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Fishy February

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Re: Fishy February

Postby Earthmaiden » Wed Feb 10, 2021 12:29 pm

I don't think I've ever come across megrim but good fishmongers are few and far between here. I still use the terms pilchards and huss too :oops:.

I'm afraid that the quality of supermarket farmed salmon seems to have become poorer and more expensive. I don't like the environmental effects it is having either. I find it strange that it has caught on as possibly the most common fish to eat (it seems like it anyway). There are so many other fish I find tastier. I suppose the fact it is sold in manageable chunks without bones makes it attractive to many.

I'd love some huss. It'll be nice when we can travel out and go shopping properly again.

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Re: Fishy February

Postby jeral » Wed Feb 10, 2021 2:18 pm

There was a snippet on the radio that a small 4-man fishing co. had given it up, being lobster and crab fishermen who've decided that the new admin formalities are too costly for them to ship to Europe. If that's even remotely true, it's not good that they couldn't find a viable market here.

I find farmed salmon a bit hit or miss these days. I gather supermarkets buy from different farms so if you complain write down the reference number(s) on the packet before chucking it out. (Learned from asking Ocado for a refund for a salmon side once.)

As fish goes, salmon is cheap with little waste and no bones, although initial popularity increased greatly when the Omega-3 wave and cod shortage were prevalent.

Frozen tuna steak is defrosting for tonight's tea. I buy fresh if the fishmonger has it, otherwise it's his frozen or Tesco's frozen (about the same).

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Re: Fishy February

Postby karadekoolaid » Wed Feb 10, 2021 3:02 pm

Up until the change of "government" around 20 years ago, all manner of fish were available; the most popular being red snapper and grouper. As the economy has worstened, so supplies have dwindled, and we´ve been obliged to try less common fish; but with very tasty results.
Yellow amberjack is a Southern hemisphere fish with delicious white flesh and few bones. I made a coconut curry sauce with it a year or so ago. Picúa ( barracuda) has a pretty dense texture, but nothing like a swordfish or tuna, and it works really well with mustard. Then there´s the predatory invader, the Lion Fish, with its poisonous spines. Once you know how to prepare it, it´s absolutely delicious.
Megrim - first time I´ve ever heard of it, but I´d give it a try.

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Re: Fishy February

Postby jeral » Wed Feb 10, 2021 3:46 pm

karadekoolaid, what difference did the government make, i.e. how did they bring about the change?

It seems that territories around the world have been getting more fussy in the last couple of decades about policing their waters and including limiting catches for sustainability, plus stopping factory ship and dredging overfishing/destruction. Our government claims to dislike the gigantic factory ships in waters off our coast (not yet "ours" for 200 miles) yet does nothing, zero, zilch. Greenpeace tries, but to little avail, even though it's as plain as the nose on your face that decimating oceans and seabeds is "Not a Good Thing" in any conceivable way. Hrmphh!

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Re: Fishy February

Postby karadekoolaid » Wed Feb 10, 2021 8:29 pm

what difference did the government make, i.e. how did they bring about the change?

they did what all vile radical governments do. Absolutely nothing. they just left the fishing industry to go to Hell.

Anyway - a friend of mine actually negotiated with the government on behalf of some of the offshore fisherman, especially those close to the archipielago of Los Roques. Los Roques is a breeding ground for Caribbean lobster, and there was a time when lobster virtually disappeared from mainland cusine. Why? Because there was no guaranteed price. The lobster boats would take their catch to St Maarten, or Guadaloupe, or Martinique and sell them at international prices. Jean-Paul successfully got the govt to establish a minimum international price here; and the lobsters came back!

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Re: Fishy February

Postby jeral » Wed Feb 10, 2021 10:05 pm

Thanks and good for you at least re lobsters. I'll have to wrap my head around minimum international pricing, although I suspect our fishermen at grass roots level are now off our government's agenda. Edit PS: Ask Jean-Paul if he fancies a visit here? ;)

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Re: Fishy February

Postby halfateabag » Thu Feb 11, 2021 9:22 am

Very interesting Kool.... this is a good thread. :D

The sockeye came in two large tails for a fiver, good I think. I cut off the last 3" of each tail, froze the large bits and cooked the end of tail in foil with some of my Polish seasoning for 15 mins. Peeled off the skin whilst still warm and we had a piece each for supper yesterday with a mixed salad and a quarter of avocado. I have to admit it was delicious and the texture and flavour far superior than other fresh salmon I have eaten in the past. I am a convert. I have a side of ordinary salmon in the DF and will, at some time make it into gravd lax.

From memory I think megrim is also called witches sole ??? https://www.thefishsociety.co.uk/fishopedia/megrim-sole

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Re: Fishy February

Postby Busybee » Thu Feb 11, 2021 9:33 am

I’m not much of a fish eater, and really don’t care for salmon. That was until a trip to Alaska where I felt it was rude not to try the local salmon........what a revelation absolutely stunning. If I remember correctly there are five types of salmon - king, silver, chum, sockeye and pink.

It was a million miles away from the ubiquitous stuff we get here.

Would definitely eat this again.

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Re: Fishy February

Postby ZeroCook » Thu Feb 11, 2021 9:36 am

halfateabag wrote:I bought sockeye salmon yesterday. He said, 'isn't it red'. I only bought it because it was RTC. We will see how it compared to 'ordinary' salmon.

Wild samon is hugely different from farmed. Farmed samon has a lot more fat and a lot more saturated fat which is very noticeable when the fish is cooked at high temps and smells different from wild salmon too.

We stopped eating farmed quite some time ago after doing a lot of research not just on farming methods and eco fallout but on the nutritional differences between wild and farmed salmon and the colouring additives fed to the fish. We opt for wild caught and to eat less and better quality.

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Re: Fishy February

Postby halfateabag » Thu Feb 11, 2021 9:46 am

The last 'farmed' salmon I bought I marinated and cooked with tandoori powder, otherwise it is very 'wet' and tastes 'earthy' but bland.

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Re: Fishy February

Postby ZeroCook » Thu Feb 11, 2021 9:48 am

Was just going to add that I'd be surprised if you didn't find a big difference, Halfateabag - we crossposted.

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Re: Fishy February

Postby Earthmaiden » Thu Feb 11, 2021 9:57 am

jeral wrote:Frozen tuna steak is defrosting for tonight's tea. I buy fresh if the fishmonger has it, otherwise it's his frozen or Tesco's frozen (about the same).


I love fresh tuna but find the price prohibitive these days for all but a huge treat or to have when out (a distant memory!). I bought a pack of frozen tuna steaks from Sainsburys which seemed cheaper. They were awful in appearance and defrosted into what I can only describe as a soft grey pap ( they weren't 'off') and so were impossible to cook into anything but a soft, overcooked state, very unlike fresh tuna.
I haven't had any since and now wonder if it was just a bad experience and whether its worth trying again.

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Re: Fishy February

Postby Stokey Sue » Thu Feb 11, 2021 12:36 pm

I have had very good small frozen tuna steaks from Iceland in the past, though I’ve not bought any recently

Iceland frozen fish is worth a look generally

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Re: Fishy February

Postby liketocook » Thu Feb 11, 2021 12:58 pm

halfateabag wrote:.

From memory I think megrim is also called witches sole ??? https://www.thefishsociety.co.uk/fishopedia/megrim-sole

Round here anyway witch sole is a different fish either sold as witch or grey sole as megrim is also sold alongside.

I would agree re the standard of supermarket salmon though I've found the sides or half sides better quality and it's easy to portion them yourself. But I don't completely write off farmed salmon, our local fishmonger sells lovely farmed salmon which is gorgeous though much more expensive than the supermarket stuff.

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Re: Fishy February

Postby Amyw » Thu Feb 11, 2021 2:28 pm

Stokey Sue wrote:I have had very good small frozen tuna steaks from Iceland in the past, though I’ve not bought any recently

Iceland frozen fish is worth a look generally



I was going to say about Iceland frozen fish too . Reasonable and all the ones I’ve tried have been pretty good . Although I don’t eat fish pie myself I imagine they’d be perfect for that .

Lidl also do really cheap sea bass fillets , I think 2.99 for a pack of two . I cooked them a few weeks ago with sauté potatoes and Mediterranean veg and they were lovely

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Re: Fishy February

Postby jeral » Thu Feb 11, 2021 6:18 pm

Earthmaiden, I mentioned Tesco's frozen tuna as it's the only one that's anything like (to me), having tried with disdain Sains, Waitrose and the one Ocado sells. Tesco steaks aren't big but are about 2cm depth. I haven't found a fresh one that's any good aside from the fishmonger. I gather Iceland deliver here now so I'll have to try their fish.

Thanks halfateabag for the Fish Society page on megrim. They sell it at a whopping £30/kg whole or £35/kg filleted so they sure aren't exactly giving it away are they?

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Re: Fishy February

Postby karadekoolaid » Thu Feb 11, 2021 6:22 pm

Yesterday I finally got round to making Panada Ikan Padas.
What in heaven´s name is that?? You might ask.
Basically, a fried turnover stuffed with spicy tuna. :gonzo
Panada Ikan Pedas.jpg
Panada Ikan Pedas.jpg (9.44 KiB) Viewed 5495 times

I´ve got no idea where I bookmarked the recipe from, but basically these are (tinned) tuna, mixed with onion, ginger, palm sugar,tamarind, chiles, lemongrass, deep-fried in a pastry which is basically bread, or pizza dough, but made with coconut water instead of tap water. They are absolutely delightful!
Rumour has it that the Dutch or the Portuguese brought the idea to Indonesia and that the locals adapted them to their palate.
I made almost 20 with 250 gms of tinned tuna.

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Re: Fishy February

Postby Earthmaiden » Fri Feb 12, 2021 12:52 am

jeral wrote:Earthmaiden, I mentioned Tesco's frozen tuna as it's the only one that's anything like (to me), having tried with disdain Sains, Waitrose and the one Ocado sells. Tesco steaks aren't big but are about 2cm depth.

Thank you Jeral. I rarely go to Tesco so might give it a go before long.

KK - it would never occur to me to add such ingredients to tinned tuna! Must give it a try.

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Re: Fishy February

Postby Pampy » Fri Feb 12, 2021 1:00 am

You can buy small tins of tuna with things like soy sauce and ginger, garlic and chilli.

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Re: Fishy February

Postby Stokey Sue » Fri Feb 12, 2021 1:32 am

Mini-rant
I used to be able to buy French Saupiquet canned tuna with sauce and garnish in the can, for example a tuna nicçoise. Instant meal with a jacket potato and a green salad

Then I could get something very similar from Lidl

Now, horrible little sachets are all

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