A fish blog.com

The ballan wrasse (Labrus Bergylta) is a common fish along the coast of countries around the North Sea. In the summer the wrasse seek to shallow waters where they are easy to catch. The ballan wrasse is a regular visitor to my fishing nets when the nets are set on shallow water close to the shore. The wrasse is also easy to catch by using a regular fishing rod. You may then use a small fishing hook and bait it with periwinkles found in the shoreline.

In Norway there are no commercial fishery for ballan wrasse, and most recreational fishermen are not interested in the large and “bony” wrasse. Most people are therefore surprised when they finally get a chance to taste this unpopular fish.

It is surprisingly easy to fillet a wrasse. You do not need to clean the fish before you start filleting. First you make a deep and long cut from the neck to the ventral fin.

Then you take a firm grip on the fishtail and start to move the knife forward, towards the first cut. This will give you a nice fillet with no bones.

When removing the skin you may use a pincer to get a firm grip on the skin. Let the knife blade point a bit downwards while you “saw” off the skin.

It helps if you make sideways moves with the pincer; pulling the fillet slowly towards you. Let the knife do the job. Then turn the fish around and repeat. That’s all!

The common cockle is (as its name says) a common shell in Europe. This species is of commercial interest in several countries (like in Great Brittan and Holland).

A couple of years ago mechanical harvesting was banned in Holland due to damages the vessels and the gear caused to the bottom fauna. The cockles are therefore now harvested manually.

We have cockles in Norway as well, but we do not have those large harvesting areas like the shallow banks off the coast of Holland.

The cockles above were found on sand bottom (30 cm. depth). I used my fingers to filter the sand, and it was then easy to find (and feel) the cockles. The growth lines indicate that these cockles are 5-8 years old.

The Norwegian name for common cockle is “heart shell” (translated). When you look at the photo of a live cockle below you will understand how it got its Norwegian name.

Scampi is originally an Italian name of the Norwegian Lobster. Nowadays you may find scampi on the menu all over the world, though the Norwegian Lobster may be replaced with large shrimps or tiger prawns. They all taste good when prepared as scampi. You may even use squat lobsters, though they are very small.

Below I have used some large shrimps for my scampi meal. Just cut a couple of chilly peppers, some garlic, chives or other types of onion. Blend it with some olive oil and add salt and pepper.

Mix it with the shrimps/prawns and set aside for a couple of hours.

Just before frying add a couple of drops of lemon juice. Braise in a fry pan for not more than 2 minutes; 2-3 minutes if you use raw shrimps/prawns. Then enjoy the taste – a perfect end of a day.

The fishermen catch them, but rarely bother to keep them. They are caught in shrimp trawls and in pots. Yes, they are small and may not be considered as seafood. The squat lobsters is still a treasure for those who try to eat them.

Boil them for 2 minutes in salt water. Then you can peal them and eat the tale. It is not bigger than an average shrimp, but it taste just as good.