| April - Mackerel |
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 For many years mackerel were regarded as a cheap, low-value and
uninspiring fish. More recently with more adventurous recipes and the
proven health benefits of eating oily fish (such as mackerel, sardines
and herring) containing 3-omega oils the demand for mackerel has
rocketed. Despite the increase in popularity Mackerel remain an
excellent value fish which is also incredibly versatile. The range of
mackerel dishes for cooking at home or eating out in top restaurants is
staggering ranging from barbequing to pates or grilling to frying.
Visit wwwAs well as being versatile and relatively cheap, best of all is the
fact that mackerel are available in abundance off the Cornish coast for
much of the year. The South West Handline mackerel fishery remains one
of only three fisheries in the UK to have received certification by the
Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) which is awarded in recognition of a
sustainable fishery.During the Summer months the fishery consists of a fleet of small boats of between 15 to 30ft in length working from harbours and coves around West Cornwall, such as St Ives, Hayle, Sennen and Penberth. These boats work usually at dawn and dusk fishing close to shore with traditional handlines. Each line consists of 25 to 30 hooks baited only with brightly coloured feathers. The line is then jigged up and down until the fish are found, once hooked the line is quickly pulled up, the fish are flicked off into slush ice bins to maximise quality and then lowered again. Later in the year (from November to January) larger vessels of upto 40ft in length fishing from Looe, Mevagissey and Newlyn also fish for mackerel using handlines. Seafood Cornwall works with all of these boats to ensure that they follow best practice for handling and icing so that the fish reaches the market in premium condition..seafish.org for more mackerel recipe ideas. |
