As part of my role as a Seafish Ambassador, I make a point of visiting seafood festivals and food events around the UK where (a) there is great story to be told and (b) I’m going to reach a receptive and enthusiastic audience. Following my seasonal quest to discover the reasons why we eat so little herring any more, I was delighted to be asked by my great friend and fellow seafood aficionado, CJ Jackson, to jointly host a series of herring cookery demos, at the annual Hastings Herring Fair, in the aptly-titled ‘Classroom on the Coast.’

Now CJ has a phenomenal knowledge of seafood and is a brilliant cook and so with our combined passion for storytelling and showcasing seasonal seafood, it was always going to be a great event, but it exceeded even my expectations and we enjoyed 4 packed shows where we waxed lyrical about the ‘Silver Darlings’ and cooked and enthused over 8 different herring dishes over the course of the weekend.

Hastings itself boasts the UK’s largest beach-launched inshore fishing fleet and comprises an multitude of wooden and GRP vessels of all shapes and configurations. The fishermen here are some of the most engaged and passionate that I’ve met and fiercely defend their craft via the Hastings Fishermens’ Protection Society. Its economic importance stretches way further than the high water mark too, with a staggering worth to the local economy of £8m/year, before even putting to sea, such is its influence with the local tourist trade.

The fishery here is artisanal, low-impact, seasonal and definitely sustainable with a mixed fishery that provides stunning mix of quality species of both fish and shellfish throughout the year. Naturally we were there for the herring, recently descended on the fishery in their glistening multitude. So, with aprons on and knives at the ready we challenged visitors not to be utterly captivated and enticed by this delicious and nutritious little fish that men used to call the ‘King of the Sea’

Although the weather was a little damp, spirits certainly weren’t and with an array of fresh and smoked herring from Rockanore Fisheries, we set about putting the record straight with this wild superfood in terms of nutrition, flavour, affordability and seasonality. Smoked herring - kippers and bloaters (cold smoked) and buckling (hot smoked) are the most popular traditional forms, with the latter two being smoked with the roe and gut in. Hot smoking renders the fish ready to eat, but cold smoking requires cooking either grilling, jugging (poaching), baking or frying.

As for the fresh herring, ably scaled and gutted by our Commis, Serge, from Westgate College, I decided to prepare my old favourite, baking them with lemon and tomato in a very traditional style, with the fish pinned tail to head with a cocktail stick. I then poached some and made my potted herring recipe and then having been inspired by a Nathan Outlaw mackerel recipe, produced a raw herring tartare with spring onions, lemon and parsley, (which was probably my favourite) - the older I get the more I just love raw seafood…..

CJ, on the other hand, not content with the smoky offerings from nearby Rockanore, decide to demonstrate the art herself, turning out the most beautifully russet-coloured, buckling in just a few minutes, with her stove-top smoker. She then followed this with herrings in oatmeal with crispy bacon (an awesome combination) and fried with salsa verde, which always seems to go down well.

And then there were the roes….oh those roes! Lightly fried in a beurre noisette, both hard and soft and laid temptingly on slices of wholemeal toast, soaking up the seasoned buttery foam.

Our attentive audiences over the 4+ hours of displays, were thoughtful, engaged and enquiring and to be honest we couldn’t have asked for more. Certainly the dishes proved incredibly popular with something akin to a biblical plague descending on the tasting table after each session.

Interspersed with the cooking, I did my best to recount herring tales of yore and shed some light on the huge impact this little shoaling, silver fish has had on our coastal communities from Peterhead to Lowestoft and from Hastings to Clovelly. Storytelling is becoming a large part of what I do and it’s so incredibly gratifying when, after the demo, eager, questioning hands are raised and the ensuing compliments always bring a huge smile.

So a great success and bravo Hastings. I’d not been before, but I’ll certainly return and to the ‘classroom on the coast’, for another and this time, betentacled, seasonal offering…..