Hope you've cooled down a bit, Winton. I once used a Chinese rice vinegar, if I recall clearly.

We barebecued four 'dorades royales' (grey mullet?) for guests at lunchtime yesterday. We bought them in a supermarket, because we were stuck for time. They were farmed in Greece! What's that all about? We have them here in the lagoon. Buy local, that's what I say.

have you tried catching mullet with a rod and line? you would get better results using a shot gun!

LOL !! I can picture it now...

**ding - shop door opening**

"good morning, how can I help you"

"I'm after a gun"

"oh very good, what sort are you thinking of ?"

"I'm not sure, something light and not to long, maybe a shotgun"

"we do that sort of thing, what are you using if for, clay pidgeon ? game birds ?"

"er no, fishing! "

LOL

It's really easy to catch these fish with a rod and line, at the point when they exit from the lagoon to the sea. That's why there are so many fishermen with rods catching them here.

But I didn't mention rod and line: there are nets (obviously).

My point was about farming and supermarket policy: dorades are sold in droves here, but not by the supermarkets.

Nothing to do with how you catch them.

How do you catch flying fish? Try and shoot, net or spear them in the air or use a line or net underwater?!!

For buying 'local' I saw Scottish scampi for sale. It is only in the small print that they are frozen, shipped to Thailand to be prepared and breadcrumbed then shipped back to the UK again for consumption!

Hi Winton,

That's my point: supermarkets have policies that make no sense to me. No doubt it is cheaper for them to import farmed Greek dorades into France, but it makes no more sense than what you've described.

There are Argentinian onions on sale here: daft! Whe have perfectly good local onions.

I refuse to buy Spanish mussels here: they farm mussels on the lagoons here.

Buy local!

Phil

Agree Phil, it is like the English/Welsh exporting their lamb to France (the French recognising its qualities so are prepared to pay more for it) and the British being left to eat New Zealand lamb from the other side of the world!

I just saw Tasmanian onions in a French supermarket the other day.

Perhaps the Australians need these, but the French? I think not!

By the way, I saw an Iranian dish on the menu in a fab restaurant near the port in Chania, Crete, recently.

Phil

Hello!! I recently spent a fortune on saffron and tried to make. ASIC Iranian rice with the kabobs. Does anybody have a good or great or best cookbook to make this rice using gold or saffron? Please help. My family is coming tomorrow from Iran and being a man they don't expect much but I want to surprise them!!!

Well, I am not Iranian, but I do make biryanies, which have some Iranian influence I have no doubt. If you search for Biryani on this site, you will get a few recipes.

Hope your family enjoy whatever you cook for them :)