April 3, 2006 16:29 - Basa Fish Concerns
Basa fish has become a replacement for a standard white fish where stocks are running low in developed countries.
However, 'developed' is the operative term - Vietnamese rivers (where a lot of imported basa comes from) don't have the same environmental regulations - their waste is not as carefully managed, consequently the fish are breeding in water that we wouldn't recognise.
In the US, millions of tons of catfish are being farmed in clear waters - about 300 million tons - basa consumption is about 9 million tons - these figures are encouraging in that US catfish is being used in preference to imported basa fish.
The source of this information is a talk given by Dr Carol Engle, director of aquaculture and fisheries at the University of Arkansas.
Having said that, basa fish/catfish - any white fish are all suitable for the following recipes on my site - here's a link that will take you to a good cross section of basa recipes which, in the light of what I've just told you, you can adapt for any white fish ;-)
There's fish in ginger sauce, grilled fish, pan fried Indian fish, seafood au gratin, seafood casserole, seafood enchilladas and seafood newburg links on that page - enjoy...
April 4, 2006 12:29 - Worms in Tuna?
Oh dear - a report about sushi and the dangers of eating raw tuna.
I suppose it had to happen - we've had years of pork and chicken scares - worms and salmonella problems - and been told to always make sure both are well cooked.
The latest appears to be a scare about worms in tuna.
Apparently, some tuna caught is infested with parasitic worms - the fish is processed very quickly and then frozen to minus 20C to kill off the worms and larva that might have been missed.
It's not a problem if you cook the fish, but the worries come from sushi where much of the tuna is served raw.
Cod caught in inland waters has often been found to have worms at certain times of the year - it's no big deal, but you'll find that people involved in the fishing industry generally opt to eat haddock unless they've seen the unprocessed fish...
The worms in tuna can cause stomach upsets for those who are sensitive to them - so caution is needed when eating raw sushi.
Only buy from somewhere you really trust and that you have had good reports on - word of mouth is the most reliable recommendation when looking for good eating places.
April 5, 2006 18:06 - Barbecued Dover Sole
I had an email yesterday from Celia asking me for a barbecued dover sole recipe.
You know what - dover sole is considered the best fish imagineable - it's flavour is wonderful and it needs very little in the way of additions when cooking it.
It's one fish where the flavor improves over 2 to 3 days - so buy it fresh before you need it.
I like it pan fried in butter, a small glass of white wine added to the juices and boiled to reduce - chopped parsley added - some new potatoes and salad or green beans and broccoli - a glass of wine and I would be in heaven.
Dover sole is currently not available - its season is May to February - but if it were, it would cost £20 ($35) per fish.
Now if you're an expert barbecuer then you might like to risk it - personally, my barbecuing is hit and miss - sometimes things are perfect, other times acceptable - and other times they're OK if you're starving hungry and have drunk a whole bottle of wine...
But if you really want to try it then the usual rules apply - baste with oil or melted butter before and during cooking.
Brush the grill with oil if you haven't got one of those fancy fish holders - brush that with oil if you have so that the fish doesn't stick.
Be very careful when turning as fish has a tendency to break up - the fish holder is best.
Ensure the coals are hot before putting the dover sole on the barbecue and cook for about 2 minutes either side - if the fish are whole then make that about 3 minutes - turn and baste.
Squeeze some lemon juice over and serve immediately.
Don't blame me if you overcook them :-)
April 7, 2006 13:47 - Sauces With Fish
I've had a few emails this past week about sauces with fish.
I hear from a lot of people who are mystified as to what to serve with fish and say that it can be a bit dry if there's no sauce and actually, I do agree.
The easiest way of making a sauce to go with your fish is to thicken the poaching/cooking liquid. Either a milk based one with cornflour or arrowroot or reducing an oily one by adding a glass of wine, scraping up the sediment and boiling rapidly.
You can cook the fish in a tomato based sauce with some basil - that goes very well with lots of fish.
A simple way of making grilled or baked fish less dry is by adding a pat of herb butter go here for herb butter recipes..
I had one email asking about piri piri sauce and another about aioli - both classic sauces to serve with fish or shellfish - my first memorable meal in Portugal was Gambas Piri Piri - that was back in 1982 - it was huge prawns in a hot tomato sauce.
I experimented a bit when I got home and found I could get the same flavor by adding tabasco to a tomato sauce.
Aioli is a fabulous garlic mayonnaise type sauce that goes well with cold poached fish or shellfish.
There are recipes for both on my Fish Sauce Recipe Index which you will find if you follow the link here.
April 8, 2006 11:06 - Herbs with Fish
I started a section on the seafood recipe website about herbs with fish - that's where you'll find the herb butter recipes which I talked about yesterday.
As I wrote it, I realised that the topic could expand way beyond a section on a fish website, so I decided to take the plunge and start writing a website about herbs.
I don't have a big garden at my current house and I've made it very low maintenance - about 3 hours a year ;-)
That frustrates me because I have a genuine love of gardening, so I was thrilled to be able to do the next best thing and write about growing herbs.
At the moment, I'm concentrating on the growing herbs section - it's spring here in the UK and that's the information people are looking for - but I have begun sections on herb recipes, preserving herbs and ayurvedic herbs.
I'm going to have sections on herbs for medicinal purposes, cosmetic and other household uses.
I'd love to hear what you think about it - any suggestions - any contributions to make - any questions.
Here's the link - The Herb Guide
April 9, 2006 10:11 - Rubio's Fish Taco Recipe
I live in the UK and had never tried Rubio's fish tacos - boy, I hadn't lived.
I found this recipe and we've eaten it at least once a week since.
It is so tasty and I can make it much cheaper at home than it would cost us to buy out.
I love KFC as well - and years ago, I found a really authentic recipe for it - another good saving there as the nearest KFC to where I lived at that time, was a 200 mile round trip!
There is a recipe book Secret Restaurant Recipes Exposed
It's got America's most wanted recipes - from Applebee's through KFC, McDonalds, Olive Garden and Red Lobster to Wendy's. When I bought it, it cost $19.97 (about £12) and there's some quality bonuses and access to the database with many more recipes, which are added as they're developed.
If you used this book just once a week, you would easily save $180 a month on eating out. Just think what a difference that would make to your savings account ;-) over $2000 (about £1200) a year - can you afford NOT to have it
It could pay for a holiday - a good one.
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