Fish tale

The Doctor was not best pleased the other day when he arrived home from work to find that, having promised to buy something for supper, I had ended up with two whole sea bass. Not scaled, not gutted, not filleted, just, you know, with the eyes, fins and everything still there.

I helpfully provided him with a Rick Stein recipe book I mysteriously seem to own (where did I get it - and when?) that tells you how to prepare fish. He spent the next 15 minutes elbow deep in a washing-up bowl full of scales, blood and guts, armed with a lethally sharp Global knife. Which is probably not what he expected after a tough day at the hospital– while he’s not actually a surgeon, I’m sure he sees enough gore to be going on with during his daily travails.

So why the fishy blunder? It all resulted from shopping with the Littleboys on the Northcote Road. For those readers who are not local, this road, perhaps the spiritual heart of Nappy Valley, is a mecca for upmarket boutiques aimed at the pregnant, child-wielding or just plain Desperate Housewifey (latest shop opening up there is a branch of Cath Kidston). Consequently, money simply flows from your purse – whether it’s the expensive groceries, upmarket kids’ clothes or the extortionate birthday cards that does it – and the whole experience feels vaguely unreal.

We had to shop for various presents, a sunhat and wellies for Littleboy 2 (yes, I know that seems a strange combo in midsummer, but they are for Norway) and various other items. So by the time we reached the posh fish restaurant that doubles as a fishmonger, my wallet was a lot lighter and the Littleboys were bored. Littleboy 1 decided he would quite like to swing like a monkey on the metal bead curtain in the doorway of the shop, grab the lemons and potatoes on display and throw them around, and beat up his brother at the same time.

So I wasn’t concentrating at all on what I was doing. I’m sure I asked for fillets to begin with, but by the time the clueless guy running the counter had established that no, they didn’t have the lemon sole they were actually advertising outside, and yes, there was mackerel but only for the restaurant…. Well, I was fairly Desperate myself. And, aside from nearly fainting at the price of the sea bass, I didn’t actually notice what he did with them (ie nothing) or look at what was in the bag till we reached home.

Anyway, The Doctor now knows how to prepare a sea bass. So on balance I reckon I have equipped him with another useful life skill. And yes, they were worth it - absolutely delicious.

My next udpate will be post-Norway, so watch this space for how to gut and pickle a herring….