Fish & Ice Cream

Two foods that are very popular are fish .... and .... ice cream, though not necessarily together! However, it isn't as simple as that. Let's take a closer look at how fish and ice cream can actually compliment each other as foods.

First of all, there are many restaurants where as part of a multiple course dinner you will be offered a fish dish prior to the main course, broken up by a small sorbet such as a lemon sorbet. One of the most enjoyable meals I have ever eaten in a restaurant was served in just such a manner - it was at Sharrow Bay in the English Lake District and although it was some years ago now, the memory of that lemon sorbet still lingers ... enough to be able to close my eyes and taste it! Following the fish dish the sorbet proved to be the perfect refresher prior to the main course.

If you prefer to cook at home and fancy a nice fish dish here is a great Dover Sole recipe (so I am told by the renowned acoustic cleaning chef who came up with it!).

Last but not least you could make fish ice cream .... yes, it's not a typo but a type of ice cream that many people apparently enjoy eating, especially in Japan. Japanese ice cream can be incredibly varied, reflecting the culture and tastes of its people. Saury is a saltwater fish found in Japan and is sometimes used to make fish ice cream. Seafood of different types and seaweed are also used in ice cream recipes including prawn ice cream, oyster ice cream and squid ice cream. To learn more go to my Japanese ice cream page.

Anyone For Viagra Ice Cream?

Japanese ice cream has to be one of the most fascinating 'food' subjects you could wish to study! I have been to Japan and simply loved it - the culture, the food, the scenery and the history is stunningly different and memorable. The strong and luscious, vivid colors of the trees and plants will live in my mind forever. However, I have to admit that Japanese ice cream did not make much of an impression on me though, to be fair, that was because I only tasted the American style that was available at the time. Since that time I have heard much about the 'exotic' flavors of ice cream that some ice cream producers offer to the public in Japan, many of which are not for the faint-hearted!

This week I read a news article about Japan being hit by an invasion of giant jellyfish and in passing the journalist wrote about how a company has even come up with a vanilla and jellyfish ice cream - “slightly chewy” was the description they gave! No thanks, can't say that one holds any appeal for me. This reminded me, however, of how Japanese people tend to be very 'brave' when it comes to trying unusual foods and flavors so I have finally sat down and written a page on Japanese ice cream which is now ensconced within the main ice-cream-recipes.com website.

I have formulated a list of just a few of the extremely unusual ice cream flavors that have been commercially produced in Japan in recent years and am sure my readers will enjoy reading it, though perhaps with a little shock and surprise here and there!

On the list are the following:

• raw horseflesh ice cream
• goat ice cream
• octopus ice cream
• squid ice cream
• soy sauce ice cream
• cactus ice cream
  
  and ....
  
• viagra ice cream!

I think the lesser challenge of a Wensleydale Cheese ice cream - as made by master gelatiere Gino Soldan - might be as exotic as I'm ever likely to try!