Festival Food: Goan Seafood Company

One of the most popular food stalls on the music festival circuit is run by the Goan Seafood Company, which specializes in Goan Fish Curries.

In 2009, the Goan Seafood Company won the coveted Nationwide Caterers Association Award as the best caterers at Glastonbury Festival. Their summer 2011 tour has taken in Wychwood, Glastonbury, Cornbury, Larmar Tree, Secret Garden Party, Womad, Wickham, Cropredy, Green Man, Greenbelt, and End of the Road festivals.

In previous years at the Green Man, I have sampled several of their first class curries. The curries available at Green Man this year were the Goan Fish Curry, the King Prawn Caldine, Goan Mackeral Masala Dahl (their most popular dish), and the Vegetarian Masala Dahl. Typically, there is queue and they close early because the food has all sold out. You often catch a wonderful aromatic smell as you walk past.

This year, I tried the Luxury Kedgeree (£6), which is served until midday. It is made from home-smoked salmon, free-range egg, peas, basmati rice, chopped parsley and spices, and served with a slice of lemon. There is optional Goan Hot Sauce, a pea-green paste you squeeze out of a plastic bottle that carries a v. hot warning. They are not kidding! The kedgeree was tasty, but I found it a little on the dry side.

The stall trades under the slogan: “Fresh Cornish Fish, Authentic Goan Recipes”. The Goan Seafood Company is based in the fishing village of Mevagissey in Cornwall. They obtain all their fish from local fishermen, from sustainable fish stocks caught using traditional methods. Their head chef, on his travels, became hooked on Goan cooking (a distinct Indian cuisine influenced by a long period of Portuguese rule, which makes excellent use of fresh fish). Goan fish dishes are characterized by “hot-sour” flavours.

Goan Seafood Company:
http://www.goanseafood.com/