I don't get enough fish in my diet, why? Two simple reasons: I hate fish bones (they make me nervous) and I don't like fishy smells in the house (yes, yes, it's mad I know!); when I do get fish, I tend to go for fillets of cod (tail end so there's little or no bones), salmon or tuna fillets and every now and then I chance a Raywing or a red snapper. I also tend to feel guilty when buying fish because it's hard to know whether it was fished ethically or not! So for all these reasons, we don't get as much fish as we should and that makes me feel guilty!
I recently heard about a shop in Glasnevin in Dublin called Taste of the Sea. It is a fish supermarket and the concept was intriguing. It's Irish owned, they have their own trawlers and stock a lot of local catches, although there's plenty of imports too: from Irish Raywing to Cuban Lobsters. I paid them a visit over the weekend to check them out. Getting there was easy enough, the staff was friendly and the layout of the shop easy to navigate with the added benefit of ample free parking. All their stock is frozen, which did not bother me, but did troubled the other half as he is yet to be convinced that frozen fish can be fresh. To my delight, the shop also offers three types of ready to cook paellas! We bought a few portions of fish and I got a few scoops of the paella classic mix and brought it home to try.
The results were really good and it took me about 20 minutes all together, which is a great choice for 'apron-free-days' when I get home late from work and feel tempted to ring in for pizza! I would definitely buy it again. As with all ready to cook meals, it's always best to pimp them up a little rather than going just for what the manufacturer felt was 'good for all'. I had my way with this paella and the results of the beauty treatment were so good, we had it all eaten before I realised the pictures I took weren't great!
As for the frozen fish, it is my sad duty to report that it mostly all ended up in the bin. When I defrosted it a few weeks after to cook it I wasn't happy with either the smell or the texture of it and the couple of portions we ended up using, paled in comparison to the fresh item. I hate to admit it, but the other half was right! I would get the paella mix though!
Heat the lemon and olive oil in a non-stick pan at medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for a couple of minutes or until the onion is translucent.
Bring the heat to high and add the mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook for further 2 minutes stirring occasionally.
Pour the paella mix and mix well. Stir fry for 3 minutes before adding the wine. Cook covered for further 10 minutes stirring occasionally until all the wine is absorbed and the fish has cooked through.
Your pimped up paella is done! It's as simple as that. Fast, fragrant and satisfying. Enjoy!
