British home cooks once ate a much wider range of seafood, a new study suggests. Researcher Ruth Thurstan of the University of Exeter studied 1,192 fish and shellfish recipes. They were printed in the British edition of Good Housekeeping magazine from 1923 to the present, The Guardian and the BBC reported on Tuesday, Oct. 13.

She found 67 species across the century; before the 1970s, recipes used a wide mix, with herring, oysters and flatfish all common. They also stressed thrift and cooking whole fish; since the 1970s, a "big five" has taken over: cod, haddock, tuna, salmon and prawns. These five now make up more than 60% of mentions, The Guardian said.

Old recipes included oyster cocktail, lobster canapes and fish baked in custard. During rationing in the 1940s, a government recipe even called for curried whale meat. Recent issues lean toward dishes like gochujang sticky cod and miso prawn skewers.

The BBC said the shift came as catches in UK waters fell and imports rose. Supermarkets, frozen food and standard products also grew. "Recipes are not a direct measure of consumption or preference," Thurstan told the BBC. But she said they show what people were expected to know and want to cook.

The big five make up about 80% of seafood eaten in the UK, according to the Marine Stewardship Council. Thurstan said relying on so few species has costs. Some fishing can harm seabed habitats, and salmon farming faces close scrutiny.

What we know: Seafood recipes in one major magazine have narrowed sharply since the 1970s.
What we don't: Whether the trend matches other magazines, since the paper is not yet published in the journal People and Nature.