BS: Fish Fingers

Subject: BS: Fish Fingers
From: banjoman
Date: 04 Mar 13 - 10:29 AM

overheard in a local supermarket
"These fish fingers seem very cheap"
"Careful they may contain horsemeat"
"Probably only sea horse and they are edible anyway"

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: GUEST,999
Date: 04 Mar 13 - 11:32 AM

Fish don't have fingers.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: beardedbruce
Date: 04 Mar 13 - 11:35 AM

neither do chickens...


BTW, why don't "Lady's Fingers" have nails on them? ANd how do we know they are from Ladies, and not just common women?

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 04 Mar 13 - 12:21 PM

Aren't ladyfingers those tasteless little pastries?

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Ron Davies
Date: 04 Mar 13 - 12:26 PM

They're not fish fingers, they're ocean nibbles.   That's what Charlie says, so it must be true.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Pete Jennings
Date: 04 Mar 13 - 12:43 PM

Fish fingers and tomato ketchup. Yum, yum.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Joe_F
Date: 04 Mar 13 - 06:28 PM

Biological engineering has brought us not only fish fingers & chicken fingers, but such marvels as buffalo wings & lamb arm chops.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: TheSnail
Date: 04 Mar 13 - 07:18 PM

What about Matzo Balls? As Marilyn Monroe said "Isn't there any other part of the matzo you can eat?"

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: gnu
Date: 04 Mar 13 - 07:23 PM

What is the difference between buffalo wings and chicken wings?

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 04 Mar 13 - 07:32 PM

I buy only Young's fish fingers when they're a quid for a box of ten at Morrisons. Ignore all cooking instructions on the pack and proceed as follows: put a good slosh of groundnut oil in a frying pan (you really need one with some kind of lid for this). Get it very hot with the ring on full blast. Put all ten fish fingers (Young's ones are only little) in the pan straight from the freezer. Cover. After one minute, reduce the heat to half-whack. Shuffle the fish fingers round a bit to stop 'em sticking. Cover and leave for another four minutes (during which time cut yourself two nice big slices of bread). Put kettle on for mug of tea. Remove pan from heat and allow to cool slightly (otherwise you get spat on when you take the lid off). Turn the heat back up to full whack. Mash tea bag in mug. Off the heat, turn the fish fingers over, cover and put back on full heat. Find butter and knife. After one minute turn heat down to half-whack again and shuffle to avoid sticking. Leave for three or four minutes (use common sense). Meanwhile, butter your two slices with a worrying large amount of butter (...only butter. If you use use one of those silly substitutes, abandon the whole enterprise right now). Stir tea, remove tea bag and add milk. Scoop fish fingers on to plate (don't be too fussy about leaving the oil behind in the pan: you can, and should, have some on the plate to mop up with your bread crusts). Eat, making butties with some of the fish fingers and devouring those that won't fit. Go into garden and dig for two hours.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: GUEST,Frank
Date: 05 Mar 13 - 12:29 AM

"Aren't ladyfingers those tasteless little pastries?"
My mind misread that as "tasteless little pasties"
Tasteless yes, the tassels get in the way and the sequins stick between my teeth,
but the contents are enjoyable.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: TheSnail
Date: 05 Mar 13 - 04:56 AM

"Aren't ladyfingers those tasteless little pastries?"
My mind misread that as "tasteless little pasties"

Two nations separated by a common language -

Pasty
Pasties

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: banjoman
Date: 05 Mar 13 - 05:08 AM

Sorry I started this thread. But I do know a bit about the consumption of horsemeat. My late mother in law was dutch and regularly received a gift of horsemeat from members of her family. It had some name iin dutch which I cant recall. It had to be sliced razor thin but was delicious if a bit more chewy than beef.She akso regularly cooked rabbit which I tried once. Not bad but as I keep rabbits as pets I could not say I enjoyed it.
Love the recipe for youngs fish fingers

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Mr Happy
Date: 05 Mar 13 - 05:46 AM

.......cut yourself??

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 05 Mar 13 - 06:59 AM

I love fish fingers, they're my one processed food weakness. I do mine in a hot oven. They are of course drizzled with olive oil, prior to insertion in said oven. Turn them half way through, and as has been stated, dose liberally with Heinz tomato ketchup,after removal from oven, and arranging on hot plate, then devour with gusto. (Ah gusto)
Americans should not be frightened by the use of the word liberally!

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 05 Mar 13 - 07:00 AM

Su8dden thought. WTF are cod loins?

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 05 Mar 13 - 07:14 AM

Mash tea bag in mug
NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!

Only heathens make tea in a mug. Proper tea is made in a pot.


DC

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 05 Mar 13 - 08:48 AM

Tea can be made in the mug with a strainer, though, if for only one person.

I am reminded, somewhat driftingly, of a cartoon I enjoyed once, I think in Private Eye, of a pub with a sign saying "Ploughman's Lunch, £2.50", and the barman saying to disgruntled customer, "Well. that's what the ploughman has for lunch ~~ fish fingers & chips."

~M~

Do you have that dish in US? In case not, it is the catering trade name for a popular pub bar-snack consisting of crusty bread with cheese and pickles.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Rapparee
Date: 05 Mar 13 - 09:15 AM

Just fish and chickens giving us the finger....

Cod cheeks are tasty. And of course there are Rocky Mountain oysters, blind fish, pickled pig tails, pickled pig's feet, and pickled eggs. You can also get hog jowls, sowbelly, finger steaks, and oxtails.

Drop around and I can fix you a meal you won't soon forget.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 05 Mar 13 - 11:16 AM

What you Brits call "fish fingers", we Yanks call "fish sticks". The term has been an endless source of puerile adolescent humor as each new batch of thirteen year old boys has discovered that "fish sticks" and "fish dicks" sound virtually the same.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Bill D
Date: 05 Mar 13 - 11:21 AM

"Only heathens make tea in a mug. Proper tea is made in a pot."

A pot..sure... but proper tea is not made with a bag. LOOSE tea in a strainer! (I have won bets about being able to taste the paper in a series of 5 cups)
   (oh... and that requires not adding... uuuggg... milk)

No Michael, we don't have that dish as such in the US... at least where I have lived.

"...dose liberally with Heinz tomato ketchup.."

I have that, but I much prefer tangy seafood cocktail sauce.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: GUEST,Blandiver
Date: 05 Mar 13 - 11:36 AM

Anyone else remember the glory days of Iceland's Best Ever Fish Fingers? Must be 12 years ago. They were to the fish finger what Warburtons (or Greenhalgh's if you live in these parts) are to the crumpet. Never matched, never bettered, and not battered either as I recall, and certainly not buttered, not in our house anyway. Perfect with garden peas, tomato sauce and that cheap white sliced wheat-based product they laughably call bread.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 05 Mar 13 - 01:11 PM

Fish sticks (or fingers) are the compressed sweepings from the processing plant floor. As such they could all sorts of additives, including crushed horse apple, from the feet of the workers.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 05 Mar 13 - 02:20 PM

That's why I use tomato ketchup

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: gnu
Date: 05 Mar 13 - 04:39 PM

Hahahahahaaa!

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: gnu
Date: 05 Mar 13 - 04:44 PM

John... about twice a year, I buy a pack of 28 fish stick and a 1kg bag of crinkle cut chips (both on sale, of course) and cook the works on a large baking sheet. The Heinz red love is glopped on the side of the plate and I eat until I can't shove anymore in. Decadent indeed, frivolous even more so, but twice a year doesn't hurt.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 05 Mar 13 - 04:58 PM

Sounds good to me.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 05 Mar 13 - 05:02 PM

"but twice a year doesn't hurt. "


FLW, Fatty!

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 05 Mar 13 - 06:26 PM

Now I like proper tea as much as the next man, but what are we talking about here? Assam's finest leaf, carefully brewed for exactly four minutes in the best porcelain pot and consumed, pinkie cocked of course, from a delicate floral teacup made from the finest bone china? To wash down a bloody fish finger buttie?? Give over! Nobbut a teabag of PG Pyramid (or two), mashed in a grimy, stained, kiss-me-quick northern mug, will do! Save yer posh stuff for when the vicar comes round. And Blandiver has it right with his rotten white sliced pap. Easily the best thing for either fish finger or chip butties by a long chalk. And I might add that I am an aficionado of all things Greenhalgh. When I'm up north to see my mum, once every few weeks, I never fail to go to Greenhalgh's shop near Bury market to buy two meat 'n' tater pies, which must be eaten on the hoof with a plastic fork immediately after purchase.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: gnu
Date: 05 Mar 13 - 09:04 PM

MGM... I lost 110# over two years and I still treated myself to a PIGOUT once a week while I lost that weight.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Maryrrf
Date: 06 Mar 13 - 01:09 AM

Oh dear, I haven't had (and haven't missed!) fish sticks/fingers in years - but this is yet another one of those Mudcat threads that will have me running to the supermarket....oh the memories of school lunches. Ours often came with a side of mac and cheese.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 06 Mar 13 - 03:56 AM

Banjoman:
But I do know a bit about the consumption of horsemeat. My late mother in law was dutch and regularly received a gift of horsemeat from members of her family. It had some name iin dutch which I cant recall
It should be paard vlees or something similar. (from attending numerous Scout camps in the netherlands)

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: banjoman
Date: 06 Mar 13 - 05:16 AM

Thanks Nigel - That sounds like the name I forgot. Delicious no matter what it was called

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 06 Mar 13 - 05:38 AM

My late mother in law was dutch and regularly received a gift of horsemeat from members of her family

Ah, never look a horse gift in the mouth, eh? :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: gnu
Date: 06 Mar 13 - 06:56 AM

Hehehehee!

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Pete Jennings
Date: 06 Mar 13 - 07:27 AM

Hey, gnu, ditch the fish fingers one time and try chips with gravy. Yum!

Pete (from way up North)

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: GUEST,999
Date: 06 Mar 13 - 10:58 AM

Poutine: designed by the good people at HAC.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Pete Jennings
Date: 06 Mar 13 - 11:32 AM

Easy on the cheese!

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 06 Mar 13 - 11:50 AM

Ooh, I only had Poutine once, and I loved it. Talk about a heart attack on a plate!

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Stanron
Date: 06 Mar 13 - 01:53 PM

I'm rather partial to chips, peas (mushy) and curried sauce and you've just reminded me that I've not had any this year!

That's tomorrows dinner sorted.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: gnu
Date: 06 Mar 13 - 02:20 PM

Tomorrow's celebration feast for two will consist of one pound of MY sautéed Bay of Fundy scallops (a secret recipe*) and two fried clam platters from DeLuxe French Fries. These will be served at noon as Deluxe French Fries hang heavily on the gut and eating such a feast for an evening repast is simply no-go. Oh, Deluxe wouldn't if one ate a reasonable portion but these are chips from Deluxe so they MUST be consumed in copious quantities.

Canola oil... HOT pan... and a glop of butter just before the scallops go in. Fry until golden, turn over and repeat. Beats ANY other way. No shit! Try it and you'll see. I even do this for chowders, adding the scallops to the chowder JUST before serving. The butter (I use that "healthy" marg) gets brown and sticks to the scallops and... I may have some tonight too!

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 06 Mar 13 - 02:43 PM

I wrap scallops in bacon, drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice, then bake till ready.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 06 Mar 13 - 03:03 PM

Try olive oil in place of Canola. But yes, hot and quick (IMO) is best for scallops.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Ed T
Date: 06 Mar 13 - 05:18 PM

""Fish sticks (or fingers) are the compressed sweepings from the processing plant floor. As such they could all sorts of additives, including crushed horse apple, from the feet of the workers.""

That is total Bull shit, Q.

I have been in many east coast Canada fish plants and can attest to good processes first hand, and have never seen what you describe.
I would expect most western countries follow similar good food processing practices. In fact, I have more confidence in good practices fish processing than for other food processing, such as large meat plants.(However, I cannot certify what happens in some countries, such as China).

There are International and federal standards (by country) for fish handling and processing in registered fish plants that would produce fish sticks. Processed fish products and processess must meet many closely monitored quality and hygenic standards and work conditions.

If the type of fish is not specified, the source can be from a number of species, likely low value ones (high value fish, like haddock, normally has the name on the package and you pay more for 'em).

Most (if not all) fish sticks come from compressed blocks of these frozen fish fillets that are mechanically cut out to shape, batter added and partially cooked in an assembly line (if pre-cooked) packaged and refrozen. It is all done quickly on clean assembly lines, with little human contact). Some fish is mechanically minced and pressed into similar blocks for processing, especially if the fish is small in size.

Any additives (if any is used) must be approved, and must be noted on the package.

Fresh and Frozen Fish Products


What you may be confused with is small local fish plants that sell uncooked "chowder mix" locally. While likely not floor sweepings, it is often made up of the lower quality parts that are cut off or left over (and bagged) from product processing. Many small local fish plants are not nationally inspected, and quality is not assured, and it may vary from plant to plant

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 06 Mar 13 - 05:37 PM

I am pleasantly surprised by the fish bites now offered at McDonald's in US at least. Good for Lent.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Ed T
Date: 06 Mar 13 - 06:04 PM

I believe the source of McDonalds fish bites is pollock from the Barents Sea.

I suspect the fish for many fish stick type products now come from   huge catches of pollock from the Berring sea (Russia and USA)amd huge cod stocks from the Berents sea (Norway and Russia)-though cos prices tend to be be higher than pollock. High Liner Foods, based out of Lunemburg Nova Scotia processes huge quanties of these products (I believe they are the biggest such source in North America, if not the world. They have processing plants all over the place, including some processing in China.

While I am normally suspicious about Chinese produced food products, where the Brand company has high quality standards, I suspect there are few, if any quality issues, as the company would monitor quality closely on site.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: gnu
Date: 06 Mar 13 - 06:14 PM

G! BACON! BLASPHEMEY!

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 06 Mar 13 - 06:15 PM

though cos prices tend to be be higher than pollock.

Blimey, bloody expensive lettuces then! :-(

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 06 Mar 13 - 06:19 PM

I love that Snorg t-shirt that says "Either you like bacon or you're wrong". D-)

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Stanron
Date: 07 Mar 13 - 10:12 AM

I have just finished my first chips, peas and curry sauce of the year. Very nice, but nearly a disaster. I actually asked for chips peas and gravy and it was only the owner pointing out that it was usually curry that saved the day. Such a nice guy. I ought to go there more often.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Pete Jennings
Date: 07 Mar 13 - 11:01 AM

This has reminded me of one of my favourite meals: minced beef and onion with chips! Lots of lovely gravy. Carrots and peas on the side. My turn to cook on Saturday so I'll be off to the butcher's to get some minced steak tomorrow.

Those scallops sound delicious, gnu, hope you didn't overdo it!

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: GUEST,999
Date: 07 Mar 13 - 11:12 AM

I'm with you, Pete. The hard part is the gravy. Finding good commercial gravy is hard. (Never have found any.) St Hubert BBQ used to have some, but they have gone very commercial and I think the recipe is different.
By chips I take it you mean french fries?

When I don't have good gravy I tend toward HP Sauce instead. Sounds like a great meal.

#################

The key to good scallops (or cod cheeks for that matter) is not to overcook them.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 07 Mar 13 - 12:39 PM

Onion gravy. Fry onions till they are transparent, and start to go brown at the edges. Sprinkle about 1 tablespoonful of plain flour over them, then stir and fry off till the flour is "cooked off". Add water, and stir, till the correct consistency is achieved. The browner the onions, the browner the gravy.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Pete Jennings
Date: 07 Mar 13 - 01:02 PM

Yep, french fries. We call 'em chips. Gravy made from the juices of the mince and onions (to which I add a beef stock cube and seasoning when cooking), reduced to desired thickness. Simple.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: GUEST,999
Date: 07 Mar 13 - 01:12 PM

Second try at this post.

1) Thank you both for the gravy ideas. They each sound good.

2) Pete: I take it you use very lean meat?

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: gnu
Date: 07 Mar 13 - 03:28 PM

Pete... the scallops were good last night and today. Mum ate almost half of her scoff (I had it from fryer to plate in 5 minutes due to excellent timing for Deluxe and traffic.)... me, well it's a few times a year that I just decide to make myself sick by eating every last bit on the plate. We ate at nearly noon... it's 4:25and I am still expelling gas and uncomfortably full even after errands and a 3km walk. I am now trying to settle my swollen tummy with ale.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Stanron
Date: 07 Mar 13 - 03:48 PM

What's all this about French fries! That's just someone wanting to make chips sound sophisticated. Chips aren't sophisticated, chips are tasty.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: GUEST,999
Date: 07 Mar 13 - 04:19 PM

This is french fries.

This is chips, buffalo to be exact.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Ed T
Date: 07 Mar 13 - 04:34 PM

Fresh scallops, rolled in flour drizzled with lots of pepper and pan fried in butter (or butter-olive oil mix if you wish) - simple but it enhances the natural scallop flavour rather than masking it over.

I often wonder why one would want to dillute the excellent nartural and sharp flavour of a fresh scallop, by battering it and deep frying it, or rolling it in disgusting bacon or other flavour robbing materials?


No need for any additional condiments - just enjoy the tasty shell muscle:)

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Stanron
Date: 07 Mar 13 - 04:52 PM

Well GUEST 999 I wouldn't be surprised if your chips taste better than your French fries. Mind you they get called French fries here in the UK too. Chips on the other hand are large long slices of real potato, par boiled before controlled deep frying and served, as often as not with salt and vinegar. In 1860 one of the first chip shops opened in London. You can bet that they didn't serve French fries.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Ed T
Date: 07 Mar 13 - 05:03 PM

I believe it is best to avoid eating lots of scallops, with saturated fats, as noted below:


Scallops and cholesterol

I once ate a pound of Digny (NS) scallops, that I dipped in flour and fried in butter. It was a big mistake - it felt like there was a brick in my stomach for a few hours.


IMO, Calico scallops (they are smaller and cheaper) are best to avoid. A friend of mine showed me a few under a microscope, they had many many microscopi, and hard to see transluucent worms in the meat - gross. I never ate them again.

Calico scallops

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: GUEST,999
Date: 07 Mar 13 - 05:19 PM

I'm with you, Stanron. I eat fries about twice a year. I had English chips as a youngster cooked by a friend's mom. She spoke with a Cockney accent.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: frogprince
Date: 07 Mar 13 - 07:20 PM

999, I showed J your link, and she never wants to see you agin...

Doesn't that fool know that those aren't really good unless you bake 'em in a pie? The same recipe as moose turd pie works fine.
(Not sure if you guys up there are familiar with the Utah Phillips/Art Thieme moose turd pie legend).

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: GUEST,999
Date: 07 Mar 13 - 07:27 PM

I'm sure there's lots to that I don't know. Heard it done way way back by Utah I think in Montreal or maybe Edmonton.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: frogprince
Date: 07 Mar 13 - 07:29 PM

As for scallops, the sea scallops I had in St.Martin in December were somethin' else. No breading or nothin', just scallops sitting there. Big, tender as butter, rich as cheesecake and almost as sweet.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 07 Mar 13 - 08:22 PM

Very nice, John, but I reckon your onion gravy needs a bit of salt and freshly-ground black pepper. And perhaps a tiny dash of red wine. Or Marsala. Or Worcestershire sauce...

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Charley Noble
Date: 07 Mar 13 - 08:50 PM

FISH FINGERS

C------------C7
Long ago, in a place that I know,
----D---------------D7
In a house on a hill, it may be there still,
-------G----------------------G7
Lived a boy named Sam, and his old Grandmammy,
---------C--------------F----C
They was happy as happy could be.
C---------------------------C7
Now Sam would play, and his Granny would say:
----D----------------D7
"Be careful, Sam, you don't give a damn.
----G-----------------G7
You just don't care; you play anywhere;
---------C--------G7-------C
You'll be sorry one day, you'll see!"
----G7
But Sam never listened to his Granny's words,
-----C
He'd play anywhere just as free as a bird;
-----G--------------------G7
He'd play by the river, he'd play in the lane,
-----C
He'd play in the sunshine, he'd play in the rain,
---F
Till one fine day, down by the river,
--C----E7---A7
Di-saster came along;
-------D7
When a big fat fish jumped out of the river,
----G----------------G7
And started to sing this song:

--C
"I work for the firm that makes fish fingers,
---G7---------------C
It's very hard work we do;
C
For everyone knows fish have no fingers,
------G7----------------C
So we catch little boys like you;
---F
We bite the fingers from off of their hands
----C--------E7----A7
And stick them on our fins;
----------D7
And when we get caught, you understand,
------G---------G7
It's to pay for our terrible sins.
---C
But don't be sorry, don't be sad,
-------G7--------------C
It's the only thing we can do;
C
For that big Bird's-Eye is always a-watching,
--------G7-----------------C
And I'm only gonna bite off a few."
------F
So he bit off three of Sam's little fingers
----C--------E7-------A7
And swum off licking his lips,
----D7
And Sam got his fingers back -
G7-----------------C—F/C
Served with peas and chips!

Notes:

Fish Fingers – This song composed in the 1960's by John Williams (UK) was learned from a long-time British friend Chez Watts who used to work with Williams at a state orphanage. I always have a fondness for warped songs and this one helps define what "warped" can mean.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: gnu
Date: 08 Mar 13 - 07:26 AM

There you have it... a Herring Choker and a Bluenoser and even a Froggy say plain old unadulterated scallops are the way to go.

Tonight, fish cakes! I don't even add onions. I don't even flour them. I just fry em in marg reeeeal slow so they are flame hot and just past golden brown.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 08 Mar 13 - 08:06 AM

I do wish you wouldn't fry things in margarine g. It's disgusting stuff, full of additives. I tried it once, and there's obviously some water, or similar, in it, it spits like heck.
Olive oil with added butter is my preference, unless it's an omelette, which requires just the butter.
I had a tub of Utterly Butterly in my fridge, which I was forced to buy at a camp site, where nothing else was available. After some months I opened it, to find a tub full of mouldy gunge. That was in a fridge, and it still went rotten! WTF is in that stuff? Butter would still have been usable!

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 08 Mar 13 - 08:10 AM

I could have typed that post meself, John.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Pete Jennings
Date: 08 Mar 13 - 11:53 AM

Hey, 999, it's not only lean beef it's actually braising steak. Local butcher knows us well by now and before mincing it he removes all excess fat, so that any that remains (and it's not a lot) liquidises during the initial cooking of the mince. I just whack it into a saucepan and brown it off before adding onions and sweating them down. Add red wine and water, beef stock cube, salt and pepper to taste and Bob's yer uncle. Let it simmer for a couple of hours then remove most of the excess liquid, which is reduced to make the gravy. Yum, yum.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 08 Mar 13 - 12:07 PM

Funny about beef stock cubes, many people use them, and like them. Personally I can't stand them, and the only "ready made" item of that ilk that is in my store cupboard, is Marigold, which is a Swiss vegetable bouillon powder. I use this sometimes when I make soups, but as I start off all soups with fried onions, then we're back to my onion gravy. Which I season with salt and pepper to taste, in case you were wondering ;)

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Pete Jennings
Date: 08 Mar 13 - 12:21 PM

This? I might just try it.

And isn't it Marco Pierre White who recommends Knorr vegetable stock cubes?

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 08 Mar 13 - 12:37 PM

Yep, that's the stuff, I recommend it highly.
Apropos of Marco, remeber that David Niven, once advertised Nescafé!

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Musket
Date: 08 Mar 13 - 12:39 PM

Fish fingers as a kid, fishy fingers as a young man, fishy opinions as an old codger.

Oh Findus, thou art my darling!
Though art my joy! both night and morning.

Mind you, you're all wrong. James May told us how to eat them on the telly last year. He went to school down the road from me and lost to us at rugby everry time, but I digress. He, like me, was brought up on fish finger sandwiches and knows what sauce to use. You make your own up. Heinz Sandwich Spread mixed with Heinz Salad Cream, 50/50. Four fish fingers, comprising of three across and one at 90 deg. to ensure the footprint of thick sliced Mother's Pride is covered.

On a serious note, I haven't had the buggers for years. When my responsible adult goes off next weekend to see her mother, it looks like a trip down to Tesco...

(Or to be lazy, any excuse to see my new Granddaughter. My lad still knows how to make them. He is allowed to have fish fingers, I'm obviously not!)

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 08 Mar 13 - 12:51 PM

When she comes back, and discovers what you've done, she'll fire you!

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 08 Mar 13 - 06:24 PM

My missus is off for the weekend. She is disdainful of my love of fish fingers, but I have at least 40 concealed at the back of certain drawers in the freezer. They are camouflaged by a layer of frost masking their true identity and I have deliberately stacked a bag or two of Birdseye peas on top of them. I'm going to be feasting on them all weekend. In fact, I may well eat little else. At least I'm cheap.

I too have a tub of Marigold in the cupboard but I find it too salty to use in sufficient amounts to add much flavour. I make chicken stock from the carcasses of roast chickens. I don't salt the stock at all but I always add one cube of Kallo organic chicken stock. It adds all the salt I need for about three pints of stock and it just adds something nice to the overall flavour. I make my stock with a large carrot, a couple of onions, a stick or two of celery, a splash of Worcestershire sauce, freshly-ground black pepper and a bay leaf and some thyme from me veg plot. I'm famous for my soups. In fact, I've just remembered that I have good stocks of several in the freezer. So that's my weekend sorted: soup for lunch, fish fingers for tea. Yeah.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Ed T
Date: 08 Mar 13 - 06:58 PM

How do you make your fish cakes, gnu? With salt cod,haddock, or hake (soaked-boiled in water to remove the salt) or fresh groundfish? I find the taste quite a bit different. Some folks use canned Chicken Haddies, aka Finnin Haddies, (fish). They (boil and mash potatoes, add diced onion and canned Chicken Haddie and mash it all together and pan fry it - or make fish cakes.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 08 Mar 13 - 07:43 PM

I make fishcakes from tinned wild red salmon and mashed spuds, 50-50 by weight. I think that's got to be the proportion. Golden rule: leave the fish in nice chunks, not mashed to smithereens. Put fish and cold mashed spuds in a big bowl (I dunno, maybe 300 grams of each), add a good grating of parmesan and a good dash of paprika, season. Add one beaten egg. Mix gently and form into fishcake-sized patties. Now here's the trick. Open-freeze your fishcakes then stuff them all into a freezer bag.

When you want fishcakes for tea, don't thaw them out! Here's what you do. You need a little bowl of flour, a bowl of beaten egg and some breadcrumbs. Get your frying pan on with some oil in it and heat. Turn on your oven to very low indeed (110C is plenty). Dredge each frozen fishcake in flour, then egg, then crumbs and place in frying pan. Still frozen. After two minutes per side they will still be rock-hard but will have a nice golden-brown crust. Put into oven spread out on a baking tray lined with kitchen towel (yeah, really!)

You can leave them in the low oven for an hour or more. An hour and a half will allow you to go off for a good shag, watch EastEnders omnibus and have a nice post-coital glass of dry white each. Just before you're ready to eat, cook veg of your choice. Frozen peas are good as is purple sprouting broccoli, and a supermarket jar of tartar sauce or hollandaise (warmed up) would be good. Serve up on warmed plates and wash down with rest of bottle of white. Shamelessly lifted (more or less) from Nigella's How To Eat. I tell you, you'll eat at least three and you'll want more. Your body telling you that you need Omega 3 innit.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Pete Jennings
Date: 09 Mar 13 - 06:33 AM

I don't remember any of Nigella's recipes saying anything about a good shag! Still, I have to admire your creativity...

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 09 Mar 13 - 06:52 AM

Nigella says, beat it till it gets stiff, and forms peaks.
That's enough for me.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Ed T
Date: 09 Mar 13 - 10:47 AM

I tried the Steve Shaw style fish cake recipe - It was a great.
I took a short cut though.
I cut out making the fish cakes.
:)

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Pete Jennings
Date: 09 Mar 13 - 12:49 PM

LOL, Ed.

Okay, the mince 'n' onions is now simmering away on the hob. I tried a variation and used John Mac's idea of frying the onions first, rather than sweating them down with the mince.

Oooh, the smell of fried onions!

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 09 Mar 13 - 01:21 PM

Heheh. But you just get hungry and end up eating more fishcakes if you do it in the wrong order.

Subject: RE: BS: Fish Fingers
From: gnu
Date: 10 Mar 13 - 12:25 AM

Ed.... SALT COD! Otherwise, they ain't fish cakes. Okay... there are other fish cakes in the world, as noted. Even I have done strange stuff when I was young and wild. But, to answer your question, Ed... salt freshened TWO nights (yes, TWO) and at one pound cod, 2 cups spuds less a tad if the spuds are winter. (Or if you forget they are on the stove while typing a reci