Britain and the Middle East will speak the universal language of food when Scotland’s premium salmon brand takes centre stage at the world’s largest food and hospitality show in Dubai.

Label Rouge Scottish Salmon is the showpiece seafood product in a major gastronomic competition hosted at the Gulfood event organised by the Emirates Culinary Guild.

It features in the Seafood Class of the Emirates Salon Culinaire competition which has attracted about 1,300 young chefs hoping to become the culinary stars of the future. Up to 200 chefs are expected to compete in the seafood category.

“Scottish salmon is increasingly attracting levels of interest and take up from the extensive array of top quality hotels in the United Arab Emirates and around the region,” said Scott Landsburgh, of the Scottish Quality Salmon trade organisation.

The rising popularity of higher value, premium salmon in the region has seen exports increase to the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and Jordan.

Figures for the first half of 2011 showed the value of salmon exports to the Middle East rose from £3.45m to £5.05m -a year-on-year increase of 46%