Last night we had breaded plaice and tomato salsa for dinner. I love the combination (adapted from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage Everyday) of the sweet and sharp tomatoes with the subtle flavours of the plaice. We usually get our fish from the fabulous Brighton and Newhaven Fish Sales on Shoreham Harbour. It’s a great place, offering a plethora of different fish with expertise and a friendly smile. During the summer I went along to one of their advance fish preparation courses. There were five others who wanted to spend a Tuesday evening wielding a knife and trying to perfect the perfect fillet under the expert tuition of one of the fishmongers. Over the ninety minutes, we learnt how to fillet both round fish (some lovely Sea Bass) and the more tricky flat fish (Plaice). In addition to the tuition, all the fish we filleted were ours to take away. So armed with a big bag containing ten bass fillets and ten of plaice, I walked home thinking of ways to use my fabulous filleted fish.

The next dates for their fish and shellfish preparation courses are Tuesday 15th October and Wednesday 27th November. These will cover dressing a crab, filleting mackerel, cleaning squid and gutting bream. Priced at £30 with lots to take home.The next advanced course which is perfect if you know a bit already will be on Tuesday 29th October. This is priced at £35 at we will cover filleting flat and round fish with lots to take home. You can get more information from their website.