All Hail the Mighty Fish, in all of it’s Forms. #Blog

Stephen Wundke
10th October 2018

This week is National Seafood week and for that reason we thought a focus and celebration of this fabulous protein was appropriate. Prior to the Chicken Kormas recent reign, the nations favourite was of course Cod, Chips and Mushy Peas but with changing demographics and of course prices increases we see less fish on the UK tables than was the case in recent history and more’s the pity. That of course isn’t the case in mainland Europe where over 80% of our UK fish stocks end up -that’s right 80%! I was once on holiday in Whitby, out walking our baby son at 6.30 in the morning as the trawlers returned to port. I asked the guy if I could buy some of his catch and his reply stunned me. The entire Whitby fleet catch went to France, every day. The fishmonger on the hill might be able to sell me fresh fish but they come from Hull! The French, Spanish and Portuguese simply love our fish.

I also think we all understand that the worldwide appetite for fish means our oceans are not forever going to be able to supply us with an indefatigable quantities of fish and shellfish; nothing upsets me more than seeing those huge industrial trawlers dredging the sea beds, killing sharks, dolphins, whales, etc, etc, but latterly things have changed for the better and there is hope that with good management we can enjoy the flavours and savour the seas produce for quite some time. That is of course is we can stop the scallop wars off the French coast.

The saviour of our seas is of course Aquaculture, or fish farming as we more commonly know it and despite the fact is has it’s prominence in the 20^th century it was actually first discovered in 1733, when a German “fish farmer” got fish eggs, fertilised them, raised the fish and the rest was history. With the 20^th century population explosion and the fact that fish are “free” when caught in the sea we saw a real need to look after our fish stocks and as the price rose so too did the opportunity, economically, to create “fish farms” and a sustainable industry was born and is now flourishing.

The first and most prominent were the salmon farms. A super meaty fish that was of course popular and a strong enough breed to survive the process. The lochs of Scotland were ideal with their fast flowing, cold, clean, healthy waters. It was not without problems in the early days for the pioneers as disease and sea lice often flourished and antibiotics were necessary to save stocks which affected the quality of the fish. These days that is no longer the case with Hydroponics being incredibly advanced and large nets in the sea making it possible for fish to swim almost freely and have an appropriate environment to flourish. Salmon, Sea Bream and Sea Bass are just some of the successful sustainable fish you can enjoy. Prawns are now heavily farmed, as are scallops, oysters, clams and even lobsters. The slight issue with prawns is that such is our appetite for these crusty delicacies that we are damaging many of the waterway areas of South East Asia to create more and more mangrove swamps to increase the number of prawn farms. However, that is a problem for another day and I digress.

So back to the fish we eat. No longer a cheap substitute for meat we celebrate fish as a treat and so it should be, with Halibut, Monkfish, Turbot and Brill costing as much as Rib Eye, Rump, Sirloin and Fillet. These fish are all outstanding tastes and of course people are understanding the huge gains in health by ensuring you include fish in your diet at least once a week, particularly the oily fish like Mackerel, Tuna and Sardines. It is also great weight control food with so little fat and a super brain food. So that’s some of the good reasons to eat fish but for me it’s just an all round win and it’s all about taste. Fish tastes great in all its forms. Seawater or freshwater fish or shellfish, that delicate flesh and subtle flavour with a simple chilli and butter sauce with a cold white burgundy, some new potatoes and some Cheshire asparagus in season and I promise you that is as good as it gets. Take a look at the Taste Cheshire Xmas seafood platter, or the recent Taste Cheshire Sunday Roast we did, all featuring seafood. Its not difficult, it looks great and it tastes even better.

Last night we had a simple monkish, prawn and mussel dish with a shallot, white wine and cream sauce to celebrate National Seafood Week and don’t tell me you wouldn’t want something like this for your dinner tonight. It was superb. It takes a bit of planning and a bit of preparation, but it’s so worth it. You love the taste and then you feel great after you have eaten it. Now that is a real win. If the price is a consideration then hang around the supermarkets at about 3.00pm on Sundays, they always reduce the fish to clear it after the weekend as they can’t keep it for long. We bought £35 of Seafood for £15 recently and made 4 meals out of it. If the fish hasn’t been frozen then you can freeze it and then eat it when you like. Just ask the fishmonger they know what has and hasn’t been frozen and when you see fish on offer buy some. Adapt, recipes abound and there is always something tasty you can do and fish takes so little time to cook.

When you cook fish, be gentle, the less the better. If it is just opaque then take it out, it will keep cooking for a few minutes after taking it out of or off the heat. Treat it with love and care and you will enjoy it for what it was intended. A super treat that tastes great and is just so good for you. That’s what fish is, a Super Food and this week is a great one to celebrate. So if you get nothing more from what I have written than a determination to make sure your diet includes fish at some time every week then that is something special. Your body and mind will thank you for it. Fish is FAB.