By Ralph Barnett

THE DEEP-FRIED Mars Bar may have made Scotland’s fish and chip shops the butt of jokes in recent years, but the proprietor of one establishment in Arbroath has set out to redress the balance by offering customers a selection of far more classy meals.

Bellrock Chip Shop’s Azam Salimi has recently been doing a roaring trade since he had the idea of skinning and boning the famous Arbroath Smokie, coating it in a light batter and fast-frying it to give a whole new take on the local delicacy.

Never one to rest on his laurels, Mr Salimi invited local creel fisherman Tommy Yule to the Bellrock yesterday to carry out some culinary experimentation with a view to offering customers deep-fried lobster with their chips.

Mr Salimi said, “Since my son Kessar and I took over the Bellrock a few years ago we have always strived to offer our customers a high quality service and, now and again, something a little out of the ordinary.”

He said customers had been asking if it would be possible to have Arbroath Smokies done in batter or breadcrumbs with the skin and bones removed.

“It has to be said that the removal of the skin and bones can be a bit of a challenge—more like a surgical dissection than a meal sometimes.

“They have really gone down well and, although we have two local suppliers, it’s not unusual for us to run out half way through the day.

“As part of the campaign being run by the Sea Fish Industry Association we are trying to do our bit to help conserve cod and haddock stocks by offering customers something different.

“Obviously lobster is a premium product so it’s going to be a bit more expensive than a normal fish supper but, once again, I think it’s something the customers will be keen to try and it will hopefully catch on.

“Where we go from lobster is anyone’s guess, but we are looking at the possible demand for salmon suppers so that might be our next project.”