We hope that any readers of this blog are aware that vegetables are not available locally all year round, however, less appreciated is that fish and meat products also have a season. Unfortunately our supermarkets don't seem to realise this and they are constantly stocked with our regular fishy favourites: which in Northern Europe tend to be cod, salmon and tuna.
Now farmed fish is available pretty much all year round (which is partly why supermarkets love it so) but wild fish - like any natural product - has spawning periods when the fish are best avoided, not only for taste purposes but also because eating baby fish is just plain mean (and unsustainable).
This week saw the start of the Fish Fight campaign in the UK: fronted by sustainable foodie (and a Seasonal Beets fave) Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall. The campaign is focused on the EU's Common Fisheries Policy (the Common Agricultural Policy's less famous, but no less uglier, cousin) and the problem of discards (check out the video for more info).
Whilst Hugh and a host of other celebrity chefs are encouraging us to sign the petition to have the issue of discards discussed within the European Parliament, they also maintain that us average cooks can do our bit by diversifying our fish choices(yes of course Jamie Oliver is in on it too).
One of the easiest ways we can diversify what we eat without thinking too hard is to eat seasonally!
Unfortunately it doesn't even matter if you are equipped with the knowledge of seasonal fish, your supermarket will rarely stock much beyond the big 3 (although asking always shows demand!). So rather than equip you with a list of sustainable and seasonal fish, I suggest you hot foot it to your nearest fishmongers and ask the experts.
However, that said there is one fish of which I am aware of the season. Actually it's a shellfish... MUSSELS!
Mussels should only be eaten in a month with an R in it (which handily works in both Swedish and English!) and so as we are currently in JanuaRy we can feel safe in the knowledge that its perfectly alright to chow down on these little guys.
Super cheap, super tasty, super seasonal. Mussels are win win win in my eyes!
Mussels in Cider (serves 4)
Ingredients
1 onion
Mussels (enough for 4 people for a starter, I confess Ihave no idea how much this is but let me refer you back to that handy fishmonger chap, who will definitely have the knowledge and weigh you the correct amount accordingly)
butter
1 bottle cider
Parsley
Method
Now farmed fish is available pretty much all year round (which is partly why supermarkets love it so) but wild fish - like any natural product - has spawning periods when the fish are best avoided, not only for taste purposes but also because eating baby fish is just plain mean (and unsustainable).
This week saw the start of the Fish Fight campaign in the UK: fronted by sustainable foodie (and a Seasonal Beets fave) Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall. The campaign is focused on the EU's Common Fisheries Policy (the Common Agricultural Policy's less famous, but no less uglier, cousin) and the problem of discards (check out the video for more info).
Whilst Hugh and a host of other celebrity chefs are encouraging us to sign the petition to have the issue of discards discussed within the European Parliament, they also maintain that us average cooks can do our bit by diversifying our fish choices(yes of course Jamie Oliver is in on it too).
One of the easiest ways we can diversify what we eat without thinking too hard is to eat seasonally!
Unfortunately it doesn't even matter if you are equipped with the knowledge of seasonal fish, your supermarket will rarely stock much beyond the big 3 (although asking always shows demand!). So rather than equip you with a list of sustainable and seasonal fish, I suggest you hot foot it to your nearest fishmongers and ask the experts.
However, that said there is one fish of which I am aware of the season. Actually it's a shellfish... MUSSELS!
Mussels should only be eaten in a month with an R in it (which handily works in both Swedish and English!) and so as we are currently in JanuaRy we can feel safe in the knowledge that its perfectly alright to chow down on these little guys.
Super cheap, super tasty, super seasonal. Mussels are win win win in my eyes!
Mussels in Cider (serves 4)
Ingredients
1 onion
Mussels (enough for 4 people for a starter, I confess Ihave no idea how much this is but let me refer you back to that handy fishmonger chap, who will definitely have the knowledge and weigh you the correct amount accordingly)
butter
1 bottle cider
Parsley
Method
- Clean the mussels by removing the "beard"
- Give them a good scrub and run under the cold tap (you don't want to be eating sandy mussels)
- At this stage if any of the mussels are still open, give them a sharp tap on the worktop. If they close then they are still alive and can be used. If they fail to close they should be discarded. Somewhat gruesomely mussels should always be cooked alive.
- Chop the onion and sauté it with the butter in a large flat bottomed pan with a liduntil nice and soft.
- Add the mussels and the cider, place a lid on the pot and cook for 5 minutes until the shells are open (at this point you want to get rid of those mussels that haven't opened).
- Worrying tales of food poisoning mean it is sometimes tempting to overcook fish. Don't, it tastes ghastly: especially mussels which when overcooked taste like small rubber pellets (and is why I think they are disgusting on pizza)
- Remove the mussels from the pot, keeping the liquid.
- Boil the liquid for 1 minute or 2 more (to remove any alcohol and to reduce it slightly)
- Add a handful of freshly chopped parsley to the broth and then pour back over your big bowlful of mussels
- Serve with crusty bread to dip in the broth or make like a Belgian and serve with chunky potato chips (and by that I mean pomme frites)
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