Something fishy

I’m feeling a bit frustrated at the moment. Yesterday morning I toodled down to the fishmongers & then Morrisons supermarket on my electric mobility scooter, the Mean Machine, in the hope of buying some mackerel. No luck. I did the same this morning. Again no luck. I noticed there wasn’t any on the fish stall in Morrisons on Wednesday either. So where has all the mackerel gone? I’m not the only one wondering. I overheard another lady berating Morrisons for the absence of mackerel while I was there yesterday.

I checked with my old cookery book. Mackerel is in season all year round, especially in winter. So where is it?

It’s not been particularly stormy at sea as far as I can tell. Certainly here on Morecambe Bay it’s not been bad, so why no mackerel? It’s beyond me.

For a while we’ve all been encouraged to eat more mackerel as it’s in such plentiful supply, not to mention it tastes good & has health benefits from its oiliness. Have we already eaten it all?

It’s frustrating as I’d decided on this recipe. The other ingredients I’ve already bought but now I can’t find the fish. I’ve tried to think of an alternative fish but mackerel is unique. The point of the recipe is the cidered apple which is supposed to cut through the oiliness of the mackerel. I have considered sardines or herrings, both available, but they’re not going to cook the same as the fish is baked on the apple in the oven. If it was to be fried I might have gone ahead. The only fish I can see that has similar thickness for the cooking times is sea bass but I can’t quite imagine the apple going with it. And so I’ve returned empty-handed. I’ve also got down to preparing a Bacon & Egg Pie instead for today’s dinner.