Ice and Elisabeth

Cracking start to the morning after a previous dismal day - in this weather, why not join Jamie Oliver's Fifteen restaurant as they celebrate their MSC certification and enjoy plenty of local fish dishes, Mitch Tonks (who was seen showing England rugby star Matt Dawson a few culinary tips down the quay last summer) cooked there on Thursday......
end of the season and the yachts begin to come ashore in Penzance harbour......
bounders as the sun breaks into the Bay.......
a small stone set against the footrope, just the sort of thing that trawlers do not need to pick up in their nets, this one came ashore courtesy of the Tranquility......
just finisdhed taking ice......
the Elisabeth Veronique makes her way down the harbour........
while the Chloe T clears away after landing at the market.

Southwest sole food sold in the city

Here's great news for our local boats that target Dover soles!

Top Chelsea fishmonger Mat C, who blogs under the title of London Fishmonger, has posted an in-depth look at the price diferential for Dover soles sourced from two different sea areas. More specifically, he compares Dovers caught off the east coast to those caught down in here in the deeper waters of the south west - and it's the south west soles that get a big thumbs up in terms of quality, appearance, flavour and texture to boot! Better still, it appears that the discerning palates of London customers mean that they are prepared to pay bigger bucks for superior southern sole food!

Proposed new purpose built fish market project approved - but now a new delay

The continuing saga of Newlyn's much needed new fish market takes another turn. Despite the business case for the new market development having met with approval from the MFA (Marine & Fisheries Agency) they have postponed their decision pending a review of situation regarding the harbour's governance. With what appears to be a major source of concern, the MFA points out that, despite the considerable investment planned by the harbour, the Newlyn Harbour commissioners have not held a meeting since April of this year. A more detailed account can be found in an article from the local press here.

To add to the mix, a new Harbour Revision Order, currently awaiting sanction and implementation will see a larger board of governors drawn from local business, commercial and community interests.

Campaigning Consol Oils' captain, Kevin Bennets covers many aspects of the current debate in his forthright blog posting recently - his observation that the port of Dingle in Eire has stolen a march on Newlyn by providing a service point for the Spanish Grand Sole fleet is evidence of the substantial economic gains that a forward looking Newlyn could potentially participate in and benefit from.

My feet are cold

Marine growth on the top of a pot that has been lost and found......
maybe just discovered that his socks are missing.......
the sidewinder Excellent, artwork on W&S service van.....
fresh paint job on the Harvest Reaper........
Carol H dhans.......
expecting a long night ahead, Peter, skipper of the ring netter Resolute, takes some light reading aboard.....
just gone seven pm and the Scillonian III passes Battery Rocks......
destination for some will be the cosy Yacht Inn behind the Jubilee Pool......
the evening skies clear after a day of heavy rain.

Listen to the boys!

Grease monkey

Forklift, tubs and ice ready for the sardine boats to arrive........
Ed loads the Ocean Fish wagon........
as the all important running gear on the end of the derrick gets a good dollop of grease.

Top tomato tip

You know the score, in the recipe it calls for fresh tomatoes, skinned and de-seeded, you reach for the can of tinned toms instead why? because skinning the toms is such a pain - not any more........

with a small sharp knife, cut out the top of the toms as above and drop them into a saucepan of boiling water that just covers them.....
whip them out after about 60 secs and, with the knife pushed down through the top of the tom to hold it still on the chopping board, you will find the peel comes away easy as pie - next step, use your hand to squeeze the tom with just enough force the seeds to squish out - voila!