IN A RIGHT FISH STEW

A stunningly simple fishy feast

Fish is a bit of a problem these days. It’s a classic case of love gone wrong. We want it so much, there isn’t enough left. Basically our fishy favourites are failing. And even if we let them recover, we’re destroying their habitat so there are still no guarantees of successful recovery.

Farming hasn’t helped either. First there is the spread of disease into the wild population and then the fact that farmed fish are fed with wild fish ground into meal. It takes three tonnes to farm a tonne of hunchbacked, captive salmon.

We have to take a hard line. Just as we do with intensively reared meat and poultry. Every time you eat a battery chicken at home or in a restaurant, you are personally encouraging the enrichment of that industry. Same with fish. If you can’t source your food with confidence, don’t eat it. Ignorance is Hell.

The tricky thing is finding a fishmonger who will help. Like trawlermen they have a livelihood to make, so it’s not much in their interest to worry about sustainability. But the best do and with demand, more will. Thankfully some supermarkets in the UK now have a sustainable green fishing policy and support the work of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). Look out for their stamp.

There are alternatives. Pollock, megrim and coley are pretty tasty white fish and oily fish like mackerel, sardines and herring are enjoying a bit of a recovery in UK waters. Shellfish can be hand-gathered instead of dredging and herbivorous fish like carp, tilapia, and barramundi are doing well in freshwater ponds. For anything else just make sure you always go for line-caught, except tuna, which is sadly pretty much out of bounds unless you catch it yourself with a rod or it comes from the MSC endorsed Seafood Producers Cooperative in Alaska.

It’s not all bad news. This week we had sustainable fish stew. It’s a quick and easy way to feed a gang of hungries on a Friday night and doesn’t need much else but some good bread and wine. Like all stews, you need balance, rich liquid and a range of potent flavours steaming from your pot. But unlike meat, fish cooks quickly so you don’t want it stewing for hours. For a quick fish stock the easiest thing is to quickly boil up some vegetables with the remains of any shellfish and fish heads and tails. The fishmonger will sell you these or you can use the bits from the fish you are about to prepare and make the stock on the spot.

Start by making a spicy tomato sauce. Fry garlic in extra virgin oil, add turmeric, cayenne pepper, green peppercorns and when sizzling, add two tins of plum tomatoes. Reduce this lot until it’s a thickish paste, add the stock and a bottle of good white wine. You should be looking at a vat of winey, steaming red liquor. Add two sliced fennel bulbs and simmer.

While doing that cut up chunks of mackerel fillets and wild Alaskan salmon and grill skin side up with soy sauce until crisp. Slice a large squid and a side of Pollack fillet. Beard and scrub mussels and have some fresh langoustines at the ready (their wispy limbs add something to the mix).

Now add everything gradually. First the white fish to cook in the sauce and then the squid and the shellfish. When that’s done add the oily fish and some parsley. Take it bubbling to the table and mop up with large chunks of bread spread generously with a fresh salsa verde of coriander, tarragon, basil, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, sea salt and fresh broken pepper.

Any leftover liquid can be blended to make a potent bisque for Sunday supper.