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Fishing for your supper
If you want fresh sea fish come and catch it yourself. That's the innovative invitation from a top North Yorkshire seaside restaurant for a new type of cooking course. Lucy Oates pushed the boat out and discovered she was hooked.
The prospect of going sea fishing was exciting. But what if I struck lucky? The thought of handling something wet from the briny and preparing it for the plate was not appealing.
Taking to the waves to catch my own supper was going to be a first. But so was wielding a filleting knife. Despite cooking and eating seafood regularly, I always ask the fishmonger to do the slitting and the gutting and the disposal of the slimy bits.
Thankfully, I discovered I wasn't alone in this. Others who came on this course – unique in the North – had differing levels of experience but were also a little squeamish. The day began early. At 6.45am we headed down to the quayside with Brian Kay, our host. Together with his partner, Charlotte Willoughby, Brian runs The Endeavour in the heart of the fishing village of Staithes. So well-established is its reputation for seafood, I lost count of the number of people who gave a wistful sigh when I told them where I was coming.
Our skipper for the morning, Sean Baxter, was waiting for us on his charter boat All My Sons. Not taking any chances, I had already taken a tablet to ward of seasickness, although some of the braver souls among the group chose to risk it. I was glad that I had because, although the weather conditions looked favourable for novices (a dry and fairly bright morning), a northeasterly breeze made for a choppy ride as we headed out of harbour.
Waterproofs are essential. Sean took us a little over four miles out where we began preparing lines for mackerel. Some of this was to be used as bait to lure the larger fish, the rest would be used in recipes that evening. Only rod-and-line is used. In the interests of sustainable fishing, Brian and Charlotte are firm believers in catching only what's needed.
We sailed over one of the numerous wrecks that litter this part of the coastline. Sean skilfully positioned the boat directly above the vessel on the seabed so as to catch larger fish lurking within it.
A few mackerel were reeled in but things began to get interesting when one of our party landed a ling, a member of the cod family that actually looks more like an eel. It turned out to be a young fish and was returned to the water unharmed to fight another day. Waiting for the fish to bite, our attention turned to the wealth of bird life around us – kittiwakes, a variety of gulls, guillemots and a family of gannets which like us were also out fishing. On a fine summer day there is something very calming and restful about floating about waiting for the fish to bite. I can barely imagine what it must be like during the harsh winter months for the fishermen who brave the elements on a daily basis.
Just when it appeared that Brian was becoming concerned about our catch – or lack of it – an extremely impressive cod was hooked. It tipped the scales at more than nine pounds.
By now I was the only person aboard to have caught nothing. Brian had noticed my lack of contribution and was already jokingly referring to me as Jonah. He'd had some success fishing for mackerel from the same spot and suggested I give that one more try. Sure enough, a couple of minutes later I landed two shiny silver-blue mackerel. What a relief to shake off the Jonah tag.
Soon my fortunes were transformed. We decided to go back over the wreck one last time and I was astonished when I felt a bite within seconds of casting my line in the water. Had I imagined it? Sean confirmed that I had indeed caught something. After a good deal of reeling in – and a little puffing and panting – a ling was brought aboard that was large enough to keep for the dining table.
Thankfully, it turned out to be a respectable addition to our combined catch, which comprised about 60 mackerel, two cod and my ling.
Heading back to Staithes, a close encounter with a school of porpoise which were hunting mackerel was the perfect finale to a successful morning's fishing. A break was called for after landing. Then we all headed to the kitchen for an afternoon filleting our catch under Brian and Charlotte's careful tuition.
First up was the mackerel. Brian placed one on the chopping board and handed me a sharp knife. But this sort of preparation does not come naturally. I was reluctant to start slicing into the fish.
I tried to apply a bit of reason to what looked a tricky situation. As someone who loves to eat fish regularly, there really is no excuse for shying away from this part of the process. Come on girl, pick up the fish! We carefully followed Brian and Charlotte's guidance, literally cut by cut, until we got the hang of what needs to be done to get a mackerel to the plate.
Then we moved onto the larger fish. There used to be a celebrated chip shop in South Yorkshire called In Cod We Trust but I was very suspicious of this one. Compared with a mackerel, it presented a more rigorous challenge to our rudimentary skills. This was partly due to its size, but also because the filleting was more complex. Oddly, I seemed to take to the skinning and bone removal techniques that Brian showed us more readily than I did to the actual filleting. I suspect that that's because, to my squeamish mind, the fillet no longer resembles a fish by that stage. We were then shown how to use the mackerel fillets and some of the cod as ingredients for a Staithes Plate, which was to be the starter course for our dinner that evening. It's the Endeavour's signature dish, featuring fish that has been line caught and processed (either smoked, soused or salted) by Brian and Charlotte themselves.
The job accomplished, we retired for a much-needed shower and change of clothes, looking forward to enjoying the outcome of our day's exertions in the form of a delicious
three-course dinner.
Each of us had the opportunity to help Brian and Charlotte to serve one of the courses and I was put on starter duty. This meant doing my best to emulate the artistic way that Charlotte arranged the Staithes Plate comprising soused mackerel, mackerel pat, salt cod and toast.
With Brian and Charlotte overseeing the operation, the food was fantastic and we relished it so much more because we had all played our part in bringing it to the table. It was an extremely satisfying experience.
I doubt if I have fully cured my antipathy to handling a wet fish. But I now know that I can do it if needs be.
In these days of industrialised fishing, with vessels hoovering up the seabed so efficiently that it can never properly recover, I also salute Brian and Charlotte's "no waste" ethos to sealife.
Everyone knows about the big splash that Rick Stein has made in Padstow with his energetic approach to appreciating the joys of fresh fish, but at the seaside beyond Cornwall, it often seems in this country that our restaurants neglect to exploit the obvious. Maybe they are just bowing to the overwhelming fast-food demand and assume that the only thing the public will eat is a very limited selection of fish which must always be presented the same way, usually in a thick coat of batter.
One has to admire the different tack taken by this Yorkshire couple and their determination to persuade us of the diversity and abundance of the fruits of the sea – which, in their case, is almost lapping at their door.
The Endeavour's Catch and Cook course, running between May and October next year, costs between 600 and 620 per couple (depending on choice of room) and includes boat fees, two days of tuition, accommodation in a double en-suite room, private parking, breakfasts and a three-course dinner each evening. Information on www.endeavourrestaurant.co.uk or email catch.cook@virgin.net
For more about fishing trips aboard
All My Sons visit www.sea-angling-staithes.co.uk
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Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 8 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
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Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: East
