Having shared my enthusiasm for game, this week I’m turning my attention to fish. Early autumn brings not only an abundance of earthy ingredients, like wild mushrooms, it also heralds the season for many kinds of fish.
On a recent visit to my local fishmonger, I found the counter brimming with fresh, colourful and shiny mackerel, bream, brown trout, red mullet, and various kinds of flat fish such as sole and plaice.
Of course, there were the usual fillets of farmed salmon and Icelandic cod, but I think it would be a shame (not to mention boring), to stick to eating the same kinds of fish all year round.
For me, the real treat of this time of year is a bushel full of knobbly oysters. I wait all summer for this moment – there’s nothing better than freshly shucked oysters with a simple squeeze of lemon or a teaspoon of shallot vinaigrette. If you like oysters, then September must be your favourite month of the year – the first in five months with an “r” in it.
On this particular visit, I picked up a Torbay sole, some John Dory fillets and a brown trout for an all-fish supper. If you’ve never heard of Torbay sole, you may be familiar with its previous name, witch sole. The fish has a delicate flavour with smooth and silky flesh – a true delicacy.
A few years ago, the good marketing folk at the main supermarkets decided to rebrand the sole because its original, Hallowe’en-inspired name was offputting to British consumers. Rightly or wrongly, we had been shipping all our catch to France and Spain, where they have no trouble enjoying the fish regardless of its name. If the new label really has encouraged more people to try this sustainable fish, then I’m all for it.
One fish that actually does deserve a scary title is John Dory. It’s a skinny fish with an enormous head, a menacing-looking spine and intimidating fins.
John Dory has a low flesh-to-skeleton ratio, but it remains a favourite among chefs due to its divine flavour. If you’re confident enough to fillet the fish yourself, save the head and bones to make a delicious stock or fish soup. The fillets are perfect simply shallow-fried with a little butter and seasoning, with ratatouille as an accompaniment.
Brown trout also has a unique, delicate flavour, and some people say that it is far superior in taste to its ubiquitous cousin, the rainbow trout.
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Although it’s in season now, you may need to order the fish a day before you plan to cook it. Brown trout is still being farmed on a small scale because it takes twice as long as rainbow trout to grow to full size, so you may find it quite elusive at the fish counter, even if it is the right season.