Ah, the joy of fish. Last night we ate turbot at a ridiculous price, but turbot so fresh, its next of kin had not yet been notified. Therefore the price was justified.

I love that programme on Sky TV about the most dangerous jobs in the world. I can leave the lumberjacks and ice road drivers to their tasks, but when it comes to fishermen, I am in awe. Men who go out in small boats in the most treacherous conditions to bring us back small fish, if they are lucky.

I don’t eat meat. Well, I don’t eat slices, roasts or chops. But I do enjoy liver, kidneys, mince, brain and trotters. Strange, a bit Hannibal the Cannibal isn’t it?

I love things from the sea, or our lake.

Fishing, no matter how big the boat or net, is still “The Hunt”. Not much in our food pile is hunted anymore. Cattle, pigs, sheep and poultry are raised in horrendous conditions. But fish, apart from the anaemic, farmed varieties, are hunted down by robust and hearty fishermen who work in the most awful weather to catch noble cod, hake, skate, haddock, sole and a whole family of white fish that has lived the wild life that a fish should, and flake beautifully from the bone – if properly cooked. I adore the sardine and herring too as I feel they oil my joints. A two-day bash on a diet of nothing but oysters, whelks, mussels, winkles and clams I find rejuvenating. But they must be consumed close to the sea for the sake of freshness and economy.

I live 700 kilometers from the sea, and the likelihood of getting a fresh piece of turbot is rare. But yesterday we found it. I won’t tell you where, because it may not be the same quality next time, and I don’t want to disappoint you.

If you live in this area, the Saturday market in Ferney or the Sunday market in Divonne have excellent fresh fish and shellfish. And if you are not sure about the cooking, just ask the fishmonger. If you are nice to him, he’ll cut your head off and throw in a lemon too, and a bunch of parsley.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 30th, 2009 at 9:05 am and is filed under Main blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.