Eat More Fish!

Apparently we are not eating enough fresh fish. There is absolutely no excuse for that if you live in Brittany or Ireland or indeed even in the UK. I think many people are afraid of fish, all those scales and bones and what on earth to do if the head is still attached!!

Scientists now realise that fish oil contains invaluable food for the brain (it contains the omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), precursors to eicosanoids that reduce inflammation throughout the body). This is so important for everyone, young and old alike. What people don't often realise too is that greasy fish oil is wonderful for the complexion! So you can have beauty as well as brians!

When I lived in London's Covent Garden one of my neighbours got up every morning to fish for his breakfast! I was so impressed by his catch of conger eels from the River Thames - a river now so clean that it is full of life! You only have to look at the commorants fishing all day under Waterloo Bridge to realise the resources below. ....The Danes have some lovely recipes for eels and I will come to that later. Now I just want to give you three very simple fish recipes to get you started:

Cold Bream with Anchovy Sauce

Clean off the scales, dry well and fry gently both sides in olive oil. Serve cold with this sauce:
6 anchovy fillets pounded in a pot with nutmeg and 2 tablespoons of port wine. Add 4 ozs melted butter and a sprinkle of black pepper. Serve with potatoe cakes.

Perch in white wine sauce

Clean the perch then plunge it into boiling water for a minute which makes it easier to descale. Once the scales are removed, boil in a pan for 15 minutes and add chives salt and pepper. Serve with a white sauce, chopped parsley, 1 tablespoon of white wine and a dash of lemon juice. This is lovely when accompanied with new potatoes and fresh garden peas.

Pan Fried Roach

Clean the roach, then wash and dredge with normal white flour. Deep fry till the flesh is about to leave the bone. Serve with parsley and lemon. I like roach served on a bed of shredded white cabbage.

Now back to those eels! We appear to have lost our interest in eels. In Cambridgeshire along the fens and in the little islands making up Denmark you can still see the traces of eel traps and eel tanks which are a legacy of when eels were a popular dish. As with all food the secret is in the preparation and if you have a good recipe for eel, it is hard to beat! Here is a good simple healthy recipe to get you going:

Smoked Eel Risotto

Ingredients

• 600ml fish stock
• 100g smoked eel fillets
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 150g risotto rice
  
• 125ml dry white wine*
• Finely grated zest of ¼ unwaxed organic lemon
• 2 sprigs of finely chopped parsley
  
• 1 finely grated fingertip piece of horseradish
  
• Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Put the stock in a small saucepan and slowly bring to simmering point. Meanwhile, trim any skin from the smoked eel. Run your fingers along the fillet to feel for stray bones and cut them away. Chop the fillets into 1cm (½ in) pieces and set aside.
   
2. Heat the oil in a large, heavy saucepan. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until translucent. Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes until the rice is shiny and fragrant.
3. Add the wine and lemon zest and simmer, stirring, until evaporated. Add a ladle of hot stock and cook, stirring constantly, until the liquid has been absorbed. Add another ladle of stock and continue stirring and cooking until it too has been absorbed. Repeat this process until all or most of the stock has been used and the rice is just cooked, about 17 minutes from the first addition of hot stock to the rice.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the smoked eel, parsley and horseradish. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

* If you prefer you can use elderflower cordial instead of white wine.

This is a wonderful starter on its own or serve with salad for a delightful healthy main course.