many aeons ago, there was a thread on here about making bread .... it died, perhaps because man shall not live by bread alone ..... anyway, there seem to be a fair number of people on this site who enjoy cooking, so i thought to start a thread for recipes and associated topics.

i'm assuredly no expert, but i reckon i cook tolerably well, and i know that any recipe i paste here, genuinely works - even for those who can only shop from supermarkets!

a starter recipe follows ......

halibut or turbot or monkfish

In 50 and early 60s frequently ate Halibut, Turbot, Hake,and more upmarket Soles, Dover Sole.

These fish were plentiful but more expensive than Plaice, Cod, Herrings, Sprats Kippers and Monkfish, the latter in the UK often being used as fish bait or thrown back, until some bright spark started selling it as "Scampi" in the Basket, or similar and the price started to rocket.

But the over and indiscriminate fishing, the use of fish, as fertilizer and chicken and animal feeds along with the overseas consumption because of easier transportation etc. ruin the fish base population and breeding grounds.

A pity, but there has been some revival and Fish farms a blessing with problems.

But how many families could afford salmon at the weekend in the 50s unless they poached it.

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But still enjoy buying fish in France at the port markets at Etaples or Saint-Valéry-sur-Somme.

If you like fish get there before 10am.

a very enjoyable game of golf this morning (1/4-final tomorrow); came back to the office and tidied up some bits and pieces, and then wasted some time and effort on here :-)

PS

Butter for cooking fish. Olive oil for the chips.

(Cheat by adding a little rape seed oil to the butter, and drop in finely chopped Fennel Fronds.)

in the "old days", salmon was a massive luxury, though in victorian times and earlier it was so plentiful, that if memory serves me right, apprentices had it written into the indentures that they only had to have it twice a week or somesuch (i think!)

victorian times and later, but not now, also saw plentiful whitebait and of course bleak, which was almost the freshwater equivalent, and also pike (far too bony and muddy!), eels and several other freshwater species

fish farms are something of a mixed blessing
forget what they do in F/E, but even here, unless they are properly managed, all sorts of environmental problems can and do arise .... nevertheless, it is not just farmed salmon nowadays but also trout, halibut and sea bass and no doubt some other species as well

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surely olive oil burns at far too low a temperature to be good for frying, except sauteeing fairly gently

I think without looking slightly higher than butter and mixing both raises the burning point. Like a pinch of sugar with salt lifts the taste of tomatoes when they are cooked.

Ps. Used pure olive oil for chips from the 50s on, but try to avoid them as I like them too much. But, for an excuse, will introduce my grandson to them, when he escorts me down to the Dordogne in the summer.

gee or clarified butter certainly has a high burn point, for it is the salt and other miscellaneous solids that burn

ask a proper chef (excludes me!) and i think you'll find he concurs

Next time you cook some fish, or a steak, slightly caramelize it towards the end with a knob of butter. (Slight)

true - caramelising = burning of course :-)

btw, i marinated some cod fillet for an hour in teriyaki sauce, a little water, dry sherry and crushed garlic

remove the fish from the marinate and dry in kitchen paper
heat some neutral (high burn!) oil in a pan, and when it just starts to smoke, add the fish skin side down (as always)
cook over a moderate heat for perhaps 5 minutes (depends on the thickness of the cod), by which time, the skin should be crispy.
turn the fish over and cook for a couple of minutes
cover the pan and turn off the heat
after a further 2/3/4 minutes, the fish will be perfectly cooked through - still just pearlescent - and caramelised on the outside

bingo! :-)

Turbot has been common in UK for many years. You only have to look in old kitchens to see the diamond shaped turbotiers (turbot shaped fish kettles). They were very popular in Edwardian times, Victorian and even in Hampton Court. Always an expensive fish though.

I will try the cod fillet in teriyaki sauce next week - which oil (high burn) do you use Cynic as I only use olive oil? By the way Haystack I have a huge copper fish kettle, how the hell kitchen staff were supposed to hump it around when full I haven't got a clue as it is heavy enough empty.

my preference is grapeseed oil, but sunflower is fine and probably rapeseed, though i think this last one has a flavour of its own

Thank you, will put it on my shopping list and hope I enjoy.

Rapeseed oil is probably the best for temp, but has a very strong colour and a fairly strong flavour. I tend to use it for most things. Olive oil for salads and cooking Italian food.

I have rapeseed oil in my cupboard, only used some once and was not too keen on the flavour. May give it another whirl before I ruin my cod dish next week. I must admit I have never tried grapeseed oil.

grapeseed oil very high in Poly-Unsaturated Fatty Acid. In other words not good. The highest percentage of any cooking oil. You would not believe oil could be pressed from a grape seed.

Rapeseed oil colour varies.

It deteriorates (goes rancid) on keeping especially if exposed to sunlight.

Some varieties can be a little bitter.

Very attractive crop visually when it is ripe for harvesting.

Taste before cooking with it.
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Use Pomace its is cheaper and dry the fish first with blotting paper (Kitchen towel) Smear the fish piece before dropping on a dry hot pan to seal. Reduce the heat and turn twice.

If you want more fun after "oiling" the fish, lightly crust with fine maize flower (Not corn) and drop on pan.

Best of luck.

I think I will cook the old dog to-night!


8-)

Rice bran oil has almost the highest smoking point. It is mild in taste and relieves hot flushes in menopausal women.

thanks DC ..... never knew or had even heard that about grapeseed oil, not that we use that much oil in cooking anyway

rapeseed oil seems to be the new "trendy" but i've never knowingly used it

Coconut oil has a high smoking point , and its a MCT oil which is healthy for you , its about 97% saturated fat but the body treats as a carbohydrate. Good for your hair and skin as well if you use organic cold pressed virgin oil.

My Malaysian lodger uses peanut oil in much of her cooking. High smoke point, though not good for those who have a peanut allergy.