British Expatriate Network

I have seen pigs feet in the supermarket over here and was wondering what the locals do with them? They seem to be cooked already and quite popular. Also I found goat today, the cooler section never ceases to amaze me! Any explanations as to why eating this is acceptable, when the mere suggestion of liver is greeted with horror?

More importantly the different types of fish on sale on the E Coast baffle me. What would taste good to a cod loving englishman and what would not?

Very popular with Hispanic/latin communties. alternatively if they're smoked they can e used as a flavouring component in stews and beans for example. By cooking them in the stew the gelatin in the foot will leach into the stock and give it body.

Callibras (sp?) or goat is delicious. Not quite as ammonic as lamb, but good all the same. I'm thinking you might live near a large Mexican/Hispanic community? Again, goat is very popular in Mexican cookery, Hispanic cookery and also in Basque cooker.

Liver is popular within those same communities, but in Anglos-Saxon communites there is an definiate disdain for offal. May have some off beat religious connections. I'll do some research.

Anything you can get on the East coast is good. You should be able to get haddock (cannot get this on the Left Coast), flounder, rock cod, snapper, sole, tilapia (my favourite). I've kinda gone off cod due to overfishing and tend to buy foods that have some ecological balance to them.

Monkfish is also good. Used back in the UK by uscrupulous fish mongers that would use a cookie cutter and sell it as scallops....

Cap'n Birds Eye regards...

Andrew

We live over in the East and I have never seen haddock. I asked a fish monger once and he said you don't get it here. I don't know if we are too far south or something. You can get cod but generally it is frozen. the other white fish you get here, though, are good subsitutes for these.

My husband loves catfish and my kids love shark steaks! grin

I too have seen pigs feet in the supermarkets but I have also seen tripe! As you can imagine, I have tried neither grin Liver and kidney are very hard to get your hands on where we live.

We get haddock up here in Maine, also cod.
Our favourite is swordfish, which is also big business in New England. The fishing boat in the movie perfect storm was a swordfish boat.
We used to eat monkfish out at a restaurant when we lived in Spain but haven't had any since being over here. They are uuuuuugly fish. razz

I asked my Father in-law the same question, he is from Gloucester, Mass. (which is where the Perfect Storm is set) and he recommended Flounder. So when I go to Red Lobster this is what I get, and it is quite agreeable.

Am I the only one who has seen pigs feet back home? They're called pigs trotters.I have no idea what you do with them.

My grandparents used to eat them & tripe eek so I was told, I know the tripe was always cooked in a frying pan with onions.

Goat was very popular in Saudi although I hadn't tried it. Did try camel once & didn't like it.

Fish I love now, maybe because it's hard to get decent fish here in the midwest. I only ever ate it back home from the chippie, but now I'll eat it anyway it comes if it's on a menu. The Red Lobster we have here is crap, but I think that's because they don't know how to cook lobster & crab properly. It always looks wizzened up & dry YUK!!!

When we can get it we grill Swordfish & Halibut on the bbq & it's delicious.
Janet

Janl, I remember seeing pigs trotters and tripe back home too.

I think it was a surprise to see it here because you don't see things like kidney or liver and if you ask for it you can't always get it.

Like you, I have never eaten trotters or tripe and don't intend to start now, either grin

I think as I have gotten older I have found some seafood upsets my stomach. It is a real shame because I always loved fish and shell fish. Now, I can only really eat very plain fish - white fish, a little salmon and tuna steaks. I'm more cautious when anything else is presented to me. The rest of the family can eat everything, though. smile

Beng my hubby and his family are from Gloucester too, though only one of his brothers lives there now. One of our neighbours is from there too, was in the same class at school as hubby.