A Bit of Levity in these Dark Times…

The choice of fish is limited now in the UK, very few fishmongers anymore. Fish you get is dictated by what supermarkets carry, which usually consists of Cod , Haddock, Salmon smoked & peppered Mackerel. You can also get Sea Bass the size of which should not even be allowed to have been landed, Basa fillets smoked or unsmoked, smoked Salmon. The above are all pre packed. There is a selection of various breaded of battered fish + Fish Cakes.
The big three supermarkets near me there is only Morrisons who have a decent selection as they are the only one that still has a wet fish counter. I can get good fish from Birkenhead market, Wards, but you need a mortgage to buy it. The likes of Oysters, Scallops or Razor clams really pricey. Razor clams I have to order as well as Oysters. Razor Clams I was told £28 for a kilo so by the time you get to the meat you would do well if you got 250grams of meat. I was in France in October, dozen Oysters No 2's €9 UK £20.
When Rick Stein says we do not eat fish he is right, people here will rarely eat fish unless it is Battered or Breaded. I would say it is the older generation that would know what to do with fish. Younger ones perhaps not so much. Give someone a Lobster still alive and kicking or Crab more than likely they would not know what to do with it. When was the last time anyone had whelks?
or winkles, clams ?sea snails I am not keen on to strong a flavour for me. Now and again I will buy Mussels but even they are Vac packed and grown on a rope. Best Mussels ever are NZ Green Lip, but again cost a fortune
The super markets are killing the british appetite for fish, even prawns rarely fresh , frozen and from as far a field as Vietnam.
I like seafood and thankfully I have a fair idea as how to cook fish. One of my favourite soups is seafood chowder you can even use rubbish seafood frozen fish pie mix for that.
Hands up would you know how to dress a crab? what to eat from a grab and what to avoid.
Best way to treat live Lobster or Crabs wrap them in a damp tea towel and put them in the veg drawer in the fridge, they become docile.
When ready to cook, I just put them in a pan of cold lightly salted water. Put on the hob low heat and they just go to sleep as the water heats, no thrashing around an it for me is a humane way of treating them.

Strange how peoples tastes change over the years. With regards to sea food. I can remember when mackerel was no-go the scavenger of the sea it was called, now one of the top earners.
Another was scampi or now called linguine it was landed mixed with the catch, no market for it washed off the market floor in to the docks. Some of the porters would gather it and take it home and cook it, as kids we loved it.
This one was before my time,salted and sun dried cod, it was like a piece of cardboard. As there was no refrigeration back then, it keep for a long time. They would break off what they required and soak it overnight in water. It was boiled and mixed with mashed tatties, "Hairy Tatties" it was called.

Bill.

HIBill.
Jesus mate you are teasing me now
.Cheers Des

Fresh fish here in Oz is plentiful.
We have two big markets here in Melbourne with more variety than you could poke a stick at.
Supermarkets carry a good selection depending on the area they are and type of customer.
Our local usually has Basa, Salmon, Whiting, Nile Perch, Prawns cooked and green, Oysters and Lobsters.
Plenty of frozen as well.
This time of the year the demand for Prawns is over the top, most order well in advance and the Sydney fish market will sell on Christmas eve more in one day than in a normal month.
Much of the prawns and salmon are farmed, some such as Basa from Vietnam, also farmed there, the rest is caught off the coast.

Fish and chips for as little as $15, compared with some in a London pub we know where it was 15GBP each for the two of us.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bill Morrison

Strange how peoples tastes change over the years. With regards to sea food. I can remember when mackerel was no-go the scavenger of the sea it was called, now one of the top earners.
Another was scampi or now called linguine it was landed mixed with the catch, no market for it washed off the market floor in to the docks. Some of the porters would gather it and take it home and cook it, as kids we loved it.
This one was before my time,salted and sun dried cod, it was like a piece of cardboard. As there was no refrigeration back then, it keep for a long time. They would break off what they required and soak it overnight in water. It was boiled and mixed with mashed tatties, "Hairy Tatties" it was called.

Bill.

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Bill, you can still buy that dried cod from a company in Shetland. Start saving though, its expensive

Salted dried cod (Bacalhau) costs a fortune, Portugal 1 Kg CODFISH SALTED Dry Dried Bacalhau Portuguese 35.27 Oz - 2.20 Lbs.
Item(s) total £33.64
Delivery £13.83
(To United Kingdom)
Tax * £9.49
Total (1 item)
£56.96
That is from an online company , you can even pay for it on tic , 3 monthly payments £18.98.
Think I will give it a miss.
About a year ago I spotted it in the freezer section in Lidl it was priced at £2.90 a Kg. I bought a few. Wife looked at me as if I was not right in the head.
What you going to do with that? easy just soak it for a day or so change the water a few times and just made a fish stew out of it. Next time I was back in Lidl I went to see if there was any left, loads but obviously someone got a rocket, new price 22.90 a Kg :)

Sailed with Cape Verde crews they certainly knew how to cook salted cod.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by James Curry

Salted dried cod (Bacalhau) costs a fortune, Portugal 1 Kg CODFISH SALTED Dry Dried Bacalhau Portuguese 35.27 Oz - 2.20 Lbs.
Item(s) total £33.64
Delivery £13.83
(To United Kingdom)
Tax * £9.49
Total (1 item)
£56.96
That is from an online company , you can even pay for it on tic , 3 monthly payments £18.98.
Think I will give it a miss.
About a year ago I spotted it in the freezer section in Lidl it was priced at £2.90 a Kg. I bought a few. Wife looked at me as if I was not right in the head.
What you going to do with that? easy just soak it for a day or so change the water a few times and just made a fish stew out of it. Next time I was back in Lidl I went to see if there was any left, loads but obviously someone got a rocket, new price 22.90 a Kg :)

Sailed with Cape Verde crews they certainly knew how to cook salted cod.

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Norwegian lutefisk is similar, and traditional at Christmas in Norway, I have had it a few times and quite enjoyed it, nice flavour with unusual texture.

If it was not for the price of it I would have it more often.

Happy Birthday Brian P. You beat me by 39 days , think I went overtime. Cheers JS

Quote:

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Originally Posted by James Curry

If it was not for the price of it I would have it more often.

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are you still referring to fish?