One late morning of 2007, after a walk right up to Notre- Dame De La Garde via my last-ever accommodation in France on Boulevard Vauban I decided a trip down memory lane needed something extra. Something that summed-up Marseille to perfection. What more to epitomise this than lunch on the Vieux-Port, right?
In a funny kind of way, during all those years living in that city I had been too poor to afford a proper restaurant meal there. In all honesty, I was also blind to it. Food wasn’t my thing back then... well, not to the extend it is now! All those Friday and Saturday nights walking past those beautiful restaurants on my way to the Trolleybus (see the Froggy’s Gin Fizz post) and not giving much of a darn... talking about taking things for granted!
Anyway. Back to that 2007 trip. I ordered a small bottle of white Cassis wine (a conversation-stopping dry white wine that really, really took me by surprise. Not that I had anyone to converse with, mind you.). I also ordered some rouget (red mullet in English).
Then the magic happened... childhood memories. Memories from vacations in Perpignan at the grandparents’; fresh fish cooked in my nan’s kitchen.... that seafood smell that I used to find a tad bothersome because it was 8am and I had just woken up. She would then make me a bowl of Banania and cut a large piece of her home-made brioche. Then I’d sit on the bed with my grandad and he would tell me corny jokes as he sipped his coffee.
Those precious memories made me feel so relaxed and happy to savour some privileged me-time.
When the food came, I was thrilled by the smells. The combination of garlic, parsley and olive oil was all that was needed to enhance the flavours of that exceptional (grilled) fish!
I picked up those beautiful babies this afternoon just as a selfish treat for when Ratty is at work. Had some leftover rice, leftover parsley and lots of fresh garlic. Oh, and some broccoli.
I mixed the cooked broccoli with the persillade and added more olive oil.
The fish was simply grilled.
Added some lemon juice.
Made sure the seasoning was to my liking.
Perfect with a New-Zealand Sauvignon blanc, or indeed a Mediterranean dry white.
In a funny kind of way, during all those years living in that city I had been too poor to afford a proper restaurant meal there. In all honesty, I was also blind to it. Food wasn’t my thing back then... well, not to the extend it is now! All those Friday and Saturday nights walking past those beautiful restaurants on my way to the Trolleybus (see the Froggy’s Gin Fizz post) and not giving much of a darn... talking about taking things for granted!
Anyway. Back to that 2007 trip. I ordered a small bottle of white Cassis wine (a conversation-stopping dry white wine that really, really took me by surprise. Not that I had anyone to converse with, mind you.). I also ordered some rouget (red mullet in English).
Then the magic happened... childhood memories. Memories from vacations in Perpignan at the grandparents’; fresh fish cooked in my nan’s kitchen.... that seafood smell that I used to find a tad bothersome because it was 8am and I had just woken up. She would then make me a bowl of Banania and cut a large piece of her home-made brioche. Then I’d sit on the bed with my grandad and he would tell me corny jokes as he sipped his coffee.
Those precious memories made me feel so relaxed and happy to savour some privileged me-time.
When the food came, I was thrilled by the smells. The combination of garlic, parsley and olive oil was all that was needed to enhance the flavours of that exceptional (grilled) fish!
I picked up those beautiful babies this afternoon just as a selfish treat for when Ratty is at work. Had some leftover rice, leftover parsley and lots of fresh garlic. Oh, and some broccoli.
I mixed the cooked broccoli with the persillade and added more olive oil.
Added some lemon juice.
Made sure the seasoning was to my liking.
Perfect with a New-Zealand Sauvignon blanc, or indeed a Mediterranean dry white.
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