Fish oil supplements

When we lived in Sheffield, 100 miles inland, there was an excellent fish market in town. You could get fish cheap as chips. If you spent a tenner you'd come out with a carrier bag full of various fish, and there was always something going extra cheap either because they had way too much of it, or just because it wasn't as popular as other fish. I used to get a lot of mackerel and trevally. The latter is quite a sizeable fish with an oilyness somewhere halfway between mackerel and white fish like haddock, and you chop it into steaks.

Round here though, the choices are: the supermarkets, where you can get a snack sized portion for a few quid, one wet fish shop, where you have to be feeling pretty flush to enter, or the boats, if you're lucky enough to be passing at exactly the right moment.

 

1. Because it can work out cheaper than buying oily fish
2. Because it can cut your cholesterol (but, I think for that to work, you have to substitute *real* fish for meat as opposed to a fish oil supplement)
3. Because it is good for your arteries.
4. Because it contributes to joint health?


I do *get* that the price of fish can be a deterrent.

Many years ago, a very cheap source of "fish" was herring roe (yes, yes, I do understand what it actually *is*: and, no, it doesn't put me off!). In recent times though, I have seen it priced at £5 per kilo and salmon (on offer) at £4 per kilo!!! What!? Herring roe used to be the diet of the very poor ... yet now, salmon can sell cheaper
(Bites tongue: "supply and demand" , dear )

Similar thing happened with oysters: just saying!

 

Mackerel, I would not touch it with a barge pole
Back in the 50's we were warned NOT to eat it, and the reason could be seen if you lived at the seaside
The towns Effluent pipes ran to about 100mtr off shore, and you could see shoals of Mackerel enjoying their lunch
Off course now the pipes go a mile out so you can no longer seed the feeding frenzy

After the Cod Wars, and later to the 90's Fish stocks were desperately low, and everyone was encouraged to eat "oily" fish, and what better than the shoals of Mackerel, untouched for millennia
A good bit of advertising, good for health, oily good for joints and everyone wants it
The reason it is smoked, is to dry it out and hide the real taste IMHO

Jack McH

 

A lot of fish feed around sewage outlets, not just Mackerel. If you were worried about that you wouldn't eat Mussels, Prawns, Mullet Etc. or eat Leeks & other veg that are fertilized by sewage.

 

Best fresh caught!

+ Sweetcorn

 

+ Tomatoes

 

I actually like the taste of mackerel, I think its one of the most tasiest fish available.
I sometimes like smoked, but often just as it comes, I dont think its smoked to hide the real taste.
Smoked haddock or cod is good.
I've never bought that Vietnamese stuff that goes by various names, Bassa, rock cobbler etc.

 

Can't beat the taste of freshly caught mackerel, cooked just after they've stopped flapping around and whilst they're still green, not blue. Same sort of thing with trout straight out the river and into the pan. I reckon BBQing/smoking ruins the 'fresh caught' flavour.

 

I make a lovely smoked mackerel paté ... I love patés on toast, fluffy sardine ones are brilliant ... yum ...

 

We find Mackerel doesn't freeze very well, but it's fine for use in making pâté or sousing after de-frosting.

All this talk of mackerel has got me looking at Chesil Beach tide times for around July .....

 

I buy my smoked Mackerel from Asda, pre-packed, I make no apologies. It makes a very flavoursome addition when mixed in with salad, and to my mind a better option than taking supplements. But, what do I know....

 

You know you like Mackerel