Fish is good for you but........

The sea covers over 70% of the world. The high seas are areas beyond national jurisdiction and are, therefore vulnerable to exploitation and mismanagement. For the last 50 years we have been abusing this resource and the impact of humans on the sea can be devastating.
Fish is rich in protein and low in saturated fat and rich in polyunsaturated fats, particuly the omega-3 fatty acids plus vitamins and iron, zinc, selenium and iodine. A new study suggests that fish protein can help lower high blood pressure. We now eat 5 times as much as we ate in the 1950s. Traditional fishing , of course, cannot possibly supply this demand. So the fish we eat is often farmed or caught by industrial trawler with hi-tech detection devices and nets which are a mile long. Overfishing has led to the fact that many species are at the lowest levels since records began.
Cod, for instance is now vulnerable and near to extinction. Fish stocks of cod, hake, haddock and tuna are only 10% of the levels of fifty years ago. Climate change also affects the plankton and makes the problem worse. Of total fish catches by huge fish factories about 75% is thrown away as bycatch. Sometimes this is simply because it is too small or the wrong species.
So what fish should we eat? Wild prawns from Iceland are caught in well-managed fisheries. Most warm water or tiger prawns are farmed. It takes 4-6 months for a prawn to grow to marketable size and this allows farms to produce two harvests a year.
It is okay to eat Pacific cod, Coley from the Artic or North Sea, Mackerel from Cornwall, Pollack (line caught), farmed salmon, tiger prawns, tilapia (farmed), Tuna from the Pacific. If in doubt look for the Marine Stewardship Council certificate.
Bearing all this in mind here are a few recipes you might like to try. You can if you wish use a fish kettle which is really useful if you are cooking lots of portions or a whole salmon, for instance. You can buy special fish knives and forks to eat the fish , or use a soup spoon to eat the chowder. I have made all these dishes on a regular basis and can recommend them.
Fresh herb crusted coley.
4 fillets of coley
1 garlic clove crushed
100g wholemeal breadcrumbs
zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 handfuls flat leaf parsley chopped roughly
1. Preheat the oven to 200C or Gas 6. Mix the garlic, breadcrumbs, lemon zest, juice, olive oil and parsleu. Season well
2. Top each fillet with the mixture and press down gently. Place on a non-stick oven tray and cook for 25 minutes approx.
Prawns, rice and avocado
125g brown rice
1 tablesp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 finely chopped (not crushed) garlic clove
200g raw tiger prawns
1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
1 medium courgette sliced and then halved
1 medium avocado
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons half-fat creme fraiche
dash of chilli sauce (Tabasco sauce)
1 teaspoon sea salt
black pepper
Cook the rice until tender and drain and reserve.
Meanwhile heat the oil in a frying pan and saute the onion till soft. Add garlic, prawns, pepper and courgette and stir-fry for 2-3 more minutes.
Peel the avocado, take out the stone and chop the flesh and place in a bowl. Add the lemon juice, creme fraiche, chilli sauce and seasoning and mix roughly together. Pour this into the frying pan and still into the prawns etc. Toss the cooked rice through and serve, still warm.
Parcels of Tilapia, tomato and olives
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 tilapia fish cleaned
1 medium tomato sliced
1 fresh lime sliced
6 stoned black olives roughly chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
for the tomato sauce
half a tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion finely chopped
7 oz or 200g can of choppped tomatoes with their liquid
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 level teaspoon soft brown sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
black pepper
First make the tomato sauce. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan, saute the onion till soft. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute. Add the remaining ingredients, simmer and cook uncovered for 30 minutes approx until you have a rich sauce. If too much liquid evaporates add a little water or tomato juice.
Preheat the oven to 180C/gas4. Brush 2 large sheets of foil with oil and lace the fish in the centre of each. Spoon the sauce over each fish and arrange the tomato and lime slices on top. Sprinkle over the olives and basil and seal up the foil tightly, though leaving plenty of air in the parcels. Cook on a baking tray in the oven for about 30 minutes.
Prawn Chowder
125g/4oz streaky bacon. Rind off and chopped.
4 chopped potaoes
1 large onion finely chopped
1 tablespoon plain flour
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
250g peeled uncooked tiger prawns
1 pint milk
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Fry bacon till the fat runs and then increase the heat till it begins to brown. Add the potatoes and onion and fry for 5 minutes and then stir in the flour and the curry powder. Add the water gradually, stirring all the time. Season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil stirring. Add the prawns and simmer for 30 minutes until the potato is tender. Pour in the mikl and heat through gently. Check the seasoning and sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Salmon Parcels
4 salmon fillets
juice of 1 lemon,
good handful of chopped corriander
ground black pepper
small knob of butter for each fillet
Heat oven to 180C/ gas 4
You will be making 4 parcels so you need 4 pieces of kitchen foil. Place a piece of salmon on each and put the other ingredients on top. Seal the parcels and place on a baking tray in the oven for 15 minutes. Stand for 5 minutes.