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Fish Dishes?

What’s your view on pollack Adrian.
When I lived in the far north of Scotland, I could easily catch a bucket full from the rocks near my house, and it was really nice.
Something I noticed about catching my own was the fish could actually be too fresh, I.e. a couple of hours after it came out of the sea.
 
AJB Temple said:
Interesting pricing. For example they are selling clams at £19.95 a kilo plus delivery. Waitrose today was £14.95. Cornish are selling 2kg bags of mussels for £18.99. That is more than double what they can be sourced for in supermarkets (though the latter may be smaller and so more shell to meat). The £44 fish boxes for "typically 3-4kg" (thats a big range) seems to be mostly cheap filleted fish such as whiting, pollack, megrim and mackerel which are all at the cheap end in fishmongers.

The 5kg wholesale boxes are from £19.99 but if you select cod, it is £125 so £25 a kilo. At Billingsgate (closest fish wholesale market to me) I would expect to be paying about £14 a kilo. They are charging £95 for pollack which is expensive for a fish that 20 years ago was by catch and near unsaleable (for good reason in my view).

Monkfish tails 5kg wholesale is £189, which is insanely expensive.

Fish prices are very volatile and care is needed in selection here by the look of it.
Click to expand...
Can’t imagine where they would get sufficient clams and mussels locally.
 
Pollack. Caught my first when I was 8 down in Salcombe where I spent a lot of time. The fisherman laughed and said try again for a cod. We sold it on the quayside along with a bucket of mackerel and I was sent home with a cod and some pocket money. My view of whole fish irrespective of species is the rigor mortis needs to go off before they are cooked. When they are as stiff as a board they lack taste out of the pan IMO.

Personally, and this is a matter of taste, I don't think pollack cooks well as a whole piece in the same way that cod or haddock does. I find the flesh a bit mushy and lacking in taste too, and can easily tell the difference whether it is battered, breaded or plain fried. I like the big flakes and meatier texture of cod. If I caught pollack on a line I would throw it back usually. If I was given it I would not waste it, but would most likely use it in a mixed fish pie and the trimmings and bones in fish soup or stock. We don't use much fish stock as I think chicken stock is better in most dishes, but if I am cooking for a pescatarian then having some fish stock in the freezer is ideal.

I am well aware that some fish and chips shops pass off pollack as cod or haddock. I know this because I know one of the suppliers :cool:

A friend of mine who is super keen on sea fishing and has a suitable boat, uses pollack and mackerel as bait for his crab and lobster pots. This is down in Deal. He pulls up quite a few Dover sole around this time of year. Usually round about 2 pound ish but sometimes he gets big ones. Sells direct to restaurants. When I have gone with him we catch them with a rod with small hook and either ragworm or mussel bait. I'm hopeless at it.
 
I used to live a 30 minute walk from Scrabster, the deep sea trawlers would arrive and the massive ( about two cubic meters) boxes were unloaded straight into lorries bound for Spain or France.
I could get a damaged 20lb cod for the asking!
Strangely locals didn’t eat much fish.
 
I love fish but do try and limit consumption of sea fish. We get it direct when we do go to the coast but I try to limit buying from supermarkets, just because of the destruction caused by the fishing industry.

I love freshwater trout, our farmshop has it at when it's in season, and I stock up but supply is patchy! It's line caught in Bewl water, only got one or two left in the freezer. Adrian do you recommend somewhere to buy trout, local or online?

A mention for another sea fish which I've not seen in the thread so far, do like a whole fried mackarel.
 
I have the same issue with erratic supply, in fact I think we may have discussed this before re trout. Coombe Farm at Tenterden has a large trout fishery and they do a permit system where you can catch some, put them in side nets and then take a selection home and release the rest. I'm told they also will sell trout that they catch but I haven't got round to trying it yet. They do brown, blue and rainbow.
 
Well, I’m on a stint in Brussels again. And as usual a lot of hanging around. So, I thought I’d contribute to this.

Adrian has covered it pretty comprehensively. So, other than disagreeing with him on pollack (perfectly acceptable in curries, and other made dishes), I will drivel on regardless.

I won’t give recipes. Just 10 or so things I make when I have good fish. If you want recipes fine, just let me know. But you can’t go wrong if you have good fish with just grilling or barbequing it – a few weeks ago we were in TRNC, and I got some sea bream (wild incidentally Adrian, not farmed). Stuffed with bay leaves and thyme, butterfly grill over a charcoal grill. I made a sauce vierge to go with it, but superfluous. Still a cook has to justify existing.

Oh, and bear the following in mind:

A lot of what I cook is South East Asian. With some Scandi.

This notwithstanding I don’t use onions. Obviously in some recipes that is a complete non-starter. But it mostly works. Not original, but, well, hey. In some you can add hing.

I don’t cook oily fish inside (with one noticeable exception).

I don’t deep fry in the classic way. A couple of inches of oil in a wok I am comfortable with.

Scale all your fish properly. UK fishmongers don’t seem to. Fish is better cooked whole on the bone (not every time, obviously), and unless it is one where the skin peels off cleanly, a scale in youe mouth is sub-optimal.

Steamed, either Thai or Chinese.

Sea bass, bream or pomfret work well. Plate on a rack in a wok over water. Thai (pla krapong and then some thing). Lemon grass in cavity, slash side, ginger, red chilli, fish sauce. Steam and then coriander leaf. TBH any other herb would do. Chinese version is similar (I’m told it is Cantonese). Ginger only, then heat sesame oil with sliced garlic. Spring onions over the cooked fish, and then the hot oil and soy. It should sizzle.

Tod mun pla.

Thia fish cake. Beautiful if made well. Boingy if not. Firmish fish, and don’t over process if you wuse a machine. Has to have beans and kaffir lime leaves. Make you own paste.

Pla Raad Prik

Curious one. The Thais have a way of deep frying fish (again pomfret would be good) with out any batter. It forms a hard crust. Normally served with a sauce of garlic, tamarind, chilli and fish sauce (and a few other things).

Goan fish vindaloo.

Superb with monk or shark. You’ll need to make your own paste. Coconut milk. You get the gist.

Chả Cá La Vong.

Sublime. Fish marinated in turmeric served with tonnes of dill. Bowl of nuak chom and rice noodles. Shrimp paste, and a bowl of fresh herbs.

Smörstekt gravlax, hovmästarsås

Right. Make gravlax. Not difficult, unless you get into an argument about how much sugar vs salt you want. I know my proportions. Then after 2 or 3 days cut into 20mm thick tranches and remove the skin (you did remember to scale it properly, didn’t you?). Pulls of easily. Hot pan with butter, sear the salmon very briefly on both side: the interior should be raw, but warm. And serve with the sauce (an emulsion of mustard, vinegar, sugar and a mild oil. With dill added.

Ugnsbakad piggvar.

Roast turbot. Glorious. Did it for my partner in Sweden. Nothing needs to be done after baking other than drawn butter and horseradish. No, trust me.

Bacalhau.

Ah. Salt cod. First came across it in the Fado bars of Lisbon (where I think they make it too salty). All over the med. Worth trying. Morue I think in French (I may be wrong – I have brandade de morue in my head). Popular in Africa and the West Indies. Difference between salt cod and stock fish.

Stuffed squid. Again either Thai or Chinese.

Small squid, pouches stuffed with prawns (likely to be Thai, with the usual suspects: chilli, sugar, fish sauce, galangal and herbs) or pork (the more austere chinese version) both steamed and then barbequed/grilled.

Mohinga.

Burmese fish soup. Rice noodles. Fresh herbs. Ohhhh. Breakfast dish in Burma.

Meen mooli.

Comforting Keralan fish curry. Turmeric, green chillis, curry leaves, garlic, ginger. Very soothing. Any fish will do, ‘cause you don’t really have to stir it much.

Hope that helps.

Or at least amuses. At some point in the near future I will hear why the Rapporteur is taking so much time. And then I can get dinner on for my partner who is really doing the work.
 
That's a very good list ^^. I too am fine with pollack in a curry. Just about. if it is the only thing available. :cool: I like some of those ideas and will try them. For Asian fish dishes I tend to rely on Atul Kuchar's books (some cheaply available on Abe) as I am not super confident with spicing due to lack of experience. Rick Steins India also has some good fish receipts. I also find it very difficult where I live to get my hands on fresh curry leaves (the dried ones are not much good). Roast turbot was on my list too, but have you seen the price of them now? 🥲

My personal preference for fish cookery (apart from grilled dovers) is Japanese. Which is why I make an effort to get hold of extremely fresh fish. But I would not be recommending it for someone who is not quite experienced with fish prep and cooking.

Fully agree re scaling. Fishmongers are too rushed to do it properly and the machine scalers don't do a very good job. Scaler (as opposed to back of a knife) is cheap eg https://www.amazon.co.uk/TIJAR-Stainless-Cleaning-Descaler-Stainless_Steel/dp/B09455PQQQ/ref=sr_1_8?crid=FQ1MCGG754GQ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9._fc0z02MaUgqcuDsIPw97kBEKv_LwLi42EW2Xq7cSHn27qizx4_-5dfrgkUvSQIwkE9jzeMClu0x9i5QMq-o4R4FFuqy4zgnX5n_r5b0IIDdW7B1kKgk_o_z8iXMn6__12rtsbRAA5XSH8WmSgyIPiI34p23EXmabSaK2ceEtYSmVMFc64sPfTgiRbdyFm9J8RtEy04t_0euvCW2Aqv1gG0yVvmGnZLYmphqpsHk7mLsymsStUmp2KWN4QyIAHOTXStVCx0k5k1GmZ5sHPtXPuP-WNcXIkEB5Kj_BuwJFK4.ldR-lkPnCZ1koUd0kGuKkzOScA93tCcNL0Bb0bVzaGs&dib_tag=se&keywords=fish+scaler&qid=1727198856&sprefix=fish+scaler,aps,292&sr=8-8&th=1

Mine is a brass one which I think is better (more robust) but they are about £15 now.

Also well worth having if you open oysters or even live scallops, is a proper oyster knife. Reduces self stab injuries and they are very cheap. I've never actually stabbed myself but I have seen people in restaurants do it and it ruins the shellfish with all that blood spurting everywhere. :unsure:
 
For lunch today I did something different. I spied some serrano ham in the fridge and wondered if it could be wrapped around the cod. Turns out it can. Sprinkled a very small amount of chilli on the cod, wrapped the ham around and chucked on a tray in the oven for 10 mins. Delicious.
 
Tiresias said:
Well, I’m on a stint in Brussels again. And as usual a lot of hanging around. So, I thought I’d contribute to this.

Adrian has covered it pretty comprehensively. So, other than disagreeing with him on pollack (perfectly acceptable in curries, and other made dishes), I will drivel on regardless.

I won’t give recipes. Just 10 or so things I make when I have good fish. If you want recipes fine, just let me know. But you can’t go wrong if you have good fish with just grilling or barbequing it – a few weeks ago we were in TRNC, and I got some sea bream (wild incidentally Adrian, not farmed). Stuffed with bay leaves and thyme, butterfly grill over a charcoal grill. I made a sauce vierge to go with it, but superfluous. Still a cook has to justify existing.

Oh, and bear the following in mind:

A lot of what I cook is South East Asian. With some Scandi.

This notwithstanding I don’t use onions. Obviously in some recipes that is a complete non-starter. But it mostly works. Not original, but, well, hey. In some you can add hing.

I don’t cook oily fish inside (with one noticeable exception).

I don’t deep fry in the classic way. A couple of inches of oil in a wok I am comfortable with.

Scale all your fish properly. UK fishmongers don’t seem to. Fish is better cooked whole on the bone (not every time, obviously), and unless it is one where the skin peels off cleanly, a scale in youe mouth is sub-optimal.

Steamed, either Thai or Chinese.

Sea bass, bream or pomfret work well. Plate on a rack in a wok over water. Thai (pla krapong and then some thing). Lemon grass in cavity, slash side, ginger, red chilli, fish sauce. Steam and then coriander leaf. TBH any other herb would do. Chinese version is similar (I’m told it is Cantonese). Ginger only, then heat sesame oil with sliced garlic. Spring onions over the cooked fish, and then the hot oil and soy. It should sizzle.

Tod mun pla.

Thia fish cake. Beautiful if made well. Boingy if not. Firmish fish, and don’t over process if you wuse a machine. Has to have beans and kaffir lime leaves. Make you own paste.

Pla Raad Prik

Curious one. The Thais have a way of deep frying fish (again pomfret would be good) with out any batter. It forms a hard crust. Normally served with a sauce of garlic, tamarind, chilli and fish sauce (and a few other things).

Goan fish vindaloo.

Superb with monk or shark. You’ll need to make your own paste. Coconut milk. You get the gist.

Chả Cá La Vong.

Sublime. Fish marinated in turmeric served with tonnes of dill. Bowl of nuak chom and rice noodles. Shrimp paste, and a bowl of fresh herbs.

Smörstekt gravlax, hovmästarsås

Right. Make gravlax. Not difficult, unless you get into an argument about how much sugar vs salt you want. I know my proportions. Then after 2 or 3 days cut into 20mm thick tranches and remove the skin (you did remember to scale it properly, didn’t you?). Pulls of easily. Hot pan with butter, sear the salmon very briefly on both side: the interior should be raw, but warm. And serve with the sauce (an emulsion of mustard, vinegar, sugar and a mild oil. With dill added.

Ugnsbakad piggvar.

Roast turbot. Glorious. Did it for my partner in Sweden. Nothing needs to be done after baking other than drawn butter and horseradish. No, trust me.

Bacalhau.

Ah. Salt cod. First came across it in the Fado bars of Lisbon (where I think they make it too salty). All over the med. Worth trying. Morue I think in French (I may be wrong – I have brandade de morue in my head). Popular in Africa and the West Indies. Difference between salt cod and stock fish.

Stuffed squid. Again either Thai or Chinese.

Small squid, pouches stuffed with prawns (likely to be Thai, with the usual suspects: chilli, sugar, fish sauce, galangal and herbs) or pork (the more austere chinese version) both steamed and then barbequed/grilled.

Mohinga.

Burmese fish soup. Rice noodles. Fresh herbs. Ohhhh. Breakfast dish in Burma.

Meen mooli.

Comforting Keralan fish curry. Turmeric, green chillis, curry leaves, garlic, ginger. Very soothing. Any fish will do, ‘cause you don’t really have to stir it much.

Hope that helps.

Or at least amuses. At some point in the near future I will hear why the Rapporteur is taking so much time. And then I can get dinner on for my partner who is really doing the work.
Click to expand...
Well, that's a lovely looking list of dishes! I'll have to pick my way through it, I'm not allowed spicy things at the moment but hopefully soon.

It turns out prices vs sustainability etc can be quite an issue. Trying to figure what the company I linked to above were charging relative to others (after your comment, Adrian), I compared with supermarkets. Buying frozen haddock from Tesco, for example, costs more than 3x less [that's clumsy] than buying from the fish shop in Newlyn. North Atlantic, deep-sea fishing and packaging in Poland vs the waters around Cornwall (apparently), and frozen on-board vs fresh in the market and a day's delivery.

Perhaps an answer is to buy the deep sea fish wherever, and flat/ inshore fish etc more locally, if money is an issue (as a compromise)?

I finished up the haddock this evening, I'll move down the list tomorrow. I have to say, I wish I'd done this years ago. And my greedy dog already expects leftover skin once I've finished eating, happy fella!
 
AndyP said:
For lunch today I did something different. I spied some serrano ham in the fridge and wondered if it could be wrapped around the cod. Turns out it can. Sprinkled a very small amount of chilli on the cod, wrapped the ham around and chucked on a tray in the oven for 10 mins. Delicious.
Click to expand...
I'll add that to the list!
 
A long time ago I met Mahking at a Pugh’s auction and he kindly gave me contact details of a guy down near Lyme Regis who hand-dived scallops. We’d drive down and for a pittance come away with literally a bootful. Needless to say they were superb. Now? Forget the supermarkets. Scallops are not bad from the Cornish fishmonger.

Locally on a Friday we have been buying fresh Yellowfin tuna from Billy Bell. The first time it was some of the freshest tuna I’ve ever tasted. Even in Japan. Second time not so good. So now I ask for a thin raw taster. Works well.

But for living on an island it is depressingly bad to get consistently good fresh fish IMO.
 
RogerS said:
But for living on an island it is depressingly bad to get consistently good fresh fish IMO.
Click to expand...
Very odd, isn't it? I was trawling through my memories of fish and seafood meals, and they all seemed to be in France or further afield. Some very happy memories of sitting on walls and beaches in the UK, eating just-cooked crabs etc, but decent fishy meals seem to be very limited here unless you're prepared to pay rather a lot.
 
Browsing the aisles of our local supermarket, I noticed behind the fish counter bass fillets being sold off for £1.09 each. I was told they're fine for today or tomorrow, so I bought two. I wouldn't usually have bought fish toward the end of their date but thought I'd try, especially given some of the comments above on storage/ taste. (I've always thought it has to land from the sea straight into the pan, but maybe that's not the case?) Utterly delicious, best I've cooked yet, scoffed them both. I shall keep my eye on the fish counter in future :)

IMG_20240929_175741_edit_22698453771535.jpg

What do we think about Tartar sauce? I bought a jar when I started the fish thing, and it was necessary (I think) with the ready-breaded fish I was buying then (relatively tasteless) and now I think I like it, but I do wonder if it's masking better flavours? Does anyone do a DIY tartar sauce, or what other sauces might I try?

eta - We spent more hours than we should have this summer fishing for bass in a local estuary, caught several but none large enough to keep. I may head back down this week to see if there still any there!
 
Tartar sauce is easy to make and is far superior to the ultra processed stuff in supermarket jars. I can send you a recipe if you want. You will need to invest in a small jar of capers. I like the ones preserved in salt but for normal people a jar in brine or light vegetable oil is cool. At a push buy good mayo such as Hellmans (not light) and add chopped capers to taste with a little lemon juice.

Any green herb sauce goes well with all fish. Numerous recipes on line.

Brown butter sauce is extremely easy. Use plenty of unsalted butter in the same pan as the fish whilst keeping the fish warm, and brown it with heat. Can add crushed garlic, herbs, capers if you want. Goes especially well with all sole types.

There are lots of white sauces that are classics and work well: hollandaise, bearnaise and the numerous variants.

Creamed butter sauce is good : very light roux (not much flour) and add double cream and a little lemon to give acidity. Can be adulterated with chilli, nduya, curry powder or paste, or (very nice) red pepper and garlic paste.

Cheffy types also do foams and whipped sauces which are easy to do but require a little practice and ideally either a super fast hand blender like a Bamix or an espuma gun.

And so on.
 
Supermarket tip: check the fish in the wrapped packets in the chiller cabinets. To have a sensible sell by date these packets tend to have the freshest filleted fish put in them.

Supermarket tip two - buy whole fish when you can. Why pay them to take the bones off? Filleting is easy and quick - why pay someone to do it? It is also MUCH easier to tell if whole fish is in good condition. Lots of good you tube vids on how to fillet. Needs a sharp knife .....but you are a woodworker and if we can do one thing, that thing is sharpen.

Tip three: if the eye looks dry, do not buy.

Embrace baby herbs (easy to grow and now in supermarkets) and garnish with them. Looks great and adds taste kicks.

Lemon in essential. Cut in half and brown the cut face in the fish pan. Releases a lot more juice. Roll the lemon on a board firmly before cutting it.
 
That's great, thanks Adrian - I'll try those sauces and herbs, tho the foams etc might be a tad beyond me. And I'd not heard of browning the lemon.

ps I'd no idea that tartar sauce is based around capers, I love the salted ones (tho I don't think my gp approves...)
 
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Classic tartare is made with mayo from egg yolks and vegetable oil (you can use whole eggs) whisked into mayo with smooth mustard, salt, a little white pepper, and finely chopped green olives, cornichons / gherkins / pickled cucumber and quite a few capers. Sharpened with lemon juice. You can enrich it with cream if you want. It is vastly superior to the bought stuff. I make it often and it takes me 5 mins from scratch at most. I use a small cheap little processor to make the mayo but if I am making a lot I use a blender. But you can just use a whisk or fork to make mayo: good for your wrist action.

Recipes will say it keeps for a week refrigerated. In the domestic world it is fine for a month in the fridge. I make it for a specific dish and use it all on that day.

(Commercial stuff tends to use dehydrated powdered egg, xanthan or guar gum or both, emulsifiers, colour, sugar, industrial vinegar and they grind the green ingredients stalks and all. The profit margin is large. Home made you can use premium ingredients and no gums and chemical preservatives).
 
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I know the conventional advice is a whisk or fork for making mayonnaise and its friends, but I've always preferred a wooden spoon. Somehow telling when it's ready for more oil just clicks more easily that way.

As long as you've got the capers in there, there's a lot of scope for personalisation and experimentation with tartare sauce. I like chopped shallots in mine, along with the capers and cornichons, but I generally don't use olives. Try a few things and see what you enjoy.
 
You are a glutton for punishment Stephen :ROFLMAO: wooden spoon is hard work. I agree as well re shallots (super fine chopped with the MPW method) and I don't use often use olives in mine either when doing tartare.
 
Chris152, my go to’s for fish

Skate wings
Bass fillets
Smoked Haddock
Mussels
Skate Cheeks ( not available very often and can be spendy)

If you’re looking to expand your overall choice of dishes, get yourself a set of the Joe Wicks books, quick easy recipes , loads to choose from and an easy way to prepare decent food.
 
Talking of skate, is dogfish still available?
Used to be sold in some chip shops as rock.
I used to look out for it as it’s lovely fishy meaty and was cheap.
No bones either!
 
+1 for Kedgeree and Cullen Skink. Both can be made for one.
Catfish looks ugly but makes for excellent fish and chips. I get mine frozen from and Asian supermarket.
 
Lurker said:
Talking of skate, is dogfish still available?
Used to be sold in some chip shops as rock.
I used to look out for it as it’s lovely fishy meaty and was cheap.
No bones either!
Click to expand...
Dog fish is rock Salmon or huss I think. It's a small shark. Unusual in chippers in Scotland. It probably doesn't have any bones, because sharks don't. Needs to be really fresh though. I think you were banned from fishing for them for a bit.
 
Tiresias said:
Dog fish is rock Salmon or huss I think. It's a small shark. Unusual in chippers in Scotland. It probably doesn't have any bones, because sharks don't. Needs to be really fresh though. I think you were banned from fishing for them for a bit.
Click to expand...
I think you might be right about the ban.
Source of “sandpaper “ at one time IIRC
 
You quite often see dogfish (or one of it's various marketing names such as Huss and Rock Salmon) on the beachfront wet fish stalls in Hastings and Rye (not far from us). It feeds off shellfish and lobster which maybe accounts for the slightly sweet taste. You usually see it skinned on the stalls and I have seen what is obviously dogfish labelled up as monkfish or eel. Naughty.
 
AJB Temple said:
I have seen what is obviously dogfish labelled up as monkfish or eel. Naughty.
Click to expand...
In Germany and the Low Countries they are known as what translates to sea eel. Which they ain’t. Possibly a slight excuse?
 
I wasn't aware of that. Interesting. Thanks. However....the most recent place I was thinking of was a (supposedly) fresh fish stall right on the sea front in Deal more or less opposite 81 Beach Street restaurant. It was staffed by an old lady and her wares looked a bit, erm, faded. She had a skinned and trimmed dogfish clearly labelled as eel. I questioned it as if she actually had some fresh eel I would have bought it. She stuck to her guns as I suppose she was stuck by that time having lied to me. She couldn't wriggle out of it. ;)
 
Tiresias said:
In Germany and the Low Countries they are known as what translates to sea eel. Which they ain’t. Possibly a slight excuse?
Click to expand...
This is news to me, but I don't eat dogfish and can't remember ever seeing any other than in an aquarium. As far as I know, Dornhai is the German word for dogfish.
 
Mike said:
This is news to me, but I don't eat dogfish and can't remember ever seeing any other than in an aquarium. As far as I know, Dornhai is the German word for dogfish.
Click to expand...
Seeaal is what I have seen. Dialectical, perhaps? I've just looked it up. It is the same as Dornhai. Spiny dogfish (or in some dictionaries only the upper fillets) And also used for conger it seems. As is Meeraal. There was a chap, an English diplomat I think, who wrote a book on the fish of the Mediterranean, and ended up tearing his hair out because the same fish could be called different things in places only about ten miles apart along the coast.

Oh, and there appears to be the same overlap in Dutch and Flemish.
 
Tiresias said:
Seeaal is what I have seen. Dialectical, perhaps?
Click to expand...
It could be, as Germany is no different than the UK or US when it comes to local dialects. All bets are off when trying to communicate south of Munich. Even my German wife has trouble understanding what they are saying.
 
Well, I've got a bit stuck on sea-farmed bass, it's fairly cheap and delicious. I'd prefer wild but there aren't any nearby and we've still not caught anything big enough to keep. But Dover sole was on offer today behind the fish counter, 20% discount, so I couldn't resist.

IMG_20241010_173422.jpg IMG_20241010_180716.jpg

I've been eating new potatoes since I decided on a fish diet but was told today to cut back on potato skins, so bought a bag of oven chips. I don't think that'll be the last time I buy Dover sole, tho I do really need a bigger pan :)

eta My phone camera makes it look a real mess, I'll dig out a proper camera next time!
 
Well done. Looks great. (y) Dover sole is my favourite. Next time - trim off the frills all the way round with scissors before you skin it. This gets rid of all the little bones. When you fry or grill it, on your board (or in the pan) push the top two fillets to one side gently lift out the central bone - which will come out all in one go (especially if the head is off) and then you can put the two top fillets back. Always skin both sides. (Fishmongers often leave the white bottom skin on - which is lazy and not good for cooking).
 
I was mucking around on the computer, and found some pics.

Chả Cá La Vong.

DSC05402.jpg

Monkfish vindaloo.

DSC05408.jpg

Gravlax with dill potatoes and pressgurka.

DSC05407.jpg

And back on the subject of dogfish, Stein refers to them as rock eels, I found at the weekend. As does Grigson.. So the eel analogy, however wrong, is common. I think it is the way the fillets look. And of course the pretty well documented reluctance of the British to eat shark. It's in some 19th century seafaring memoirs. So call it something else. The French use saumonette (probably the wrong spelling).
 
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