Food: Sea-ing is believing in Scotland's fresh larder

With an abundant natural larder in our lochs and coastal waters, it's easy to see why the array of top quality "fruits de la mer" have long been synonymous with Scottish cuisine.

But with seafood, flavour and ethical sourcing should both come as standard.

As the first independent restaurant in Scotland to be certified by the Marine Stewardship Council, our ethos at Ondine is that ingredients are paramount. Each dish therefore contains the finest, freshest and most sustainable ingredients.

Traceability, seasonality and responsible sourcing should always be key and we buy the majority of our seafood from Scottish waters, with mackerel, herring, squid lemon soles and plaice currently in good supply.

So, whether you're in a restaurant or your own kitchen, the same mantra should be applied to the seafood you eat to ensure you're not consuming one of the last of a fished-out species or some miserable farmed specimen.

Then it comes down to having fun with the myriad fish and crustaceans available.

Next weekend sees Scotland's first ever pop-up restaurant come to the Capital. We have joined forces with legendary London seafood restaurant J Sheekey to offer the nation's food cognoscenti a whole new dining experience with the multi-award winning restaurant and its Edinburgh-born head chef, Richard Kirkwood. Expect the finest seafood dishes, such as oysters with wild boar sausage, plateau de fruits de mer, griddled langoustines with chilli, ginger and parsley, razor clams with chorizo and sauted monkfish cheeks with girolles, among many of the famed dishes.

Of course, you can create your very own delicious seafood at home.

Griddled tiger prawns are deceptively simple to make. Most good fishmongers will peel the tails off the prawns and de-vein them for you if you ask.

Marinade the prawns for around three hours then simply heat a griddle pan and cook the prawns for two minutes on each side.

If you fancy splashing out, then opt for langoustines. Simply split in half before cooking.

Steamed mussels are another seafood winner. To clean mussels, scrub in plenty of cold water to remove barnacles and remove beards by giving a sharp tug at the hinge end. Then, stand in cold water and discard any that float to the surface.

Mussels are simple to steam and work well with many different flavours. Garlic and white wine gives a classic French bistro dish while chorizo, onion and tomatoes offer a Spanish flavour. Or opt for mussels mouclade in a creamy curry sauce.

But you can't beat oysters when it comes to crustaceans. While they can be grilled, baked and used in sauces, the best way to enjoy them is raw with a sprinkling of lemon juice or Tabasco.

• Jason Wright is head chef at Ondine Restaurant, 2 George IV Bridge, www.ondinerestaurant.co.uk, 0131-226 1888.