‘sup?
This morning.
Howth, County Dublin.
Martin McLaughlin (pic 6) from “Nicky’s Plaice” fish shop on Howth Pier takes delivery of fresh fish caught by Joe Whitty (pic 2) from Waterford on his boat Tilly.
The EU kindly let us do this every day in our own waters!
Earlier: Peace In Our Time
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I am not a fancier of fish. Something about the smell gets me. But there was one shop, the original Burdocks by Dublin Castle. One brother would go out and fish, coming into Howth harbour. The other would peel the spuds, collect the old newspapers from the local shops, and fire up the old fat fryers.
After the fish were cleaned, and the battering done, the shop would open. No set time, and in the days before Twitter and Facebook no-one needed social media to know when the best fish and chips in Dublin were ready to go. I worked at the time just down the road (or up, it was away from the river) And when the doors opened, as the newest member of the team I was given a £20 note and sent on my way. Often the queue was around the block already. They closed when the food ran out. And started it all again the next morning.
Heart attack inducing, but chips fried in suet or lard are so much better than sunflower oil.
While I am not a fish lover, I do know many are, and am truly happy to see that Howth is living up to that reputation.
jaysus, I love fish,
fish eggs on creme fraîche and blinis,
sashimi,
shellfish platters, oysters with shallots and red wine vinegar, little grey shrimp with salty butter on brown bread, sea snails and homemade mayonnaise,
mussles in wine and cream,
spider crab tempura,
monkfish,
kippers for breakfast,
stuffed brown trout,
grilled octopus…oh save me I want it all
winkles,
lobster in better and brandy, fresh sardines on the barbeque,
ok I’ll stop now, driving myself spare,
I’ll have to settle for a cheese sandwich,
kept opening the fridge but that’s still all that’s in there
I had a bad reaction to winkles when I was young, on a holiday to Garryvoe beach. I think that is what turned me against fish I do remember them being sautéed in garlic butter, and looked forward t them. They tasted delicious. But something went wrong that night. I was the only one affected but I ended up sick as a proverbial dog. It is possible I am allergic, but I never got tested. Just stayed away ever after.
But a really good friend who loved fish taught me how to use many of the sauces and marinades with chicken, and occasionally pork. And how to make the beer batter, which I find much nicer with previously cooked chicken, battered and deep fried. Although these days, not in suet.
fair enough, a bad one saw me off oysters for two years
I got that reaction to mussels in the summer in connemara – got up and was sick as a parrot just after I went to bed. I’ve had them before but not I’m not keen to revisit
Battered cod, chips, scraps, mushy peas, salt and vinegar.
Soakage supper of champions.
Have it !
I don’t like chips, confession time, just don’t like them
I will tell you what. I will have the chips, and you can have the fish :-)
deal :)
Carbs darlin- carbs.
I like carbs, pasta carbs , cream bun carbs , jacket potatoes and melted cheese carbs, real butter Croissant carbs, paratha carbs, feck it… another cheese sandwich it is
Ooh! Jacket potatoes!. Did you ever try baked potatoes, cooked almost all the way, then cut in half, scoop out the potato. Mash it and mix with a garlic cream cheese, replace in the jacket, and cover with your preferred grated cheese. Mine was always cheddar.
Replace in the oven for about 15 minutes. Yep, heart attack material, but gorgeous comfort food on a cold winter’s night.
that’s officially on my to do list now !
Lady Charger does something similar in the Aga.
Except mixes chorizo with the mashed spuds and cheese and a dash of sesame oil in the mix.
Skins are crispy hard after a baste of olive oil.
Perfect with a couple of pork bangers.
jack sprat could eat no fat, his wife could eat no lean, but between the both of them, they locked the platter clean !
* licked god darn it
CARBS
+more carbs
+wrapped in bread
you’re probably wrapping your chops around a chip butty now aren’t ya
Jaysus but I’ve an awful goo on me for one
I have a terrible goo for stinky runny cheese and a great Haut Médoc…tick tock :)
Oh that’s rough. No fun for you yet, my dear. So close now*.
*I remember wanting to punch every other person who said this to me towards the end.
or ” is it two you’re having ” grrrrr
Oh Janet. Not quite a haut medoc. Years ago I had the joy to stay with my cousins. All gorgeous redheads, but do not anyone worried. I do have a thing for redheads, and my dream film is one with Amy Adams, Isla Fisher and Karen Gillan. I should probably be shot now for insensitivity.
But this night, we went back to my cousins’ house, and they made the most incredible spaghetti cheese. Cooked the pasta, sautéed it in the saucepan with butter, then I was diverted, because I think it is a family secret.
A few minutes later the most incredible macaroni cheese was plomped in front of me (we are family, family plomp. After all you are not special, you are family)
And for years the only secret they gave me was the sautéing in butter before adding the cheese.
They never told me what cheese, or possibly even cheeses.
The sautéing in butter stops the cheese sticking
Unless you are American, and it is from a packet and a microwave. But when you have been plomped the best, not packet will satisfy
ohh mac and cheese, my mum uses calvita, I wouldn’t normally class it as a cheese but it works in a bechamel sauce !
Proper chips.
Homemade and cooked in beef dripping.
Malt vinegar and salt.
Wrapped inside newspaper.
Proper job.
better men than you have tried to get me to like their chips , it’s not happening :)
A lifelong friend of mine was christened Chippy during our schooldays and is still called it today,
He earned the soubriquet after dropping the hand while eating a bag of chips.
The same hand.
We STILL laugh about that night out to this day.
You remind me of my daughter, in a funny way. I am not a fan of chocolate, and I think she would love death by chocolate if that were truly a thing (See Terry Pratchet, Thief of Time)
She could not understand my aversion, but I tried to explain it to her that it meant more chocolate in the world for her.
If you don’t mind my saying, I feel you are leaving more chips in the world for me :-)
that’s a nice way to look at it !
We definitely need a Broadsheet cookery/eatery column!
yes !!
+1
Thursdays. Because you need ideas for Friday before the telly!
Well I certainly would like to hear more from the Broadsheet ladies.
All these testosterone willy wavers on here making so much noise tends to drown out the more measured and sophisticated comments of the fairer sex.
Put me down as a plus,sisterz.
And there goes that idea down the swanny. Nice one charger.
men cook too you know !
ps. I keep my willy in my handbag ;)
there’s sophistication
I remember having a conversation related to this with someone. And it did strike me how much willy waving there is.
I grew older (I would love to say grew up, but I know better). And I have a beautiful intelligent daughter. My willy works, I do not feel the need to wave it in anyone’s faces, and most definitely not in hers. It would prove nothing new. And now might be embarrassing, and in certain places illegal.
But I do agree, I would love to hear from the Broadsheet ladies. And others.
And watch Broadsheet on the Telly! I try, but my iPad says no. So it is later on the computer. And you always have fantastic non-testosterone driven discussions. Even men can do that, when they realise this is not a competition every single second of the day.
Save that for the morning chorus with the robins :-D
If there’s is
Then it has to be led by a fella
Some of the best leaders I had were of the female persuasion. I learned more from some of them just by watching than from any books in my classes.
Totally not the point
when Bakesheet started here (first year it went to C4) there was a wide and unexpected, appeal and engagement with the then Broadsheet readership
Cooks and Bakers came out of all corners
To the point that I even sought a sponsor, developed a relationship with C4 Press and Love Productions, and created a separate BakeSheet feed on twitter for the following season.
Which kinda started off ok, but it was lacking the shared exchanges of the previous session, maybe people knew then something was brewing, anyway it got derailed by my forced transitioning and those behind that
Some of those still lingered in 2019 Season and just curdled it for me
I also didn’t like the optics it might present here, and didn’t think I would be doing anyone any favours, least of all proving some of the sexist and misogynist remarks from 2019.
I still provided some content for another publication, and dabbled a bit here.
Which prompted this again.
As recently as the last fortnight, I suggested a Folder/ Bake’Sheet name on the Contributors wall
Make it a cooperative column and archive, rather than under my name
For reasons ye made it clear yere all sick of hearing about
Lil, and Mill and Janie and Lush and Martco and all the rest of the original Bake’Sheet correspondents deserve a fresh start
The current environment on Broadsheet is more suited to having a fella steer it,
Male Columnists have become the weekly norm over the last two years
that’s why I said a fella
It has nothing to do with Leadership
At all
Ah here if Boris goes rogue with Brexit yer good chipping spuds from the Fens will be gone