fish
Fashion has a lot to do with what fish we eat. In the Eighties, farmed salmon was all the rage. I always thought that was a pity, because it meant we were losing our seasons. In the old days, every ingredient had its time. For strawberries, it was June; Stilton was only ever properly ready at Christmas; and you had to wait until late spring for the start of the salmon season. But by the Eighties everyone was lapping up farmed salmon all year round.
Then we all went sea bass mad. It was sea bass for breakfast, sea bass for lunch and sea bass for dinner. By the Nineties, recession had set in and sea bass was tossed aside. Instead, we all started eating peasant food like cod, mash and lentils.
As the economy started picking up again, and Sir Terence Conran began to open his massive restaurants, the sea bass came back. Tuna was big, scallops were on every menu and langoustines became the new glamour food. Fish and chips made a comeback, too, although I’m not convinced that they ever really went away.
If I were picking favourites, I’d have to go for scallops. This isn’t just because I grow them but because they really are the king of shellfish - more so, even, than lobster. The big scallops we get are like tournedos (small fillets of beef). You can cook them like a fillet steak, or even make scallop Rossini with a garnish of truffle and foie gras. The flavour of a scallop is like nothing else, but if you really want to get the most out of it, then eat it raw. Unbelievable!
Wild Scottish salmon is probably the world’s most wonderful fish, and large sea bass is great too, with its clean-flavoured, snow-white flesh and distinctive silver-grey skin, which crisps wonderfully when pan fried or roasted. Halibut, too, is majestic, but it can go one way or the other. Only one out of ten halibut is really good, but when you get a good one it’s magic, mainly because of the texture of the flesh. When you bite into halibut, it doesn’t flake; instead it’s chewy, almost like meat.
Then there is eel. The best meal I ever had was in Portugal at a beach bar called Antonio’s. They had just had a lot of flooding in the area and the marshes were full of eels. So the old man got one of these eels, chopped a chunk off it and marinated it in olive oil, oregano and sea salt for two days. Then he just banged it on the barbecue. It was magnificent. The flesh was succulent and the skin all crisp and crunchy. Throw in a bottle of Vinho Verde and you’re in heaven.
giorgio
I love cheap fish. Baby red mullet is one of my favourites, but I like all small fish. I used to get a mixed bag of small fish from Tony sometimes, and it was wonderful.
Often I will call up a fish supplier and ask, ‘What is the cheapest fish you have?’ I don’t mean bad-quality fish but good quality that happens to be cheap. If I’m lucky I might get some anchovies or sardines. A lot of people don’t think of them as very exciting fish but they’re wrong. You can do anything with them, and whatever you do they always reward you with so much flavour and character.
Mackerel is a great fish. I always have it on my menus as a starter. There are about twenty different ways I can serve it. I can cook it like a saltimbocca, with ham around it, or fry it and make up an agrodolce (sweet and sour sauce), or maybe just flash it in a pan with a bit of red wine, then whisk in a little olive oil to make a light vinaigrette.
I also love to cook predators, such as pike and zander. They’re like the sharks of the rivers. Like Tony, I love eel, but I just can’t sell it in the restaurant. It’s a pity because when you cook it on the grill with a herb and breadcrumb crust, the flavour is absolutely amazing. Come on, everybody! Eat more eel!
tony
on buying fish
For great fish, you have to go beyond the supermarket and find a fishmonger. You have to buy a whole fish, on the bone. It’s the only way you’ll get really fresh fish. I once asked the staff in a supermarket where the coley had come from and they said, ‘Out the back.'
You have to make sure the fish is slimy to the touch - which means it hasn’t been out of the water for more than a couple of days - that it’s bright red under the gills, and that its eyes are bright and clear. And don’t forget to smell it. A fresh fish has a pleasant smell. If it smells fishy, then forget it. It’s too old.
If you want fillets, buy the whole fish and fillet it at home - or get your fishmonger to do it for you. Be nice and he’ll pinbone the fillets for you and give you the head and bones so you can make a quick fish stock for the freezer.
Everyone says to wash your fish but I say not to, apart from any obvious messy areas like the gut. If you fillet your fish at home without rinsing it all over, you’ll keep in so much more of the flavour, and you’ll really get to know what that fish is about.
Recipes
Fish
Scallops with bacon and bubble and squeak
Risotto allo champagne con capesante
English fish soup
Zuppa di pesce
Mackerel escabeche
Insalata tiepida di gamberi e borlotti
Swordfish club
Fish and chips with mushy peas
Linguine alla polpa di granchio
Whole poached salmon with warm potato salad
Nasello in scabeccio e insalata di finocchio
Eels and mash
Coda di rospo in salsa di noci e capperi
Filetto di salmone all’aceto balsamico
Griddled tuna with rocket and tomato
Scallops with bacon and bubble and squeak
Capesante con pancetta e crochette di patate e cavolo
As far as I’m concerned, scallops are the king of shellfish. This is a killer recipe that combines the lovely sea-fresh sweetness of scallops with the campfire smokiness of bacon, the tang of a gribiche-style vinaigrette, and the comforting texture of bubble ‘n’ squeak. Tony
Serves 4
12 large hand-dived scallops
