Why the season matters on this coast

The Yorkshire coast runs from the Tees down to Spurn Point, and the water off it is cold, shallow in places and surprisingly varied. That variety is why Whitby, Scarborough, Filey and Bridlington all land different things on different days, and why a good fishmonger's slab changes character roughly every six weeks. Fish and shellfish are not simply available all year round; they move, feed and spawn to a rhythm, and eating with that rhythm gives you better flavour, better texture and often a better price.

It also takes pressure off stocks. A fish caught fat and in peak condition needs less doing to it, and one that has already spawned is worth leaving in the water. Here is what to look for through the year, and how to buy it well.

Spring: crab, lobster and the first flatfish

From late March the inshore potters around Staithes, Runswick Bay and Filey start landing really good brown crab, firm and sweet before the summer moult. Lobster follows through April and May, and this is the moment to ask your fishmonger whether the hens are berried, because those should always go back.

On the fish side, look for lemon sole, plaice and the last of the winter whiting. Spring is also a lean time for some stocks, so it is worth stretching to pot-caught shellfish, hand-dived scallops, cockles and mussels rather than anything trawled from a spawning ground. A simple crab salad or a grilled lemon sole with butter and parsley is the honest cooking of the season.

Summer: mackerel, bass and quick cooking

June to August is the easy season. Mackerel arrive in numbers and are at their absolute best within hours of being caught, which is why line-caught fish from a beach-launched boat at Runswick or Filey tastes so different from anything that has sat in a chiller for three days. Split it, salt it, grill it hard.

Alongside mackerel you will find sea bass in the warmer shallows, gurnard, squid and cuttlefish, and the first of the year's herring. Turbot and brill show up on the better slabs, usually as a treat rather than a staple. Scallops with their bright orange roe are lovely now, and the roe is the giveaway that they are fresh. Buy shellfish on the day, keep it cold, and cook it plainly — summer produce needs no help.

Autumn: herring, scallops and shellfish

September to November is arguably the richest stretch of the year. Herring return, and anyone with an interest in the coast's maritime heritage should cook them at least once — grilled, soused, or rolled in oatmeal. The old curing yards and smokehouses of Whitby were built on this fish, and the flavour justifies the history.

Hand-dived scallops are superb now, with firm white meat and clean sweetness. Mussels and oysters come back into condition after the summer spawn, brown crab is heavy again, and hake, squid and cuttlefish fill out the menu. This is the season for fish pies, chowders and a pan of mussels with cider and cream.

Winter: cod, haddock and the boats that stay out

December through February is cod and haddock time, with whiting, skate and lemon sole alongside. It is also spawning season for cod, which is why many chefs deliberately avoid the very largest fish and either choose smaller line-caught ones or swap to coley, which is plentiful and criminally underrated.

Shellfish carries the winter beautifully: scallops, mussels, oysters, cockles and pot-caught crab are all in good order, and cold water keeps them sweet. A haddock fillet in a light batter, a bowl of cockles with vinegar, or a scallop seared hard in a hot pan — this is the coast at its most comforting.

How to choose a sustainable catch

A few habits make a real difference, and none of them require you to become an expert.

• Ask how it was caught. Pots, hand-diving and line-caught methods usually do less damage than dredging or heavy trawling. A good fishmonger will know.
• Look for the blue fish tick. Certified sustainable seafood is easy to spot and covers a growing share of North Sea stocks.
• Buy pot-caught crab and lobster, and never berried hens. V-notched lobsters should always be returned, so if you see one for sale, walk away.
• Respect minimum sizes. Undersized fish and shellfish are usually juveniles. If it looks too small for the pan, it is.
• Eat the whole fish. Heads, frames and shells make outstanding stock, and using them means buying less for the same meal.
• Shop locally and often. Day boats land in small quantities, so the best fish is gone by mid-morning. Get there early, and buy what is actually on the slab rather than what you had planned.

Cooked this way, a year of Yorkshire coast seafood reads like a calendar: crab and lobster in spring, grilled mackerel in summer, herring and scallops in autumn, haddock and cockles in the cold. That is not a restriction. It is the whole point.