Whitby is famous for a lot of things, most of all its unbeatable seafood. One of the nation’s favourites is Scampi, but it turns out that not that many people actually know what scampi is. A recent survey of 500 british shoppers revealed that about 80% of people were either incorrect or didn’t have a clue. So we thought we would break it down for you, with the help of Whitby Seafoods!

When we spoke with Whitby Foods, they brought up the fact that knowing where your seafood comes from is really important, as I’m sure you would agree. Scampi is purchased annually by about 5.8 million households – and that means that roughly 4.5 million of those don’t actually know what they’re getting.

Misconceptions

A common response in the survey was monkfish, which is a good guess. Monkfish used to be used as scampi due to it’s similar texture and flavour. However, it’s not correct. Monkfish is much larger than scampi, and this makes it a great economic substitute, which was why it was commonly used. Other responses included pollock and prawn. Again, both have been used as scampi substitutes, but they’re not quite right.

While substitutes are not necessarily harmful it is good to know that you are getting what you paid for, and not a cheaper, less tasty alternative. Scampi should in fact be made up solely of langoustine, or ‘Dublin Bay Prawns’. Rick Stein actually called this particular crustacean ‘the best in the world’, so you can see why Scampi is so popular in the UK!

Knowing where your food comes from

The Yorkshire seafood obsessives believe that scampi are the forgotten ‘jewels’ of the sea, and want to highlight the importance of knowing where your seafood comes from. Whitby Seafoods have been catching scampi in the waters around the British Isles since 1985 and bringing them back to their site in Whitby. They use 100% Langoustine in their recipes, so you can be sure that you’re getting good quality, and they want to highlight the importance of this.

Whitby Seafoods hope that by dispelling some of the myths surrounding seafood and by making it safe and easy to cook more people will be able to enjoy their delicious products.

What’s more Whitby Seafoods are a member of the Sustainable Seafood Coalition and work actively with their fishery partners to ensure the industry is as sustainable as can be.