The best oysters of my life arrive on a polystyrene tray, eaten elbow-to-elbow with strangers at a table littered with empty shells and damp paper napkins. We huddle beneath a tarpaulin, sheltering from the fine spray of rain rattling on the roof, the wind whipping around the hulking CalMac ferry moored metres away, and the beady-eyed scavenging gulls.<\/p>\n
\u201cHave you tried this? You have to,\u201d says a woman who has driven from Glasgow just to eat here, pressing a rollmop herring into my hand. I take a bite, the thick skin giving way to sweet and salty flesh, juices running down my chin. Elegant dining this is not, but all the better for it. This is Oban Seafood Hut<\/a>, tucked beside the ferry terminal for boats heading into the Sound of Mull. Diners shuffle around a shared table, listening for order numbers, with plates piled high with langoustines, crab and oysters. It\u2019s cash only. In the back room, a team of women butter thick slices of soft white bread for crab sandwiches, wrapping them in clingfilm without ceremony, to be sold within minutes.<\/p>\n Illustration: Graphics\/The Guardian<\/p>\n Often on Scotland\u2019s west coast, it\u2019s the least assuming places that are worth seeking out. The hotel down the road may have a wholesaler on speed-dial, while a shack in a car park is serving seafood brought ashore just hours before. Though west coast seafood is rightly lauded across the world, it\u2019s here, eaten metres from the water, that it tastes the best. For years Scotland\u2019s best seafood went directly to top restaurants in major cities, but now more of it stays local. Whether enjoyed in a shack, a windswept croft or cosy dining room, there\u2019s a commitment to getting the freshest fish and shellfish to the most people, in a way that honours the produce, people and landscape.<\/p>\n The Oban Seafood Hut. Photograph: Emily Marie Wilson\/Alamy<\/p>\n And a new generation of cooks is making the most of local produce, cooking it simply and letting the quality speak for itself. In a small car park in Scourie, a village strung along the road between Lochinver and Durness, is Crofter\u2019s Kitchen<\/a>. Grant Mercer was previously head chef at the nearby Kylesku hotel, but became convinced local seafood shouldn\u2019t be reserved for fine dining. With his wife, Heather, he opened the modest shack on their working croft by the beautiful sandy beach, and started cooking it for everyone. The ethos is a 30-mile menu, built entirely around what is landed locally, so it changes constantly, \u201csometimes daily, sometimes mid-afternoon if the catch dictates it\u201d, Heather says. The house special is hand-dived scallops from around Handa Island, about a mile from the kitchen, served with chorizo risotto and chilli black pudding. No white tablecloths required.<\/p>\n double quotation markOften on Scotland\u2019s west coast, it\u2019s the least assuming places that are worth seeking out – a shack in a car park is serving seafood brought ashore just hours before<\/p>\n In Ullapool, Kirsty Scobie and Fenella Renwick started The Seafood Shack<\/a> trailer above the harbour, determined to keep more of the local catch in the town. Both from fishing families, their close-knit supplier connections guarantee the best of the day\u2019s catch, and the menus are built around it. Think lobster macaroni cheese, crab claw salad and haddock tacos. After years of cooking through Highland weather, they are finally building a permanent restaurant on the same site. Whether this means the season (usually April-October) will be extended, we\u2019ll have to wait and see.<\/p>\n I also love the <\/a>Creel Seafood Bar<\/a> in Fionnphort, on Mull, beside the Iona ferry. I confess I skipped touring Iona Abbey to make sure I didn\u2019t miss last orders, but the langoustine and chips were worth it.<\/p>\n Same name, different island, The\u00a0Creel<\/a> in Elgol on Skye sells freshly cooked cold seafood from their horsebox near Elgol beach, ideal if you\u2019ve booked a wildlife tour nearby. The \u201cElgolian\u201d squat lobster rolls are the best seller, for very good reason. It\u2019s a wild spot, making opening hours very weather dependent, so check their social media first. The Oyster Shed<\/a> at Carbost, also on Skye, is another gem. Run by an oyster farmer, it\u2019s a simple setup with picnic table seating and the quality is sky-high.<\/p>\n Between Lochinver and Durness, Crofter\u2019s Kitchen \u2013 a modest shack on a working croft by a beautiful sandy beach. Photograph: Ailsa Sheldon<\/p>\n On the mainland, Blas na Mara Seafood Shack<\/a> in Fort William is a brilliant addition to the town, and the \u201clunchbox\u201d with Loch Linnhe langoustines, mackerel pat\u00e9, salad and oatcakes makes a very special picnic.<\/p>\n Growing up in the Lochaber region, to me Crannog<\/a> was the definition of fancy. When it opened in Fort William in 1989, it stood as a rare beacon of fine dining in the Highlands. Lochaber should always have been a gastronomic haven, its west coast and sea lochs producing Europe\u2019s finest seafood. It wasn\u2019t. Instead, refrigerated lorries thundered through the villages, carrying Mallaig\u2019s catch south without stopping. Fisher Finlay Finlayson helped change that, transforming a bait shed on Fort William pier into a distinctive red-roofed restaurant. The ethos was simple: serve the freshest seafood possible. It\u2019s where I had my first oyster, saw lobster served and discovered the quiet magic of restaurants \u2013 setting a standard for the\u00a0Highlands, and for me.<\/p>\n double quotation markPortions are hearty at Crannog, and they need to be: often diners arrive after a day on the hill or celebrating the end of the West Highland Way<\/p>\n Today the original lochside restaurant is storm-battered and awaiting repairs to the town pier, so it\u00a0has relocated to the safe haven of Garrison West on the High Street. Here, chef Philip Carnegie runs a\u00a0tight\u00a0ship, with beloved staples like mussels, oysters and Cullen skink still in place. Portions are hearty, and they need to be: often diners arrive after a day on the hill or celebrating the end of the West Highland Way. Try the Mallaig cod with mussels, and always check the specials board.<\/p>\n Another favourite is The Pierhouse <\/a>hotel<\/a> by the Lismore ferry in Port Appin, which offers a welcome refuge, with cosy fireplaces and warm service. The menu tells you who caught your supper and from which nearby loch. The best tables overlook the pier, where you may see the catch arriving. Order fresh Loch Leven rope-grown mussels cooked in cider, Loch Creran oysters, or push the boat out and share The Pierhouse platter.<\/p>\n The Oyster Shed at Carbost on Skye serves fresh scallops and chips on whisky barrel tables. Photograph: Kay Roxby\/Alamy<\/p>\n Loch Leven Seafood Cafe<\/a> (on the north shore) is a perfect casual pit-stop if you\u2019re heading west, or after a day in Glencoe. Freshly cooked and simply served, there\u2019s often more unusual seafood here, such as fresh razor clams and surf clams with garlic butter. The shellfish soup with aioli is superb.<\/p>\n Some meals require more of a trek. Until last year, Gareth Cole ran Caf\u00e9 Canna, raising the profile of food on the eponymous pint-sized island, and giving it a forager\u2019s twist with dishes such as dulse seaweed croquettes and kelp miso ramen.<\/p>\n He has now moved on to a new culinary adventure on the Isle of Coll (a 2hr 40min ferry ride from Oban) that promises to be worth the journey. The Urchin<\/a> is named after one of Cole\u2019s favourite ingredients. \u201cThere is an unbeatable larder on this island,\u201d he says. He has recently started a brewery too. The Boathouse<\/a> on Ulva is also worth travelling for \u2013 it requires a ferry to Mull then a tiny passenger boat to Ulva, but the seafood, welcome and views make up for the journey.<\/p>\n As a food and travel writer I\u2019m lucky to have eaten all over the world, but it\u2019s here, where I grew up, I\u2019ve had my best meals. After years eating my way around the Highlands and Islands, it\u2019s a delight to have discovered so many more places \u2013 and to see more creative chefs succeeding.<\/p>\n