For those ordering from street food trailer, The Redshank, you’re guaranteed to be tucking into the freshest seafood sourced from local waters.
Situated at the Smithton Industrial Estate in Inverness, the catering firm was opened in October 2018 by Ann Marie and Jamie Ross, who toured the city in their food truck serving up locally sourced, fresh seafood with one meat dish and one vegetarian dish every week.
These dishes varied from tasty Cullen skink, Sandend smoked haddock, a hot smoked mackerel salad, and Peterhead haddock in beer batter to a spicy lentil and bean burger and a chicken, ham and leek pie.
Fast forward to today, this balance between meat and vegetarian options remains the same – as the business owners appreciate that everyone’s palates are different.
However, their following has grown substantially.
Swimming along nicely
Seafood has always been a cuisine that both Ann Marie and Jamie have loved serving and eating.
And since the duo felt that street food was an offering that lacked in Inverness, they put two and two together and began working on their business venture, which was to become known as The Redshank.
Ann Marie said: “Jamie has always been around seafood in his home and his work. It is something we love to serve and eat ourselves.
“The logo came about from a love of birds, especially oyster catchers. We knew there were too many places with the name, Oyster Catcher, so decided to go for a similar bird that loves to wade on the shores of Scotland and enjoy fish as much as we do.
“Jamie and I source from different suppliers to get the best seafood we can. We buy within the seasons to make sure we do our bit to look after our waters.
“We also use eco-friendly packaging to do our bit for the environment. All of this is served to you by the great team we have been able to hire and that’s all thanks to our loyal customers, who have kept us busy since the beginning.”
Ever-changing menu
The menu at The Redshank is flexible, something that both Ann Marie and Jamie love.
“The Redshank has a wide variety of seafood, depending on availability,” Jamie said.
“We change our menu every week and it is all depending on what we can get from our suppliers. We have one meat and one veggie dish available every week as we know not everyone loves seafood as much as we do.
Customers love the variety – and we love serving traditional and non-traditional dishes from the trailer.”
Ann Marie Ross.
“Changing the offering every week gives us the freedom to try new street food versions of traditional dishes you would normally only find in restaurants. It also means that customers can come back every week and try something new each time.
“However, our scallops and beer-battered haddock are hard to remove from the menu as they are so popular.”
Ann Marie added: “Everything is homemade. Jamie and I make our own batter mix, which is super crispy. It is paired with a superb quality haddock from Peterhead, homemade mushy peas and homemade tartare sauce – what’s not to love about that classic combo?
“The Cullen skink is made from Jamie’s recipe, which he has used for a long time. It is made with beautifully smoked haddock from Sandend and is a great hit with our customers.
“Our scallop dishes are also very popular. These include our classic scallop, black pudding and skirlie salad combo, roasted cauliflower scallop risotto, and scallop tacos.
“Customers love the variety – and we love serving traditional and non-traditional dishes from the trailer.
“Deciding what we create is the fun bit. We get our inspiration from all over the world and love using local produce to create our version. Even talking to our customers about their eating experiences gives you an idea of what could work.”
A passion for seafood
Speaking on what they admire most about their roles, Ann Marie says the pair love “wowing customers”.
“Jamie and I love the idea of surpassing people’s expectations,” she added.
“If you’re looking for amazing seafood street food (and more), then pop along to see us at any of our stops.
“At the moment, we are doing four-to-five evenings in different locations – you can find out our location and opening times on social media or our website.”
Jamie added: “In terms of Street Food Scran, we both think it’s amazing that it highlights the talented vendors around Scotland.
“The pair of us are looking forward to a growing community within the street food side of hospitality. We love it and the variety that comes with it.
“Ann Marie and I have some exciting things in the works at the moment. We are delighted to be part of the Highland Food and Drink Trail.
“This will be setting up a street food promenade in the city centre and showcasing amazing talent from the city and the Highlands. Not only do we get to be part of the scene, but we also get to try the food too.”
Map of street food vendors in Tayside and Fife