When is the best time of year for Scottish produce?
Summer, when shop shelves are full of salad and fruit? Perhaps not. For Scottish food expert Catherine Brown, author of Broths to Bannocks: Cooking in Scotland, 1690 to the Present Day, and most recently, Scottish Seafood, many foods are at their best right now.
"There couldn't be a better time to eat seafood," she says, adding that most fish and shellfish have been feeding well during the abundant summer months. She highlights white fish such as haddock, cod and saithe, explaining: "September to January is when you get the best quality of these fish. Mackerel is at its best July to November and January and February.
"People are not really aware of these seasons, but it's very good from the conservation point of view, because it's best to eat them after they have spawned." The Marine Stewardship Council logo on fish shows if a fishery is sustainable and well managed.
Fish and shellfish can form the basis of nutrient-packed autumnal meals that are hearty without being heavy. The best way to prepare autumn fish, says Brown, is to keep it simple. She recommends taking a fillet of pollock, haddock, saithe or hake, coating it in flour and brushing lightly with a little melted butter, before putting it under the grill, perhaps with a pinch of cayenne pepper and a few cherry tomatoes on the vine. This can be served with a simple puy lentil stew, made by simmering the lentils in a little water with some sauteed red onion and chilli peppers. "It's light and the lentils are mellow and warming without being stodgy," she says.
Clams, oysters, crabs, cockles, mussels, langoustines and scallops are also "terrific" at present and can easily be prepared in a clear, Japanese-style broth, perhaps with some miso or dried seaweed. "It's very sustaining and comforting for a cold evening, but light," says Brown. A clear broth made with seasonal mushrooms and onions is a vegetarian alternative.
Then there is kale, rich in vitamin C and beta carotene and generally an all-round good thing. Along with the humble leek, it is the typical old-fashioned Scottish winter vegetable, says Brown.
She says it can be a bit off-putting if full of woody stalks, so she cuts these out.
"Chop kale very, very finely, with the sharpest knife you have, into the thinnest slivers possible, and then stir-fry them," she advises. The best kale she's ever had is a Shetland variety she grew from seed. "It's a great source of greenery throughout winter and very good in soups, although it should only be put in at the end to avoid overcooking."
She prepares leeks by cutting the white part into inch-long pieces and microwaving with a little water. She chops the green leaves thinly and prepares separately. They can be served simply like that, she says, or added to a tomato sauce with a little bacon. Heavy? Not at all. Just because it's autumn there's no need to surrender to the stodge.
Catherine Brown will be making fish broth and pancakes during a Broth to Bannocks – A Taste of Scottish Cooking History demonstration at 11.45am tomorrow, at the Byre Theatre, St Andrews (01334 475000; www.standrewsliteraturelive.com), or visit
www.foodinscotland.co.uk
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