You shall have a little fishy on a little dishy…..
When the Boat Comes in….
“Fishy Fishy”
Book Review
and
Fish Pie
Fishy Fishy
By:
James Ginzler, Dermot O’Leary and Paul Shovlin
Published by:
Price: £16.99
Fish Burger from the book
When the boat comes in
(A Geordie song)
Chorus:
Dance ti’ thy daddy, sing ti’ thy mammy,
Dance ti’ thy daddy, ti’ thy mammy sing;
Thou shall hev a fishy on a little dishy,
Thou shall hev a fishy when the boat comes in.
Dance ti’ thy daddy, ti’ thy mammy sing;
Thou shall hev a fishy on a little dishy,
Thou shall hev a fishy when the boat comes in.
With thanks to Iain from New Holland Publishers for sending me a copy of this wonderful book to review. I have pored over it for a week or more and I am very impressed with the recipes, beautiful patchwork of photos, information and diversity of the book. The cookbook takes its name from the relaxed and informal brasserie called Fishy Fishy in Brighton which is well known for promoting fresh, local and seasonal fish and seafood, and, as well as sharing the name, the book showcases the ethos of the restaurant whilst showcasing some of the most popular recipes that are served there.
The Brasserie’s mission statement is echoed throughout the book and explains sustainability in a clear and sensible manner.
Fishy Fishy Mission Statement:
We love Fish at FishyFishy, we love it so much we named it twice, but we still want there to be some fish left for future generations, so we source all our fish and seafood from sustainable sources.
We work closely with our suppliers to make sure the fish we serve is caught in the least wasteful way which can mean line caught fish, pot caught seafood or fish caught in gill nets with big holes in them so they only catch the larger fish and let the small ones through.
We only serve fish and seafood when it is in actually here in the channel. That’s why there’s no cod on the menu in the summer or lobster in the winter. You will never see tuna or red snapper on our menu because we don’t believe you should import fish from other countries when we have perfectly good alternatives here.
We avoid using fish which are being over stretched. So you may be a little surprised at some of the fish in the fish pie, Brightonbaise or even the fish and chips. But who knew that Trigger fish tastes so good and Huss may look a little weird but it batters up perfectly.
And finally we may not always have everything on the menu. Sometimes the fish don’t bite, or come late into season, or are not big enough for us to feel comfortable about buying them. It’s the price we have to pay to do the right thing and we’ll always try and have an alternative.
We work closely with our suppliers to make sure the fish we serve is caught in the least wasteful way which can mean line caught fish, pot caught seafood or fish caught in gill nets with big holes in them so they only catch the larger fish and let the small ones through.
We only serve fish and seafood when it is in actually here in the channel. That’s why there’s no cod on the menu in the summer or lobster in the winter. You will never see tuna or red snapper on our menu because we don’t believe you should import fish from other countries when we have perfectly good alternatives here.
We avoid using fish which are being over stretched. So you may be a little surprised at some of the fish in the fish pie, Brightonbaise or even the fish and chips. But who knew that Trigger fish tastes so good and Huss may look a little weird but it batters up perfectly.
And finally we may not always have everything on the menu. Sometimes the fish don’t bite, or come late into season, or are not big enough for us to feel comfortable about buying them. It’s the price we have to pay to do the right thing and we’ll always try and have an alternative.
The book is attractively set out with some really lovely photos of the recipes as well as the owners themselves, the restaurant, fishing boats and surrounding area. There are five chapters that cover Starters, Barbecue & Al Fresco Eating, Everyday Fish & Shellfish, Special Occasions and a very informative chapter on Sauces, Side Dishes and Desserts, the latter I can assure you is fish free!
In addition to the chapters covering the recipes there is an introduction by Dermot O’Leary and several other informative entries to include the Fishy Fishy Ethos, Controls & Quotas, Fishing Methods, Fishing for Cod, How to buy Fish and How to prepare Fish. There is also an extremely useful Seasonal Fish chart at the back of the book, which is perfect for me as I like to cook with the seasons on all culinary fronts.
Fishy Fishy Fish Pie
The recipes are diverse and imaginative, some immediate favourites to leap out at me were ~ Fishy Fishy Fish Pie, Cod and Kale Champ, Smoked Trout Pate, Scallops with Chorizo, Monkfish Scampi with Sweet Cider Sauce, Classic Fish Burgers, British Fruits des Mer Platter and Brown Trout with Lemon and Dill Butter…….as well as some lovely desserts such as ~ Crème Brûlée, Chocolate Pecan Brownies and Pear Tarte Tatin. There are over ninety recipes to choose from in the book and more than a enough variety to appeal to everybody, all of them clearly laid out and easy to follow.
The overall feel of the book is unpretentious, and yet the passion of the authors is evident and the ethos of the restaurant and book is well represented, yet promoted in a simple, fresh and modern way. Many of the recipes are charming in their simplicity and lack of fuss, as well as not being too “cheffy” in using “trendy” and usually unwanted ingredients.
If you want a fish and seafood book that supports seasonal produce and sustainability, this would be a prefect addition to your cookbook library, as well as offering other accompaniments and desserts alongside the piscine pleasures. I wholeheartedly recommend this book, it is like a breath of fresh air on the cookbook front, emphasising uncomplicated and simple fish suppers whilst promoting British sustainable seasonal fish and seafood. If you would like to take a virtual visit of Fishy Fishy, here is the link to their website:
My recipe review is the Fishy Fishy Fish Pie, I am always drawn to pies on any restaurant menu and although I love the usual potato topped fish pies, I fancied a change of pace, and this puff pastry topped pie appeared to fit the fishy bill.
I added parsley to my pie filling ~ the recipe does not call for it but I love parsley with fish.
I had fun with my biscuit cutters, and added some fishy shapes to my pie lid too…..I baked my lid on the pie filling, the recipe suggests baking the lid separately, but I like them to “bond” during cooking!
I would not add the peas next time, they turned a dark grey-green colour during the cooking, but, the filling was delicious and I loved the combination of different seafood and fish, a very rich and comforting pie. I served it with fried tomatoes, fresh peas and mashed potato for a very filling lunch.
A wonderful and tasty 9 out of 10 for this pie, and perfect for National Baking Week too!
See you later,
Karen
looks delicious – I usually do a mashed potato topping but will try this out. Perfect for a cold autumn day
It is a really nice book isn't it?
I published the recipe for fish cakes if anyone wants a sneak peek!
Working london mummy – Thanks! Was a wonderful pie, all gone now!
Lovely book Helen, I must post the fish pie recipe here too….ran out of time! Thanks!
Gorgeous fish pie! Would be such a visual treat for guests! Sounds like a great cookbook, Karen; thanks for sharing!
Ah, happy memories, Mr TH wooed me with smoked fish pie!
I am always looking for fish recipes so thanks for all the info. Remember there used to be a programme on Tv called 'When the boat comes in' with a very young James Bolam. So whenever I hear the song this series pops into my head.
Karen, what a delicious fish pie. You are right, parsley is perfect and peas are wrong.
I hope to get to the event in November, it will be great to meet you. Jude x
This looks like a perfect fish pie for this time of year. I love pastry toppings.
I sing that to Cooper and don't even substitute the word fishy for something veggie, although that does happen in 'one little piggy went to market, one little piggy stayed at home, one little piggy had a veggie burger and one little piggy had none….@ 🙂
My friend lives down in Brighton and we keep meaning to visit Fishy Fishy but have never got round to it! This looks like the perfect way to bring a bit of the restaurant into your home, and your pie looks absolutely delicious. Just the kind of thing I want to eat now it's getting colder…
Oh, how i love your beautiful pies! so gorgeous! I have such a terrible time cooking fish. My mother doesnt like it so I never had anyone to show me how to prepare it, and any time I've tried its come out terrible! I suppose I should leave fish cooking to the professionals 😀