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Here are a few easy ideas to tempt the taste buds. Just follow the links below.....
Barbequed Cod with fresh
mixed herb Crust
Using
fresh herbs and wholemeal breadcrumbs, this makes a really tasty alternative to
bangers and burgers on a summer BBQ. Go on, impress your friends!!!!!!
Ingredients (To serve 4)
25g (2 tbsp) Butter
15ml (1 tbsp) fresh Chervil
15ml (1 tbsp) fresh Parsley, plus extra sprigs to garnish
15ml (1 tbsp) fresh Chives
175g (6ozs) breadcrumbs (wholemeal best)
4 thick pieces of cod fillet (about 8ozs each)
15ml (1 tbsp) olive oil
Fresh ground salt and pepper
Lemon wedges
1. Melt the butter, and finely chop all the chervil, parsley and chives.
2. Brush the cod fillets with the melted butter, add
any of the remaining
butter to the
breadcrumbs, fresh herbs, salt and pepper (plenty).
3. Press a quarter of the mixture on to both sides of
each fillet, spreading
evenly.
Sprinkle lightly
with olive oil.
4. Cook on a medium heat BBQ for about 5 minutes each side.
5. Serve immediately with lemon wedges and parsley sprig to garnish.
(Pollack, Haddock, Coley can be used in place of the Cod – all are yummy!)
Grilled Bass with Citrus fruit
The soft,
dense textured flesh, and delicate taste of Bass, the ‘King of the Sea fishes’,
is complimented wonderfully by the citrus fruits and fruity olive oil used in
this recipe.
This dish really will impress friends. Is your mouth watering yet?
Ingredients (To serve 6)
1 small Grapefruit
1 Orange
1 Lemon
1 whole Bass, about 1.5kg (3 ˝ lbs), cleaned and de-scaled.
6 sprigs of fresh Basil
45ml (3 tbsp) Olive oil
4 – 6 Shallots, cut in half
60ml (4 tbsp) dry white wine
15g (1/2 oz) butter
Fresh ground salt and black pepper
Fresh Dill, to garnish
1.
Use a vegetable peeler to remove the
rind off the Grapefruit, Orange
and Lemon. Be careful to leave the white pith behind on the fruit. Slice the
rind into very thin strips. Next peel the pith from the fruits, and while
working
over a bowl to catch the juices, cut out the segments from the grapefruit and
the orange, and set aside for later. Slice the lemon thickly.
2.
Grind salt and black pepper into the
cavity of the fish, to taste.
Slash the flesh of the fish 3 times on each side. Keeping a few basil sprigs
for garnishing later, stuff the fish cavity with the remaining basil, the lemon
slices and half of the rind strips. Brush the fish all over with olive oil.
3.
Cook the fish under a low – medium
grill (or on a griddle plate, or a barbeque),
for about 20 – 25 minutes, basting occasionally with olive oil, turning once
halfway
through cooking.
4.
While cooking the Bass, heat up 15ml
(1tbsp) olive oil in a pan and cook the
shallots gently until soft. Add the wine and 30-45ml (2-3 tbsp) of the fruit
juices
to the pan. Bring to the boil over a high heat, stirring all the time. Stir in
the remaining
rind strips and boil for 2 – 3 minutes. This reduces the liquid and concentrates
the
flavours. Don’t forget to keep stirring! Whisk in the butter at the end to
finish
the citrus sauce.
5.
When the Bass is cooked, transfer
gently to a warmed serving dish/plate.
Remove and throw away the stuffing from the cavity. Spoon the shallots and sauce
around the fish. Garnish it all with the left over basil, segments of orange and
grapefruit, and the fresh dill sprigs. ENJOY!
A tasty Whiting meal for all the family.
Ingredients (To serve 4)
450ml (3/4 pint) Milk
1 Bay leaf
2 Lemon slices
500g (1lb) Whiting fillets (skinned and boned)
125g (4ozs) Button mushrooms, quartered
40g (1 1/2ozs) Plain flour
3 tbsp plain yogurt (or soured cream)
2 tbsp chopped parsley
2 Hard boiled eggs, chopped
500g (1lb) potatoes, boiled and sliced
50g (2ozs) grated Cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper
(Cod, Haddock, Coley, fresh Pouting can be used as an alternative to Whiting)
This is just one way to fillet your catch. There are others,
and as with everything there are lots of ways of doing it.
If you have never filleted a fish before this is probably the easiest way of
doing it.
The first essential is to have a very very sharp filleting
knife. Most kitchen knives are not up to the job and
will make your efforts harder, and the results not as good.
The knife has to be as sharp as it can be and will need to kept like that during
your filleting.
It's a good idea to have a sharpening steel handy just to refresh the blade's
edge. It's amazing how fast
the blade will dull.
The following photo's show a Bass being filleted. Make sure
all the scales are removed before you start
to cut. They will blunt the blade more quickly and you don't want to eat them
either!
The best place to de-scale is outdoors. They go everywhere. Gut the fish and
de-scale as soon as you can.
Use the back of your knife or a specialist scale removing tool.
Beware of the spines and gill rakes they will cause you
damage!!
I fillet at home on the kitchen drainer. An old tea towel
under the fish stops it from sliding about and
allows you to get a better grip.
The fish has already been gutted and cleaned and de-scaled (not at home!).
The first cut behind the head just past the
gill cover.
Cut down to the bone then through the flesh up to the top of the back.
Start to cut along the top of the back just
to same side of the dorsal fin that you made the
first cut. Feel for the back bones with the tip of the knife and cut all the way
along the top
of the back.
Use your thumb to push back the flesh so you
can see where the bones are. The knife needs
to be pushed down the bones towards the main backbone. The knife blade should be
at a shallow
angle to the bone to get 'under' the flesh, make numerous cuts as you go along.
Continue along the back and down to the spine. When you get there, cut across the fish near the tail.
Lift the fillet as you cut, to reveal the
bones you are cutting down to. Follow the bones towards the
belly of the fish.
Make sure you lift the flesh back as you go.
it makes the job much easier. Angle the blade away from
you and cut across the bones, again at a shallow angle easing the flesh away
from the bones.
Cut down to the belly of the fish
Follow the contoured shape of the rib cage
with the tip of the blade until you meet the main body of
the fish again.
Grab hold of the tail end of the fillet and
cut along the belly towards the rib cage. Ease the blade around
the ribs and lift the fillet off.
Repeat for the other side.
Give it a rinse and the jobs done.
If you have avoided the rib cage area then the fillet should be bone free.
Feel along where the lateral line would be as some species have a line of small
bones along it.
If your into fish stock then simmer what's
left.
If not then bin it, knowing you have got the most
from your catch.
As said at the start there are lots of
variations and styles of filleting
this is one that you can see works well and gets plenty of the flesh off
the bones
Good luck with your filleting, the more you catch the easier it gets!!
Pics by TS.
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