Brain Food (Fish)

Member Name: barbara107

Product:	Fish
Date:	30/09/01 (255 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap, Easy to cook, It sooooo good for you

Disadvantages: Bones, Smell

My friends have always maintained there was something very “fishy” about me!

For me, fish is one of the most tasty, versatile and easy to cook foods, and for once something that I really like which is not bad for me! Infact it is just the opposite. It is common knowledge that both freshwater and sea fish contain vitamins and protiens that are hard to match in other foods. I always feel good about myself when eating fish, not just the thought that it is making me clever (?) But that it is actually doing my body some good.

As a nation it is obvious that we do not eat enough fish and sadly that is also the case in this household, mainly because my family are reluctant to eat it, saying they don’t like it, but I sometimes wonder if it is because it can take a bit more effort to eat, depending on how it is cooked! They spend more time searching through their meal for a bone than actually eating it.
So whilst I don’t cook a lot of fish at home it is nearly always my choice of food when we eat out. Then I can be really adventurous!

On my recent holiday to Majorca I had fish in some form at least once a day, be it Mussels, Sardines,Squid and Cuttlefish, to name but a few.

The recipe I am going to share with you is one that I have cooked many, many times. Mostly just for myself but my husband and children have also eaten it with me to.

*******Stuffed Mackerel********

The fish I use is Mackerel, which for me is easy to buy, and easy to handle. I always by them whole (It is just not as much fun chasing your kids around the house with a fillet!!)A good sized fish will cost around £1.50p

I gut the fish using a sharp knife, cutting off its head and tail first then inserting then knife inside then fish from the top and pulling it through the soft part of its belly, scoop out the insides and very carefully remove the back bone, and if your lucky it comes away as a complete bone. Rinse the fi
sh in some cold water and leave on kitchen paper to dry a little.

Then prepare the ingredients that you are going to cook inside the fish. I normally choose something that it can get some moisture from as well as something that is going to give it flavour.

Chop a small onion and a couple of mushrooms and squeeze the juice from a small orange and in a bowl add these ingredients along with a knob of butter and mix them thoroughly.Season this mixture with just a little salt and black course ground pepper ( I also use Lemon pepper if I have any)

Stuff the mixture inside the fish then wrap the fish back into it original shape inside some well greased foil (grease it with butter) then cook on gas mark 5 for about 25 mins.

When removing from oven be careful that of the hot steam and juices that are now in the parcel. You can either leave it in the foil to serve or remove it carefully

I usually serve it with crusty bread or new potatoes.

There are endless combinations that you can use for the stuffing some that I have tried include lemon juice, tomatoes, peppers and even cranberries.

Just a couple of tips to bear in mind when gutting fish is before you start get out everything you need, knife, newspaper and a bowl of water to was your hands in as there is nothing worse then having fish guts on your hands when you are opening cupboards or turning on taps as it will take forever to get rid of the smell!!

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