The Clyde fleet is a shadow of what it was, but langoustines, scallops, crab and lobster still come off the boats at Girvan and Maidens, and the good kitchens here use them. One honest caveat: a great deal of the best shellfish landed on this coast goes straight for export to Spain and France, which is why you will sometimes see less of it on local menus than the harbour outside would suggest.
Where to eat it
- Wildings, Maidens harbour — the serious seafood restaurant on this coast, with fish specials that change according to what has come in. Ask about the specials rather than ordering off the printed menu; that is where the good stuff is.
- Austins, Girvan — seafood is the strength here too. Garlic prawns, hake, salmon, well handled and generously served.
- Graziano's on Girvan harbour — the honest version. Fresh haddock, fried to order, thirty seconds from the water. See fish and chips.
- Souter's Inn, Kirkoswald — reliable breaded haddock in a pub setting.
- Glenapp Castle and Trump Turnberry both do fine-dining seafood if you want it at that end of the market.
What is actually caught here
Langoustines — Norway lobster, the same creature sold as scampi — are the mainstay of the modern Clyde fleet, taken by creel and trawl. Scallops are dived and dredged. Brown crab and lobster come from creels set along the rocky coast south of Girvan. Inshore there are mackerel in summer, and the Stinchar and other rivers hold salmon and sea trout.
If you want to see the working end of it, the fish quay at Girvan harbour is a short walk from the town centre, and boats land through the week.
Catching your own
Sea fishing charters run from Girvan harbour, and mackerel from the harbour wall in summer is a reliable and cheap way to eat local fish. See also river fishing for the Stinchar and the Water of Girvan.
For the wider picture see restaurants near Girvan.
