It’s Rob Green’s job to persuade us all to dive in and cook some (sustainable) fish

WHAT Rob Green doesn’t know about fish probably isn’t worth knowing. A former national seafood chef of the year, the 48-year-old is UK Chef Ambassador for Seafish, the authority on seafood. A largely self-taught chef, together with wife Emma he ran the highly-regarded Green’s restaurant in Whitby for 15 years before taking up his new role. He is also an independent consultant chef, which involves restaurant start-ups, recipe creation and judging competitions, and runs a pop-up seafood restaurant called Hook & Catch.

Rob lives in small village near Whitby called Ugglebarnby, with artist Emma, son Alfie and black Labrador Lily. As summer arrives, and the smell of fish and chips wafts along seafronts on our coast, Weekend asks Rob for some advice…

Fish and chips – the taste of summer by the seaside. Where would you recommend eating it?

Walking along Whitby pier or the beach at Sandsend.

Are we too wedded to cod in this country? What fish would you recommend trying?

Pollock, whiting, mackerel and hake are all good examples of lesser-known species which eat really well and are caught in the North Sea. They are all delicious, caught from our waters and, most important, they are sustainable.

What future do you see for the fishing industry after Brexit?

I’m not a politician or a fisherman and the implications of Brexit seem very confusing at the moment, but I’d like to think that the industry would get all the support it needs through all the changes.

Give us some top tips for preparing and cooking fish.

Always buy the freshest you can and cook it simply and with care.

What is your favourite fish dish?

There are quite a few, but my top three would be simple dressed Whitby crab with mayonnaise, Dover sole with lemon and parsley butter and fresh sardines or mackerel cooked on the barbecue.

W: robgreenchef.com

Queen Scallops, grilled in the shell with hazelnut pesto, parmesan and York ham

(Serves four)

40 queen scallops, cleaned and rinsed under running water for 2 mins, shells cleaned and reserve

25g thinly-sliced York

ham (or Parma Ham)

Picked chervil or baby

herb shoots

For the pesto

50g hazelnuts

large bunch of basil

50g parmesan, finely grated

200ml olive oil, plus extra for storing

2 garlic cloves

Queen scallops are a different species to king scallops, not just little specimens. They’re much smaller, growing to about 9cm when they’re between six and eight years old. They’re found all around the UK and are common in the North Sea on beds of sand and gravel.

For the pesto: Heat a small frying pan over a low heat. Cook the hazelnuts until dark brown without burning, shaking occasionally. Put into a food processor with half of the parmesan, basil, olive oil and garlic and process until smooth, then season. Pour the pesto into a jar and cover with a little extra oil, then seal and store in the fridge. It will keep in a fridge for up to two weeks

Cooking the scallops: After cleaning and rinsing the scallops, pat dry with kitchen roll and place one into a cleaned shell. Top with a little pesto, York or Parma ham and a sprinkle of the remaining grated parmesan. Repeat until all the shells are filled. Place on a baking tray and cook under a hot grill for two minutes until the scallops are just cooked, the ham is crispy and the cheese bubbling. Serve ten per portion and garnish with a little chervil or baby herb shoots.