In the UK they are called the Big Five, but this is not a hit boy band, rather the five most consumed seafood products in the UK. Cod, salmon, haddock, tuna and prawns dominate British cuisine with different taste characteristics and textures, but with the same great ability to adapt to traditional and non-traditional recipes, giving consumers unforgettable gastronomic experiences.

Here are the best wines to pair with English fish dishes and their delicious variations!

Cod cooked in milk, the ingredient in traditional flans, to be enjoyed with a good wine

Cod could be called the king of UK seafood cuisine, with its tender, lean meat and never-intrusive flavour. This species, native to the northernmost part of the Atlantic Ocean, is an excellent ingredient in the kitchen, mainly due to its high digestibility and considerable Omega-3 content. From a strictly taste point of view, it is a versatile product that is perfectly suited to numerous recipes.

It can be cooked in a variety of ways; baked au gratin, stewed, fried or used for meatballs and pasta dishes, but above all to make a traditional recipe: Fish Pie, a fish flan popular during the 17th century as an alternative to meat during Lent.

To prepare Fish Pie, smoked cod is first cooked in milk, which is then thickened to create a kind of creamy sauce. With the addition of eggs, peas (in some variants also shrimps), and a soft covering of mashed potatoes, the codfish thus creates a tasty and enveloping dish, which can easily be paired with a Friulian Chardonnay.

In fact, this type of wine goes perfectly with the softness and flavours of this flan thanks to the pleasantness of its fruity and floral notes, providing an excellent balance between sugar and acidity components. An essential characteristic to lighten a full-bodied dish like this and to give each taste a hint of liveliness!

Matching wines and fish dishes: smoked salmon

In the UK, salmon is eaten cooked or raw in a huge variety of preparations, due to its widespread use and consumer appreciation, as well as for its nutritional properties, including its concentration of Omega-3, protein and fatty acids. This is why it is sometimes used as an ingredient for breakfasts or brunches, especially on special occasions.

In these courses, salmon is usually eaten smoked and sliced, accompanied by boiled or scrambled eggs, and sometimes bagels (the typical English bun-shaped sandwich) with a bit of cream cheese, for a complete, tasty and richly flavoured meal. Also because of this gustatory opulence, it is not immediate to find a wine that can perfectly complement all the ingredients.

To be on the safe side when choosing wines to go with fish, one can, for example, uncork a bottle of 'Elettra' Sauvignon Blanc 2022, an Italian white wine with a straw-yellow colour, characteristic greenish undertones and distinct mineral notes. Thanks to the latter, every sip has an extra kick and gives the consumer a refreshing and surprising taste experience. Nothing better to accompany an intense and full-bodied dish like this, characterised by a discrete unctuousness that should be defatted with the right wine!

Fried haddock, and it's Fish & Chips and wine!

Haddock is a fish with white, tender flesh, similar in some ways to cod, with which it is often mistaken in recipes. Both species are in fact typical of the North Atlantic and have delicate flavours and a low fat component.

However, it does not necessarily have to be used only for dietary preparations, quite the contrary! Among the recipes featuring haddock is Fish & Chips, an extremely popular comfort food in English pubs. This recipe consists of fried fish fillets with chips and was imported to the UK from Spain and Portugal in the second half of the 1800s and then spread as a cheap and poor dish.

As it is a rather oily preparation, this recipe goes well with all those wines that can degrease the palate with refreshing notes and a fair amount of acidity. Among the best Italian wines for fish dishes one can opt for a Franciacorta DOCG Brut 'Rhino'. The main characteristics of this product are an aromatic profile reminiscent of white flower fragrances, with a slight hint of yeast, as well as a strong and fresh taste on the palate. Just what is needed to lighten the savouriness of Fish & Chips! 

Which wine to pair with canned tuna recipes?

Despite being a popular and practical ingredient to use, canned tuna often suffers from clichés that castigate it as a low-quality product, as it tends to be cheap and used when one has little time to cook something more elaborate.

However, it is a quick and tasty alternative to fresh tuna, and in the UK it is particularly popular as a base for many ready-made preparations, such as sandwiches, pates and the famous Tuna Salad.

This easy-to-prepare and delicious tuna salad can be enjoyed on a variety of convivial occasions. It is a fresh, undemanding and tendentially light meal, prepared with canned tuna and a range of ingredients that vary according to imagination and preference. It can be prepared, for example, by adding lettuce, mayonnaise, onion and gherkins, all served with sliced bread or croutons.

Among the classic recommendations for pairing wine and fish, refreshing wines such as light, fragrant whites stand out above all, but the intense flavour of tuna does not disdain a bottle of red either. Down with the stereotypes that do not consider red wine worthy of accompanying a fish dish: with Tuna Salad you can easily uncork a Pinot Noir, one of the best red wines for fish dishes.

Its ability to adapt to a seafood dish such as this one is due to the elegance of its flavours, which caress the palate with delicacy and with hints of red fruits that are already anticipated by the olfactory examination.

Wine and steamed prawns as a tasty cocktail

Protagonists of summer grills and delicious gratins, prawns are a popular fish species used to enrich a wide range of culinary preparations: first courses, savoury pies, soups and cocktails.

The aperitif is the perfect convivial occasion to show off all the flavour of prawns, which are the stars of the Prawn Cocktail. In this recipe, this seafood ingredient is steamed, served in small glasses on a bed of salad and accompanied by a little pink sauce.

The slightly sweetish flavour of the prawns, the velvety savouriness of the pink sauce and the freshness of the lettuce alone are enough to give diners a fresh and delicious taste experience, but a glass of wine is never refused.

So this recipe - particularly in vogue in England in the 1960s and 1970s, but still consumed on certain occasions - can be worthily accompanied by a persuasive and particular white wine such as a Langhe Riesling DOC, produced in Piedmont, one of the best white wines for particular fish dishes such as this.

Thanks to its fruity and slightly herbaceous aromatic bouquet, this wine gives gastronomic pairings a pleasant freshness, but it is the particular hints of hydrocarbons that add a very special touch to the tasting, a perfect opportunity to give any aperitif a twist!

For your fish menu, don't miss out on the right bottle. Let the experts at Svinando guide you in your choice!