Foodie Lass A cookbook to celebrate the British seafood community and their food
For the Love of the Sea ll is quite a unique book. Not only does this book provide the reader with wonderful seafood recipes but it also describes the people who work in associated industries within our coastal communities, bringing the seafood story to life! The list is quite extensive, from fishmongers, foragers, basket weavers, chefs and even marine scientists.
The reader can find a huge selection of fish and seafood recipes to try at home. Seafood and fish can really contribute to a healthy lifestyle. You can try many of the recipes at home such as Haddock Scotch eggs, Thai Red Curry Mussels or Stargazer Pie.
Here is one of the delicious recipes taken from the book:
Pan Fried Silver Mullet with Jersey Potatoes
2 Silver Mullet fillets (2 large fillets or 4 small cuts)
Jersey sea salt and black pepper, to taste
500g Jersey Royals (the smallest are the best for flavour)
Olive oil, for frying
2 tsp Jersey salted butter, plus extra for serving
Greens, vegetables, or salad of your choice
1 lemon
Method
Preheat the oven to 170°c fan.
Check your fillets fit in your chosen frying pan – if they’re too long cut them in half – as you don’t want the fish lying up the sides.
Make diagonal cuts along the skin – this helps to stop it curling in the pan. Season both sides with Jersey sea salt and black pepper.
Bring a saucepan of water to boil, add salt, and then add the Jersey Royals. For a traditional Jersey touch, add fresh mint leaves.
Put a relatively generous amount of olive oil in a frying pan over a high heat. Once hot, add the fish fillets skin side down. If you can’t fit them all in one, go don’t worry as we will be putting the fried fillet in the oven before serving so you have time.
Don’t move the fillets at first, allowing the skin to cook and crisp up. Once it has, begin to move them and the oil around the pan and the fish to stop the fillets from sticking.
When the fish is almost cooked (you will see a texture and colour change) add the Jersey butter; this adds more flavour but also brings a beautifully golden glow to the fillets.
After the fillets are cooked (how long depends on the size of each fillet, but it should be about 15 minutes), reduce the oven temperature to around 120°c. Place the fillets on a tray and pop them in the oven for 8-10 minutes.
Boil your greens of choice (we used broccoli and green beans from the local farmer) and check your Royals are cooked. If they are, remove them from the saucepan and add a generous amount of Jersey butter over them.
Season the greens with some Jersey sea salt and remove the fish from the oven. Plate the fish, Jersey Royals and greens.
Cut the lemon into quarters, squeeze the juice from one quarter over the fish and add the remaining quarters to the plate.
All you need to accompany the dish is the fresh lemon, as the flavour and juiciness of the fish will be more than enough to impress!
The great thing about this recipe is that it can easily be adapted for more or less people.
This book really delivers on the impact of advocacy and sustainability through education. The Fish in Schools Hero programmes, run by the Food Teachers Centre, aims to introduce young people to the enjoyment of cooking with fish and seafood and to give them an interest in health and nutrition.
For the Love of the Sea ll is a 192 page hardback book. It can be purchased from Amazon, independent bookshops and online from www.mezepublishing.co.uk also www.jennyjefferies.co.uk. 10% of the net profits from the sale of the book are donated to the Food Teaching Centre Charity which champions sustainability and education.
