If your idea of heaven is sipping fine white wine in an oceanside restaurant as you dine on fresh local seafood, you’ve probably found that last 18 months to be rather torturous. Thankfully, premium online fishmonger Hook’d have got you covered. You can now enjoy the high-end restaurant experience in the comfort of your own home.
The brainchild of the Daya brothers, the Hook’d adventure began in 1990 when their mum and dad launched parent company Shield Foods, selling fish from the back of a car. Before long, they were one of the world’s leading independent suppliers, with some of the world’s best restaurants on their books.
Despite having the likes of London’s Nobu and Sushi Samba as clients, they realised they could do more to fill a major gap in the market by bringing premium seafood into UK households. The three Daya brothers stepped forward with a plan and Hook’d was born. Launched just a few weeks back, their offering is unique with products that you simply won’t find outside of a high-end restaurant.
Hook’d also offer a range of handy themed boxes, which come loaded with a variety of weird and wonderful sea critters from all over the world. The Pan Asian includes such exotic treats as Whole Soft Shell Crabs and Yellowfin Tuna, whilst the more adventurous of chefs may want to seek out The Big One.
As the name suggests, this one’s a real beast and includes New Zealand GreenLip Mussels, Giant Raw King Crab and a showstopping Wild Whole Octopus from Spain. We opted to try the rather splendidly titled Prawn to be Wild collection, which as the name suggests is a prawn lover’s dream.
So, what’s in the box? First up, there are two packs of the Wild Large Whole Argentinian Prawns, which made for an excellent starter on a bed of spinach and lemon couscous, finished with fresh lime and chopped chillies.
Next came the Peeled Black Tiger Prawns which are large, juicy and ideal for chucking into stir-fries or paellas. We enjoyed them smothered in a homemade spicy Satay sauce with a dusting of crushed cashews. Incredible.
The Extra Large Raw Whole Black Tiger Prawns turned out to be perfect for surf and turf, served with Rib-Eye Steak and French fries. Sourced from Bangladesh, these gigantic shell-on prawns made for an impressive showpiece, and tasted just as good as they looked.
The box also contains two generously sized packs of Large Nobashi Ebi from Vietnam. Translated from Japanese to English, these are essentially ‘stretched prawns’ with the tail left on and are ideal for tempura. We dipped these little gems into a homemade batter whipped up from coconut milk, eggs and flour, before rolling them into a desiccated coconut and panko crumb mix. Deep-fried and served with hot sweet chilli sauce, these made for an excellent starter.
Last but certainly not least came the Wild Large Whole Argentinian Pink Prawns, which are possibly the biggest prawns I’ve ever seen in my life. Served in a Red Thai curry with coconut rice, these prawns are packed with flavour and crunch and were hands down my personal favourite from the box.
Final verdict:
Hook’d is an absolute must for anyone that worships seafood, and wants to bring that special occasion restaurant experience home. At £135 for the Prawn to be Wild collection, the price may seem steep, but is more than worth it due to the high quality and generous portion size.
There’s enough in each box to make dozens of meals, sides and starters, which are guaranteed to go down a storm with dinner guests. A mighty fine catch indeed.
Head over to Hook’d Seafood online now and enjoy 15% off your first order with our exclusive discount code HNMAG15.
Reviewed by Fletch.
