Hong Kong chefs deal directly with fishermen and seafood farmers in the name of sustainability

Being surrounded by water, Hongkongers have always had a passion for seafood. Be it a tiny shrimp atop a siu mai at breakfast dim sum, the ubiquitous crab claw at Chinese wedding banquets, or a steamed whole fish at a family dinner, seafood is a central and well-loved part of the city's dining scene.

"There is also an association with feasting and opulence in fine dining, I think that's the main appeal of seafood here," says Victoria Chow, founder and managing director of new oyster and seafood bar The Walrus.

Chef David Lai, known for his seasonally-driven restaurants Neighborhood and On Lot 10 (now closed), is the culinary force behind one of the city's new seafood ventures - Fish School in Sai Ying Pun. As the name suggests, Fish School is fish and seafood focused.

"We take 'catch of the day' quite literally," says Lai. Rather than focusing on the cuisine of a particular nation, Fish School serves whatever is fresh that day. This might include lesser-known varieties such as local lobster, yellow-foot sea bream, threadfin and moray eel. These fish are rarely seen in restaurants, and aside from helping diners try new things, this wider focus could help prevent popular species from extinction.

Lai says, "Those open-water boats stalk the fish with hi-tech satellites and sonar and they have no chance to escape or recover. I believe that food trends, such as the worldwide popularity of sushi in the past couple of decades, have a lot to do with the wholesale depletion of stocks of fish such as bluefin tuna."

He's not the only cook to seek out lesser-known types. "There are excellent qualities in many different types of seafood out there, but they don't always have the marketing value, popularity and demand. Our job as chefs is to introduce them and demonstrate exactly how good their quality and depth of flavour can be," says Agustin Balbi, executive chef at The Ocean, another new seafood restaurant.