These tables are concise and only show what is in the peak season for each month. Each type of food will usually be available for around a month after it goes out of season.
Beef, poultry and pork aren't seasonal in the same way as the other meats featured in these tables and so can be eaten all year round.
If you don't know what a food is, or the best recommended way to cook it, click on the link and it'll tell you.
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Wild salmon remains the King of the Sea, but finding and eating it is a minefield strewn with political and ecological issues. The population of wild salmon has at least halved in the last thirty years, which has led to an increase in farmed salmon. A few points related to the farming of salmon include the fact that it takes over three kilos of wild fish as fodder to produce one kilo of farmed salmon, and also the detrimental effects farming has on local fish stocks, along with the introduction of chemicals to the ecosystem. Organically farmed salmon uses food from sustainable fish stocks, so if you do want it farmed, then bear this in mind.
The epic life cycle of the salmon is as alluring as its beautiful appearance. It spawns in the gravel beds of fresh water rivers, beginning a life of enormous struggle. The young spend up to three years in these rivers before migrating to the sea and covering enormous distances in the search for food. They return to the rivers where they were born in order to spawn, after which many die. The ones that manage more than one of these trips are the fittest and strongest, and the ones most prized by fishermen. Wild salmon should be treated with reverence, and is perfect lightly smoked.
"Lemony Salmon with Pasta"
A good combination of this lovely fish and pasta. Healthy and comforting.
50g/2oz salted butter
finely grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
freshly ground sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 x 175g/6oz salmon fillets, skinned
350g/12oz dried tagliatelle
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Melt the butter in a small roasting tin and add the lemon rind and juice. Season with plenty of salt and pepper. Lay the salmon fillets in the roasting tin and turn them around in the lemony butter, ending up skinned-side down. Place in the oven for 7-8 minutes until cooked through but still moist inside. To test whether the salmon is done, give the fattest part a gentle squeeze and it should give slightly - if it's still wobbly, pop it back into the oven for another couple of minutes. Don't overcook! Meanwhile, put the pasta into a large pan of boiling salted water and cook according to the packet instructions until al dente. Take the salmon out of the roasting tin and place on a warmed plate. Drain the pasta, mix with the lemony buttery juices collected in the salmon roasting tin and add the parsley. Divide the pasta between four warmed plates. Set the salmon on top and serve.
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