AN ISLAND OF FISH LOVERS
In the UK it’s fair to say we love our fish… and as we are an island nation, that makes sense!
We eat over 160 million portions of fish & chips alone from the chippy every year. One in 5 of us goes once a week and there are over 10,000 fish & chip shops across the nation! That is almost 10 times the number of either MacDonalds or KFC restaurants, pretty impressive…
Fish on the menu truly spans the dining spectrum. From the finest, wild Scottish salmon gracing the plates of London’s most elegant eateries, to the simple lip-smacking anticipation of that perfectly battered cod on a Friday – it is a dish that is truly at the heart of our foodie life.
At E&O, we do love our local chippy with its staples of cod, haddock, and sole – but we are also in love with the increasing variety and availability of freshwater fish, coming from the independents all across the country. Fish is also low in fat, so it is a healthy alternative to red or processed meat. We’ve taken some time to look around, discover and sample what’s going on in the rivers and lakes of the UK.
Charlie’s Trout, a wonderful farm in Wiltshire, raise their fish in the beautiful crystal clear water of the region’s famous Wiltshire Avon, where the highly oxygenated chalk river water flows freely through the farm’s raceways. Swimming against a constant inflow of water keeps Charlie’s fish lean, healthy and in perfect condition. Once harvested here, they end up in Charlie’s Smokehouse where they are filleted and salted, then smoked over a mix of oak and beech wood chips in traditional kilns. These delicious fillets can be used in all sorts of ways; how about on a Blini as a mouthwatering hors d’oeuvre, or on eggs Florentine as the perfect breakfast? Yum!
Of course the regal salmon in all its wonderful varieties will be on any piscivore’s menu and we’d like to tell you more about the whiskery catfish or the somewhat scary pike, but there’s not enough time for that today. However, for something a little more adventurous in the freshwater fish scene, how about the Loch Neagh Eel?
This species’ name is protected – only a Loch Neagh Eel can come from Northern Ireland’s Loch Neagh, the UK’s largest lake, in beautiful County Antrim. There’s another condition too: they must be caught using only sustainable fishing methods. The picturesque loch also provides the eels with a highly nutritious, natural source of food, which contributes to the special flavour for which they are renowned. In the lake you’ll also find the Lough Neagh pollan, a variety of herring not often found on plates in the UK. It has a short season, and it seems the local fishermen send most of it to Switzerland, where it this silver skinned white fish is prized for its smooth, soft and meaty flesh… maybe we can change that and encourage more of us here in the UK to eat it 😊…
So, with old traditions, new discoveries, and a wonderful taste to discover, do try to explore the UK freshwater fish if you can. Tell us what fish you enjoy and what you’d like to see listed here on Earth & Ocean.
Check out our Eggs Florentine recipe here
