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Fish
Jun 18, 2012 13:49:49 GMT
Post by Jonjel on Jun 18, 2012 13:49:49 GMT
I like fish, but probably don't eat enough of it.
A week or so back a friend gave me two rather nice Pollock, caught that afternoon. I have always found it a bit bland, but I cooked it with lemon and ginger thinking it would spice it up. (Years ago I had a West Indian friend who gave me a recipe for whiting using ginger and a few other things which was fantastic but sadly I have lost that one.)
Well, you can't make a silk purse out of a sows ear was true on this occasion, it started bland and finished, well bland but cooked, so I was wondering if any of you supercooks had any tips for making bland fish such as pollack and whiting a bit more appetising?
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pippa
WH Member
Posts: 230
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Fish
Jun 18, 2012 17:25:50 GMT
Post by pippa on Jun 18, 2012 17:25:50 GMT
pollock doesn't appeal to me either, jonjel, but you can always hide it in a pie with other fish and a handful of prawns.
i'd poach chunks of it as well as cod and haddock in watered down skimmed milk. use the liquid for a white sauce. pour it over; add freshly ground black pepper, loads of chopped fresh parsley and top it with either mash or crumble (flour rubbed with butter). bung it in the oven till it's bubbling with a crunchy golden top.
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Fish
Jun 18, 2012 22:18:17 GMT
Post by Jonjel on Jun 18, 2012 22:18:17 GMT
Good tip Pippa. I make fish pie as well and tend to collect fish on offer and bung it in the freezer. I also top it with mash, but stick a couple of egg yolks in the mash. That tends to make it fluffy.
When I cooked the pollack I just wanted a quickie if you get my drift.
And despite it at times being regarded as almost junk status grilled mackerel, dead fresh, takes a bit of beating.
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Fish
Jun 18, 2012 22:44:44 GMT
Post by aquatic on Jun 18, 2012 22:44:44 GMT
Pollack or pollack is, I think, hake, and is OK, and usually sustainable. A couple of years ago Sainsbury's renamed pollo/ack as 'colin', French for hake, or sometimes coley.
The thinking was, I think, that customers didn't want to ask for two pollocks, or even one. And three was just gross.
I would've said something like pippa has. A nicely flavoured white sauce will lift a 'bland' white fish, which should be the basis of the fish pie, so include a lot of the white fish; also include a smattering of salmon and smoked fish as well as prawns, and you've got a delight in prospect.
Avoid fish-pie mixes. But if you can't, you could do worse.
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Fish
Jun 18, 2012 23:02:21 GMT
Post by aquatic on Jun 18, 2012 23:02:21 GMT
And despite it at times being regarded as almost junk status grilled mackerel, dead fresh, takes a bit of beating. Mackerel, herring, sardine - I've always loved them all, but am starting to find they give me indigestion now. However, I'm going to redouble my efforts, and go out with a big burp.
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Fish
Jun 19, 2012 8:17:39 GMT
Post by jean on Jun 19, 2012 8:17:39 GMT
Fresh mackerel is wonderful, but it does tend to repeat on you, as they used to say - try not to think of it as indigestion.
It used to be possible to get whole smoked mackerel, much nicer than the fillets, but I never see it now.
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Fish
Jun 19, 2012 18:42:03 GMT
Post by marchesarosa on Jun 19, 2012 18:42:03 GMT
Batter it and deep fry it, perhaps, jonjel? Serve with chips and tomato ketchup? I know I like chips and tomato ketchup, not sure about pollock!
My mother-in law used to feed "coley" to her cat, aqua. I've never looked kindly upon it since then. How silly our prejudices are.
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pippop
pc
I love everyone here.
Posts: 1,110
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Fish
Jun 19, 2012 19:37:02 GMT
Post by pippop on Jun 19, 2012 19:37:02 GMT
You were married! What happened?
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Fish
Jun 19, 2012 20:56:34 GMT
Post by marchesarosa on Jun 19, 2012 20:56:34 GMT
Yes, I obtained a divorce absolute (by mutual consent) when I was 25 years old and have never wished to cohabit since. It is too hard! I am now 65. Back in those days you had to be married at least two, possibly three years, before you could start divorce proceedings. And you had to live apart for two years to obtain a divorce by mutual consent. There was no acrimony. I remained on good terms with my ex.
What happened? Oh, the usual! Sum it up as a bad choice for poor reasons followed by "boredom". You can't expect a nineteen year old to demonstrate the wisdom of someone with greater experience of the world, can you? I did what it suited me to do at the time. No regrets.
When we are young we cannot imagine what it is like to be the older version of ourselves so when people tell us "you'll regret this" or "you'll think differently when you're older", we don't believe them. Then when we ARE older we KNOW exactly what it was like to be young. Acquiring experience and perspective is of necessity lopsided!
It was a different world back then, as jean and jonjel can testify. If only we could be young again but know what we know now!
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Fish
Jun 20, 2012 9:51:34 GMT
Post by Jonjel on Jun 20, 2012 9:51:34 GMT
Ah yes.
I well remember the sound of the post horn and the clatter of the coach and four as the mail coach came hurtling past, and my father being a month overdue from sea as there was no favourable wind.
That and my mother cooking a haunch of meat on the spit in front of the fire for the ten of us with my job being to stop the dogs licking at the juices which fell into the pan.
Happy days.....
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pippop
pc
I love everyone here.
Posts: 1,110
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Fish
Jun 20, 2012 16:01:18 GMT
Post by pippop on Jun 20, 2012 16:01:18 GMT
Yes, I obtained a divorce absolute (by mutual consent) when I was 25 years old and have never wished to cohabit since. It is too hard! I am now 65. Back in those days you had to be married at least two, possibly three years, before you could start divorce proceedings. And you had to live apart for two years to obtain a divorce by mutual consent. There was no acrimony. I remained on good terms with my ex. What happened? Oh, the usual! Sum it up as a bad choice for poor reasons followed by "boredom". You can't expect a nineteen year old to demonstrate the wisdom of someone with greater experience of the world, can you? I did what it suited me to do at the time. No regrets. When we are young we cannot imagine what it is like to be the older version of ourselves so when people tell us "you'll regret this" or "you'll think differently when you're older", we don't believe them. Then when we ARE older we KNOW exactly what it was like to be young. Acquiring experience and perspective is of necessity lopsided! It was a different world back then, as jean and jonjel can testify. If only we could be young again but know what we know now! Thank you for your reply. May I ask - you say it was too hard and you got bored, was it this particular man or being married per se that you felt this way about?
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Fish
Jun 21, 2012 9:23:16 GMT
Post by Jonjel on Jun 21, 2012 9:23:16 GMT
More information than we need methinks.......
Now, what about this fish?
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pippa
WH Member
Posts: 230
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Fish
Jun 21, 2012 10:26:54 GMT
Post by pippa on Jun 21, 2012 10:26:54 GMT
quite...
and not quite goodbye and thanks for all the fish as it appears to be on MCL.
i didn't know that pollock is also coley which the chippy sells fried in batter. maybe coated in flour or breadcrumbs and fried might be worth a try, jonjel.
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pippa
WH Member
Posts: 230
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Fish
Jun 21, 2012 10:29:18 GMT
Post by pippa on Jun 21, 2012 10:29:18 GMT
or batter it as marchesa suggests.
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Fish
Jun 21, 2012 10:41:38 GMT
Post by jean on Jun 21, 2012 10:41:38 GMT
and not quite goodbye and thanks for all the fish as it appears to be on MCL. I don't understand, pippa. Could you explain? (I realise it's a deficiency in my nature to want to understand what I read, but there it is, I can't help it.)
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