It's a bustling hive of activity up at Frankie's Fish & Chip shop in Brae this weekend. Following on from last year's successful Charity Seafood Weekend Frankies have teamed up with local Blueshell Mussels and the head chefs Janne and Kristian Johansson of the Mussel Inn restaurants in Edinburgh and Glasgow for a weekend of fabulous food and fundraising for The Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fisherman.
The Fisherman's Mission charity, established in 1881, provide emergency and welfare support to our fisherman and their families 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Managing director of Blueshell Mussels, Michael Laurenson, says: “This weekend is about three businesses with strong provenance values coming together to encourage people to try a sustainable, versatile and quality product that is literally on their doorstep and, at the same time, raise money for The Fisherman's Mission."
“It is also important for us that people know more about an industry that truly understands the importance of environmental standards, which we have always maintained, and provide assurance to our customers that we are delivering, not only a high quality product, but also a sustainable one. All of which has been underpinned by achieving Marine Stewardship Council accreditation."
The Shetland king scallop and brown crab fisheries are the first of their kind in the world to attain Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification.
Blueshell Mussels, in addition to sponsoring the trip for Janne and Kristian Johansson, have donated all the local rope-grown MSC-certified mussels for the event.
I paid Frankie's a visit for lunch today and I had the King scallops pan-fried in a fennel and Cointreau sauce (pictured above). I savoured each and every mouthful and I honestly wanted to lick the plate clean. Fortunately Frankie's gorgeous chunky chips made mopping up every morsel of sauce a more polite method of enjoying it! Absolutely delicious!
Valerie Johnson, co-owner of Frankies, says: “We are again delighted to be hosting our ‘Charity Seafood Weekend’ in aid of the Fishermen’s Mission, which provides vital provision and support to our fishermen and their families in Shetland.
Janne & Kristian Johansson have travelled up from the Mussel Inn in Glasgow for the weekend, courtesy of Michael Laurenson of Blueshell Mussels and we look forward to cooking along them."
"We hope everyone will come along to Frankie’s this weekend and support this charity event which also showcases the finest local and sustainable seafood which Shetland has to offer – including four MSC species, blueshell mussels, brown crab, king scallops and North Sea haddock.
A £25 gift voucher will be drawn at the end of each day for everyone who has donated into named/addressed Fishermen’s Mission envelopes.
We are now looking forward to a very busy and exciting weekend ahead.”
Frankie's Charity Seafood Weekend runs from Friday the 6th to Sunday the 8th of June.
To book a table ring 01806 522700.
Elizabeth Atia
I am a self taught home cook, feeding my family on the west side of Shetland with as much local produce, flavour and love as I can. I am no expert by any means, but I do enjoy learning and writing about food, flavours and techniques.