Peppered Ray from Nathan's British Seafood

As luck would have it, a ray wing made itself available for a first time quick dip into Nathan Outlaw's new British Seafood book.....

a handful of ingredients make up the butter-based mustard sauce, with shallot, whole lemon chopped, garlic, 50-50 of red wine and red wine vinegar........

and, as tarragon is in short supply, a quick trip to the herb garden for a few leaves of lemon balm......

a good dollop of grainy mustard complete the sauce along with the ray wing.......

which is first given a few minutes to brown one side on top of the stove......

when it is then flipped over, peppered, and popped in a pre-heated oven at 200˚......

serve the ray topped with the sauce and, as this was a very quick dish,a handful of veg including some local new Cornish pots. Good to see this first dip into the book produced an excellent dish at such short notice. Sweating some white or even purple onion could have made a substitute for the shallot if needed I guess. A more in-depth look at the book will accompany the next,less hurried dish - when consideration will be given to the remaining recipes, layout and usefulness - looks very promising so far!

Way to go?

An over view of the Catch Shares management system introduced in almost half of the USA's fisheries - their tangible results in terms of raising catches and stock levels speak for themselves - is this a lesson to be learned here in the UK and EU?

However, never does politics miss an oppoortunity to fly in the face of common sense it seems as the latest fishing industry vote in the House of representatives would seem to indicate!

"In a disappointing move for the environment and the fishing industry, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a rider that would effectively ban new federal catch shares for fisheries in the East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico. That, despite the picture described below:

Thanks in large part to catch shares, many fisheries in the United States have been turning a corner after decades of overfishing, massive job losses and closures. Fish caught in catch shares currently account for about half of the value and over three quarters of the volume of commercial landings in federal waters. 

With catch shares, fishermen are allocated a secure amount of fish they can catch throughout the season. The alternative is to control fishing by setting limits on when fishermen can fish, how much they can catch within a period of time or what kind of gear they can use. This approach can bring unintended consequences, such as depleted fish populations, a race to fish, economic hardship, decreased safety and the forced dumping of fish overboard that die. Keeping catch shares as an option has been supported not only by several environmental organizations, but also by fishing organizations representing thousands of American fishermen, the Bush and Obama administrations, interest groups from across the political spectrum and many scientists. Catch shares have had an impressive track record in the U.S. For instance, since the implementation of the first catch share program in the Gulf of Mexico in 2007, for Red Snapper, the species has rebounded and in 2010 the fishermen were allowed to catch 39% more. In addition, the price fishermen have received for red snapper has increased 40% and they can now fish year-round instead of just for 52 days."

Courtesy of  John Mimikakis writing for on the EDF web site.


All this on the back of a warming story covered by the Boston Globe yesterday:

A large cod catch unloaded in South Boston. (Dina Rudick/ Globe staff )

I’ll have the cod, please!

If you care about the future of wild fish stocks and fishing families, there is an easy way to protect both when you shop or eat out: Buy New England-caught cod, flounder, haddock and other groundfish. That’s because after decades of decline, these iconic fish — the backbone of a centuries-old industry — are now being managed sustainably under a two-year-old program called catch shares. It may seem like being a conscientious seafood lover is a no-win proposition these days, with fishermen on one side and well-intentioned retailers and conservation advocates on the other. Consumers rightfully want their purchases to reflect their beliefs. But at the same time, turning your back on responsibly caught, local fish can be an unintended blow to fishing communities up and down the New England coast. 

For years, Environmental Defense Fund’s (EDF) Seafood Selector — along with similar guides from other conservation organizations — recommended avoiding some of the most popular fish caught in US waters, including New England. Atlantic cod and haddock, Gulf of Mexico red snapper and grouper, and Pacific rockfish were once categorized as unsustainable choices, largely because of unworkable fishing regulations that had devastating impacts on fish and fishermen alike. Red snapper populations crashed in the northern Gulf of Mexico, and the major Pacific rockfish fishery was declared a federal disaster by the Secretary of Commerce in 2000. 

The New England groundfishery has been rocked by crisis after crisis for decades. These fisheries were subjected to an ever-changing set of rules attempting to limit how much fishermen could catch by restricting their time at sea, where they could fish at different times of year, and setting use-it-or-lose-it trip limits on key fish stocks. This was all in an attempt to keep stocks at stable levels, but perversely led to increasing waste of perfectly marketable fish and escalating uncertainty about what was really happening at sea. Hemmed in by ever-shortening seasons, fishermen in these fisheries had no choice but to venture out in bad weather and fish even when they knew they would haul up fish that was out-of-season or undersized. Fishing laws of the time required fishermen to shovel those fish back overboard even though most were already dead.  

The result was a downward spiral for the fish and the fishermen.

Now where have we heard that before?!! 

Nathan Outlaw's British Seafood out today!

From his early days with his old boss and well-known TV chef, Rick Stein to today where he now holds court in his eponymous fish restaurant - and the only 2-star Michelin restaurant in Cornwall - at the St Enodoc Hotel across the river Camel; Nathan Outlaw sees his masterclass in British Seafood finally grace the shelves of bookshops today.........

beautifully and helpfully illustrated on every page, the book covers all aspects of fish found in British waters - Through the Gaps will be road testing some of the recipes over the coming weeks - be it big white fish like hake fresh from the Ajax who sails today or favourites like red mullet, bream or brill from the inshore trawler Elisabeth Veronique - both boats due to put trips ashore early next week.


Keep an eye out for Nathan on TV in the coming weeks - he'll be there again representing the South West on the Great British Menu and no doubt keen to grab the fish dish - especially as near-neighbour Paul Ainsworth will be a contender - as well as appearing with James Martin on Saturday Kitchen in a few weeks time.

Good Catch - the essentials

Open publication 

Comprehensive gude to sourcing fresh fish that meet with the kind of ethical principles many would like to see as the norm for consumers - in education and training speak lets say, "working towards".

Mentioned in the text are shining examples from around the country, some far from having easy access to nearby seaside fish markets such as the Duke of Cambridge in Islngton, London.

Sustainability pledge from the fish friers gets thumbs up from HRH!

Salt 'n vinegar Sir?

The National Fish Friers' Federation announce sustainability pledge following meeting with HRH 


The Prince of Wales His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales today met with representatives from the National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF), past and present Fish and Chip industry award winners of both the Good Catch Sustainability award and Young Fish Frier of the Year competition, along with senior representatives of the sector's leading fish suppliers. 


 Meeting aboard the Marine Scotland research vessel FRV Scotia, moored at Leith Harbour, Edinburgh during the World Fisheries Congress, The Prince of Wales discussed practical ways in which the Fish and Chip sector can help to ensure sustainably sourced fish stays at the top of menu and in the mind of the consumer. He heard from fish and chip shop owners, from suppliers and Young Fish Friers of the Year, Zohaib Hussain and Carlyn Johnson, presented their vision for the future of the sector. In conclusion Gregg Howard, President of the NFFF presented a pledge to ensure sustainably sourced fish in the nation's Fish and Chip shops. Realising this will mean working with suppliers, supporting well managed fisheries, educating shop owners and consumers alike. 


 Initially a Responsible Sourcing Code will be drawn up by the NFFF in conjunction with the Young Fish Friers group and Good Catch Award winners. Fish and chip shops throughout the UK will then be urged to share the good practices in fish sourcing, to help ensure that the fish they are serving has come from well managed sustainable fisheries. Another great achievement for today's modern fish and chip industry would be the ability to serve ‘conscience free' cod or haddock to their customers. 


The NFFF has agreed to work with the Marine Stewardship Council and Good Catch to support fish and chip shops wanting to gain the MSC Chain of Custody certification, and to provide a simplified process that allows more shops to become involved. The NFFF also joined over 100 other signatories from around the world, in signing up to the Prince's International Sustainability Unit's global declaration on good fisheries.

Mission message to skippers!

Could you help?

We’re appealing to boat owners and skippers to support the canteen. We are trying many ways to keep prices down but our suppliers are passing on the increases in raw materials and the cost to transport them.

How can you help?

By sponsoring the Haddock on Fridays this will hold off the need to increase prices again. If several boats could donate 15 Haddock per week, so for example if 8 boats joined in then that’s a donation of Haddock once every two months, we’d be able to keep prices down. On that Friday we’d make sure that the name of the boat and all concerned were promoted in the canteen, our website, blog and the Fishermen’s Mission magazine.

Please speak to either Superintendant Keith or Julian or Ali at the Mission.

Mini 6.50 update

It's looking like the French team will beat the Brits and the Kiwi back to Plymouth Hoe with the eponymous Maxime Salle just minutes away (screen shot taken at 0807 this morning) from entering Plymouth harbour.......

the rest of the fleet are strung out to the west, Basecamp is not so far behind given the distance sailed from Sunday's start - with Mad Spaniel just off the Lizard having run many miles off to the southard to try and get as much following wind for a long reach home.