Gold f ish! The single f illet of smoked trout for £300
AT £300, it certainly sounds like a delicacy fit for royalty.
So it’s perhaps no surprise that the newly unveiled, limited edition smoked trout has been produced by RR Spink & Sons, fishmonger to the Queen.
The Royal Fillet is released today by the historic Scots company – based in Abroath, Angus – to mark its 300th anniversary.
Only 300 fillets are on sale, produced using traditional techniques and sourced in Loch Etive, Argyll – a 300-mile round trip from Arbroath.
But the price tag has raised eyebrows, with one expert describing it as ‘ ridiculous’ and adding: you frame it or eat it?’
But the company says ‘each fillet offers food lovers an exclusive slice of Scottish food history’. Available
‘Do from Selfridges and the Spink website, it is ‘the world’s most expensive smoked trout ever produced’.
Hand- cured with a bespoke blend of crushed sea salt, Dundee marmalade and fresh Perthshire raspberries, the trout is smoked over a variety of native Scottish woods.
Following a four-day slow maturation period, the result is a fillet of premium Scottish farmed trout, housed in a commemorative presentation case. Each will be hallmarked with a seal of authenticity, including the edition number.
Of the high price tag, a Spink spokesman said: ‘It’s akin to the release of a limited edition whisky. You are buying a slice of history and as well as buying the experience of eating it, you will own the memorabilia, like the box. It’s the quality of the trout, the development that went into it, the whole process, the whole experience.’
New product development chef Scott Fraser, who created the Royal Fillet concept, said: ‘We were inspired not only by our 300 years of history, but by the flora, fauna and culinary history of Scotland.
‘The best way to enjoy this sumptuous fillet is on its own, thinly sliced, in order to appreciate the texture and loch-fresh flavour to its fullest. For added luxury, enjoy with a glass of champagne and uninterrupted views of the Highlands.’
But veteran Scots fisherman Bruce Sandison said of the £300 price tag: ‘I’ve been an angler for more than 60 years and I’ve never heard the like. It’s ridiculous to charge a premium price for something that is manufactured. It’s not even wild. It’s not natural.’