This week I’m returning to my love of seafood. I was very fortunate to have access to the sea as a kid; in a way it was the spark that started my love of and career in food. My original love was fishing, to the point where I would get up early every day to watch the angling programmes on the old Discovery home and leisure channel on TV.
I was fascinated by the species and variety of seafood that surrounded our coast. Following this interest, I was able to source rods and tackle easily, and spent weekends angling from the shore.
The natural progression to catching fish was in learning how to cook it. Thankfully, YouTube was just coming on stream at the time. Bright eyed, I was able to follow various videos showcasing how to fillet, prep and cook all sorts of treasures from the sea.
It’s only in recent years I’ve appreciated having access to the sea. Without realising it, I was gaining an appreciation for where top-quality produce comes from, a rarity at such a young age. While it’s not always possible for every child to have all this exposure to ingredients, I do think food education is really important. It’s something I’m certainly passionate about and is part of the reason for my public food work, such as TV and books. If kids see things early, you can capture their imagination and passion. I’m grateful to have turned it into a career.
Which brings me to this week’s recipes, inspired by the sea.
First up is a classic bowl of mussels, served as traditional as it gets with white wine, cream and some skinny chips. You’ll see this served right across France, Belgium and the Netherlands, whose northern coastlines have sheltered waters with strong tidal flows, perfect for growing mussels. Mussel seed is planted on ropes and they grow quickly, feeding on plankton drifting in strong tidal flow. The ropes are kept afloat with large barrels, and machines harvest the mussels at certain times of year. You’ll see them in Killary fjord in Co Mayo and in Cromane in Co Kerry.
This recipe cooks in minutes and proves a very tasty and light summer supper, the chips a perfect vessel for soaking up that fragrant saline broth.
The second recipe involves cod, a slightly more expensive white fish but one which is packed with flavour. Orzo pasta brings a sense of Italy to proceedings and works wonderfully with the flaky fish and some fresh squeezed lemon juice. You can adapt the same recipe to use hake, haddock or even some plump roasted scallops if you’re going all out.
One of the questions I’m always asked is how to cook fish properly. The key points include salting or brining the fish ahead of cooking, having a good non-stick pan and temperature control while you’re cooking. After that it’s simple!
Here’s to a week of delicious seafood satisfaction.
