Seafood Dipping Platter

During our time on the Isle of Wight, I wanted to enjoy as much as possible the products of the sea, as you know. As I could not always go for fish and chips, I tried to vary my meals a bit. One dish you often find in pubs on the Isle is the seafood dipping platter, which I tried once. It was exactly what I wanted. This one had salt and pepper squid, scampi and blanchbait. Deep fried of course, so I guess it was not really different from fish and chips, especially with the Tartar sauce, but all the same, it felt very right. It's like something you eat when you are famished, yet it is almost fancy.

Fish & Chips in the Isle of Wight

During our stay in the Isle of Wight, as we were by the sea, I of course wanted to try the local fish and chips. In fact, I was thinking to have an almost pescetarian diet. If I'm not mistaken, I hadn't had fish and chips since Good Friday. So it was long overdue. I had it on our second night, in the hotel's restaurant. I was not disappointed. It was more expensive than the local chips shop and, to be honest, maybe not quite as good or the portion as generous, but it was filling enough and delicious. So that was my first fish and chips, but I actually had the same meal another evening.

Fish & Chips

 Last Sunday, we went to the pub for the first time in six months or so. I wanted to eat a Sunday Roast, but since we went in the evening, they were sold out in Sunday Roasts (I should have thought about it). So I had fish and chips instead, which were quite good anyway. And not to be congnitively dissonant or anything, but entering the pub I could smell fried fish and that had gotten me in the mood for fish and chips anyway. It was also fitting: it is Lent after all. And as it is (fish) Friday, I am sharing this picture with you.

Another pub classic

Two years ago, after we moved in our new house, we had quite a few evening meals in the local pubs, as we had no fridge to keep fresh food. This is where I had this: a deep fried scampi (or prawns?) and chips with tartar sauce. It is not nearly as famous as fish and chips, bangers and mash and other pub classics, but I really enjoy it from time to time as an alternative to fish and chips. I usually order it when I want something that is in essence a fancier variation on fish and chips. You eat this, you are in a familiar territory, yet not a very common one. Seafood always has a veneer of exoticism, even in a pub.

Craving a fish finger sandwich

I cannot remember in which restaurant in York I had this fish finger sandwich. All I remember is that it was quite good, although not nearly as much as that one I had in Southampton airport. I discovered this British comfort food there and then and I got hooked. It is Friday, weekend starts, Friday traditionally means fish Friday and I want a fish based meal. I am craving a fish finger sandwich, with lots of tartar sauce to go with it. The irony is that I don't think I had one since our time in York. This needs to be remedied. Anyway, for those of you looking for great comfort food for a Friday dinner, try a fish finger sandwich, you can't go wrong.

Le gibier sauvage aux tables

Mon petit frère PJ a attiré mon attention sur sa page Facebook (on dirait que je prends toutes mes informations de là ces temps-ci) sur cet article qui rapporte que bientôt certains restaurants au Québec auront droit à  offrir du gibier sauvage aux tables. On pourra donc manger de l'oie sauvage, du canard sauvage, du chevreuil sauvage, notamment, et j'espère aussi de l'orignal sauvage dans les restaurants. C'est une excellente nouvelle, parce que la viande sauvage est délicieuse et aussi parce que, quoi qu'on puisse penser de la chasse, c'est à mon avis une façon de tuer l'animal plus éthique que l'élevage. La dernière fois que j'ai mangé du gibier, c'était dans un tartare de venaison (voir la photo de droite. Je rêve d'avoir pareil choix plus souvent et avoir un choix de gibier saisonnier.

Tartare de venaison

Cette photo a été prise lors de mon souper avec les anciens proprios d'Odin. C'était mon repas principal, un tarte de venaison, je crois que c'était du chevreuil, enfin un cervidé. Il y avait de la betterave dedans et c'était délicieux avec un vin rouge bien corsé. Je mange relativement peu de viande maintenant, de la viande rouge encore moins, je préfère le poisson. Cela dit, j'aime le gibier et j'ai un gros faible pour un bon steak tartare. Celui-ci est peut-être l'un des meilleurs que j'aie mangés. Des repas comme ça me rappellent que je suis un incorrigible carnivore.