Century of UK seafood recipes shows shrinking variety, study finds
Researchers examined 1,192 fish and shellfish recipes from British Good Housekeeping issues spanning 1923 to the present. They found that early recipes featured a broad mix of species, including flatfish, herring, and oysters, while later decades increasingly centered on cod, haddock, tuna, salmon, and shrimp. By recent years, those five species accounted for roughly 80% of UK seafood consumption and appeared in more than half of the recipes.
The research, led by Dr. Ruth Thurstan at the University of Exeter and published in People and Nature, drew on 1,192 seafood recipes from British Good Housekeeping issues dating from 1923 onward. Before the 1970s, recipes presented many species, with flatfish, herring and oysters especially visible, and often stressed economy, domestic skill and preparing whole fish.
From the 1970s, recipe diversity fell as cod, haddock, tuna, salmon and shrimp gained prominence. This coincided with lower UK catches, more imports, supermarkets, frozen foods and standardized products. Since the 1980s, those five species have appeared in over half the recipes and now represent roughly 80% of UK seafood consumption, though other species did not disappear entirely.
This study may prompt consumers, chefs, retailers and policymakers to reconsider how recipe media shapes seafood expectations. If familiar species dominate, shoppers could remain less willing to try alternatives, potentially affecting fishing communities and supply chains that depend on diverse catches. Greater awareness of historical narrowing might encourage recipe developers and food educators to feature underused fish, though any shift in diets would likely be gradual and shaped by price, availability and convenience.