I'm going to try something new every week

[happyaslarry 13]

There are persistent reports that carrot tops are poisonous but as far as I can tell (ie, trawling the internet) this is wrong. It would help if you could log in to report you are still alive!

[taxman 12]

There are persistent reports that carrot tops are poisonous but as far as I can tell (ie, trawling the internet) this is wrong. It would help if you could log in to report you are still alive!

 

If there isn't a reply within a day or two maybe we should call an ambulance.

[suzi00 10]

Beef & butternut squash curry, Cant stop makin it it's so yummy!

[chinaski 10]

I've has sea bass before, but last week I bought a whole wild one from Simmonites for £10, which I thought was very reasonable. Didn't do anything much to it, but it was a revelation, meaty and delicious, a world apart from the farmed stuff.

 

Jellyfish - I bought a packet from the Chinese supermarket. It's a ready to eat snack and came with a couple of sachets but I've no idea what was in them. I put the jellyfish in with a noodle soup. It tastes pretty much how you'd expect jellyfish to taste, which is of very little. I think it's a texture thing . . .

 

I took the opportunity of whole salmon being half price at Morrisons and, finally, got around to making gravadlax. Just used a basic cure mix of salt, sugar and tons of dill. Will see in 2-3 days time how that has gone. Might make it again for Xmas day starter if it works out.

[taxman 12]

I've has sea bass before, but last week I bought a whole wild one from Simmonites for £10, which I thought was very reasonable. Didn't do anything much to it, but it was a revelation, meaty and delicious, a world apart from the farmed stuff.

 

Jellyfish - I bought a packet from the Chinese supermarket. It's a ready to eat snack and came with a couple of sachets but I've no idea what was in them. I put the jellyfish in with a noodle soup. It tastes pretty much how you'd expect jellyfish to taste, which is of very little. I think it's a texture thing . . .

 

I took the opportunity of whole salmon being half price at Morrisons and, finally, got around to making gravadlax. Just used a basic cure mix of salt, sugar and tons of dill. Will see in 2-3 days time how that has gone. Might make it again for Xmas day starter if it works out.

 

Gravadlax is perfect for Christmas. I bought a side of salmon last year from Simmonites and cured it with beetroot and vodka. Ideal for starters or for when people drop in unexpectedly as part of a quick cold buffet. Lasted about a week and fed loads.

[chinaski 10]

Gravadlax is perfect for Christmas. I bought a side of salmon last year from Simmonites and cured it with beetroot and vodka. Ideal for starters or for when people drop in unexpectedly as part of a quick cold buffet. Lasted about a week and fed loads.

 

I'm not sure about my gravadlax result. It's nice, but I'm not certain I've used enough cure and I can't get over the feeling I'm eating raw salmon, which I don't mind, but not when it's over a day or two old. I thought I'd used plenty of salt but maybe next time I'll throw over much more.

 

How long do you cure your gravadlax?

[taxman 12]

How long do you cure your gravadlax?

 

Two days usually. I wrap it tightly in cling film, put it in the fridge in a dish and weigh it down with a couple of tins of beans.

[FIRETHORN1 58]

This thread seems to have died a bit of a death recently. Have we really all run out of new stuff to try??

 

I tried blue shark steak for the first time this week. I'd like to be able to say that I caught, cleaned and filleted it myself on a recent shark-fishing holiday in the Caribbean - but I actually bought it from Iceland......of all places! I got a 1kg pack of frozen blue shark steaks for £5. Can't go wrong at that price really, can you?

 

I was quite impressed. It's a firm, white fish, with a pleasant, mild-ish flavour and a texture that is quite dense - sort of more meaty than fishy.

 

As this was the first time I've ever cooked shark, I went "simple" and just pan-fried a steak of it with a bit of butter,olive oil, garlic and parsley, then ate it with boiled new potatoes and peas. It holds together quite well when cooking though, so I imagine it would be good to use in more robustly-cooked dishes, like fish stews, chowders, curries etc. I'll definitely buy blue shark steaks again!

[taxman 12]

This thread seems to have died a bit of a death recently. Have we really all run out of new stuff to try??

 

 

Apparently so. I tried bone marrow tonight on toast and it was lovely. Like mucky fat from t'olden days.

[taxman 12]

I've had rabbit before years ago but I've never cooked it. That changes today. Going to make a wild rabbit, leek and cider pie.

[chinaski 10]

Great find yesterday at Simmonites - Sea Urchins. They were only a pound each, I always assumed they'd be far more expensive. I took a look at youtube to prepare and was just going to cut the top and scoop out the roe, rather than prepare any dish. Oh the horror! When I cut one open it was full of dark black water and the other 2 weren't much better. I always thought the roe was meant to be orange in colour but these were dark grey. I was warned to marinade first as they has been "travelling" but urchins are like oysters; there's nothing in between fresh and 'should be binned'.

 

Bought some white asparagus from a small stall at the Sheffield Food Festival. I would have liked to have tried their wild asparagus but it had all gone. These were huge specimens and really tasty, but I still think the traditional green stuff has the taste edge.

[FIRETHORN1 58]

Halibut. That's been the "new" thing I've tried in this particular week

 

I've long been intrigued by what this particular fish might taste like and I finally tried it this week. I never see halibut on sale in supermarkets - or in the local cheapo frozen fish shops, so I decided to treat myself to an "on-the-bone" halibut steak from my local, old-fashioned (and now painfully-trendy and equally-painfully expensive) Wet Fishmongers.

 

On the plus side, I really liked the halibut. A nice, mild, meaty and tasty fish that holds it's shape well when you cook it. On the down side, it's so bloody expensive that I doubt I'll be buying it very often. What are the prices of halibut like in Sheffield? It's £24 a kilo where I live in South East London. The bit of halibut steak I bought on Saturday was just under 250g and cost me over a fiver- which is okay for the odd one-off treat, but not something I'd be able to afford to do... or even want to do... on a regular basis!