EADD What Are You Munching on? V. Fray Bentos Injury Support Group

[spudgun]

Tonight I shall eat well:

Got some eucalyptus original source as well which I haven't seen before, should be nice.

Is that Scallops, Samphire and Chorizo? You lucky sod. Kind of put a dampner on my possibly treating myself to a curry.

 

[THECATINTHEHAT]

Haha

Yes it is indeed. Cheeky bastards have blanched the samphire before selling it to add water weight. Scallops are hand dived but they're not huge and whilst I had them ordered in specially for me today I get the impression they're not going to be anywhere near as nice as I'm used to working with. We used to get fuckers (much) bigger than a squash ball that were so fresh you could shell them, rinse them, give them a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt then eat them as sashimi and still feel them squirming on the way down!

edit: Tbf they were only £1.15 each, although I'm sure that price was wrong. I've got a bag of clams too (that were really expensive) so'll probably throw a few of those on the plate although most of them are for vongole tomorrow.

 

[spudgun]

Do you live near the sea? I fucking love clams - one of my favourites is a Portuguese pork and clams dish. Half tempted to get some nasty day-old London seafood in a vain attempt to mimic what I have beheld on BL now.

 

[Shambles]

I've never had a scallop but always rather fancied them. Actually no I have had scallops but only those tiny queen scallops (is that what they're called?). Very small things and kinda hard to tell much of anything about. Likes me some fish but have never quite plucked up the courage to check out the fish stall on the market on a Wednesday which is the only source for actual fresh fish without travelling. I've seen the fisherman in some of the coastal towns putting signs up and selling direct to people and they seem to be incredibly reasonably priced compared to any fishmonger - or even supermarket. Despite living very close to the coast I rarely have particular reason for going though so don't. Hunting and gathering of cheap fishies is reason enough I guess. And it's a trip to the seaside. I may just be talking myself into this.

 

[THECATINTHEHAT]

Yes and no, I live in Bristol but they came from the south coast apparently. Don't mind the expensive clams and samphire because they definitely undercharged me on the scallops, no fucker is diving down in to the sea, catching scallops and then deliering them to Bristol for a £1.15 each. Just had a feel of a couple and they're clamped shut really tightly which is a good sign regarding freshness.

They sell hand dived orkney scallops but they buy them preshelled so the transportation costs are lower. This means they've been dead for a whille and they're all just piled up together marinating in their own juices which does not make for a good taste. These ones smell good, pungent sweet scallop aroma. No fishyness at all, which is a bad sign in any seafood even fish, which should smell like the sea if they're fresh.

 

[THECATINTHEHAT]

I've never had a scallop but always rather fancied them. Actually no I have had scallops but only those tiny queen scallops (is that what they're called?).

Yeah that's their name.

If you're going to venture in to eating things like scallops it's worth paying the cashmonies to get hold of the good shit otherwise it will just be disappointing. With regards to scallops, I only ever buy king scallops that have been hand dived and are in their shell. If that means I don't get to eat them very often then so be it, I'd rather eat them less often and have the real deal.

edit: Yeah if you live near the sea and have a car take a trip down there and try and buy straight from the boat. Yan get a great price, the fisherman gets a better price than wholesale, and it's as fresh as you can get.

 

[spudgun]

Yeah you did well on the Scallops. And I've never been able to get clams cheap - spent a fortune in a Cornish fishing village when I last bought them. I thought I was getting ripped off for being an emmet (and I probably was, to some extent), but I think they're a bit pricey whoever you are.

 

[THECATINTHEHAT]

Clams I bought were £15/kg and I had to buy the whole bag of almost a kg. Thinking about it I'll probably be just having a big bowl of clams, garlic, chili, white wine, parsley and butter. Fuck the linguine.

 

[Shambles]

Yeah that's their name.

If you're going to venture in to eating things like scallops it's worth paying the cashmonies to get hold of the good shit otherwise it will just be disappointing. With regards to scallops, I only ever buy king scallops that have been hand dived and are in their shell. If that means I don't get to eat them very often then so be it, I'd rather eat them less often and have the real deal.

edit: Yeah if you live near the sea and have a car take a trip down there and try and buy straight from the boat. Yan get a great price, the fisherman gets a better price than wholesale, and it's as fresh as you can get.

I'm sure that is the case. I only really bought them cos I'd never seen scallops at the local supermarket and had always fancied trying them so was a case of those or none. Don't recall them being unpleasant but not especially memorable. Can't actually remember what I did with 'em actually. Think shelling out for "proper" bacon yesterday got me thinking it really is worth paying for something that tastes so much better given I'm only feeding me so it's not actually a huge difference cos one of those rashers was at least three times as much actual bacon cos it doesn't shrivel cos it's not full of water. Plus it tastes sooooooooooooooooo much better it's well worth 75p a roll (which I think it works out at).

I mostly buy vacuum packed fish cos it's either that or frozen and I don't have freezer space to keep big bags of fish fillets (only got the lil flap at the top of the fridge). It's not fresh but it's not inedible either. Suspect my opinion could easily be swayed if I got into the habit of buying fresh. Not entirely sure quite how fresh market fishmonger would be though. Isn't most of that kinda stuff frozen at sea then defrosted anyway?

 

[spudgun]

Scallops I bought were £15/kg and I had to buy the whole bag of almost a kg. Thinking about it I'll probably be just having a big bowl of scallops, garlic, chili, white wine, parsley and butter. Fuck the linguine.

Enough now!

 

[THECATINTHEHAT]

That was meant to say clams in that post not scallops!

 

[maxalfie]

Munching on a couple of lovely bacon rolls, beautiful

 

[THECATINTHEHAT]

I mostly buy vacuum packed fish cos it's either that or frozen and I don't have freezer space to keep big bags of fish fillets (only got the lil flap at the top of the fridge). It's not fresh but it's not inedible either. Suspect my opinion could easily be swayed if I got into the habit of buying fresh. Not entirely sure quite how fresh market fishmonger would be though. Isn't most of that kinda stuff frozen at sea then defrosted anyway?

Yeah it really depends, you've just got to experiment and use the internet to find the best places. Unfortunately most of the good shit either goes abroad or to restaurants so it can be really hard to find at retail level.

If you have an M&S near you their vacuum packed fish is actually pretty decent, but the vac packing procedure is still a bit of a detriment to the product and can make it clothy. It's expensive as well but it's worth checking out as it's always pretty fresh. If you go for the cheaper bits like plaice or pollack or mackerel you can get a nice bit for a decent price. If you're not so sure with seafood plaice or pollack would be perfect (and cheap) as they are really good eating but quite a mild flavour.

If you want any tips on cooking it just ask!

 

[ColtDan]

Love fish

 

[spudgun]

Got the seafood inspiration going on the curry as a compromise. Ordered a 20A, AKA "Saliza King Prawn":

Marinated king prawns grilled in a tandoor and cooked in a traditional sauce with tamarind, green herbs, curry leaves, ground mustard seeds and a hint of chopped garlic

It has 3 hot icons by it. 3!

EDIT - Gotta say, that was pretty bloody tasty. Prawns were hooning (three mouthfuls each) and it was packed with them. Really tasty. Not cheap, but well worth it.

 

[Shambles]

If you have an M&S near you their vacuum packed fish is actually pretty decent, but the vac packing procedure is still a bit of a detriment to the product and can make it clothy. It's expensive as well but it's worth checking out as it's always pretty fresh. If you go for the cheaper bits like plaice or pollack or mackerel you can get a nice bit for a decent price. If you're not so sure with seafood plaice or pollack would be perfect (and cheap) as they are really good eating but quite a mild flavour.

If you want any tips on cooking it just ask!

No M&S anywhere in the vicinity - this is a one supermarket town and that supermarket is Co-Op. Plaice is okay but am not that big on flat fish. Pollack I'm very partial too and is a good alternative to cod or haddock which is pretty damn pricey. I like to try new fish but options are pretty limited unless I branch out into fishmonger on the market or venture down to the coast or one of the bigger towns in the area.

Cooking of fresh fish is not something I'm confident about. I can fry a fish and I can steam a fish and I can wotcha call it... simmer it in a little milk or other liquid. Would be nice to be a bit more creative with it so may well hit you up for some tips should I find myself faced with an actual fish. I mostly just tend to make fish curries and kedgeree-type things but sure I could manage summat else with a few pointers and suggestion.

Mulitcheese ravioli for dins again tonight with a kinda thrown together coating sauce of green pesto loosened up with milk, come nice locally made cheese and the end of a smoked sausage that needed using. Rather tasty so it was. Mini-pud consisting of...

NSFW:

It was considerably smaller than that in the flesh. Not quite sure how you get a Kit-Kat to taste of cookies and cream but it did.

 

[5StarSquatHotel]

Got a load of Tango (yes Tango as in the fruity fizzy drink brand Tango) shower gel and liquid soaps from the pound shop a while back. They smell delicious. Used Radox "Berry Burst" shower gel earlier and could honestly lick myself it smells so tasty.

For brekky (well lunch given it was midday before I dragged my arse out of bed) today I had two of the finest bacon rolls I've ever had. I was a bit wary spending a fiver on some local farm bacon but lawdy is it good. Massive rashers and thick as fuck. Just gorgeous. Well worth the extra money I'd say. Think I'll give their sossers a go too next time. Also stupidly expensive but quality costs I suppose. It's expensive shopping and cooking for one anyway so I've mostly decided I may as well go for quality over quantity when it comes to things I actually like eating. Got some nice local cheese too. Truly I am friend to all farmers these days.

In the name of HR do not use that Tango shower gel, have you seen whats in it? You do not want that soaking into your skin.

 

[Shambles]

I can't say I have. I've only used the soap and my face is still where it was and works as much as it ever did. Would I recognise whatever is in it as some vile toxin or is it just a load of obscure chemicals like many other similar products?

 

[Chatative]

It was considerably smaller than that in the flesh. Not quite sure how you get a Kit-Kat to taste of cookies and cream but it did.

E numbers, lots of e numbers.

On the fishy side of things, get some Lemon Sole, put some flour on it & fry it in butter for 2 minute a side. Squeeze some lemon over it if you wish. Simple but very nice.

 

[Shambles]

I've actually had lemon sole. I think I have anyway. Memory is slightly hazy whether it was that or skate. I know they are very different fish but it was a long time ago and flat fish look much the same to me. Think it was probably skate come to think of it - very bony. Tasty enough but too much faffing to get any actual flesh from betwixt the bones.

Also, E numbers are rather tasty it seems.