Abuse of language comes as no surprise. With the recent controversy over Tesco’s new farm range (which does not come from real farms) I began thinking about the root of many other phrases. Passing a local pub one Sunday, I saw they had written a ‘catch of the day’ special on the board. Not only was the fish not seasonal, it wasn’t even Irish.
While many of us will wince at the sight of such things, it is unfortunate that there is an absence of laws surrounding the use of many of our industries treasured terms, such as artisan, homemade, and farmhouse. Often, they are used solely as marketing terms to sell the idea of a product.
In the case of ‘catch of the day’, I came across two British definitions that seem to be acceptable. The first one says that if the fish is out of the water less the 72 hours then it can be called ‘catch of the day’. The second stated that as long as the fish had never been frozen it could be considered as a ‘catch of the day’.
While that may be fine for small day boats, larger finishing boats often fish for up to 10 days. They keep the fish on ice. It’s not frozen. But can it be called ‘catch of the day’? Maybe the whole phrase is redundant?
As I have said many times before in this column, always buy fish from a fishmonger. If you don’t know one, get to know to one. It’s fun to learn about fish. Crab and mackerel are plentiful in April and so is wild garlic. It grows in abundance in ancient Irish woodlands. Brill is also a good one for April. I like to wrap it in wild garlic leaves and steam it for 3-5 minutes. Then lower it in a simple seaweed broth made with a handful of dried mushrooms, dillisk seaweed and enough water to cover.
Never boil your broth, just simmer for 20-30 minutes then strain. A nice handful of finely-sliced three-corned leeks and flower would finish this broth beautifully.
JP McMahon
