Back to salad sharing plates - The “F” word ...

After our brief interlude it's back to salad sharing plates.

The one ingredient that we've not covered yet is fish (and seafood too) hence “the F word”.

Fish is tricky - it always seems to produce quite definite reactions – like the “don't do green” scenario.

The comments go something like, “it's too fishy”, “it's boring and has no flavour” or “I only like it when it's covered in batter and comes with chips”.

Do you feel that you should eat fish (without the batter) because it's good for you – oily fish being rich in Omega 3 oils and forms part of a balanced diet?

There's no doubt that the strong flavour of some fish is overpowering.

There's a way that you can make “strong” fish more palatable and that's to put it with other ingredients that are more neutral – for example, potatoes.

The other extreme – it's boring and has no flavour is decidedly underwhelming. There's a way you can make “boring” fish more appealing and tasty by adding spices and herbs.

Do you avoid fish and seafood but will eat it under sufferance? You could try the art of disguise – in other words include it in a dish with other interesting ingredients so that it doesn't either take over completely or is so boring and tasteless it needn't be there at all.

As with previous sharing plate ideas, variety is the spice of life – serve both hot and cold.

The final element to be considered - what is in season? There are two particular candidates that certainly fit the bill – new potatoes – Jersey Royals in particular and asparagus.

Lets begin with “it's too fishy”.