IT MAY not have walked off with any of the prizes on the night, but frozen at sea cod was one of the big winners of London’s glamorous Fish & Chip Shop of the Year awards ceremony. That is the verdict of the Frozen at Sea Filleted Fish Association (FASFA), which yesterday proclaimed it the ‘unsung hero’ of the night.

Frozen filleted cod was chosen as the main course for the gala dinner at the Riverbank Park Plaza Hotel and eight out of Britain’s top 10 fish and chip shops shortlisted for the competition prepare frozen at sea filleted fish for their customers, the trade organisation said.

Tim Cartwright-Taylor, chairman of FASFA, said: “The results of this year’s competition and the fact that frozen at sea fish was used in the main course for this top industry event is further proof that frozen at sea fish beats wet fish when it comes to consistency, taste, quality and sustainability.”

FASFA represents trawler owners and distributors of frozen at sea filleted fish from Norway, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Spain, Russia and Greenland, which supply 90% of the UK’s fish and chip shops.

Mr Cartwright-Taylor said: “Our trawler owner members fish in the carefully managed North Atlantic and Barents Sea waters. When the fish is caught, it is cleaned, filleted and frozen on the trawlers within four hours, which locks in the freshness to guarantee a beautiful taste when it reaches the plate.”

The award-winning Metro Fish Bar in Bury uses frozen at sea filleted fish and was recognised in this year’s competition as the best eatery in the north-west of England.

Owner David Winfield said: “Here at Metro we firmly believe in consistency in everything we do – service, presentation, portion control and quality – and this, of course, starts with the ingredients. 

“It would not be possible for us to achieve the degree of success we have had if we used a ‘fresh’ product. I would argue that unless you are located on or near a landing port it is almost impossible to source ‘fresh’ fish in any quantity or with consistent quality. I’m told ‘fresh is best’, well ‘frozen is fabulous’ – for quality and consistency it cannot be beaten. We sell nearly a tonne of fish a week and it’s all frozen.” 

To be shortlisted for the annual competition the Metro Fish Bar had to get through a rigorous judging process which included a customer vote, taste tests, two intense rounds of shop inspections and a presentation to a panel of industry experts.

The competition is organised by the UK’s authority on seafood, Seafish, and eateries are strictly judged not only on the quality of their fish and chips, but on all areas of the business including responsible seafood sourcing, customer service, food hygiene, staff training and community spirit.