Bass in Vegetables
Ingredients
2 Bass fillets (or any other firm white fish)
5 tblsp dark soy sauce
1 tblsp Madiera
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp grated fresh root ginger
4 spring onions, sliced into rounds
s+p
mild olive oil
boiling water (if necessary)
Method
Dry the fillets, place skin side up on a plate and scatter with milled salt and black pepper.
In a small bowl, combine the soy, sesame oil, ginger and spring onions.
Drizzle a little mild olive oil in a large frying pan and put on a medium-high heat. When oil is hot, place fillets in pan – skin side down.
Leave for a minute or so, then lift one end to check that the skin is colouring nicely.
Pour the contents of the bowl over the fillets – baste them if you’ve missed a bit.
Once the fillets have cooked about 1/3 of the way up, carefully turn the fillets over. Reduce the heat to low and cover the frying pan – loosely drape some foil if you haven’t got a big enough lid.
If, by chance, the sauce should start to catch (ask me how I know…), pour some boiling water in the pan and swirl it around to combine with the sauce.
Check for doneness, flipping over again if necessary- but use caution because you’re getting into broken fillet territory now – and once cooked to perfection, serve.
Scatter with the parsley that you picked from the garden and chopped finely and then found sitting on the chopping board when you took the empty plates back to the kitchen.
Failing that, put the parsley into a little bag and freeze it so you can forget to use it again another time.
Served with stir-fried wilting veg
spinach
pea sprouts
runner beans (already blanched)
peas (already blanched)
Heat a little oil and a knob of salted butter in a wok.
Chuck in the veg and season well with salt and black pepper. Keep moving it around until the leaves have wilted. Obviously, you can use any veg and/or salad leaves.
Printer friendly version
Recipe taken from
creamuntilfluffy.co.uk
I was up early yesterday morning in order to be at Brighton Marina for first light so I could stock up on some fresh Mackerel for the evening’s planned assault on the Bass there. I was out on the East arm ready to start by 4.30am and like clockwork, the Mackerel appeared soon afterwards. Although there were no huge shoals, they were about in sufficient numbers that before too long, I had enough for bait plus a few for our lunch and some for Anna’s parents. Job done, I headed off home and prepared all my stuff for the evening.
I was back down at the marina for about 6pm and wandered out on to the East arm to find a decent spot. After two moves due to excessive (for me) noise and activity, I eventually started fishing seriously at bay 32, about an hour before low tide which was at 9pm. I fished two rods, both using a running ledger set up with 4/0 hooks baited with Mackerel head. Bass have become accustomed to feeding on the heads that are thrown back over the wall into the sea by people cleaning their catches of Mackerel and so have become a top bait for the venue.
Two hours after low tide, I was busying myself re-baiting one of the rods when the reel on the other rod started to click a few times and then screamed as a Bass ran with the bait before stopping. I picked up the rod and lifted gently and watched as it arched over as the fish went off again, I struck and all hell broke loose. The fish ran right and then out before taking a left turn and running in the direction of Beachy Head. After a short while, the fish was under control and ready for the net; this is always difficult at this venue as you are some distance up from the surface and there is no clear view from above as to what the net and fish are doing. Luckily, there was a couple of guys fishing just along from me (transpires both are WSF members, dannyc and mr codling), so I called out and both came over to assist to land it. Both of them did a sterling job, especially danny who clambered over the guard rails to net it. It weighed in at 9lbs on the dot; a lovely fish by any means but I was hoping (perhaps optimistically) that it might have nudged past my personal best of 9lbs 13oz. I will have that double figure fish by the end of this year!
I later missed another run which did appear less spirited and also landed another Bass, although a schooly of around the pound and a bit mark that took a very small joey head. Looks like the spider peelers are in too. I landed a small one that was divided up and used for a few casts as I thought there might be a Smooth Hound or two around. Each time I retrieved it, the crab was surprisingly untouched.
Quick report from East arm, Brighton Marina:
Fished bay 16 from 0800 – 1600. Sea was clear and the Mayrot seems to have gone now leaving the water its usual colour (hoo bloody ray). Weather wise, there was a gusting South Easterly breeze, cloudy overcast sky. Baits used were Ragworm, Lugworm and Mackerel (caught at the venue).
Tally for the day was one Dab, one Bream (on ledgered worm baits) and four Mackerel. Disappointing on the Mackerel front and the fishing for them was patchy with no great concentrations. I did have one rod out using Mackerel (fillets and heads) but no interest shown.
Just a quickie from last night at Brighton Marina. Despite the May rot, I felt that another dabble at the marina was due. Went to the East arm with some peeler crab and some ragworm. Fished in bay 32 from about 7pm through until 2am. A lovely evening to be out, absolutely no wind and stayed warm throughout.
Final tally for the night was one Smooth Hound pup, one palm sized Thornback Ray (taken on ledgered peeler crab) one 30cm Bass (taken on ragworm)Â and the usual hoards of Pout (crab and worm).
Did notice a few Mackerel present but were in tiny shoals of just a few fish working the wall on the ebbing tide.
…… No it’s not the name of a local good time girl, mayrot (or mayweed) is the annual algae bloom that plagues the coast at this time every year. Unfortunately, these persistent East winds haven’t helped these keep the sea flat and the bloom doesn’t get broken up and dispersed. Local guide and guru, Fishyrob summed it up quite well with “It’s laying in the pools like decaying cotton buds that have been very heavily used”, when he described his encounter with the brown goo in the pools on the chalk reefs in our area.
Anyway, the consequence of this stuff, is that it puts the fishing right off and the fish seem to stay offshore. Hopefully we’ll get some Southerlies or South Westerlies soon to break the stuff and we can then get back to fishing.
Talking of fishing, I headed off to the East arm at Brighton Marina yesterday for an afternoon and evening session. Although I knew the mayrot was there, I thought I’d chance it anyway and see what was about. I arrived at around 4pm with the aim of fishing the 6pm high water down – not ideal times at least I was out. It was pretty busy there with the usual part time chuckers in amongst more dedicated souls. Got myself settled in bay 12 and sent a crab baited ledger into the briny. While that was cooking, I had a few chucks with some feathers to try and entice some Mackerel out. This proved hard work and in all the chucks I had, I only managed one to put in the bucket. I swapped the feathers for a lugworm baited two hook flapper and sent that out too.
For some reason, I was not happy with pitch, so when the folks along from me packed up, I jumped into their place in bay 14. After casting out the flapper, I was immediately rewarded with a nice little Bream which was lucky to be small enough not to warrant being taken for the pot. As the tide dropped, I resigned myself to the fact that no records were going tgo be broken that day and just settled back and enjoyed the sunshine; could have done without that bloody East wind though – so annoying.
By the time came to pack up (about midnight), I’d only added Pout to the tally. Looks like this weather is set for at least this week, I’m just praying that the wind will swing around at some point soon to stir things up a bit.
Comments (0) 
