Monday 19 March 2012

Seiche Recipe

Forecast cold and wet weather for Sunday last forced a decision to cancel a trip to an outdoor annual "pork fair" in another part of the Charente. The risk of a wet day, after some time to be spent travelling, was sufficient to deflect us from the undoubted delights of charcuterie, pork lunch, pig competitions and races (the mind boggles!). We'll hope for the best next year, but instead, here's something about fish..........

We were scanning the big fresh fish display at the supermarket the other day, in the hope of spotting something we recognised(!). The  choice obviously depends on whatever has been caught the previous day, and this varies from visit to visit, so the prospect of buying again a type of fish previously enjoyed, can be remote! On this occasion, we bought some seiche, otherwise known as encornet.  It looked much like octopus to me, so when I got home, I did some internet research. It seems as if these words can be translated as squid, crayfish or octopus.  The fish was sold as "tranches", quite chunky and very thick slices of white meat with a thin skin on one side. I removed the skin which seemed quite tough, and cut the meat into strips. 


Ingredients for the two of us
250 gr seiche
1 large onion, halved and sliced
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
100gr stoneless black or green olives cut in half
2 cloves of garlic (I grated them but I guess you could chop small)
Olive oil


Put the seiche into a non-stick pan with a little oil and toss it  for a couple of minutes. Add the onion, toss around for another couple of minutes then add the tomatoes, olives and garlic.  I had a large pan, so the juices  cooked down quickly. I served it hot with my couscous dish see here but it would be good with rice or new potatoes and a green vegetable.  Quick, simple and delicious, I will certainly be looking for seiche again at the fish counter.

Sorry, I only thought about a photo of the meal on the plate after we had finished it all!! 

76 comments:

  1. You are so brave! I am far to 'chicken' to buy -- never mind prepare -- any thing I've no idea what it is! Your inspirational food always sounds amazing...

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  2. Looks delicious my dear... Should try this later.. Squids or shrimps would be nice too right?

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  3. You have sent the cold and wet our way so instead of olive tree pruning I am supposed to be preparing some blog posts! Yes it looks like squid to me in the pan and I agree it would have been delicious with couscous.

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  4. Looks like you had a delightful meal on a cold wet day. Awesome.

    Velva

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  5. The Broad, when one is watching the pennies I am prepared to take on anything that is a reasonable price. Besides we love seafood of any kind. I generally come home, look up a few recipes for ideas, then end up doing what I think in the end. I have never had a total failure, (yet)! Diane

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  6. ogyep yummy mellow I agree this would probably be good with prawns as well, but I like my prawns crispy on the outside so I can eat the whole thing. Diane

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  7. Hello Diane:
    How disappointing to have had poor weather at the weekend - bad enough to prevent your going to the pork fair. But it would seem that you made up for it in other ways by cooking what sounds to be the most delicious of fish dishes.

    Yes, how well we know the problem of enjoying something once, particularly fish, and then being totally at a loss to find it on another occasion.

    Here we are enjoying the loveliest of spring weather.

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  8. Linda it was so quick and easy that I will certainly buy this again if I see it. With couscous being quick as well this is pretty much a 10 minute meal!
    Today is just pretty dismal, but it looks like the weather is going to improve again. I have my veg seedlings in the house at the moment, to scared to leave them out!!
    Happy olive pruning when the weather improves. Keep well Diane

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  9. Velva it was really good even though I surprised myself:) I was sorry to miss the day out though! Diane

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  10. Jane and Lance, I was really sorry to miss the fair and I was really looking forward to seeing what the pig race was :)

    I find I have a bigger fish problem here than we did in the UK. Over there it seemed pretty much to be the general run of the mill fish always on the counter, but here it changes day by day. I find something reasonable and tasty and then never see it again!!

    Keep well you two, Diane

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  11. It looks and sounds good, Diane! We pretty much have the same fish every day in the stores here. Unfortunately, there is not a big selection; definitely, no squid or octopus!. I've never heard of the one you made, but it looks and sounds delicious! Hope your weather is good now! It has been in the low 80's here for several days---the first time in recorded history for 80 degree days in March in the Chicago area!

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  12. Looks tasty. You can send some to me.;-) Hugs Stina

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  13. Pam I don't think I have ever lived anywhere where squid was not available. I used to buy it quite often in the UK. Glad to hear that you are warming up, we are cooling down again! Hopefully next week it will warm up again. I really need to get the garden under-way! Diane

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  14. Stina will send some over next time I cook it :)) Take care Diane

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  15. I must start cooking with fish for a change! It looks delicious:) Hope you have a lovely week:)
    ~Anne

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  16. looks great and thats fun to have to try and guess what the fish is he he

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  17. I am not very adventurous when buying fish. I stick to what I know. Something cheap and cheerful is not economical if husband will not eat it.

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  18. Hello Diane, sorry that your day didn't go as scheduled, but look what you found to enjoy instead..

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  19. We have some great fish ongers in Brixton market with fresh and not expensive fish. Next time i'm down there i am buying something i've never tried before and trying it with your recepie. Your lunch looks positively delicious!

    Red

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  20. Octopus and squid are real tasty, provided you get good and fresh ones.
    This looks yummy.

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  21. I would probably try Squid before Octopus. Your meal looks wonderful.

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  22. Winter seems to have come late this year. We have 8" of snow.

    The fish(?) meal looks delish.

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  23. Anne we would be happy to eat seafood everyday, it is just the cost of it that stops us. If I can find cheap seafood like this than we jump at it. Diane

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  24. Rebecca I often buy fish here that I need to come home and check what it is!! So long as it is fresh and bright eyed I will give anything a try :) Diane

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  25. cheshire wife I am lucky we both eat anything, well that is so long as there is no peanut butter around! We both hate it. Diane

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  26. MARCO PASHA I was looking forward to the pig racing LOL. Never mind we will mark the calender for next year! Diane x

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  27. Boye By Red it is interesting trying new fish. Some we have preferred more than others but we have never had a disaster. We just keep a note of the fish we prefer.Take care Diane

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  28. Haddock, thanks for your visit and comment. I agree it is so important that fish should be fresh. I generally check the eye but with this that was a little difficult!! Diane

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  29. Horst if I had a choice I would probably also pick squid in preference, but if I want fresh seafood I take what is there and at a sensible price. Diane

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  30. Gaelyn, I cannot believe it, 8 inches of snow!! Guess you are stuck where you are for the time being.
    I love all seafood, it just a case of finding different ways of cooking it:) Diane

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  31. I'm afraid we are not big fish eaters in this family. It's a shame really as there are so many types to try.

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  32. Ellie, we both prefer sea food to meat though we eat both. Much more variety in fish than in meat, or we thing so :) Diane

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  33. Your funny - I do the same thing - thinking I wish I had taken a picture before I started eating. Looks good Diane. We have squid here but I don't eat it. Hope you are having a nice day. Your gardens will be bursting soon.

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  34. Becca we eat anything, especially if it is inexpensive!
    This week has certainly cooled down again, but I hope that the garden will soon have some colour back in it and the vegetables will be growing:) Diane

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  35. Rain will always cause me to cancel outdoor plans. While science tells us that colds are not linked to being cold and wet, life experience tells me otherwise. And with Nigel's recent illness, you didn't need to risk a recurrence. Your meal looks like it was great, and doubtless a nice consolation for missing your scheduled outing.

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  36. that looks delicious..yummy

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  37. Hi Diane .. it looks delicious and I'd have been eating it before worrying about a photo! Sounds very yummy and I love cous cous too ..

    Not sure I know those 'fish' names though .. learning curve and the pleasure of living in a country where you get lots of markets ..

    The pork fair sounds great fun - definitely look forward to your post next year!!

    The weather is warming .. but drought severely beckons .. cheers Hilary

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  38. Marjie we really enjoyed the meal, it was quite different to the norm. I do not think the weather would have been good for either of us. We cycled only 15 kms last week on a sunny day and Nigel was saying his chest was still tight.
    I saw the specialist last week and he is still telling me that I have a bronchi problem and I am now on a new spray. The cough is still around, but not as bad as it was. Nights are still not good though!!
    I am sure warm weather and a bit of exercise will sort us out. Diane

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  39. Christine's Pantry it was very good:) Take care Diane

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  40. Aarthi, we thought it was good. Keep well Diane

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  41. Ola, it also tasted good:) Keep well Dciane

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  42. Hilary I was very sad the miss the piggy day (sigh) but yes I hope the weather will be better next year.

    I often buy food here that I do not know what I am buying! I know all the normal and common names but.....

    We had a drought last year, not a drop from April to July, not easy when one has a veg garden! I hope we do not have a repeat. Diane

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  43. My dear friend Diane,
    You are a very good sef with fantasy!!!
    Very nice plate!!!
    Many greetings and kisses

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  44. Looks delicious - I love the idea of this yummy looking stew - it looks quite like calamari - YUM
    Mary x

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  45. Magda the dish was very yummy, we loved it. Take care my friend, hugs Diane

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  46. Mary Mum's Kitchen, it is certainly from one of that family. The calamari that I used to buy in S.A. I think was sort of similar. What ever it tasted pretty good to us:) Diane

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  47. Sounds quite yummy! It's always fun trying new things and new ways to use old ingredients! You're so creative!

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  48. One of the earmarks of a good cook is the ability to be creative with ingredients. You certainly are that. This sounds wonderful and brings sunshine to the table on a rainy day. I hope you are well. Have a great day. Blessings...Mary

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  49. I have never had seiche before. I think the meal looks and sounds delicious!

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  50. Oh! One of my favourites that I am allowed to eat!
    It looks yummy prepared by you!
    My Hangingfly doesn't sting, although it looks like it could!!
    Cheers, Diane!

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  51. les seiches bien cuites constituent un très bon repas. J'aime beaucoup avec des pommes vapeur ou du riz.
    See soon

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  52. The Café Sucré Farine, we loved it, it was quick, easy and cheap, what more can you wish for :) Diane

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  53. Mary thanks so much for your very kind comment. I love playing with food and it is not that often that something comes out tasting no quite as I would like. Your dishes are always so fantastic that you encourage me to try many different things. Take care ans keep well Diane

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  54. Pam this was a really good meal and it came out perfectly. Keep well Diane

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  55. Noushka I know what to cook if you ever make it up here for a meal :) Diane x

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  56. Nadji. Merci pour votre visite et commentaire. Oui, les pommes de terre ou du riz aussi bien. A bientôt. Diane

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  57. MY DEAR DIANE, I HAD NEVER SEEN THIS SEICHE UNTIL I RETURNED HOME AND FOUND OUT IT'S BECOME VERY POPULAR, IT'S NOT VERY TASTY I WOULD SAY, BUT THAT'S WHAT ALL THE LOVELY INGREDIENTS YOU MIXED IN THE PAN ARE FOR. I UNDERSTAND YOUR FRUSTRATION WHEN YOU WANT TO FIND AGAIN SOME FISH YOU LOVED AND IT'S NO LONGER AVAILABLE, THAT HAPPENS HERE TOO, BUT YOU MUST BE PATIENT, SOMETIMES THEY DO COME BACK. BIG HUGS

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  58. Pamela you are right the Seiche has not a huge amount of flavour, but with the olives and tomatoes it was very tasty.
    You are right the fish one likes comes back eventually, but quite often I see the price tag there and no fish, it sold out just before I arrived!! LOL Diane

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  59. i love seeing whats in season and available!

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  60. Muppy I agree but when i really want a certain fish and I can't find it....... Keep well Diane

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  61. Diane!!
    What a fantastic recipe!
    I love it :D
    Un besito y feliz fin de semana
    http://janakitchen.blogspot.com

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  62. Never saw this before... bet it would work perfectly with squid or octopus. Although, after seeing the octopus being affectionate with one another and hearing how smart they are, I am not eating them lately... just seems wrong!!!

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  63. Jana ★ It was very tasty! Have a good weekend. Diane

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  64. lostpastremembered you obviously have some information that I have not got. No please don't tell me I do not want to be put off my food LOL. Have a great weekend. Diane

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  65. Diane I haven't seen this around here. It seem crayfish and octopus are pretty far off from eachother at least here, crayfish have shells. :) I'm not thinking about the octopus either...;)

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  66. if these are the squids , i would certainly love them. Infact i just had them 2 weeks ago , cooked with some chilli paste. Good in seafood pasta too! Enjoy the weekend, Diane!

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  67. We love fish but I have never fancied squid or octopus. This is partly to do with the appearance of them but also an unfortunate gastric incident after eating some in a restaurant !!
    But if it didn't look too much like octopus or squid to begin with then I might be tempted !!

    We adore the fish counters in France, there is so much choice and joking aside, you do get to see what the fish really looks like before it's served up. I'm sure this recipe would work really well with prawns but I will look out for seiche and give it a go !!

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  68. Lyndsey I quote from Wikipedia, "Encornet or Squid is in principle the vernacular name of squid when it is caught or cooked. However, this word can sometimes refer by analogy to other céphalododes like cuttlefish and sometimes the octopus. Keep well, have a great weekend. Diane

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  69. Lena my guess is from the size of the bits of 'meat' it is more likely to be octopus but I am not sure. I used to buy squid in the UK, and there I just used to buy a couple each as they were quite small. Diane

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  70. Jean when I first met Nigel he would not eat prawns, also due to an incident in a restaurant. He was sure he was allergic. I cooked some one day for myself and convinced him to try a small piece. now he is fine and eats them quite happily. Never the less if you have had a problem it is worth only having a very small piece to start with and see what the result is!! Have a great weekend. Diane x

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  71. chubskulit it was very yummy! Diane

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  72. Fascinating, I have never heard of seiche! Although I do not eat meat, I do like fish and seafood. I think I would like to try seiche one day :)

    By the way, I wore the black and white beaded earrings today. I always think of them as Diane's earrings!

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  73. Dolly we have bought seiche again since this post and we enjoyed it just as much. It has not got a lot of flavour so you can pretty much make it taste however you like. It is cheap and quick to cook and we enjoy it. On the shopping list again:) Diane x

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