It’s fascinating to dive into the statistics about any seafood market: what species are on the up, how often are people eating out, where are they looking for food inspiration? But how do these trends translate to a person’s real life? We went inside the kitchens of three UK consumers to find out what seafood means to them.
‘It’s all about freshness – I don’t really mind what it costs,’ says Noemi. As one half of a DINKs (dual-income, no kids) couple, she has the economic freedom to prioritise the elements that matter most to a Sicilian, raised on a diet of Mediterranean fresh fish.
Now of course, Noemi lives in the UK, which means she has to adapt to what’s available at either the fish market or the fishmonger’s – she doesn’t buy supermarket seafood.
‘‘I don't buy things that are headless,’ she states. ‘The eye of the fish is going to tell me if it's fresh or not.’ Even at the fishmonger – a place she describes as ‘like a jewellery store’ and where she says there’s always a queue of customers despite the cost – Noemi will have them clean the fish – but the head stays on.
So what does she eat? ‘Prawns, sea bass, sea bream, cod. Maybe red mullet in summer,’ she explains. ‘If I was in Sicily, I would also eat crustaceans, but they're really difficult to find here, though sometimes I find clams or mussels from Scotland.’
And when there’s an option for local versus imported, price never comes into it. ‘For tuna for example, you will always have two options at the fishmonger,’ explains Noemi.
‘One from Scotland maybe, one from Sri Lanka. I wouldn't buy the one from Sri Lanka because it's not sustainable and I really don't see a reason to buy it. I don't care about the cost. It needs to be fresh and it needs to be local.’ This means that salmon isn’t a top pick – Noemi says she only buys it because her husband likes it.
All this comes at a cost of course. Noemi typically spends £70-£90 on fish and seafood in a weekly fish shop that will feed Noemi and her husband two to three meals a week. She adds that she won’t often eat seafood out as ‘UK restaurants too often serve fish that has been frozen and defrosted.’
Her strong Mediterranean influence means that even as fish features strongly in the home, meat features much less than in other households. Noemi explains that meat will be eaten just once a week – all other meals are either fish or plant-based, where the focus remains on what is local, seasonal and fresh.
Having spent a good chunk of money – and time – sourcing high-quality fish, Noemi stays true to her Sicily roots with simple meals that ensure the freshness comes through and the fish is not overpowered.
This means that, although she is a very confident cook, she doesn’t experiment much. ‘I wouldn’t say I’m adventurous. I just keep it simple with very few ingredients: garlic, lemon, parsley, tomatoes.’
What has changed in recent years is the amount of cooking she does. ‘I’ve been working at home mostly since the pandemic so now I cook maybe 14 times a week,’ she says. ‘My spending on fish and ingredients have definitely gone up.’
For Terry, his wife Melissa and their children – aged four and eight – the main motivation in eating fish and seafood is to try to balance their protein intake. ‘We eat meat like chicken or mince more often, but we try to eat seafood, probably fish, at least once a week,’ explains Terry.
The family live in an apartment in East London and are a great representation of the mix that is today’s modern working family:Terry works out of home, trying as much as possible to avoid a shop-bought lunch for both health and cost reasons, while Melissa works from home – where she’ll often enjoy a child-free breakfast of smoked salmon and eggs, something that serves as both a treat on a day where she can eat at a more leisurely pace and as a healthier alternative to a quick bowl of cereal.
Working from home also means Melissa does the bulk of the cooking though, seeking a balance between health and convenience – and what the kids are happy to eat. Here, salmon holds appeal as something that can be adapted and served in both grown-up and child-friendly ways.
Usually served as fillets and cooked in the family-favourite air fryer, salmon forms the basis of a quick and healthy weeknight dinner. Like many UK households, the air fryer is in regular use – ‘at least a few times a week,’ Terry says, with health and ease the main benefits. ‘You can just put the food in and don’t have to watch it,’ he points out. ‘Plus, we would have pan-fried our salmon before – now we don’t fry anything.’
Health is a factor in the family’s seafood choices, but convenience comes in strong too: Terry explains that most fish and seafood would be bought with the main groceries at the supermarket and as fillets. ‘On rare occasions we’ll buy something like snapper from the fishmongers,’ he adds, ‘and just deal with the bones’.
More likely though are prawns or a white fish option like sea bass (though this is less popular with the kids). These will also be supplemented with frozen options like fish fingers or canned fish – always tuna for the children and maybe sardines or pilchards in tomato sauce for the grown-ups – with Terry explaining that these are usually in store for ‘emergencies’.
Busy lifestyles with young children and two working parents mean that meals are typically based on routine and Terry says he there isn’t much that might prompt greater seafood consumption. ‘I can’t think of anything that would make me want to eat more – unless maybe I had a new recipe in my repertoire, so to speak. I guess we’re just not big fish fans!’
‘We do eat quite a lot of fish,’ says Eleanor. ‘As a household, everyone likes it quite a lot.’
For her and partner David – who moved out of London for a more rural lifestyle a year ago – buying fish is about a balance of cost and convenience – and welfare. ‘I buy fish for convenience, because I can have nice tinned fish and everyone likes it, or we buy fresh fish in fillets that are easy and healthy just baked in the oven.’
Like many with young children – the couple’s son is six – the variety of fish and seafood eaten isn’t very broad, though Eleanor points out that, unlike many children, her son eats pretty much everything and they don’t need to bother with ‘child-friendly’ options.
So lunch could be cod – or another white fish depending on availability or any special offers – in an orzo tomato sauce, or oven-baked salmon fillets with an Asian twist. Or it could be a cheap-and-cheerful can of mackerel in tomato sauce mixed into pasta.
Cost is definitely a factor and Eleanor estimates the family spends around £15 a week on fish and seafood, including canned mackerel, which come in at just £1 a tin. ‘If I see something fresh and good on offer I might buy extra to freeze,’ she adds.
This usually comes as part of the normal grocery shop, though she also points out that ‘if we’re feeling rich, we might go to the deli in town’. Eleanor describes herself as being much more flexible when it comes to species, with an openness to trying white fish that might be seen as more sustainable than cod for example. David, on the other hand, is much more of a recipe person, with a big focus on health and quality.
Still, Eleanor says both try to balance cost against sustainability credentials – and also wonders about what she’s read and heard about the health benefits of seafood over other proteins.
‘I feel like it's healthier than eating other meat, but you still get a protein on the plate. Psychologically, I also feel it might have a higher welfare standard than some other, farmed red meat. Fish feels less messed with somehow – especially when the other meat options might be sausages or burgers. If it’s fish then it is just that – fish.’
So how has she formed these opinions around welfare? The conversation is interesting, with Eleanor herself questioning what might have influenced her ideas around seafood – especially when it comes to farmed versus wild-caught.
‘For some reason, you just trust the wet fish counter,’ she points out. ‘You assume it will be higher welfare.
‘When it comes to canned fish, I go by what’s on the label – if it is line-caught tuna for example,’ she continues.
Ultimately, what she buys comes down to a balance between price and welfare. ‘I'm cheap, so it's going to come down to price and how high my morals are that day – or how recently I've seen a documentary about how disgusting the farmed fish is – but there is a window in which I’ll pay more for higher welfare, up to a certain amount.’