On Monday, it’s Valentine’s Day and many of us will choose to have dinner a deux, splashing out on an intimate restaurant with low lights and twinkly music. While others will prefer to skip the crowds and cook for the people they love at home.
Regardless of how we choose to mark the day, food will almost certainly play a part, with 14th February proving the opportune time to push the culinary boat out.
The connection between food and romance is an enduring one. Chinese philosophers supposedly believed eating together was the key to a couple’s harmony. And for thousands of years, certain foods and drinks have been feted as aphrodisiacs.
Further clues to the connection between food and love lie in our language, with the etymologist Mark Forsyth identifying that the word “mate” originally meant someone with whom you would share your food, or meat. By the same token, a companion was someone to share your bread with.
As the years have gone by, food has continued to play a central role in romance. Indeed, the American food writer MFK Fisher noted in her essay Love in a Dish that “a mutual enjoyment of the pleasures of the table has an enormous influence on the felicity that can and should be found in a relationship. There can be no enduring happiness if a couple cannot open themselves generously and without suspicion to one and other over a shared bowl of soup.”
With food so intrinsically tied to romance, it is clear only a meal made with care will make the heart flutter this Valentine’s Day. This should extend to the ingredients too, with great sourcing options being suppliers of both high-quality and sustainable seafood. Watch out for frozen-at-sea (FAS), MSC and sustainability-oriented suppliers.
Looking to start your Valentine’s Day feast with a bang? Take inspiration from Yotam Ottolenghi and whip up smoked haddock and oyster quiches. Offering the perfect combination of flaky pastry with creamy haddock and a sweet potato filling, these quiches are delightfully moreish, setting the tone for an evening of indulgence.
Or, as a simple but delicious alternative, try Jamie Oliver’s roasted cod and pancetta starter. Served with a generous helping of pea mash, each bite of this light and fresh-tasting dish will leave you and your date wanting more.
For the main course, why not test out France Atkin’s spiced cod and scallop linguine, served with a sharp Granny Apple salad and rich red wine sauce. Or alternatively, look to recreate Claude Bosi’s Cod à la Grenobloise, which pairs cod with a brown butter and bread-infused sauce, set on top of crushed potatoes and topped with punchy capers.
However, if you are really looking to impress your date, make sure to lead with Con Vailas’ cod and poached prawns, served in a lobster bisque with fennel, tarragon, and cultured crème fraiche. This fantastically full-flavoured, creamy dish is best enjoyed with a dry glass of white wine, such as a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Or if looking for something more festive, try a classic Champagne cocktail with Angostura bitters.
When creating such a showstopper, the taste depends not only on culinary know-how but the quality of the ingredients. For this reason, it is important to turn to only the most trusted suppliers, such as Norebo; committed to supplying fish as nature intended – with nothing added and nothing taken away – the fish is filleted and frozen at sea just hours after it has been caught to preserve the freshness and natural quality of the MSC-certified Atlantic and Pacific cod. Using to the best ingredients will help keep the gentle spirit of recipes such as Con Valais’ cod and prawn lobster bisque intact, enabling the diner to enjoy the whole host of subtle flavors available.
With the relationship between food and love enduring, it is clear the best way to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year is to enjoy a fish-filled feast to remember. Forget the chocolates and the flowers, the stomach after all is the best way to the heart.
Image credit: Norebo
