I do love fish. Cod and haddock are two of my favourite things to eat. Growing up on the East coast of England we regularly had fish and chips, and the smooth, flaky texture of a piece of white fish takes me right back to my childhood.

But fish supplies are not what they used to be. Certain Atlantic cod is becoming rare, and as haddock and cod swim together they can become easily overfished. You probably recall Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Fishfight campaign, which successfully fought to change the European discards policy. But this is only a small part of it – a drop in the ocean, if you will (sorry). Many fish stocks are depleted and we need to change our own buying habits if we want to enjoy these species in years to come.

For more information read the Marine Conservation Society or Sustain Web.

In a bid to get some traction, Sainsbury’s are launching a #SwitchTheFish campaign. They want us to think looking out for sea bass, coley, hake or loch trout in place of the “big five”. In fact on 12th June if you ask for salmon, tuna, haddock, cod or prawns they’ll offer you an alternative for free. That’s right, free. No excuse not to try them out!

As a starter they’ve asked me to come up with a recipe, so here’s my ginger coley with noodles.

Coley is a firm white fish, very reminiscent of cod and takes on flavours in a similar way. In this recipe the hum of ginger is tempered with a sweet-salty dressing.

You can substitute the vegetables for whichever stir-fry veg you like. On a weeknight I like to use those bags of stir-fry veg to speed things up.

Whatever you substitute, make it a meal to remember.

ginger coley with noodles

Gary @ BigSpud

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Ingredients

  

• 250 g coley fillets
• 1 inch ginger peeled and chopped
• 1 garlic clove peeled and chopped
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon miso paste
• 2 egg noodle nests
• 200 ml vegetable or fish stock
• 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 400 g mixed stir fry vegetables such as cabbage carrot, beansprouts

Instructions

 

• Combine the miso, sesame oil, ginger and garlic and rub all over the fish. Leave to marinate for an hour.
• Mix the stock, ginger, honey, and soy sauce for your dressing and put to one side.
• Cook the egg noodles until al dente, drain and rinse in cold water, again leaving to one side until ready.
• You'll need to cook the vegetables & sauce at the same time as cooking the fish so have two pans on the go.
• In a small frying pan cook the fish over a medium heat. Don't shake the pan or move it about or the fish will break up. After three minutes or until the fish is white halfway up the side, turn over and cook for another two minutes or until done to your liking. Allow to rest for one minute.
• Meanwhile, get your wok on high and add a splash of oil. Stir frty the veg briskly for three to four minutes until tender, and then add the sauce. Allow to bubble and reduce for a minute until starting to thicken and then toss in the noodles to reheat and coat.
• Serve the noodles and veg with the coley on top. Garnish with dried crispy onions.