He’s the go-to expert for everything you need to know about British fish and seafood – when it’s at its best, where to get it from and, most importantly, how to cook and enjoy it. These fresh-as-a-sea-breeze, flavour-packed recipes show off British shellfish in its prime

RECIPES RICK STEIN PHOTOGRAPHS TARA FISHER FOOD STYLING SOPHIE AUSTEN-SMITH STYLING WEI TANG

what’s good now.

Mussels skordalia, p40

British shellfish – lobster, crab, prawns, scallops, mussels, oysters and clams – are mostly at their best in the summer months, and that’s also when they’re at their best value. Whether it be the sweet white firmness of lobster, the gloriously salty, sweet flavour of crab, the delicious soft density of scallops, the plumpness of just-cooked mussels or the fresh salty tang of oysters, I think our shellfish are the best in the world. RICK STEIN

Gratins à la dieppoise with sea bass, scallop, mussels and prawns

SERVES 4 AS A LIGHT LUNCH, 8 AS A STARTER. HANDS-ON TIME 45 MIN, OVEN TIME 10 MIN

This is from our menu at The Seafood Restaurant in Padstow, where the head chef is Stephane Delourme. It’s his take on a pleasingly old-fashioned recipe from Normandy: seafood in a cream, fish stock and white wine sauce.

MAKE AHEAD

Assemble the gratins up to 12 hours ahead. Cover, keep in the fridge and add an extra 3-5 minutes to the baking time. FOOD

TEAM’S TIP

If you can’t find clarified butter or ghee use light olive oil. Or, to clarify your own butter, melt it in a clean pan, then strain through a clean J-cloth to remove the white milk solids and leave the clear butter.

• 400ml fresh fish or shellfish stock • Fresh thyme sprig • 1 bay leaf • 240g sustainable sea bass fillet, skinned • 4 sustainable British king scallops, each sliced in half to form 2 discs • 15g butter, plus extra for frying • ½ banana shallot, finely chopped • 16 British mussels, scrubbed, beards removed, see p38 (discard any that don’t close when tapped sharply on the work surface) • 2 tbsp dry white wine • 20g plain flour • 40ml double cream • 1 lemon, halved for squeezing • 40g button mushrooms, stalks removed and thickly sliced • Knob of clarified butter or ghee (see tip) • 40g panko breadcrumbs • 16 sustainable raw king prawns, peeled