Despite the well-known tradition for eating fish on a Friday, a whopping 15.4million Brits who used to eat fish on a Friday no longer do so. According to a poll by John West, confusion around cooking times and techniques, and a fear of choking on bones are contributing factors to this decline.
With this in mind, the tuna brand has kick-started a new initiative dubbed Tuna Tuesday, to encourage Brits to eat more fish, which will be fronted by Chef James Martin. “The UK Food Standards Authority suggests we should all be eating two fish meals a week for our health. But with the decline of the Friday fish supper, and fears about how to cook fish correctly, many of us are failing to meet this target”, stated James.
Other reasons cited for the steady decline in Fish Friday are confusion over how to prepare it and fear of injury. Worryingly, the research revealed some shocking findings:
- 2.7 million Brits don’t eat fish because they are scared they will choke on the bones
- 2.4 million don’t eat fish because they don’t like the eyes
- 1.8 million don’t eat fish because they are worried they won’t cook it properly
- And incredibly, more than 400,000 don’t eat fish because they or their kids have seen Finding Nemo!
If you are one of the many that is worried about how to prepare fish, then buy it from a fish mongers and ask them to prepare it for you; if you are worried about not cooking your fish properly, just think of sushi – it’s fine to eat it raw, so as long as your fish is super fresh, you will be fine however you cook it.
If you can’t be sure how fresh your fish is, then you can always try canned fish – John West has in fact just extended its successful range of No Drain Less Mess tuna to include Tuna Chunks and individual portioned snack packs.
To help inspire you to go out and cook more fish, James Martin has devised some great recipes using canned tuna, two of which I have included below – so enjoy.
Potato and Crème Fraiche Rosti with Tuna and Goat’s Cheese
Makes: 4 Rostis
Ingredients:
2 x 130g John West No Drain Tuna Steaks with a little spring water
1 large baking potato (about 400g)
4 tablespoons thick crème fraiche
2 egg yolks
40g Butter
300g goats cheese log sliced into 12 (3 per portion).
Method:
- Peel, wash and dry the potato and grate into a bowl. Place on a clean tea towel and squeeze out the water.
- Put into a bowl with the crème fraiche, egg yolks and seasoning and mix well.
- Melt the butter in a pan, divide the mixture into 4 flat cakes and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side.
- Top with the John West Tuna and slices of goat’s cheese and place under the grill to brown.
- Remove from the grill and serve on its own or with a dressed green salad.
Tuna with watercress, asparagus and crispy onions
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 x 130g John West Tuna Steaks with a little olive oil
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced into rings
4 medium sized eggs
2 heads baby little gem lettuce, stalk removed
50g fresh watercress
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cooked
For the dressing
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Method
- Place a sauté pan on a medium heat and add the olive oil and sauté the onion slices until golden brown and crispy. Put onto kitchen paper and allow to cool.
- To make the dressing, place all the ingredients into a bowl and whisk well, season to taste and set aside.
- Bring a pan of salted boiling water to the boil, break the egg into a cup, whisk the water to a whirlpool and lower the egg into the middle and poach for 3 to 4 minutes or until cooked. Repeat this process for all the eggs.
- Separate the leaves of the little gem lettuce, put into a bowl with the watercress and drizzle with half the dressing. Add the John West Tuna and toss lightly together.
- Place the warm asparagus on the plate. Put the mixed tuna salad on top then add the poached egg.
- Pile the onion rings on the plate and drizzle with the remaining dressing and serve.
