Text 8455, 113 rader
Skriven 2011-03-18 08:48:00 av Glen Jamieson
     Kommentar till en text av Michael Loo
Ärende: FISHY 85  10317
=======================
 -=> Quoting Michael Loo to Glen Jamieson <=-

 GJ> The best part of dining in the hotel on Nauru was the wild dog-tooth
 GJ> tuna caught in the surrounding, unpolluted Pacific, and grilled as
 GJ> steaks or eaten as sashimi.  The flying fish were nice, too.

 ML> Never had flying fish that I can recall, but the roe of course
 ML> are an everyday thing in Japanese fare (why? are they all that
 ML> abundant?)

Flying fish are common enough in the tropics.  They fly when pursued
by larger fish, like tuna, gaining speed while airborne, with just
the tail in the water.  At Nauru they were caught at night.  Boats
would carry a light shining on the sail, and this seemed to attract
the flying fish, which would hit the sail and drop down into the boat.
I used to spend pleasant evenings sitting on my hotel balcony with a
young red-headed school teacher, drinking cheap riesling and nibbling
cheese while watching those lights out beyond the reef.  Volunteer
work in the Pacific islands had its compensations...
 
 GJ> The other day Kevin called around with some fish from a supermarket
 GJ> which was labelled, "Barramundi".  When cooked it developed the
 GJ> texture of a jellyfish, and it had no flavour at all; nothing that I
 GJ> could recognise as the fine flavoured fish that I was used to eating
 GJ> in Darwin.

 ML> It is interesting that a fish common to your area is
 ML> being imported.

I think that barra is raised in farms in Vietnam.  Some restaurants
with no consideration for their reputation will serve it, even in
Darwin, to tourists who don't know any better.  Other restaurants
proudly advertise their fish as "wild caught".  Locals are prepared to
pay a bit extra for quality.

 ML> Then we looked more closely at the label on the packet, to
 GJ> read, "FW IMP", standing for "Fresh Water" and "Imported".  Nevermore!
 GJ> So beware, if your s/markets use that system of describing products.

 ML> Obviously imported from warm waters. Such fish are easy to

Barramundi spends all its life in warm, tropical waters along the
northern coast of Australia.  It is one of those fish that change sex
at one stage of its growth.  The imported stuff comes from fish ponds.

 ML> cause to be mushy and puddinglike. Perhaps sevicheizing would
 ML> be the best way to render them edible. Or cooking them to
 ML> death in a soup or stew, where the texture doesn't matter
 ML> anymore.

Or as fish cakes.  A good coating of tandoori spices provided some
flavour, but didn't do anything for the texture.

This version of ceviche was served by the Menen hotel on Nauru every
Friday evening.  I loved it!

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05
 
      Title: Raw Fish, Nauruan Style
 Categories: Fish, Pacific
      Yield: 8 Servings
 
      1 kg White fish, non-oily
      6    Limes
      4    Coconuts
      1 T  Ginger, grated (optional)
      8    Hibiscus flowers
 
  The Nauruan method of preparing raw fish is slightly different from
  that used in other Pacific islands, and is applied only to fish
  having white flesh.  Tuna is regarded as being unsuitable for this
  type of preparation.
  
  All bones must be removed from the flesh which is then diced into
  small cubes and placed in a bowl.  Next the juice of several fresh
  limes is squeezed over the fish pieces which are left to soak.  Only
  sufficient juice to just cover the fish is used.  The bowl should be
  placed in a refrigerator and the pieces of fish 'turned' (not
  stirred) every half hour for at least three hours and then left
  untouched for twenty-four hours. The lime juice reacts with the fish
  both bleaching it and making it translucent. The next step is to
  extract and retain the juice from several fresh coconuts.  The shells
  must be neatly halved, allowance being made for each diner as the
  fish is served in the half shells. Most of the coconut flesh is then
  removed from each shell but care must be taken to leave behind a thin
  layer, thereby providing an attractive white lining. The juice and
  the shredded flesh are mixed and squeezed hard in a cloth until the
  milk is ejected into a bowl, until all the juice and most of the
  coconut have been used, to produce a rich milk.  The liquid should be
  refrigerated overnight.  Fat which rises to the surface should be
  mixed back into the milk before use. The following day, the lime
  juice is drained from the diced fish and disposed of, and a serving
  of fish placed in each half shell.  The coconut milk should be
  flavoured with fresh lime juice (about one lime to half a litre of
  milk) and stirred in well. The milk is then poured over each serving
  so as to almost cover it and finely diced shallots are then sprinkled
  over the top. The shells should be presented on saucers, accompanied
  if possible by a hibiscus flower, and a spoon.
  
  Glen's note: The ginger is not an original ingredient, but is a very
  worth-while addition.  Other ingredients used elsewhere in the
  Pacific are cucumber, tomato and onion.
  
        Extracted from "Nauru, Island in the Sun", by Roy Vizard
        MMed by Glen Jamieson 8/01
 
MMMMM
 

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 * Origin: Braintap BBS Adelaide Australia (3:800/449)