Ambassador – Mark Hix
Celebrated chef , restaurateur and food writer Mark Hix is known for his original take on British gastronomy . After 17 years as Chef Director at Caprice Holdings , he opened his first restaurant in 2008 - the distinguished Hix Oyster & Chop House in Smithfield , and has since opened a further seven establishments including Hix Oyster & Fish House in Lyme Regis , the chicken and steak concept restaurant ‘ Tramshed ’ in Shoreditch and , of course , the well known HIX Soho . Mark hosts an annual food festival in Lyme Regis , Food Rocks , to showcase the best producers and suppliers in Dorset and surrounding areas .
Mark is frequently lauded as one of London ’ s most eminent restaurateurs with an unrivalled knowledge of ingredients with provenance . He is the author of a number of cookbooks on British cuisine .
Mark said : “ Being a born and bred Dorset lad and now having a fish restaurant and B & B in Lyme Regis , I obviously love being a part of the Dorset food scene . I try to support local growers , fishermen and farmers where I can , as food is an important part of everyone ’ s lives .”
Roasted Shellfish
Serves 2-4
“ A big dish of mixed shellfish is a great indulgent dish to order in a restaurant or serve for a dinner party . You can really use any kind of shellfish , but try to limit the selection to about four varieties , or you will have too many different cooking times to contend with . I like to serve the shellfish scattered with some seashore vegetables , to add that extra little taste of the sea . You can also use wild garlic leaves or hedgerow garlic instead of garlic cloves .”
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Ingredients
1 live lobster , weighing about 700g 2-3 tbsp cold-pressed rapeseed oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper 4 medium or 12 queen scallops , cleaned , in the half-shell 500g cockles , clams or mussels ( or a combination ), cleaned 6 razor clams 120g butter 6 garlic cloves , peeled and crushed A couple of handfuls of seashore vegetables , such as sea beet , samphire or sea purslane 2 tbsp chopped parsley
Method
Place the lobster in the freezer an hour or so before cooking to make it sleepy ( deemed to be the most humane way of preparing live lobsters for cooking ). Preheat the oven to 220 ° C / Gas Mark 7 . Heat a large roasting tray in the oven for about 10 minutes , adding the rapeseed oil for the last couple of minutes . Split the lobster in half through the head and down the back , using a heavy , sharp knife , and crack open the claws . Season the lobster and lay flesh-side down in the roasting tray . Roast in the oven for approximately 10 minutes . Season the scallops and cockles ( or ordinary clams or mussels ). Add to the roasting tray and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes . Finally , add the razor clams , butter and garlic and roast in the oven for a further few minutes until they are just opened . Meanwhile , plunge the seashore vegetables into a pan of boiling lightly salted water and blanch for 1 minute , then drain .
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