Monk fish in black bean sauce followed by a fruit blizzard

 Monk fish can take strong flavours well, this recipe called for scallops so the monk was cut to resemble scallop meats.......

 the black bean sauce was made from salted black beans (they keep forever), garlic and grated ginger.......

 very hot spicy prawn starter........

 meanwhile, back at the stove, a quick stir fry of the monk.......

 before cooking off the black bean sauce..........

 to which the monk is added for a few minutes to coat........

always good to follow a fish dish with something citrus, homemade blackcurrant ice cream with an icy fruit blizzard, frozen mango, pineapple, watermelon.

Tall ships and tugs.

Seems the litter bin goblins have been active again......

the boys aboard the Chloe T will be hoping for better drying weather over the next few days......

fresh turbot tangle gear going on the CKS.........

while it's everything off the Silver Dawn......

the tall ship Georg Stage is at anchor over the weekend.....

always carry a spare set......

the Cathryn is in need of some below the waterline maintenance......

the only tuna in the port this morning.......

sparks fly on the new crabber......

the old drifter Feasible is at rest.......

as is visiting tug Flat Holm, Through the Gaps' grandfather was on a merchant ship called the Sheaf Holm for many years before WWII.

Make your thoughts known to the Commissioners.

Since the Harbour Commissioner's official line of communication via its web site appears not to be carrying any news or updates there are now two alternative means of getting in touch.........

this is the official route, a bright blue box outside the harbour office......

or, alternatively, a large sheet of paper has been pasted on the outside of the fish market inviting comments from the community which the harbour serves!

Falmouth Coastguard to stay in business - 24/7.

SAR services from RNAS Culdrose will continue to be co-ordinated by Falmouth Coastguard.

Round-the-clock coastguard cover in Cornwall has been saved after a Government U-turn.Ministers are expected to announce today that Falmouth coastguard station will operate 24-hours a day under revised plans. It was threatened with only being open during daylight.

However, the South Devon coastguard station that covers a vast sweep of the Westcountry coast is to be closed under the controversial plans.

Shutting the Brixham watch, which covers the coastline from Dodman Point in Cornwall to Topsham in Devon, means campaigners have failed to force a U-turn over the border.

Today's announcement follows a mass public outcry in the wake of modernisation proposals drawn up by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to shut half the UK's stations.

The Westcountry would have been left without 24-hour coastguard cover, leading to fears over the safety of a range of groups, from tourists to fishermen.

But Transport Secretary Philip Hammond will today announce "adapted" plans. He will say seven out of 18 stations in the UK are to close, effectively saving three stations that were originally earmarked for closure.

Brixham is one of those to go, the Western Morning News understands. The 11 stations to remain open, including Falmouth, will all operate 24 hours a day.

Coastguard agency staff and MPs feared lives were being put at risk because of a loss of local knowledge as a result of coastguards being sacked.

The new plans are set to go out for a further six-week consultation, but it will only be on the revisions – dashing remaining hopes Brixham gets an 11th hour reprieve.

Shipping Minister Mike Penning had previously insisted that the original proposals would be changed, but also stressed the status quo was not an option.

Commentators have felt that Brixham was always at greater risk than Falmouth because of Falmouth's expertise in international rescues.

But Brixham supporters claimed this was a misnomer as the Devon station takes over the multi-national operations when Falmouth is down.

But fears for Brixham's future were heightened when Mr Penning described the distance between the two as "ridiculously close" when justifying the need for closures. Campaigners have pointed out there are more road miles between other centres.

Mr Penning also revealed that Falmouth had proposed shutting its "twin" station Brixham in its response to the coastguard consultation.

Under the original proposals, which were commissioned five years ago under the Labour government, three stations would have operated around-the-clock. That would have meant the closest 24-hour station covering the Westcountry would have been in the Portsmouth and Southampton area.

Sheryll Murray, Conservative MP for South East Cornwall, whose constituency is covered by the Brixham station, is among a number of MPs who have called on the Government to go back to the drawing board. Mrs Murray's husband Neil, a fisherman, died at sea in March in waters covered by the Devon station.

She has said the lives of more fishermen would be at risk with Brixham gone.


Article courtesy of the Cornishman.

Maria Damanki posts a discussion on her presentation at Brussels yesterday.

Maria Damanki has posted this video response to yesterdays presentation - it has taken many years for someone to publicly admit that the CFP is at stood did little to secure a viable future for the fish stocks of Europe.

Let the debate commence.

Sicilian tuna recipes by Franca Colonna Romano.

With the Cornish tuna boat Ben Loyal back at sea (and an update from Quentin and the boat's blog) it's time to plan for the next landing and some suitable recipes for albacore tuna. Much prized around th Island of Scicilly, tuna were a part of everyday eating alonmg the coastline during the tuna season.

The recipes below are found in the book, Sicilia in Bocca - Sicily in the mouth - by Franca Colonna Romano, published in 1976. The dedication on the cover reads, Si li pinnuli sarannu nuintati a lu postu di li belli manciati mi vuliti divi chi cosa arresta fui fari na bella festa which loosley translates from the Sicilian to "may you enjoy eating some of these dishes under the stars in good company". This particluar copy was awarded to the delgates of the 1978 Iveco Conference at the Villa Sant'Andrea in Taormina, Sicily.

 The book is full of superb illustrations........  The book provides three version of each recipe,......

  the first in a Sicilian dialect........... 

 - followed by the Italian and then English version - the first dish is for Palmerjtan or Siraceusan Tuna involving marinating with garlic and oil simmered with tomatoes.......

the second recipe looks as though it is for fish cakes - but be warned, the translator appears to have used the words for fish cakes when they should have used fish balls - as the word polpette means meatballs!........

as can be seen from the Italian version........

and the Sicilian version - elsewhere potatoes are used when the recipe should read tomatoes! This famous Italian writer's cook book is a collectors item and first editions like this are extremely rare.

Fishing for swordfish.

Fish and Summer in St Ives.

See before you eat........

at Matthew Stevens' fish and shellfish emporium.........

it's the in thing in St Ives, where the press have been speculating whether it is Gordon Ramsay, Hugh Fearnley-Whittinstall or Rick Stein who is set to move into a new fish restaurant nearing completion on the seafront.......

an exciting new venture this year, celebrating the two Jumbo luggers that have been built in recent years......

meanwhile, the multi-million pound refurbishment of the Porthmeor net lofts continues apace with a neat little pas de deux twixt builder and his ladder.......

and much of the original facade maintaining its character it seems.......

maybe you need to knock three time for Naomi Frears........

downlalong in the St Ives Tate, thousands of visitors have added their heights to this room-filling measuring fest.........

each person's height recorded by hand with the aid of a solid black felt-tip pen.......

in the entrance lobby, Martin Creed has emptied his lungs to fill the gallery space with thousands of white ballons which deter none but the most claustrophobic from entering.......

the UK's biggest ball pool created especially for the enjoyment of adults it seems........

and much photographed by those on the balcony trying to catch a glimpse of their friends below.......

onshore and offshore at Porthmoer.......

inshore boats from around the coast on their moorings all set for an afternoon's mackerel fishing......

even with the dazzling gold braid, here's one Harbourmaster not afraid to get his hands dirty once in a while......

it's a family affair overending gear aboard the cat, Dignity.