Restaurants remove ‘king of fish' from menus as prices soar
Chefs are being forced to take the so-called king of fish off their menus, as the soaring price of seafood makes it virtually impossible to turn a profit.
Treasured for its succulent flesh and superior flavour, turbot has long been considered among the finest fishes on restaurant menus. Yet it is becoming a rare option for diners following steep increases in the cost of fish and seafood.
Tommy Banks, chef patron of Michelin-starred restaurants The Black Swan and Roots, both in Yorkshire, said: 'It's the king of the sea, a beautiful fish. Pre-pandemic, I paid £18 per kilo. Now it can be as much as £65.
'You can't afford to put it on the menu. And if you do… the amount you'd have to charge for it. There's just no value whatsoever. There really isn't cheap or cheaper fish any more. But turbot in particular is just outrageous, and you can't afford to use it.'
Mr Banks recently hosted a tasting night at his restaurant Roots where one of the dishes included turbot.
However, he said: 'I was giving a 60g sliver, literally a sliver [to diners]. We were like 'Well, we need to make turbot the smallest [dish] because it's so expensive'. It was costing £9 for 60g of fillet.'
Adrian Nunn, director of The Upper Scale, which sells fish to consumers and restaurants in London, said many restaurants had stopped ordering turbot altogether, and were using more affordable alternatives – like Dover sole.
He said: 'I don't think I've got one restaurant using turbot. They used to and they've stopped, they can't afford to.'
Traditional fish prices have also hiked
Seafood prices have soared across in recent years, with produce such as langoustines also becoming unsustainable to serve in restaurants.
Mr Banks said: 'Some of these really luxury ingredients – like turbot, langoustine, lobster, caviar and truffle – you'll only really find in Mayfair now.'
However, Mr Nunn added: 'It's not just the prime fish, It's all fish, whether it's frozen or whether it's sardines, mackerel, whether it's turbot, Dover soles, it's all gone up.'
Traditional fish suppers have been hit too. According to the Office for National Statistics, the price of a kilogram of white fish fillets has risen by more than 28pc in the three years to January 2025 to hit £20.59.
Inflation in fish and seafood has been blamed on steep rises in the cost of labour, shipping and energy – keeping fish chilled or frozen is particularly energy intensive – and the reduction of fishing quotas by international governments.
Laky Zervudachi at fish wholesaler Direct Seafoods, added: 'This year we have seen increasing inflationary pressure on virtually all species of seafood, whether it be simple staples like cod and haddock, to the more exclusive species like scallops and lobsters.
'As always, there are many factors that combine to create these increases, not least are a number of precautionary measures that have been taken by international bodies to help preserve fishing stocks around the world.'
Adding to pressure is increased demand for fish from Spanish and French buyers, which has driven up the price for British firms, Mr Nunn said.
He said: 'We buy in North of England, because there's not so many Spanish and French buyers up there. They'll just outbid us. We'd love to buy turbot at £10 per kilo, but they'll pay £20, £25, £30 so that's it.'
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