Around and About with Tony Goodman
Lockdown restrictions have eased and so Tony is tentatively thinking about getting around and about again, whilst respecting social distancing and hygiene advice, of course!
Black and white
Gene Tierney’s Laura (1944) set a high benchmark. True love knowing no limit. Gene knew how to make an entrance and Otto Preminger knew how to make a great movie. Vincent Price and Clifton Webb provided some memorable scenes, Then Gene and her chisel sharp cheekbones appear in Richard Widmark’s Night and the City (1950). A powerful outing, a rare British film noir its absolutely hypnotic but not for the faint-hearted.
Opera
This Wednesday it was Wagner’s Lohengrin Act. Pagan gods are invoked by a saucy sorceress, a knight’s virtue is tested and Elsa stands firm. The Verner Hertzog’s staging is absolutely bang on, the man knows how to think big.
Canet Plage Beach Clubs
Venturing away from our normal swimming hole, we explored and enjoyed the soft clean sand of Canet Plage for a quick pre breakfast plunge and patrol. Plenty of dynamic beach goers about. Great to see the beach clubs under construction, planting palms by the bushel. The Mairie had the gardeners doing the rounds trimming and watering the roadside flower beds. Enormous sand sifters sorting out the sea wrack, flotsam and jetsam.
Plenty of signage regarding social distancing and permitted use.
Ceviche – marinated fish
Perfect for lunch or dinner. There are many variations of this style of fish which uses citrus to cook the fish. This is mine:
Market fresh fish is absolutely essential. Loup de mer or bar works extremely well however dorade seems to take on the flavour of the citrus faster. Mackerel is another option though it needs to go straight to the table, its softer flesh will see it cook in minutes.
Peel two small limes and a lemon, remove seeds and blitz in a blender until it’s quite uniform. Put aside.
Fillet and carefully de-bone a larger fish. Keep the remains to make paella stock. Cube the fillets into largish pieces if necessary and place into a non reactive bowl.
Using a colander pour the citrus juice over the fish and place in the fridge. Retain the juicy pulp. I prefer not adding additional ingredients though a good pinch of salt always works well.
Dice a cucumber into bigger chunks and put into a separate bowl. Add a few slim slices of red or green chilli for those so inclined, a pinch of coarse salt, a grind of black pepper and a teaspoon or two of the leftover pulp. Add a dash of olive oil. Mix lightly and set aside. Some recipes call for fresh grated ginger however its quite possible for the ginger to overpower and dominate.
Depending on personal preference it will take as little as 30 mins for the cooking process. It will change from translucent to white. For those who prefer their fish well done just leave it longer.
Arrange the fish on a non reactive platter, place the cucumber mix on top and decorate with a light sprinkle of grated lime/lemon skin.
Serve with a fresh tomato and red onion salsa and thin slices of sourdough bread. Accompany with an unwooded chardonnay or a glass of good quality Cava.
