A fish called Colin!

A fishy tale....

In recent years I have been spending most of my holidays in Spain and loving the rich variety of fish available.  Many of the varieties are not seen in English fishmongers and it takes quite an effort to learn what is what.  In the 1980s I spent many summers in France and became somewhat confused by some of the names used for particular varieties of fish.  In Paris I had come across Colin and was told it was Hake, but in south west France, where I usually stayed, Hake was called Merlu.

I was not the only one to be confused as this letter in The Guardian from 2009 shows:

·         The Guardian, Friday 10 April 2009

We have frequently found confusion in France over what to ask for when buying hake (Letters, 9 April). Ask for a colin south of the Loire and they won't know what you're talking about as they call it merlu. But north of the Loire, especially in Paris, it's called colin. We are not alone in our confusion as Larousse (1961 edition) recognised the north-south divide, but quotes merlan for the south, even though this is whiting. Keep up with me.

Move on 10 years and Pamela Vandyke Price just recognises colin as hake, in an otherwise remarkably useful Eating and Drinking in France Today (1971). Move on another 30 years and Alan Davidson's North Atlantic Seafood (2003) uses colin and merlu correctly, but also adds to the confusion by calling pollack colin in northern France. I have never heard pollack called that name. Most fish shops' bestselling fish is lieu jeune (pollack) and lieu noir (coley) - and you'll find great slabs of both in every supermarket in France.
Brian Smith
Highcliffe, Dorset

Pollack are definitely not the same as coley (coalfish). Pollack are brownish in appearence, with a dark lateral line, whereas coalfish are blue/black with a white line. Both are equally tasteless. Many years ago, fishing from the shore, we ate our first catches, but soon they were relegated to dog food. Our favourites were mackerel, haddock and gurnard, followed by plaice, dab, cod and ling. Both pollack and coalfish can be caught almost anywhere along the west coast; coalfish are the more abundant in Scotland, but the reverse applies in Wales and the south-west.
George Kitchin
Penrith, Cumbria

Guardian Letters 9 April 2009

So, north of the Loire Hake is called Colin but in the south they call it Merlu, which is closer to its Spanish name Merluza and its scientific Family name Merlucciidae.  So had I cracked it? Apparently not.

There are about a dozen different species of Hake around the world in the Northern and Southern Atlantic, the Pacific and in the Mediterranean & Black Seas. In Spain it is one of the most widely eaten fish and the Spanish account for between a third and a half of all Hake consumed in Europe.

To add to the confusion though, in parts of the English speaking world, such as the US, the name Hake is also used for fish of the Phycidaei  family, such as the Greater Forkbeard and the Spotted Codling found in the Atlantic, but that’s another story and I want to concentrate on Spain.

Having read the letters in The Guardian, I checked my rather tattered 1988 paperback copy of Larousse and there Merlan is correctly translated as Whiting, and Hake is translated as Merlu, but in the text, Larousse confirms that in restaurants and fishmongers it is commonly referred to as Colin.  Larousse then adds either confusion or enlightenment by explaining that Hake has a dark-grey/black head and that the French word colin comes from the Dutch word koolvisch meaning “coal fish” which in England we would call Coley, Coalfish or Saithe! But Coley is NOT Hake.

Just when I thought it was getting easier, I discover a fish in Spain called Abadejo, whose scientific name is Pollachius pollachius which, not surprisingly, is known as Pollack in England (American spelling, Pollock) but in France it is known as Lieu but it is also known as Colin noir.  There appear to be two varieties of Lieu - Lieu noir and Lieu jaune and I have been told recently that and Lieu jaune is Pollack and Lieu noir is Coley.

Nowadays I spend little time in France so I will leave the unravelling of the French nomenclature to some enthusiastic Francophile and I will concentrate on comprehending the Spanish names.  Sometimes the scientific family name can be of help as with Pollachius pollachius (Pollack above); and there is a related species Pollachius virens which appears  to be Coley.   Problem solved?  Well not quite.  In Spain they seem to use the same name, Abadejo, for both Pollack and Coley.  I have heard that in some parts of Spain Pollack may be called Palero  but I have not seen this name in any fishmongers, market or supermarket.

And just when I thought I was nearly there I learn that in some parts of Spain, Faneca, which in England is known as Pout or Pouting, is labelled Abadejo!

Is there anyone out there who can add to my enlightenment - or confusion?

John Austin

January 2014

Hake Tagine

It's been a long time since 27th August, when I promised to share my recipe if the dinner party was a success.  It was, so better late than never, here it is.

My first fish tagine, made some years ago in England, was derived from an Egyptian recipe in one of Keith Floyd's books from his TV series Floyd Around the Med. I have misplaced, lent or lost the book but the TV series is being repeated and the Egypt episode is on 22 January  Floyd around the Med so I must remember to record it.

In the meantime, here is my version

HAKE TAGINE

Hake (Merluza) seems to be the most popular fish in south eastern Spain but I could not find fresh fillets (filetes de merluza) or steaks (merluza en rodajas) anywhere in Santa Pola - one of the most important fishing towns on the Spanish Med - only frozen ones (from Namibia!!)....

...but every fish stall, market and supermarket, had whole fish and they will sell a whole one or half and clean it and do whatever you want with it.  I bought the tail end half and asked for it “cortado”.  They will ask how many or how thick you want the slices.  If you buy half a fish,  whichever end of the fish you choose, they will always give you half the head. (The cheeks are a delicacy served in the Basque country –Kokotxas – but you need a lot of heads to get enough for a dish). The head skin and bones of Merluza, however, are excellent  for fish stock.

Ingredients:

6  Hake steaks (merluza)

12 largish potatoes

3 tbsp olive oil

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

6 plum tomatoes

2 green peppers  & 2 red peppers, roasted to blacken and remove skins.  (in Spain, if the peppers are very large,  you will need only one of each)

handful of black olives

salt & pepper

Charmoula*

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp sea salt

2 tsp freshly ground cumin

juice of 1 lemon

½ tbsp red-wine or sherry vinegar

1 tsp paprika**

4 tbsp roughly chopped coriander (cilantro)

1 tbsp olive oil

Make Charmoula with  mortar & pestle or blender. Rub 2/3 of charmoula on fish steaks, cover and leave in fridge for  1 – 2 hours.

Parboil potatoes for 10-15 minutes – quarter or halve lengthways according to size.  Heat 2 tbsp olive oil and fry garlic until softened. Quarter tomatoes lengthways and add until they begin to soften.  Stir in green peppers, chopped or sliced and remaining charmoula. Season with salt & pepper.

Place potatoes on base of tagine/saucepan/frying pan with lid.  Scatter ¾ of tomato/pepper mixture over potatoes; place marinated fish steak on top; dab remaining tomato/pepper mixture on each steak; scatter olives on top, drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil; put on lid and gently cook for 10-15 minutes. Serve with crusty bread and green salad.

*Charmoula is a blend of spices, made into a paste and used as a marinade in north African cookery mostly for fish but also for chicken.  I can’t recall where I derived my mixture from but you can make your own with whatever blend of spices you prefer.

In Moro East  ISBN 978 0 09191 777 7 Sam & Sam Clark have a charmoula recipe: 1 medium bunch coriander (40g); 2 large garlic cloves, grated; 2 tsp ground cumin; 2tsps Moroccan (unsmoked) paprika; 1½  tsps red wine vinegar; 4 tbsp olive oil. (They also have a recipe in Moro The Cookbook  ISBN 9780091880842)

In Rick Stein’s Mediterranean Escapes ISBN 978 1 84607 867 5 he has a recipe for Charmoula; 3 garlic cloves; 1½ tsps ground cumin; 1½ tsps paprika; ½ medium hot red chilli, seeded and chopped; ½ tsp saffron strands; juice of 1 small lemon; small handful of coriander leaves; small handful of mint leaves; 4 tbsps extra virgin olive oil. 

In England I have made this tagine with haddock and added 2 tsp of Ras el Hanout and a tsp of Sumach which are available in most Turkish or Middle Eastern delis.

** you can use sweet or hot according to your preference.  In their recipe, Moro specify unsmoked but I usually use Spanish smoked hot paprika which I have acquired a taste for. (Pimentón de la Vera comes from Extremadura, where they smoke the peppers to dry them whereas in the south they are dried in the sun) Paprika or Pimentón comes in three varieties – hot (picante), mild or sweet (suave or dulce) and medium (agridulce which translates as bittersweet or sweet and sour)

John Austin

Santa Pola

27 August 2013

Restoration work at Crossness

I am currently involved with a very exciting project on the Bexley/Greenwich borders as Chair of the Crossness Engines Trust.  To keep up to date with what is happening at Crossness; the restoration of the world's largest rotative beam engines and plans for the Great Stink Exhibition
visit the Crossness Engines Trust ...

....and keep up to date with our plans to restore The Woolwich, the only surviving locomotive from the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich

Perde Pilavi

PERDE PILAVI

I first encountered perde pilavi at a Kurdish restaurant in Istanbul September 2010

 This was it.....

 ...and then it was opened…..

It was accompanied by Ayran – a frothy kind of buttermilk…

...not dissimilar to Indian Lassi

 and followed by fresh pomegranate

  from this stall

 When I returned to London,  I searched the internet for recipes for perde pilaf and I decided to make my own version.  I found a recipe by Chef Musa Dagdeviren which I adapted

This was my first attempt in October 2010

In Istanbul the shape of the mould in which the pilaf was cooked was a cross between a pudding basin and a flowerpot. I really needed a deeper dish than the one I used.  This is what my first attempt looked like!

 ......but when it was opened it looked and tasted much like the one I had eaten in Istanbul

 I call that a result!

  

Here is my recipe…..

Perde Pilaf (Rotherhithe style)

(Pilaf "veiled" in a Pastry Crust)
 Serves 4

6 sheets of filo pastry*
8 chicken thighs
1 onion
1 carrot

1 stick of celery

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Salt
250g Arborio, risotto or paella rice (short grain rice)
100g  butter for frying rice/nuts
2 tablespoons toasted flaked almonds
1 tablespoon pine nuts
1 tablespoon raisins or sultanas

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped dried apricots
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground sumac**

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
10 finely chopped mint leaves (optional)

3 finely chopped spring onions (white parts only)
2 tablespoons blanched almond halves

100g melted butter for brushing filo pastry
 
 
Put chicken, onions, carrots, celery, and lemon juice into a large pot. Cover with cold water, season to taste, bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is cooked through, (20-25 minutes). Transfer chicken to a plate to cool. Remove and discard skin and bones. Shred chicken, stir in 1 teaspoon of ground sumac and set aside. Strain remaining stock in which chicken has been cooked and set aside (make up liquid to 800mls with hot water if necessary).
 
Wash rice, soak in lightly salted water for 20 minutes then drain. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add flaked almonds and pine nuts and cook gently whilst stirring until golden (about 5 minutes). Add rice and cook until opalescent (about 10 minutes). Stir in chicken, 800mls stock, sultanas and apricots and season with salt to taste. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has been absorbed and rice is softened but not fully cooked (about 20 minutes). Remove saucepan from heat and leave to rest, covered for 10 minutes. Stir in oregano, allspice, pepper, (mint) and chopped spring onions and set aside. 
 

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease bottom and sides of a deep ovenproof dish or basin with butter. Arrange blanched almonds around the bottom and sides of pot, round side outwards (you may need more butter to stick them).  Take 6 sheets of filo pastry, brush one with melted butter and line dish (buttered side upwards), ensuring it fits touching the inside of the dish leaving sufficient overhang to cover. Continue lining dish with remaining sheets of filo, each brushed with melted butter, pressing lining firmly against the almonds.

Transfer filling to lined dish and gently pull edges of filo pastry over filling to cover completely (use extra buttered filo to cover any gaps). Bake pilaf, covered with a baking sheet, for 30 minutes. Uncover pilaf and continue baking until golden (about 30 minutes). Leave to rest for 5–10 minutes, then invert pilaf onto a plate. Serve warm.

We tried it again and, with Sylvi’s help, created a vegetarian version and used pudding basins this time.  It was also a great success at a dinner party in November,

  

One chicken, one vegetarian pilaf

We added a few more almonds to the recipe

 ……the chicken and the vegetarian versions were both delicious!

 Here is our vegetarian recipe…..

Perde Pilaf (Vegetarian option)

6 sheets of filo pastry*

800mls good vegetable stock

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Salt
250g arborio/risotto/paella rice (short grain rice)
100g butter for frying rice/nuts
Mixture of dried fruit, nuts and seeds according to taste - the following is a suggestion:

            2 tablespoons toasted flaked almonds
            1 tablespoon pine nuts
            1 tablespoon raisins or sultanas

            2 tablespoon coarsely chopped dried apricots 

            2 tablespoon coarsely chopped walnuts

            1 tablespoon sunflower or pumpkin seeds

Chopped vegetables – the following is a suggestion:

1 finely chopped stick of celery,

1 finely chopped medium carrot

½ finely chopped red pepper

1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground allspice 

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
10 finely chopped mint leaves (optional)

3 finely chopped spring onions (white parts only )
2 tablespoons blanched almond halves to line dish

100g melted butter for brushing filo pastry
 
Wash rice, soak in lightly salted water for 20 minutes then drain.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Gently fry chopped carrot and celery to soften. Add flaked almonds and pine nuts and cook gently whilst stirring until golden (about 5 minutes). Add rice and cook until opalescent (about 10 minutes). Add 800mls vegetable stock and stir in remaining dried fruit and nuts and season with salt to taste. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has been absorbed and rice is softened but not fully cooked (about 20 minutes). Remove saucepan from heat and leave to rest, covered for 10 minutes. Stir in oregano, allspice, pepper, (mint) and chopped spring onions and set aside. 

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease bottom and sides of a deep ovenproof dish or basin with butter. Arrange blanched almonds around the bottom and sides of pot, round side outwards (you may need more butter to stick them).  Take 6 sheets of filo pastry, brush one with melted butter and line dish (buttered side upwards), ensuring it fits touching the inside of the dish leaving sufficient overhang to cover. Continue lining dish with remaining sheets of filo, each brushed with melted butter, pressing lining firmly against the almonds.

Transfer filling to lined dish and gently pull edges of filo pastry over filling to cover completely (use extra buttered filo to cover any gaps). Bake pilaf, covered with a baking sheet for 30 minutes. Uncover pilaf and continue baking until golden (about 30 minutes). Leave to rest for 5–10 minutes, then invert pilaf onto a plate. Serve warm.

* Filo - I used readymade fresh filo from my local supermarket.  If you have a local specialist deli you can use Yufka (Turkish)  Phyllo (Greek) or Bric (Tunisian) and follow the instructions on the packet.

** Sumac or Sumak is a spice commonly used in Turkish, Kurdish, Arab and Iranian cuisine.  The powdered form is usually available in Turkish grocers/delicatessens. The powder is obtained from the fruits of a particular species of Rhus plant, which are ground into a deep-red or purple powder which is used to add a lemony taste to salads or meat. In Arab cuisine, it is used as a garnish on meze dishes such as hummus and is added to salads in the Levant.  In Iranian, Turkish and Kurdish cuisine, sumac is added to rice or kebab.

John Austin

December 2010
revised December 2013