Jim’s Jump for M.E.

Our ‘Man Friday’ Jim who keeps things at the Fish Palace running smoothly…. weighing, packaging and labeling is taking a huge leap for charity.

On Sunday 25th August in Windsor he is taking part in a sponsored 300ft bungee jump! Very brave or crazy? His leap of faith has come about by his support for a close friend suffering from Myalgic Encephalomyelitis more commonly known as M.E.

M.E. is poorly understood and even disbelieved by some medical professionals. This debilitating disease is dreadful to live with, many sufferers are unable to work or attend school. In some cases sufferers are totally bed bound and it can be fatal.

Jim is hoping to raise money to support the charity www.meassociation.org.uk that helps sufferers and funds research into the disease.

We are supporting Jim with his cause; for every Fish Society member that sponsors him, we will donate £1 up to £100. So please sponsor Jim for his ‘Jump for M.E.’ to make a difference.

www.justgiving.com/jim-sahlsberg

Where are the Wallis & Futuna Islands?

About 1,200 miles west of Australia, it turns out. Population 15,000. And their significance? You have to try very hard to avoid stupid output from a website.James here, in reflective mood, wondering why my book about the British Museum’s Pompeii exhibition hasn’t turned up since I bought it online two months ago. My tickets are for this weekend. Yes, I know I should have been alive to this earlier. But I plead too busy. Our new catalogue has been an epic.

So, no Pompeii book. I dig out the original order confirmation email. The address on it is my complete normal UK address including post code, followed by “Wallis & Futuna Islands”?!? Presumably, my book has gone there.

Did I do that? Perhaps Wallis and Futuna was the country after United Kingdom in the drop down list (however, that would suggest unkindness to Vatican  – although that one could be THE Vatican – but definitely to Vanuatu – see map). But however it came about – that my address went down as Wallis & Futuna – they really should have a system of sorting out this kind of nonsense. A sense checker.

My colleague Kims spend several hours a day checking our online orders. Just reading them over… Did that person really mean to have that order delivered on August 27th? So we ring them and check. Does this person really want 22 packs of herring melts? That kind of thing. Essential.

I bet they have some nice fish there.

Turbot day

Marc was up before the birds the other morning and off to Billingsgate Fish Market in the hunt for wild turbot. He returned with a plentiful catch of superb large fish. The average weight was  6.5 kilos. These were monsters! The wild turbot from this shopping spree was caught off the Cornish coast.

Then the real work began…..filleting and portioning. There is no wastage when preparing these fish. We sell the heads for soup making, any misshapes for pies or stir fries, and the we use the skeletons for our fish stock.

Marc expertly prepared each wild turbot. The Fish Society prides itself on quality and consistency; so when you order two servings they will be equal in shape as well as weight. This shape bit is a real challenge as you inevitaby get huge variations in shape.

We thought you might like to see the process…

Whole fillets awaiting portioning.

After cutting fillet in two, here come individual steaks.

Weigh each one to ensure our packs contain equal-size steaks

Also match for shape

Voila. This is the yield from one fish.

These fillet steaks were then vacuum-packed, labelled and frozen.

We have more information on Wild Turbot on;

http://www.thefishsociety.co.uk/articles_Our-Guide-To-Turbot_53.html

and a recipe link below;

http://www.thefishsociety.co.uk/show-recipe_Roasted-Turbot-with-Porcini-and-Red-Wine_131155.html

Are you missing Masterchef?

So all the excitement of the gripping last few episodes of Masterchef are over now. Are you missing the mouth-watering culinary delights? If so you too could create a tasty starter using Lobster Tails just like winner Natalie Coleman! We found this recipe for from Woman and Home that we have adapted for you to try.

Fennel and Lobster Salad with Pomegranate

Serves 4

• bulbs fennel, very finely sliced
• 1 small red onion, finely sliced
• grated zest and juice 2 limes
• large pinch of dried chilli flakes
• 5tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large defrosted rock lobster tail
• 2tbsp each: chopped fresh coriander, mint and flat-leaf  parsley
• seeds of 1 pomegranate

• Mix together the fennel, onion, lime zest and juice, chilli and oil in a  large bowl. Season and toss well together.
• Poach the lobster tails in simmering water for 5 to 7 minutes, then run under  water for a few minutes. When cool enough to handle, remove the shell by cutting  through the underside, then the shell will peel off.
• Add all the herbs to the salad. Divide the salad between 4 plates. Slice the  lobster and arrange on top, then scatter over the pomegranate seeds.

Enjoy!

New catalogue soon

We’re about to send a new catalogue to the printer – the first for a couple of years. We were out of practice so the effort was enormous. But it’s looking good.
Just 50 more corrections to go. Oh! Who forgot to put the fish pies in?
Do you like our new “cuts explained” page?

Paella Fun in May

May has arrived and seems to have brought the sun with it. With Bank Holiday Monday approaching and outdoor entertaining in mind, why not stand out from the crowd, avoid the bangers on the barbie and have a go at a paella dish.

Anyone who has been on holiday to Spain will have experienced paella, perhaps with a glass of Rioja or two! Paella originates from the Valencia region of Spain. A rice based dish combining locally sourced seafood and the meat from the farm, a centrepiece for a family gathering. Traditionally in days gone by paella was cooked on a Sunday, the woman’s day off, so the men cooked the dish.

So if seeing this lovely photo brings back holiday memories flooding back and you wish to recreate your little bit of Spain in the garden this weekend…..What could be easier?We have our very own Paella Kit with all the vital ingredients; Spanish paella rice, saffron, clams, mussels, king prawns, squid, monkfish, chorizo sausage, chicken breast. And full instructions! All you need to add are vegetables, lemons and olive oil, plus some mixture of wine, water and fish stock. You can add to the authenticity of this traditional dish with one of our Paella Pans. When you give it a go, please let us know how tasty it was, Adios!

Eating Fish is Good For you

Eating less meat and more fish in your diet can make a positive impact on your diet. Much of the research on the benefits of fish stem from research on Inuit natives and their high consumption of salmon with a correspondingly low rate of heart disease. Over time we’ve come to understand that this is because they are eating fish that are high    in monounsaturated fats, especially Omega 3 fats.

There’s lots of research on the power of fish to prevent heart disease.This means fatty fish or “dark fish” like tuna, salmon, sardines, swordfish,or mackerel  which are all high in Omega 3 fatty acids.

With Spring finally ‘Sprung’ and the lighter evenings, we are now thinking of more active evenings, getting fit and trim for the summer. The running shoes and the dusty bicycles are getting an airing. Salads and spring vegetables are making their way to our dinner tables instead of hearty winter warming pies etc. So with our vast range of fish to choose from, with the help of some of our recipes fish is no longer ‘just for Fridays’ but very much part of our weekly shop.

All hail St George

It does seem extraordinary that Saint George, England’s patron saint has nothing whatsoever to do with these fair shores. Legend has it he was born in Cappadocia, now Turkey, in 3AD and later lived in Palestine becoming a Roman soldier – where the gallantry bit comes in no doubt. But putting dragons aside, perhaps it’s his foodie heritage we should keep in mind this 23^rd April.

And, instead of rushing off to the nearest chippy to honour the ‘great man’, here at Fish Palace, we think it’s a chance to savour some of the fish that George himself might have eaten.  Gilt-head bream, also known as çipura or çupra, is the Aegean’s most famous fish so this one heads the must try list, especially if you’re a fan of sea bass.

Or, if you’re feeling brave, like George, and fancy pushing the boat out a bit why not give bonito a go? Ours actually comes from Spain, produced by the iconic Ortiz tuna cannery, and are definitely worthy of a celebration, especially if you go for the revered ventresca de bonito. Had he been around today, George’s celebrity status probably would have seen him driving around in a Lamborghini, so this top-drawer product is more than fitting.

For a taste of Palestine, the latest book from Yotam Ottolenghi, Jerusalem has some wonderfully aromatic fish dishes, including pan-fried bream with harissa and rose. Middle East meets North Africa, but hey! We’re a cosmopolitan lot these days.

 

Field Magazine, May 2013, page 123

Field advert May2013

The Perfect Scampi Shot

Earlier this week at The Fish Palace our fish took part in a photo shoot! We chose a selection of models to reinvent themselves in a different style to update our website and for our new catalogue.

Photographing fish is never an easy task. To capture their features, such as colour and texture either in raw or cooked form is a skill that our talented photographer certainly managed this week with our popular model Peeled Scampi.

Scampi is the meat from inside the tail of the langoustine. Our scampi is taken from large Scottish fish and is unadulterated by any of the dubious “make them look bigger” techniques so prevalent with scampi. This grade is rarely seen outside the smartest restaurants and hotels, and despite the price, this is one of our most popular items.

Our previous photo displayed the Peeled Scampi laid out looking very pale on little gem lettuce leaves. Not the most inviting plate of appetisers we have seen!

Then with a spot of styling from Fern and the camera skills of Danielle – both assisted by “golden trainers Millicent” and perhaps too by early rays of spring sunshine – ‘Hey Presto!’ we have a photo that makes your mouth water.

Our Peeled Scampi saver pack is a perfect choice for a supper with friends.

Fishy tales: Fooled you!

While the next month will see many of us munching our way through another mountain of post-Easter chocolate eggs, did you know that in France it’s fish they’ll be eating? Despite being called friture, these are also more likely to be of the confectionery variety. And you can expect to see them swimming around for pretty much the whole of April.

The friture, or Easter Fish as they are also known, are handed out to young tricksters who having stuck a paper fish on to the back of an unsuspecting adult scarper with the cry of, “Poisson d’Avril!”

Tradition has it, this April fool style joke, started with another popular hoax that saw a hapless shopper being sent to the market with instructions to buy a freshwater fish that wasn’t in season. Made to look foolish in front of the fishmonger, they’d be sent home blushing from ear to ear.

It’s tempting to suggest that, these days even French kindergarten kids are schooled in the knowledge of when to buy oysters. Sadly a lesson unlikely to be learnt by their cross Channel counterparts.

So unless you’re planning a trip to the Alsace, which turns a separatist eye to Germany for its seasonal customs, if in France this April, don’t forget to watch your back!

If you’re craving fish over chocolate, battered squid rings, you’ll find are pretty satisfying.

Smoked haddock eggsactly right for Easter

With Easter almost upon us, we’re very busy at Fish Palace. Yet somehow we found time yesterday to perfect the recipe for our very own Easter egg. It went down a storm with the staff. 16 eggs made. 16 eggs eaten. just like that. Sophie Blair, hold back!

While our Smoked Haddock Egg may not cause Cadbury to quake, it might set off a few quivers among Fish Society members. Filled with a delicious ricotta and spinach mix, it will make an attention-grabbing addition to any meal. And if the sun does decide to make an appearance (hope springs eternal) these eggs would happily stow away for a picnic.

Of course a photo never does a recipe justice (you’ll have to trust us on this one), but we hope a few of you might be tempted to make your own Smoked Haddock Eggs this weekend. Or, if you’re a traditionalist, you could serve up the same smoked haddock fillet in a classic breakfast Kedgeree.It would be a perfect way to start Easter Day.

Er, did you ever see our fish for breakfast selection?

Our fishy twist on the Scotch Egg 

Fish fit for a Pope

Almost a week into his new job, and there’s still plenty of intrigue surrounding the Vatican’s latest incumbent. We’ve heard he likes to cook his own meals and his culinary habits are on the humble side. Yet, word has it he’s been known to bless a kitchen, which suggests a certain enthusiasm for food. So this got us wondering about the piscatorial preferences of Pope Francis I.

Perhaps he’s partial to a fillet of surubi, pacu or boga – we hear those are the big fish in Buenos Aires’ Parana River. Well, we’re sorry, but we can’t offer any of those up. But if freshwater fish is the right zone His Holiness would definitely be tempted by some trout. And should he have a few house guests to entertain over the coming weeks, our whole carp would surely content a conclave of cardinals.

Now he’s moved to St Peter’s, perhaps someone will be tempted to serve up John Dory, which also goes by the name of Peter’s Fish’. The Dory has a dark spot on its side which is supposedly the thumb-print left by Peter during his career as a fisherman. But they had better beware: at £95 a kilo, humble it is not! Maybe they should consider haddock, another fish boasting St.Peter’s thumbprint. We don’t think the cooks of the Curia would get into trouble with £23 a kilo haddock. In fact if they came to us for a saver pack, we could reduce this to just £18 a kilo. And what a jolly fine fish it is.

At any rate, if the pescivendolo of Rome are found wanting, rest assured, The Fish Society will be more than happy to step in.
         

Spot the difference: John Dory (top) and Haddock (bottom)

 

This weekend: A touch of the blarney

With the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations almost upon us, here at Fish Society HQ we don’t need an excuse to doff caps in salute to our cousins from the Emerald Isle.

Each new batch of freshwater eels that arrive into our cold store is a reminder of the fantastic larder Ireland has to offer. Yes, it can be a bit of a slippery house guest but, James tells me, once you’ve tasted the wonderful, rich meat, you’ll be converted. And if a whole eel is too much to handle, we’ve got some ready to cook eel steaks, just perfect for roasting or poaching.

However, if this Sunday is an excuse to push the boat out a bit, how about dishing up a Dublin Lawyer? No, not a silver-tongued attorney in a wig and gown, we’re talking here about lobster baked with whiskey and cream. Yes it’s rich and boozy (so too, reputedly, was the legal eagle after which it was named!) but it’s a classic. And by trimming the portion size and dressing with a simple green salad, a cholesterol calamity can be averted.

Of course, as well as great food, the other passion that the Irish readily share with the world is horseracing. And giving Dublin Lawyer a run for its money is Rachel Allen’s Hot Buttered Lobster recipe. Her cooking sauce, made from a white wine and vegetable stock, is altogether lighter, and definitely worth a punt. You’ll find a recipe for Hot Buttered Lobster on our web pages.

Beat that. Best batter article.

Someone has just asked why we don’t sell fish frying batter. There are two reasons: first, he’s the first person to ask. Second, I don’t do deep frying at home as I can’t bear the smell next day. So it has never occurred to me that our customers might want it. Doh.

But I do like chippy-style fish in batter. I like to cause a gaggle in our local fish and chip shop by walking in with a nice piece of fish for them to batter and fry. I remember going in with a turbot fillet a couple of years ago. They thought I had arrived from Planet Zog. Seriously, they had never heard of turbot.

We could be in for the same tonight. I’m going to take in two fillet steaks of zander.

I shall investigate adding a batter mix to our site, but in the course of my researches I found a superb article about fish batter on The Guardian website which I simply MUST record here. Well done Felicity Cloake. Here you go:

Worth a look: Fishing in Scotland

Meet Donald, a fisherman of 30 years who also runs Fishing in Scotland. We don’t usually recommend fishing blogs on here, for the simple reason that most of our readers are looking for fish to catch the easy way (fast, online, at home), as opposed to waiting for hours for their dinner (slow, outside, in the cold…something we’re sure Donald knows only too well about!).

Fishing in Scotland is a little bit different from most fishing blogs, though – for one it’s filled with pictures taken by the site’s owner, in and around rural Scotland, and for another it covers a whole lot more than fishing, including survival techniques, holidays, bushcraft and even accommodation. We had a look the other day and found everything from Bristol Bay’s Pebble Pledge to the villainous Keith the seal and even Rick Stein’s food (note: Keith the seal and Rick Stein’s food are mentioned separately! We know Rick can be adventurous, but seal-cuisine is going too far, even for him).

More to the point, Donald recently blogged twice about The Fish Society’s keta salmon Caviar, which he seems to be a big fan of. You can read the first one here and the latest installment here. Good to know it’s going down well in Scotland!

Great Moroccan cuisine

The Fish Society‘s headquarters are directly beside a cake factory, which is a very handy feature for a fishmonger in need of a sugar boost. On just such a mission last week, Claire, the owner of the cake place, turned out to be in need of a fish boost.

She was after some decent hake for a tagine dish she had made for dinner with friends. James sorted her out in no time (“We had the perfect item Chris, huge boneless steaks…” yeah yeah yeah). He took this photo of the tagine before the hake went in. Makes you want to eat, doesn’t it?

If you’re familiar with Moroccan food, you’ll be aware that the tagine is a staple dish of North Africa. Usually, a fish tagine is made with grouper, but this can be replaced with sea bass or hake or many other kinds of large fish. Named after the traditional earthenware pot in which it is made, the tagine – always infused with garlic, cumin and paprika – is a fine culinary experience, whichever fish is used.

James said Claire was taking her recipe from one of his favourite cook books – that of the well-known Moro restaurant in North London. He says this book contains one of his favourite pictures – a photo of a penniless fish-seller in a pin-stripe suit with a yoke over his shoulders dangling two huge baskets of sardines.”He reminds me of me,” says James. [Really? Another entry there, perhaps.]

The challenge of photographing fish

Fancy meeting this on a dark night?

Let’s have another go at that.

Like any online company, The Fish Society is no stranger to immortalizing its products via digital photos. Immortalising! But is it the right kind of immortalising?

Fish just is not very co-operative in the cause of looking good. The solution to this conundrum would seem obvious: take pictures of the fish while being cooked, or as an impressive specimen with fins and skin. But customers want to know what they’re getting, not what they’re going to make it into. And anyway, who’s going to pay for the chef to come in every time you need a new picture?

So you can never get too far away from the cod roe problem immortalised above. No matter how much experience you have with fish, it’s a never-ending job which takes ages to get right.

Taking pictures…again

James told me was that using a flash is always a bad idea. The light bounces off and the fish looks anaemic. So in the end, it comes down to trying out lots of different ideas, props and angles.

You mean like this?

Aaarrrgggghhhh!!!

Slowly, we’ll get there:

The old anchovies picture…

…and the new one.

The Wine Society: matching great food with great wine

Lobster meat – ideal for loads of different recipes, and great with Chardonnay

What kind of food goes well with what kind of wine? It’s a common question we’ve all been puzzled by at some point. Matching fish with wine is just as tricky. What goes well with lobster might take the edge off another dish entirely, and sometimes, it seems like opinions are so conflicting that you’ll never get a proper answer.

Enter The Wine Society. 20 years ago, James tells me, The Fish Society were ever so slightly inspired by this company, who specialise in matching wine lovers with wine of the right type, variety and budget. Their new feature, which I’ve just been playing about with, is definitely worth a look if you’re after something to go with that nice piece of haddock or sea bass or salmon. Using the drop down menus on page 1 you can select which kind of fish or food you’re having, and on the next page you’ll be able to choose the price bracket of wine that works for you (less than £7 or £30 and over, for example). One click and you get a full list of suitable wines for as many as 30 kinds of fish. It’s also a handy tool if you have vegetarian guests, and will give you an idea in seconds of what goes well with lots of different desserts.

While this idea may not be welcomed by more serious wine buffs who already know exactly what they’re looking for, it does offer a great way of narrowing down the options for those in a hurry, or for people who are open to trying out lots of different kinds of wine.

Ever heard of zander?

Well known at Woburn, Winslow and… Katon-Karagay

If you have then you’re in the minority. But you’re about to be even more knowledgeable than them… many who DO know this fish – which is somewhere between a pike and a perch – believe it to be a hybrid, but actually it’s entirely unique, sharing attributes from both.

Quoting The Penguin Book of Fish at me, James said: “The Duke of Bedford, a very keen fisherman and naturalist, first introduced the voracious pike/perch [aka Zander] into the lakes at Woburn Abbey in 1910. In common with both pike and perch they are true predators, always ready to attack any fish small enough to be swallowed.

“In 1951, about 30 young specimens of 5 inches in length were introduced to the Claydon lakes near Winslow, where a few fairly large specimens have since been caught, including an 8 pounder — the largest recorded in this country so far.” (This was a very old edition of The Penguin Book of Fish. In August 2012, Dave Palmer set the UK record with a 20 pounder caught in the Severn.)

The Fish Society has just taken delivery of some handsome zander fillets which are here. Not from the Severn, nor Woburn nor Wilmslow. You’ll never guess… “We got these from Kazakhstan, and they are really fantastic looking pieces of fish. Imagine a nice big cod fillet, about 15 inches long, with an interesting skin-side – sort of purple and yellow and grey, instead of the green of cod. The fish are much bigger than I anticipated, so one large fillet is going to feed two people very substantially.”

“I’m really hoping everyone will try these. They’re a really top class fish experience.”

A Platter Of Fruits Of The Sea, Anyone?

If you’ve been following this blog for a while then you’ll have seen that it’s not uncommon for The Fish Society to receive enquiries from fish lovers not just in the UK and Europe, but all over the world. For example, Albuquerque in New Mexico has a population somewhere in the region of 505,000 residents, and last week one of these enthusiastic residents emailed James to ask if they could ship some turbot out. Yes: frozen fish from the UK direct to New Mexico!To this, James understandably said “do you like turbot that much?” and mentioned that the delivery cost alone would be as much as $324 (£200). That may sound expensive, but it’s a pretty good deal actually, when you consider that New Mexico is approximately 5,000 miles (or 8,000 km) away.

And yes, apparently the customer really did like turbot that much.

Deliveries to the US aren’t just prohibitively expensive, either – thanks to bio-terrorism laws they’re also extremely complex and challenging to organise, as every single package needs to be inspected individually. Suffice to say, a safe delivery can never be 100% guaranteed and once it reaches customs, you’ll want to have a local agent in place to vouch for both you and the supplier who sent it. A headache, yes, but for quality fish we still think it’s worth it.

I’ve just discovered it’s presently out-of-stock, but click the image and you can ask to be emailed when it comes back in

Among all the email enquiries, when I called James last Friday, he told me about a particularly impressive order which had just come through. “We’ve got a very exciting order which is going to Chamonix, to a magnificent sounding chalet,” he said. “We’re sending none other than a Plat des fruits de mer out – apparently there are no good fish there.”

For those of you who are unfamiliar, the Plat des fruits du mer is something of a French legend. Known the world over as the classic French seafood ensemble, it consists – in this case, but perhaps not all – of 8 different kinds of shellfish: a list which includes everything from mussels and winkles to prawns, brown shrimps, crab and lobster.

Yes…if you love seafood then it’s pretty brilliant!

The great thing about ordering this direct from The Fish Society is that all of it has already been perfectly cooked beforehand. All you’ll have to do is take it out of the box and arrange it accordingly on a pile of ice.

In fact, The Fish Society already have an article up about how to do exactly that. A stainless steel bowl and stand is also a good idea if you really want to show this selection off.

And if you were thinking that the Plat des fruits du mer is only loved by the French then think again – this dish has long been a hit in New York, and now it’s starting to gain notoriety in Los Angeles, too. Champagne and Chablis are the ideal drink to accompany this platter.

As far as whether to have this as a starter or a main course, there’s no right or wrong, and both options work equally well. Traditionally, the Plat des fruits du mer was an appetizer, but with a few extras like a good salad and crusty bread, there’s more than enough for an exquisite main course.

Looking to create some delicious home-made accouterments? In that case, a stone-ground mustard sauce will be excellent with the crab, and the scallops will benefit greatly from a Japanese pepper and citrus sauce (known as togarashi yuzu). Mayonnaise can also be spiced-up with a hint of saffron. There are endless options for this dish – for example, one European tradition sees the Plat des fruits du mer served with sweet butter on dark bread.

A Great Big Halibut Tail

Everyone loves a monster fish story, and when I called James last Friday, he told me about a giant halibut they’d got in…

“Normally, a big halibut is something like 30 kilo, but when I went to my supplier and asked for something of that size, she came back to me with a 50 kilo fish, which I then paid for. However, a few minutes later she changed her mind and said she actually had a 65 kilo fish fresh off the boat and ready for me. We’d run out of halibut so I jumped at the chance.

And let me tell you this was one incredible fish. Have a look at the photos I’m going to send you for proof.”

I dare anyone to say James isn’t right…all the photos below are clickable, and will take you direct to buy halibut fillets.

Three proud men and one enormous halibut!

As for the price, let’s just say that this specimen cost as much as a decent car! But then, for a fish that took 4 people to lift it onto the boat, that’s probably what you’d expect.

James told me about the filleting process:

“It took 2 people to cut it up, me and Mark. I would say that between us we spent about 10 hours doing just this one fish. You get the fillets off the bone – which takes about half-an-hour – then you cut them up neatly, weigh and pack them, and it takes quite a long time to make it all nice and neat and ready for sale.

“It was a fantastic quality fish as well, caught in Norway. These fish have tags, depending on how long they’ve been out of the water, so you always know exactly what you’re getting. And really the fastest you can get a Norwegian fish into this country from the water is 2 days. This fish couldn’t have been much fresher than that – it arrived on the 3^rd day.”

“A shame to cut it up, isn’t it?” I said, and James agreed. Although if he always thought like that, of course, he wouldn’t have a business to wake up to.

“Now, let me tell you how many potions we got off it…”

While James was adding them up, I guessed “80?”

“Not even close,” he replied, chuckling. “There were 220 fillet steaks in total. Then we also got off it 13 packs of engawa – which is a specialist sushi item. That’s the fin muscles, which have a fairly special texture. Then, on top of that, we had 11 packs of miss shapes, and that alone was 2.5 kilo. Lastly, we had ventresca sushi…”

Just as I was wondering what James had meant by special texture, he said this: “…I told you the engawa had a good texture…it’s, well, a little bit chewy. I’ve eaten a lot of it so I should know! You eat it raw and have to test it as you go along, so I ended up eating halibut all morning. So we’ve got some packs which I’ve called extra chewy, because some Japanese people do go for that kind of thing.

So the steaks alone, that’s some 220 portions. I would say that, all told, that fish is going to feed 270 people.”

Head over to The Fish Society to search for these items, which should be on sale very soon.

And there we have it: the finished product!

Once I’d got over all this big fish madness, I asked James if they’d be able to do anything with the fins, seeing as I knew they ate a lot of fins in Japan. James told me that they’d be throwing them away, but that in Japan that would never happen, as they always endeavour to use every part of the fish, including the skeleton (the phrase he actually used was “…In Japan they’d probably hung, draw and quarter us for throwing away the fins and skeleton!).

And that concludes this week’s halibut tail (sorry…). Next week, pike is on the menu. Stay tuned for more…although I can’t guarantee there won’t be a bad pun here and there!

Enquiries From All Over

Most Fridays I call James and he tells me about a new product he has in, or I learn some interesting things about fish which I then pass on via this blog. That said, no two weeks at The Fish Society are ever the same, and this week’s post illustrates that point perfectly.

This week is all about the vast range of enquiries which James and co receive. And we’re not talking about from just down the road either. Take this email from down under, which is becoming more common than you might at first think:

G’day
I have been looking for a long time to get Arbroath Smokies delivered to
Australia. I see on you site you have delivered to Sydney and I am hoping they
can be delivered to me on the Gold Coast in Queensland.
[As I am] Originally from Arbroath it would be a special Christmas to have these on
the dinner table.
Can you deliver these?

Many Thanks

And here’s another example, this time an exceptionally comprehensive enquiry from Austria. You may want to put aside a few minutes to read this one!

Customer: I just started making sushi at home and found your website looking for premium frozen fish. Before making my first order I would like to ask a few questions.

James: Yes that’s fine.

Customer: The main reason I am looking for flash-frozen premium fish vs fresh is to make sure that any possible parasites have been killed. Are all your products safe to consume raw (frozen solid below -20C/-4F for at least 7 days or -35C/-31F for 15 hours according to US FDA), or just the ones labeled for Sushi ?

James: All our fish is frozen to -21.

Customer: If both are safe to eat raw, is there a difference in quality of fish selected for sushi strips versus fillets and whole fish ?

James: Yes. We select the best portions of the fish for strips. Not all portions make good strips.

Customer: How much time elapses on average from shelling/killing of prawns or scallops to freezing? Do you make sure they are all still alive right before? Are they safe to eat raw as well?

James: 2 days for prawns. All prawns arrive here frozen. They were processed and frozen in faraway places. All to high standards, Otherwise they could not get export licences for EU.

Scallops are from Scotland. We buy from the processor. They shell on day one and deliver to us day 2 or 3. We freeze on day 3 or (rarely) 4. Nevertheless, because shellfish is prone to carrying toxins, I personally would never eat a raw scallop. Only a cooked scallop.

Customer: Is the fish frozen soon after rigor mortis has passed, a few days after or maybe still before? How much time does it take on average from landing the fish until it is frozen? To my knowledge some fish is best aged, marinated or wrapped in kelp a few days to use for sushi, does frozen and carefully thawed fish behave the same as fresh fish in this regard?

James: It is impossible to give you a simple answer to this. We sell 400 fish from 380 suppliers. We do not witness their process which could occur 5,000 miles away. We simply buy good product based on our experience.

Customer: In the pictures on your website there is quite a difference between eg Red Snapper portions vs XXL fillets, or Tuna loin vs sushi Tuna.Are all the pictures representative of the actual products ?

James: In most cases, yes. We took the pics ourselves of product on our premises. Fish naturally varies in colour. And light conditions add more differences.

Customer: Which delivery zone does Vienna, Austria, Zip Code 1030 fall into ?

James: It’s Zone C but if you became a regular or even semi-regular customer, I’d cut you a bit of slack on the delivery surcharge.

Customer: When ordering large quantities like a filled 5kg box, is there a discount available ?

James: 5kgs is not a large order. Our discounts for quantity, where we offer them, are available on the website in the form of saver packs. The discounts are sometimes quite significant.

Customer: What is the ideal thawing procedure regardless of work involved (on top of crushed ice/changing it every few hours/etc) to ensure the best final quality?

James: Best = put the wrapped product in your fridge for 12 hours. If the product has an ice glaze (this is described on the packaging), allow the defrosting glaze to drip away into a bowl.

Customer: You state that in case of a delivery delay of 1 day that the fish will still be cold enough to refreeze again. To my understanding the temperature ceiling for this is about 4C. Could you maybe include temperature indicator strips within the box to be certain it has not been exceeded?

James: 4C is right. The arrival temperature is the highest temperature experienced by your shipment. No one in the chain is going to chill your parcel.

Customer: Which products would be too large for the 5kg box ? Does the XXL Red Snapper Fillet fit ?

James: I think we could fit a XXL RS fillet into a 5kg box.

Customer: Thank you in advance for taking the time to answer these questions.

And here, lastly, is a great little comment just posted on our Facebook page by one Claire Ross:

My order received safe and well today Phew! Didn’t know how was gonna get thru Christmas period without smoked haddock and spring onion fish cakes!!!

Thanks for that Claire!

A Lesson In Sea Bass

Since I started blogging for The Fish Society, I’ve learned about all kinds of fish, from shellfish and lobster, to the ink in cuttlefish (great in pasta sauce, once you get past its disconcerting black appearance!). This time around, it was the turn of sea bass.

Known by many for its wonderful flavour, sea bass is great on the grill and the fish equivalent of chicken breasts. Available across the world in numerous different varieties, when I called James last Friday for our regular chat, some extra-special sea bass was the order of the day – as you’ll have seen if you get The Fish Society’s latest offer emails – and not the kind you can find at every fish monger’s, either.

Hames said: “I must say I was a bit queasy when one of our best suppliers offered me ten of these very large fish, direct from the south coast. You can imagine that these fish weren’t cheap, so we had a bit of a debate…ending in him persuading me to buy all ten of them [laughs]. And let me tell you, they are fantastic. One of them is the biggest sea bass I have ever seen, and the single most expensive, too.”

Have you ever seen such a proud man holding a fish? I dare you to claim so! Click the image to see the prices.

So, how big was this huge specimen fish, fit for a banquet? If you have no idea, then you’re not the only one, because when James asked me to guess I was instantly clutching at straws and responded with “how big is it?” For some reason, I’d thought that asking this might reveal some important information. But as with all things fish-related, I should have known that all it would do was confuse me even more, seeing as I wasn’t exactly sure how big a big sea bass was and how big they could actually grow…

As if designed to confuse me even more, James responded with an answer to the weight of the fish, rather than the size itself: “it weighs 5 kilo,” he said, and, pulling a figure out of thin air, I said “£323?” The reply, fortunately, didn’t totally embarrass me. The actual price for this one single most expensive fish was £245. Impressive on any level, no matter what your knowledge of sea bass or fish in general.

What I hadn’t considered, though, was the cooking of such a big fish (but then, this was hardly a big surprise — I always leave my cooking until the last minute!). James said that “there’s just one problem. On the down-side, the smallest of them is 26 inches, head to tail…which means they’re two inches too big to go in any large, commercially available fish kettle. (A fish kettle is a pan of varying size designed with the specific purpose of cooking an entire fish. Looking for one? You can find these on The Fish Society’s site.)

James explained that “it’s fairly easy to get those up to twenty-four inches long, but even that isn’t always as simple as it sounds. But anyway, the point is that it’s not big enough for these fish, unless you take the head and tail off, which I wouldn’t advise.”

I’ve no idea what James is doing with this fish, but whatever he’s doing, he’s clearly very happy.

Here, much to my satisfaction, I was finally able to offer-up some knowledge based on things I could actually claim I’d learned on my own. “You want to keep the cheeks in,” I said, to which James replied: “yes, and you want to keep the whole impression of such a magnificent fish.”

If you’re still thinking of buying one of these beautiful monsters – all of which were put on ice within 24-hours of being caught – there’s no need to be put off! Simply wrap the fish in foil and roast it.

A photo which is sure to make a few big sea bass lovers more than a bit jealous.

Suffice to say, as James pointed out, obtaining fish of this quality is always a gamble, seeing as a customer with £250 to spend on one single fish is hardly common. Despite that, James and I remain optimistic. If I had £250 to spend on a fish, I’m pretty sure James would be able to talk me round.

As a last note, just to show how rare these kind of trophy fish are, James told me that “If you went to fifty fishmongers and said ‘get me a five-kilo sea bass’, then, frankly, it’d be a miracle if you found a single one who could help you. If you put down £500 and asked the same question, however, you might get a bit of action.”

Back with more next week.

Hunt for the perfect blini…dear readers of this blog, can you help?

Beatiful blinis…

If you’re a fan of caviare or smoked salmon then it’s quite possible that you’re also familiar with that thing known as the blini. For those who aren’t — and I was one of them so you may well be — a blini is a thin, dainty pancake of Russian origin which is very specific in size, depth and shape and thus not always easy to get a hold of, especially if you’re looking for a premium product. According to Alistair, the perfect blini should be as thin as possible, but still able to support caviare, for example, without collapsing en-route to one’s mouth. Designed to carry one or two mouthfuls, the ideal blini is between 5 and 7cm in diameter and slightly thicker than a standard Shrove Tuesday pancake. And if you don’t fancy caviare or smoked salmon then there are plenty of other options, like sour cream, jam, or even condensed milk.

According to James, The Fish Society has a long history with blinis, which started around 8-years-ago. The first product he found wasn’t very good – too thick – but the second supplier was much better. In James’s own words: “A few years ago we found the perfect blini, and it was from France. I actually met the guy whose company it was, when he dropped in on us while driving to Ireland with his family on holiday. We were too small to buy from him at the time – he wanted us to buy a few crates at a time – but he suggested we buy from his UK distributor instead, who’d happily sell us a few cases at a time. And these blinis really were fantastic. When I tried them on my blini-eating friends, they said they were the best they’d ever had. They were so special, and I remember that one of the ingredients which made them so was marigold flowers. We used to buy them in packs of 16 at a time, frozen, and then heat them up in the oven for 2 minutes.”

Fine quality Caviare, ideal with blinis

But last Friday, when I called James for our weekly chat, he explained to me that all was not well on the blini front. Up until the week before, The Fish Society had been receiving the same kind of product week in, week out for some years, but the last package that had arrived had contained a different kind of blini. Thicker and lacking the finesse of the previous variety, these blinis weren’t good enough – or more accurately, they weren’t the quality they were used to – and with that he set out to locate the original product. Except there was one big problem: the person James called at the suppliers had started working for them after he last ordered some blinis, and had no idea about the change in product. This Friday morning alone he’d spent 90 minutes searching for the supplier, and so far hadn’t had the slightest bit of luck. The information was somewhere in his email Inbox, but he couldn’t remember the name of the man who’d driven by all those years ago, or where he lived in France, or the name of the original blinis which were so delicious…

Which brings us to the final question: do you know the name of the blini maker from France who uses marigolds in his extra-special mixture? If so, James and co would love to hear from you, so please either leave a comment below or get in touch with him by emailing yourfishguyATthefishsociety.co.uk (please replace the AT with @).

Thanks for reading. We’ll be back with more next week, and hopefully by then James might be a bit closer to locating these blinis!

A Picture From Diwali

While the rest of the world is arguing about interest rates, politics and the global unemployment crisis, millions of Indians are presently celebrating Diwali — the most lavish and vibrant spiritual festival found anywhere on the planet.

What’s the most popular of all the South Asian festivals got to do with The Fish Society? A fair bit, actually. Sapna are the Indian company who look after all the technical stuff for the website, and the recent SEO project which Joleen has been working on inspired her to create this delightful rangoli drawing, typical of Diwali-style art and celebration. Thanks to Shekhar for sending it in (more about rangoli at the end of this post).

Diwali, which is celebrated every year between October and November – the specific date varies according to the Hindu calendar – is stunning. Dressed in white, people everywhere forget about their problems and dance, throwing powder colours of blue, yellow and intense red into the air, forming clouds which can be seen high above the ground. Inside the houses, altars are constructed – shrines to Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth – and in the offices, those in business start their new financial year with the promise of good things to come. But nowhere is Diwali more breathtaking than at the mighty river Ganges. Making their way to the river in heaving masses, people gather at its edge to sail lamps across its width (and if yours makes it all the way across then this is considered a very good thing). The word Diwali means row of lights, according to the Sanskrit word dipavali. As a result, millions of people know this infamous extended party as The festival of lights.

With such a unique atmosphere, it’s easy to see why it’s called the festival of lights. Within just a few hours, cities are converted into places of mass worship, and as night falls, shops, houses and public places are transformed with the use of divas – earthenware oil lamps, powered by mustard oil. Within 24 hours of the festival’s arrival, no area remains untouched, and legend has it that the lamps help to guide Lakshmi through the doors of people’s homes, where a pleasant reception awaits her.

Rangoli is also an artistic past-time which a great many people enjoy taking part in, and many of these images show the goddess Lakshmi holding a lotus or seated on one. Traditionally, the images are drawn on the floor, like the above picture. According to Joleen, this is only her second attempt at the technique, and one which The Fish Society is pleased to be a part of!