Hix Oyster & Fish House in Lyme Regis, U.K., one of eight successful restaurants from well-known restaurateur and chef Mark Hix, has grown its sales by perfecting its local and sustainable seafood sourcing methods. The restaurant was also one of five finalists in the recent Seafood Restaurant of the Year competition.
SeafoodSource recently spoke with the restaurant’s head chef, Charlie Soole, to find out where Hix Oyster & Fish House sources its high quality seafood.
Blank: Why was Hix one of the finalists in the Seafood Restaurant of the Year competition?
Soole: I believe that Hix Oyster & Fish House’s greatest qualities come from the relaxed dining atmosphere, with one of the best views I have ever seen from a restaurant. We pride ourselves on using as much local and seasonal produce as possible. Knowing that we have local fisherman that can deliver the best scallops, lobsters and freshest fish available is a major plus.
Blank: How much seafood does the restaurant group and your restaurant purchase weekly?
Soole: Hix Oyster & Fish House at the moment is spending roughly EUR 2,000 (USD 3,147) a week on fish, but this obviously goes up and down according to the seasons. I can’t comment so much for the rest of the group, but we will definitely be the biggest purchasers of fish throughout the group.
Blank: Where do you source the high quality oysters and seafood on the menu? What other items are popular besides oysters?
Soole: We source all our oysters from the Southwest. The closest that we source are from Portland, which you can actually see from the restaurant. We will mostly have three whole, grilled fish on the menu, showcasing the best of the local fish. The lobsters and scallops that we get are delivered straight from the sea to our door. We have not necessarily added new types of dishes to our menu, as we move with the seasons. Whatever is best at that time of year it will be on the menu.
Blank: Which seafood suppliers and distributors do you work with?
Soole: We can work with large suppliers, or from one man in his small fishing boat, all depending on the time of year. In the summer, we like to use as many of the small, local fisherman who can provide us with the freshest fish and shellfish straight out of the sea. During the winter, this can be a bit harder. We will generally use local suppliers if we need to. West Country Catch, Samways Fish Merchants and International Transporters and Ritter Fresh will be our larger suppliers. We will always try and keep it as local and sustainable as possible. Even founder Mark Hix occasionally brings back a catch after being out on his boat.
Blank: Have you recently added more sustainable seafood items at Hix Oyster & Fish House?
Soole: We try to use the most sustainable produce on our menu as possible. We currently have hake head with cockles and seashore vegetables on our menu, and this shows that we use the whole of the fish. When people order it, they are very impressed and their plates are always clean. Hake is one of the most sustainable fish In the Southwest at the moment.
