helps reduce the impact on some of our more heavily exploited species and maintain fish stocks. Look out for gurnard, red mullet and John Dory for instance, they may look a little different to your regular choice, but they all taste great!

If you’re looking for recipe ideas or tips for how best to cook different types of fish, Seafish has a website full of information about eating seafood. Some of the lesser known species such as cuttlefish or sprat are also easier on your pocket and offer a valuable source of protein as well as those essential elements like omega-3.

Health professionals recommend that we should eat two portions of seafood each week, one of which should be an oily fish like mackerel, herring or sardines. Look out for the Seafish stand where you’ll be able to find out more about their ‘Fish 2 a week’ campaign and more details about the healthy goodness in seafood. You can also find out more by visiting www.2aweek.co.uk. You can find out about the many other campaigns and activities that Seafish is doing to support the seafood industry at www.seafish.org, or ask at their stand Source: www.dorsetseafood.co.uk/enjoyseafood.