Top ten: Scottish seafood treats to tickle the tastebuds

1 Island dived scallops

According to Richard Muir, the best scallops are to be found off the coast of Raasay, Skye and Harris. Scallops are traditionally hand-dived. The shellfish is seasonal, with scallops from different islands coming into their own at different times of the year.

2 Mull crab

The restaurant owner once found Mull crab on the menu at a restaurant in Portugal at a price cheaper than he would pay for it wholesale in Scotland.

3 Shetland blue shell mussels

Mussels from Shetland are unusually large because of the cold waters around the islands of the far north.Because it takes the mussels longer to grow, they then grow to a far bigger size. They are a favourite with customers at Cafe Fish: “We always buy loads.”

4 inverawe smoked sea trout

A farmed fish – but sea trout raised at Inverawe live in cages considerably larger than elsewhere.

5 line caught loch fyne mackerel

Loch Fyne is better known for its oysters and mackerel is sometimes looked down upon as a rather lowly fish. But Richard Muir is a great fan of line caught fish from the sea loch in the west of Argyll.

6 Loch duart Organic farmed salmon

Richard Muir reckons that Loch Duart Organic Farmed salmon is head and shoulders above the competition. He says that although the salmon may be Scotland’s iconic fish the quality can be very variable.

7 Scottish white fish from Scrabster

White fish from Scrabster, in the far north of Scotland is among the best in the world – washed by the clean Atlantic Oceans and world famous for its sweet taste. Monkfish is popular, but many of the less well-known types of fish such as hake and ling are also among the best in the world.