Can You Eat That?
It is a sad fact that many of the fish we catch are not the ones featured in fish recipe books or appear regularly in high street fishmongers. The good news is that almost every fish in UK waters is edible (although sand eel is edible but disgusting). Tope and shad are protected and must be returned. Please do not take undersized fish, there are minimum size limits enforced by the Sussex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority . A list is on the Local Information page. If possible return females particularly if spawning. The following table gives a guide to what recipes to use for all the fish species regularly caught in East Solent waters.
| Species | Cooking Notes | Recipes and Links |
|---|---|---|
| Bass | Smaller fish cook whole, 3-4lb fish use half or quarter fillets. Return fish over 7lb as they are better for breeding than eating |
Grill, shallow fry, BBQ, bake. Bass and bream recipes are interchangeable Bass with Garlic, Chilli and Thyme |
| Bream | When plentiful in the breeding season take only males. |
Grill, BBQ or bake. Bass and bream recipes are interchangeable |
| Brill | Treat as plaice | Grill, fry. Bake only if large |
| Cod | Do you need notes??? Our fishy staple. Anything goes. | |
| Conger Eel | Slow growing so better to return. Very, very bony, but firm white meat. | So bony best to cut up and use in fish pies and fishcakes |
| Cuttlefish | Most recipes based on quick frying as longer cooking makes them tough | Similar recipes to squid |
| Dab | Treat as plaice |
Fry |
| Dogfish | Gut, skin and freeze for at least two weeks before cooking to ensure the ammonia taint is removed |
Deep fry, fishcakes, curries, pie filling, smoke |
| Eel (silver or common) | The eel population has crashed by 90% so return if possible. | Smoke, stew |
| Flounder |
Can have a muddy taint if caught in estuaries and harbours. Soak in milk overnight. Treat as plaice |
Fry, grill |
| Garfish | Has green bones, even when cooked which looks odd but helps you spot them. Treat as mackerel (but not as oily) |
Grill, smoke |
| Gurnard | Firm white flesh. Excellent eating | Bake, fry, grill |
| Herring | Make sure it is not a shad. | Fry, grill, souse (pickle) |
| Mackerel | Needs no comment |
Grill, smoke, BBQ |
| Mullet | Treat as bass. Can be muddy if caught in estuaries and harbours. |
Bake, fry, grill |
| Plaice | Needs no comment |
Fry, grill, bake larger ones |
| Pollack | Treat as cod | |
| Pouting | Larger ones are excellent. Treat as cod | |
| Rays (all) | Skin wings first. Some people including me freeze before eating to avoid any ammonia taint |
Shallow fry, deep fry, poach |
| Rockling | Firm white flesh. Treat as cod | |
| Scad (Horse Mackerel) | Bony, similar to mackerel but not as oily. Treat as mackerel |
Grill, BBQ |
| Smelt | Can be caught in a net in harbours. Scale, and shallow fry like sprats | Fry |
| Smoothhound | Treat as dogfish |
Deep fry, fishcakes, curries, pie filling, smoke |
| Sole | One of the few fish that is better after a few days on ice. Keep 4-5 days before eating. Cook as plaice. | Fry, grill |
| Sprat | Can be caught in nets in winter | Fry |
| Squid | Can be caught on feathers and jigs in summer. Either cook very fast (2-3 mins) or very slow (2 hours), anything in between results in a rubber meal. |
Deep or shallow fry |
| Trigger Fish | Needs to be skinned. Very good eating, white flesh. Treat as bass/bream |
Fry, grill, bake |
| Turbot | Treat as plaice | Fry, grill, bake larger ones |
| Weever | Avoid the sting but the rest is good eating | Add to fish stews |
| Whiting | Treat as cod | |
| Wrasse | Slow growing so best to return. White flesh, little taste. Needs skinning not scaling | Bulk up pies, fishcakes, stews, curries |