I went out looking for some fish today, not because it's Friday but because I like eating fish. I got a fish I'd never heard of in my local fishmonger yesterday. It was called a tilapia and the fillets had a reddish hue and were quite firm. The fishmonger said they were firmer and sharper flavoured than a lemon sole. He was right and at €1 a fillet, it was not just delicious, it was good value, too. I had to google the tilapia, of course, and I found out it was the most farmed fish in the United States and the fifth most important species of farmed fish, globally.
Is it my imagination or are there more people eating fresh fish these days? The Irish have always made a big deal about being surrounded by fish but we never appear to consume as much as we could, and should. Cod, haddock, ray and salmon will always have their enthusiasts but now, they've been joined by mackerel, sole, tilapia, squid, sea bream and bass. You can even buy fresh tuna, sardines and swordfish these days, in most good fishmongers.
And it's not just foreign travel or gourmet tv shows that are widening our horizons. There are plenty of good Chinese supermarkets in Dublin now and their fresh fish sections are expanding. This morning there were razor clams, fresh prawns, soft shell crabs, red gurnard, snails and sea bass on sale.
Improvements and commercial imperatives have brought massive changes in fishing, too. Nowadays, trawlers are like floating factories and fish arrives ashore these days, dressed, filleted and even cooked. That certainly appears to be the condition of the North Atlantic prawn these days. I've been trying to source the juicy little devils, unshelled, cooked and frozen but so far, I've only succeeded to find them shelled, cooked and frozen. Until, of course, I went into my local Chinese supermarket and there they were, all pink and lovely and ready to be eaten. So what else did I get on my travels? A handful of clams, just enough for some tomato clam sauce and spaghetti with just a hint of chilli. Better get cooking...
Is it my imagination or are there more people eating fresh fish these days? The Irish have always made a big deal about being surrounded by fish but we never appear to consume as much as we could, and should. Cod, haddock, ray and salmon will always have their enthusiasts but now, they've been joined by mackerel, sole, tilapia, squid, sea bream and bass. You can even buy fresh tuna, sardines and swordfish these days, in most good fishmongers.
And it's not just foreign travel or gourmet tv shows that are widening our horizons. There are plenty of good Chinese supermarkets in Dublin now and their fresh fish sections are expanding. This morning there were razor clams, fresh prawns, soft shell crabs, red gurnard, snails and sea bass on sale.
Improvements and commercial imperatives have brought massive changes in fishing, too. Nowadays, trawlers are like floating factories and fish arrives ashore these days, dressed, filleted and even cooked. That certainly appears to be the condition of the North Atlantic prawn these days. I've been trying to source the juicy little devils, unshelled, cooked and frozen but so far, I've only succeeded to find them shelled, cooked and frozen. Until, of course, I went into my local Chinese supermarket and there they were, all pink and lovely and ready to be eaten. So what else did I get on my travels? A handful of clams, just enough for some tomato clam sauce and spaghetti with just a hint of chilli. Better get cooking...
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