From spending the majority of my youth sat by a lake on a cold Saturday morning with a box of maggots and a pole fishing for carp only to release them instantly, I have now become a totally single-minded fishing snob and consider fly flishing to be the purist form of angling.
For those of you who have not had the good fortune to experience fly fishing, I will give you a brief insight…. Fly fishing involves using an artificial fly, usually made from feathers tied around a hook, this fly is then cast out to the fish using a fly rod and reel. The idea being to give an illusion of a fly landing on the surface of the water and thereby provoking the fish bellow to strike.
In my opinion fly fishing takes a great deal more skill than other forms of fishing available in the UK. You must first stalk the river banks looking for that elusive wild trout, who will dart off up stream at the faintest movement of a shadow.
Your best bet is to wait for a fish to rise to the surface of the water causing a ripple. This distinctive tale tale sign will give you an indication of where to put your fly. You then want to approach the fish from the tail end, taking care not to make much noise and cast so that your fly lands up river of the fish to drift down above him. Although you must be prepared for a strike the instant your fly nears the water. Some highly skilled anglers will try and make the fly bounce off an overhanging branch to give it a more natural drop onto the water.
Most recently I fished the Avon, this was a un-stocked beat but contained a few very good size (1.5lb-2lb) wild brown trout. In most rivers you will find wild brown trout and stocked rainbow trout, which were introduced from North America. If you have the bank balance of Eric Clapton you may get to fish a beat containing wild salmon and sea trout.
The last thing to say is that I have never had an unenjoyable days fly fishing, even on the days when all I am doing is flogging the water and loosing fly after fly to overhead branches, frustrating as this is, the sheer beauty and tranquillity of the surroundings on British rivers make it well worthwhile.
Salmon with Herb Potatoes
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the fish
2tbsp olive oil
4 x 200g fillets of Salmon, skin on
For the Dill Potatoes
800g Jersey Royal potatoes, scrubbed and boiled till just tender
2tbsp Mayonnaise
½ Bunch of Dill, finely chopped
½ Bunch of Parsley, finely chopped
2tbsp Chives, finely chopped
3tbsp Capers, roughly chopped
Side salad to serve
Method
For the fish
Pre heat oven to 200˚c
Heat the olive oil over a medium to high heat in a large, oven proof frying pan.
Season the fish. Place the fish into the pan skin side down. Cook without moving for 4-5mins – or until the skin has taken on a light golden appearance and begun to crisp.
Carefully turn the fillets and immediately place in the oven. Cook for about 4mins. The fillets should be just cooked through. The skin should be nice an crisp.
For the potatoes
Whilst the potatoes are still warm add all of the ingredients. Mix well. I prefer the potatoes a little broken up so mix everything together in the same bowl. If you prefer the potatoes to be kept whole then mix all the other ingredients separately, then carefully add the potatoes to the mixture turning lightly.
To serve: serve a fillet of cooked Salmon with a good portion of the potatoes. Serve with green salad.
Asian Fish ‘n’ Chips with salad
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the Fish and chips
100g Plain flour
100g Corn flour
300ml Sparkling water
8 x 125g Salmon fillets, skin off
1 x Large floury potato, peeled and finely julienned into long matchsticks
Sunflower oil for deep frying
For the salad
½ tbsp Fish sauce
6tbsp Lime juice
½ tsp Caster sugar
1 x Red chilli, de-seeded and finely diced
2 x Carrot, finely sliced on an angle
2 x Fennel, hard, outer layer removed and finely sliced lengthways
10 x Radishes, finely sliced
½ Cucumber, peeled, seeds removed, halved lengthways and thinly sliced
Large handful of bean sprouts
½ Bunch of mint. Leaves only
½ Bunch of coriander. Leaves only
For the dipping sauce
100ml Dashi stock
25ml Mirin
25ml Soy sauce
Pinch of caster sugar
Method
For the Fish and chips
Heat the oil to 180˚c
Place the two flours into a bowl. Begin to pour in the sparkling water gradually, whilst continually whisking. It may not be necessary to use the entire amount of water. Your finished batter should resemble pancake batter.
Season the Salmon fillets and dip into the batter. Carefully place into the hot oil. Cook for about 4mins each. Remove on to kitchen roll to drain excess oil. Reserve in a warm place.
Rinse the chopped potato under cold water. Drain well. Pick out about 30g of potato at a time. Place into the batter. Remove from the batter and place directly into the oil. The potatoes will spread but will be held together by the batter.
Fry the potato for about 4mins. They should be slightly golden. Remove and drain on kitchen roll. Keep in a warm place till needed. Continued on next page.
For the salad
Mix together the fish sauce, lime juice, caster sugar
and red chilli.
Mix together all the vegetables.
Toss together the vegetables with the dressing and season.
For the dipping sauce
Place all of the ingredients into a small pan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat, and leave to cool before serving.
To serve: Serve two pieces of salmon with a generous portion of both the chips and salad. Serve the dipping sauce separately.
Salmon Ceviche
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the Ceviche
600g centre cut piece of salmon, skinned and trimmed
Juice of 2 limes
For the dressing
1 x red chilli, de-seeded and sliced into thin strips
Zest of 1 lime
1tsp caster sugar
1tbsp sesame oil
Lambs lettuce and crusty bread to serve
Method
For the Ceviche
Slice the Salmon into 1/2cm slices and lay flat on to a clean plate. Do not overlap the fish.
Pour over the lime juice and place in the fridge. After 4mins turn the salmon pieces. Leave to marinade for another 4mins before removing and draining the lime juice, reserving 3tbsp for the dressing
Remove the slices directly on to the plates they will be served on.
For the dressing
Mix together the reserved lime juice, red chilli, lime zest, sugar and sesame oil.
To serve: Drizzle over the dressing sparingly just before serving.
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