Allotments 4 All

Fresh out - so, dilute Shrimp Paste??

hmmm. depends in the dish I think. (me, I keep Sainsbury's cubes in for such eventualities :)).....so, try a touch of shrimp paste diluted in water or vegetable stock & wine praps and see what it's like? From memory, shrimp paste (not the Shippam variety in the jar I'm assuming?) is pretty concentrated, so take care.

That tickled your fancy??

No - not Shippams -

i agree with lishka - water,white wine and whisk in shrimp past.

what are you making tim?

debs

This was the last one - Fish stew

that looks good enough to eat  ;D

whose recipe?

There are so many - this is ours - only the fish, though!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/spanishseafoodstew_85040

Quote from: tim on July 15, 2011, 19:52:25
That tickled your fancy??

How could I resist!

I'm constantly amazed (Come Dine With Me) etc.....at how few people actually like/eat fish? And us an Island nation?

That's wrong. Just WRONG (shaking-head-in-disbelief, eye-rolling emoticon here)...

Problem is that is no longer a cheap source of protein, the variety is fairly limed in the supermarket and the processor produces rather grim products for sale is said supermarket.  Enough to put anyone off.

Quote from: lottie lou on July 16, 2011, 13:11:12
Problem is that is no longer a cheap source of protein, the variety is fairly limed in the supermarket and the processor produces rather grim products for sale is said supermarket.  Enough to put anyone off.

absolutely agree on both counts. I'm blessed with living in a multi-cultural society where the Bull Ring market caters to all and, tho affordable anyway, at 3.30pm onwards, at knock-down prices too.

Every encouragement to 1) buy your fish, then 2) Google what you've bought and ways of cooking it ;D

Oh you use the Bull Ring as well? 

A bit more Bull - said before, but...........

.............used to walk our 2 dogs - no lead - along Broad Street - aged 10 or thereabouts........

Ahh Tim your memories go back a long, long way, mine to only the 60s but what a change since then! Not all good, but certainly not all bad either - the clearing of the canals and opening up all that derelict area for one. (still off-topic.Tim, that right you're an Elkington of the silverplate family? Whatever's happened to B'ham silverworkers..been trying to find a replater of EPBM (Britannia Metal) = no go. Devastated.)

Back to the fish...so was the diluted fishpaste successful?

And, Lou, yes I use both the veg. and meat/fish markets. A fishy(?) friend is coming for the weekend soon - plan is to buy fish (various) at closing time, bring it back to mine and have a l-o-o-o-n-g Sat. afternoon/evening/night a-cooking, a-drinking and eating several courses. How good is that?

Waiting on my invite.  Don't you find it off putting though seeing the fruit and veg piled high at a FRACTION of the price it costs you to produce?  Bowls of this that and t'other at a £1 per bowl.   

actually Lou, it was because I can go into Brum for nothing,( thanks to my twirly) AND seeing baby plum tomatoes at £1 a bowl and after tasting them again....and again...and again before buying - and they really are delicious, that made me decide to stop growing them this year. No more blight! No more going out in the rain to water/feed them in the greenhouse! No more planning trips away according to who is around to step in & do the necessary & could I really trust anyone to know about pinching out, etc.etc.?! And all that free time. Well, that's the theory anyway. So why was I plodding out in the rain to water my g/house cucs today and feed my chilli plants? hmmmm. But yes it's true that the wonderful veggies at knock-down prices have influenced me greatly in cutting back on what I grow. Still getting withdrawal pangs, but hey! I'll survive.

Because you miss the satisfaction of saying I grew that - the taste and the ability to pick when just ready to be eaten, the freshness.  The sense of wellbeing sitting in your greenhouse talking to your plants, whom are extremely polite do not judge and don't interrupt, being surrounded by a lush forest of lovely smelling greenery. 

Easiest recipe for fish stock is to get some prawns which want peeling.

Peel the prawns and enjoy. boil up the the shells for five minutes. Strain through a sieve.

Loads of taste for a pint of stock in just enough prawn shells  for one prawn cocktail. To make it extra special boil up the shells in chicken (or duck)  stock.

It is worth keeping a little bag of fresh prawn shells in the freezer IF you can get fresh prawns anywhere these days.

Anchovy or Oriental shrimp sauce which keeps for ages can be sparingly added to chicken stock if one is truly desperate.

Dont try using tinned fish I assure you it does not work.

Lishka - yes & yes!

Here's another from a cook book I would recommend to all fish lovers:

I use whatever fish/shellfish I can buy as lobster is expensive, but good if using recipe for a dinner party.

Delicious Fish by Claire MacDonald of MacDonald

Cooked lobster, cut into chunks
8 scallops, cooked & cut in half
8oz cooked, shelled prawns
8oz white crabmeat
1 pt mussels weighed in shells, cooked & taken out shells

Sauce

3oz butter
2 medium onions finely chopped
2tsp curry powder
1 tblsp flour
1/2 pt double cream
6 tblsp brandy
salt & pepper
heaped tbsp finely chopped parsley


Sauce

Melt butter in large saucepan. Add onion & cook for 5 mins until transparent. Stir in curry powder & flour and cook for further couple of mins. Pour in cream, stirring all the time unti sauce simmers gently. Take off heat & stir in brandy.
Add shellfish, reheat, stirring carefully until sauce is barely simmering. Tip contents of saucepan into warmed serving dish, sprinke with parsley.
Serve with rice and a good mixed salad, served separately.