inspiration

There’s always something special about dining at Sankey’s, whether it’s the venue in which you decide to settle down in, the tipple you choose to cleanse the palate with, or the options you pick from our impressive menus. When it comes to the latter however, there’s nothing quite like finding out what’s fresh from the market for a truly unique meal.

Although what’s being cooked up in the kitchen is always changing, we thought we’d give you a glimpse into the special seafood we’ve got our hands on recently to create some new and exciting dishes:

Queenie Scallops

These girls are enough to catch anyone’s eye with their petite, fan shaped shells – but naturally we think it’s what’s inside that counts. We’re not disappointed there either though, as the slightly off-white meat has a sweet and delicate flavour, making it perfect to go alongside our accompaniments of peas and bacon.

Skate Knobs

First of all, get your minds out of the gutter. Secondly, let us tell you a bit about these underappreciated gems that can often be hard to come across in your local fishmongers. While most focus on the wings of skate, the ‘knobs’ are small, lean pieces of muscle that hold plenty of flavour. Given these two facts, we decided to pop them into an Asian Broth for a true Sankey’s winter warmer.

Gurnard

Found in both the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, Gurnards (or Sea Robins if you want a cute name for them) are one of the best fish out there if you’re after a balance of taste and sustainability. While some will say it’s not the most flavoursome of fillets, not only would we disagree, but we’d also say that gives our chefs the perfect opportunity to show off their skills and come up with something delicious.

Shock horror: they did just that, serving up Whole Roast Gurnard in a charred spiced tomato sauce. Mmm.

John Dory

We love our mate John, especially due to his delicate, sweet flesh – a good job too, because they’re not the most aesthetically pleasing of fish to look at. Nevertheless, it’s common knowledge that this one’s a chef’s favourite given that it goes with so many ingredients and can be cooked in a number of ways.

That being said, we decided to pay tribute to its name’s French origins (jaune doré) by producing a wonderful pea and watercress velouté. Très magnifique!

Brill

We don’t want to brag, but some say the sign of a top-quality restaurant is having brill on the menu. One of the most premium flatfish species out there, it possesses a real spectrum of flavours and textures to enjoy as on one hand its firm and meaty, yet simultaneously succulent and sweet.

They say sharing is caring, which is why we designed our dish of brill, with chervil sauce and roasted cherry tomatoes to be enjoyed by several at a time.

Sound special enough for you? Thought as much. Like we said though, these fresh market options are constantly changing to reflect the best we can get our hands on, so your best bet is always heading on down to Sankey’s to find out!

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