We British are largely fish resistant and there are numerous theories out there as to why. Quite often our perception of fish as smelly, expensive and hard to cook is borne out of ignorance, attitudes towards fish are also often passed down through families rather than personal experience. Bizarrely, we are happy to eat fish fingers, tinned tuna or salmon, battered fish n chips, scampi and prawn cocktail.
Spending lots of time in Spain I am partial to a Mediterranean diet which consists of fish and seafood along with vegetables, fruit and olive oil, foods which help fight heart disease, cancer, diabetes and cognitive decline. Spain has hundreds of miles of coastline, so it makes sense that the Spanish eat more fish and seafood per person than any other European nation. Consequently, it is not unusual for me to eat a fish or seafood dish on a daily basis, something I wouldn't do at home as there is a lack of fishmongers and a lot of supermarket fish has been mucked about with crumbs, batter and ready-made sauces.
However, when I visit Portsmouth fish market I tend to buy in bulk, fresh fish is landed daily and is both sustainable and locally sourced, fishmongers are happy to clean, descale and fillet the fish, these can be made into portions and frozen, for a mid-week meal, ready-frozen fish is an excellent option for quickness and ease.
I appreciate the fact that many of us now live on an over processed diet laden with fat, sugar and other addictive ingredients, therefore a piece of fish might seem too natural tasting, however, fresh fish, even when ready-frozen, shouldn't smell nor taste 'fishy', rather like a plain breast of chicken, fish has a very subtle flavour which needs to be enhanced with some good olive oil and seasoning.
There are so many delicious yet simple ways to cook fish and it is such a lean and healthy source of protein, it's a shame that far from eating the recommended two portions of fish a week, we British are still eschewing it in favour of junk food or red meat. The department of Health recommends that we should be eating less than 90g of red meat a day, that's equivalent to 3 thin-cut slices of meat, where each slice is about half a piece of sliced bread. I know many people who have more meat than that in their lunchtime sandwich!
I've embraced all things fishy these past few years, I enjoy sushi and sashimi, which often brings about a negative response, invariably from people who have never even tried them. I find it quite funny to find grown men and women shuddering at the thought of a lovely fresh fish dish given the amount of rubbish most people happily put down their necks, conversely, it's always refreshing to see small children in Spain sucking on prawns or devouring plates of cockles, mussels and razor clams.
Here are some basic and I hope enticing ideas for simple, delicious fish recipes.
White fish with lemon
Simply place white fish fillets with lemon slices, a splash of white wine and seasoning in a foil pouch and bake in the oven for 15 minutes
The fish will have a light lemony flavour
Smoked fish with butter and milk
Again, very simply dab fish with butter, add a splash of milk and bake in a foil pouch for 15 minutes
This is a comforting dish, delicious with mashed potatoes
Pan fried sea bass
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan until hot, add scored fillet of sea bass, skin side down, cook until skin is golden and crisp, turn fillet over and cook for 1 minute, serve immediately
In Spain fish is often cooked on a plancha, a very hot griddle. With barbecue season upon us why not wrap fish fillets, sliced vegetables and other quick cooking ingredients inside foil pouches with bundles of fresh herbs and throw them directly on the barbecue; the steam will release the herbs perfume and flavour, a delicious change from sausages and burgers!
'Foodstuffs absolved of the obligation to provide vitamins and minerals cavort with reckless abandon.'
- Michael Lewis
Next stop Spain with lots of lovely fish! See you there.
Love Donna xxxxxxxx
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