Monday 30 July 2012

Cured Salmon in Tuscany

This starter was prepared by the highly talented chef at the Piopponero (Black Poplar) restaurant at Villa Le Maschere, a 5 star resort hotel in the Tuscan hills about 1/2 hour from Florence.

It is marinated Norwegian salmon, flavoured with dill and combined with shavings of fennel bulb, green apple and ginger salad.

Like all the food at this hotel, it was DELICIOUS.  Thick cut succulent salmon, mildly cured with a hint of Dill.

A bottle of the very reasonably priced Orvieto Classico complemented it perfectly.


We enjoyed a range of seafood at this hotel including raw Langoustine (the largest ones I have ever seen), fresh rock oysters, sushi salmon and tuna sashimi and salt codfish.



Tuesday 3 July 2012

Fresh Fish in Lagos, Portugal

Fresh fish in the market at Lagos
The fishing port of Lagos in the Algarve region of Portugal offers some of the finest quality fresh fish and shellfish much of which is landed and sold within 24 hours.  Many local day boats fish the productive Portuguese waters which are rich in nutrients due to the upwelling of cooler waters from the deeper Atlantic Ocean.  Locals and visitors flock to the Lagos fish market to take in the sights of a range of interesting fish and to buy for home cooking, barbecues and restaurants.




One of the restaurants which specialises in high quality seafood is O'Cantinho Algarvio in Rua Afonso de Almeida (just up from the square).  Proprietor, Carlos Ramos, can often be seen in the market choosing the best fish for his menu that night.  One of his 'secret' specialities and my particular favourite is the fillet of Turbot which is coated in a light flour and pan-fried. He also has a live-tank for the freshest lobster and crab.


Attention to detail is the key to high quality cuisine.  Here, Carlos is choosing a large Corvina which he will cut into steaks and store vac-packed in the fridge to ensure maximum freshness.  I noticed that his chosen fish had a hook in its mouth and he explained that line-caught fish were of better quality than those caught in trawl nets.  Generally speaking line-caught fish are preferred environmentally as hand-lining has minimal effect on seabed habitats.


Corvina ( Argyrosomus regia ) is known in English as the Meagre, and is one of the most traditional and valued fish on the Algarve.


Fish Head for Lunch !

A delicacy much enjoyed by the Portuguese is boiled Pargo (Red Porgy) head.  This fish was on display at O' Antonio in Porto de Mos near Lagos in the Algarve.  One of the waiters, Helder, who is a keen fisherman and seafood eater explained that they will boil the head whole with just onions and salt and serve it to the table.  The diners will then pick the meat (including the eyes) away from the bones of the head.  It might sound a bit gruesome to those of you who are a little sensitive but I am assured that it is delicious.  It is also a plus-point that almost none of the fish is wasted.
The red porgy (Pagrus pagrus), or common seabream, is a species of fish in the family Sparidae, found in a wide variety of locations that range from Europe to the Caribbean.