insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 17 - July 2016 | Page 40

FOOD+DRINK
From Sea to Plate cont.

Fish Galore // Hove

Sea Haze Fresh Fish // Brighton

Springs’ Smokery // Edburton

Within the shop, there are specially designed and created tanks that
house the live crabs and lobsters, while outside, the shellfish stall sells
cockles, whelks, mussels, jellied eels, oysters and even, perhaps rather
exotically, octopus.

If you want fish suppliers who know what they are doing, look no further
than Fish Galore in Hove. Managing director, Sean, has worked in the
fishing industry himself for 35 years, and 22 of those were spent as a
deep sea fisherman, so he knows what he is talking about when it comes
to fish and fishing. This also means that he can advise about what is in
season thanks to his extensive knowledge of the seas. Working alongside
Sean, operations manager, Guy, spent 25 years as a chef, preparing and
cooking fish, before moving to the other side of the counter. He can offer
a huge wealth of advice and information to customers, who enjoy hearing
his stories and learning about the produce available.

A family-run fishing business that sells fish and shellfish that mainly
come from their own fishing boats, Sea Haze Fresh Fish in Brighton was
established in 1994. The family business has always been fishing and
selling fish; Mrs Humphries, the owner’s grandmother, had been wellknown in the 1950s for selling shellfish in the arches at Brighton seafront,
so it made sense to expand with a shop – and to compliment it, there is
also a shellfish stall directly on the beach itself.

Inspired by a relative in Suffolk, in 1964 the Harris family decided to
replicate some of the smoking kilns they had seen – and had been
fascinated by – in the Sussex South Downs. The idea grew from a small
hobby into the business that it is today, selling smoked produce and
counting Delia Smith amongst their happy customers.

Brighton & Newhaven Fish // Portslade

Brighton & Newhaven Fish Sales (BNFS) have a wonderful shop, right
by the lagoon in Hove. All the fish and shellfish on offer here is caught
by their very own boats and you can buy it fresh or frozen depending
on your needs. With regard to their fleet, BNFS are proud of their boats,
which set off daily to catch a variety of local produce including Dover
sole, plaice, lemon sole, brill, turbot, cod, cuttlefish, black bream, sea
bass, whelks, scallops and more - the sea around Portslade and Hove is
exceptional; packed full of the most wonderful and exquisite varieties of
seafood. BNFS use small inshore day boats, which means that the catch
is landed within hours of being caught, ensuring that the restaurants,
trade, and private customers receive the freshest, highest quality fish and
seafood imaginable.

It is, however, the fish that Springs’ Smokery is infamous for. Produce
includes smoked salmon, smoked kippers, smoked trout, gravadlax,
smoked mackerel, smoked haddock, smoked cod roe, fresh salmon, hot
smoked salmon and a variety of delicious fish pates.

BNFS not only has its own fleet, but its own fish market as well. This
means that the fish and seafood that is caught can immediately be
sorted, graded and weighed in the modern, state-of-the-art fish market
right on site. What could be better? From beginning to end, the process
is entirely carried out by BNFS, and that means the customer can
guarantee exactly where the fish has come from, as well as be sure about
the process it has gone through to get onto that plate.
BNFS sell wholesale to fish shops, pubs, clubs, hotels and restaurants,
as well as catering companies. However the client wants the fish to be
packed, that’s how it’s done. And to top it all, most of the deliveries are
done using their own vehicles.

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