Nothing fishy about this recipe

Welcome to all about food. For those of you who shy away from fish, why not throw caution to the wind and just do it!

Ask Gingergirl

Hi Gingergirl,

I’m a bit of a coward when it comes to eating fish. I do actually enjoy some fish dishes as long as it’s not too fishy! Do you have any recipes I could attempt? It is my fish loving husband’s birthday next week and I know he’d be delighted if I managed to make him something from scratch.

Many thanks,

Grainne, Dooradoyle

Hello Grainne,

The things you do for love! Fish is often something people shy away from cooking, which is such a pity as we have some of the best seafood in the world. One of my sister’s had a similar dilemma to yours but she is well on the road to being something of a ‘fish gourmet’ much to the joy of her husband! One of the first fish she tried was Lemon Sole and she loved it! Lemon Sole has delicate, sweet white flesh and is best cooked simply, either grilled or fried, and served with a simple sauce. It is widely available and usually good value for money. One of the best things about cooking this type of fish is how quick the fish can be prepared and cooked – this is real fast food!

Pan Fried Lemon Sole

(serves 4)

4 fillets of lemon sole

Plain flour for dusting

Salt and pepper

Butter

Olive Oil

50g of capers in vinegar, rinsed and drained

2 lemons

50g of flat leaf parsley, chopped

Mix salt and pepper into the flour and dust the fillets on both sides. Melt the butter with a drizzle of olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed frying pan (I use two pans so that all the fish can be cooked and served straight away). Add the lemon sole and cook for two minutes on each side. Add the capers to the pan, tossing in the buttery juices.

Add the lemon juice and parsley and toss together for about thirty seconds. Remove the fish to warmed plates, spoon over the sauce and serve with lemon wedges. At this time of year, I like to serve the sole with baby potatoes, and asparagus but feel free to serve with your favourite vegetables – purple sprouting broccoli or spinach are also good.

Limerick’s Oldest Shop Returns to Tea

M. Cahill & Son Tobacconists (opened in 1890) is now stocking speciality tea expertly sourced from around the world. Artisan loose leaf from China, Japan, India, Sri Lanka (Ceylon) and Africa as well as unique tea ware are all available from Cahill’s on Wickham Street, Limerick.

The store regularly runs tea tasting events on Saturday mornings. Commenting on the success of the tea tasting events, proprietor, Eleanor Purcell said, “The only way to know if you'll like a tea is to taste it, and any tea shop that's proud of its selection should be happy to brew you a sample and talk through what's interesting about it.”

Join Eleanor on Saturday for a tour through the wonderful world of tea and enjoy tasting the many varieties of loose tea available. Just drop in between 11am and 1pm – it’s free!

Contact gingergirl

www.gingergirl.ie

email: helen@gingergirl.ie

Gingergirl aka Helen Keown is an artisan food producer who produces a range of handmade luxury jams, preserves and chutney’s made from local, seasonal or organic ingredients. Helen’s produce is available nationwide from independent food emporiums and is also available at selected food delis across Europe.

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