'Nothing tastes better than Norfolk brown shrimp'

Abbie Williamson said she was really proud The Wash brown shrimp industry had received MSC certification

A third-generation shellfish processor is calling on British diners not to ignore locally-produced brown shrimp.

Abbie Williamson, manager of Lynn Shellfish, of King's Lynn, Norfolk, said 95% of her catch was exported.

"If we could get UK chefs and restaurants on board, that would encourage more people to know what shrimp is and how tasty they are," she said.

The company features in a national Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) campaign to encourage people to eat shellfish from sustainable sources.

Typically, each boat employed two or three crew, was at sea for one to three days and sorted and cooked its catch aboard, said MSC

Ms Williamson said: "Sustainability means we're looking after the shrimp fishing itself, we've got the correct gear on to make sure we're not damaging the sea bed and damaging the environment around it, or damaging any other species that are there."

The Wash brown shrimp fishery became the first UK shrimp fishery to achieve MSC certification in 2020 and it was re-certified last month.

MSC is an international non-profit organisation which "recognises and rewards efforts to protect oceans and safeguard seafood supplies for the future".

The fishery, managed by the Shrimp Producers Organisation has a fleet of 55 inshore boats, mostly based in King's Lynn and Boston, Lincolnshire.

Its annual catch of about 1,000 tonnes is processed by Lynn Shellfish, which employs about 50 people, and another King's Lynn-based shrimp buyer, John Lake Shellfish.

Steven Williamson said fishing in a sustainable way meant there was a future for family-run businesses like his

Receiving the certification was "a feather in the cap" for the industry, according to Lynn Shellfish managing director Steven, Ms Williamson's father.

He said: "We're selling it with the knowledge that we're doing it correctly and it'll help the factory survive; it's going to make sure the guys still have employment.

"My father was in it before me, both my children are in it and I want my grandchildren to be in it."

The vast majority of his catch goes to the Netherlands, is then sent to Morocco to be hand-peeled, and returns to the Netherlands for distribution around Europe.

Mr Williamson urged people to buy unpeeled brown shrimp, because "for me, that's where the flavour is".

"We need to show people it's a fresh, local product and it's available here in King's Lynn and all around the Norfolk coast, and we sell to Billingsgate [the London fish market]."

Sarah Marsh, from Donaldsons Fishmongers in King's Lynn, wants people to buy the fresh local produce and keep the factory and fishermen in business

Fishmonger Sarah Marsh said peeling the shellfish was not that hard.

"Squeeze, pull the head off; squeeze, pull the tail off - the more you do, the more of a rhythm you have," she said.

"But it's like everything, you have to learn how to do it and once you've learnt, you can do it really quickly."

Because it labour-intensive, "a 100g (3.5oz) bag of peeled shrimp is £6.50 - you pay for a product that is hand-picked", she said.

Her older customers were more likely to know how to peel the shrimp themselves, she admitted.

So how can brown shrimp be served at home?

Ms Marsh suggested adding them to salads, flans, a prawn cocktail, or serving them freshly-peeled with good bread and butter.

"Nothing tastes better. They're worth every bit of effort - they're just beautiful," she said.

About 1,000 tonnes of brown shrimp from The Wash are processed every year by two King's Lynn shellfish producers