Wine Pairing Story (7)

Well, I don't pretend that we go to a pond sale each time we want to eat fish in the Loire, but I personally never miss the event when word of mouth informs me about one. Word of mouth is basically the only way to learn about an upcoming pond-emptying and its related fish sale, and buyers are generally friends, acquaitances from the same village who need the fish either to eat it, or to replenish their own pond with an additional fish population.
Most pond sales happen in winter (especially november) and it is usually fun, and some "vin chaud" (hot wine with spices) is often generously offered to help the public fight the cold. This one took place late february, and when Jacky told me about it I immediately wanted to go, in spite of the rain and wind.

The fish sorting table...Why do pond owners regularly deplete their own fish population is not clear for me, but I guess that without predators, there's an overpopulation in there and that they see it also as an easy way to make some money. And they seem to make some money. They usually first empty the pond, at least partially, to isolate the fish population in a corner with nets, and then begin to fill the pond again, taking the fish out all the while to sell it. This is quite a lot of work and all the family usually helps, plus some friends.

Early outdoor experience : where do the fish live ? Several men were busy catching the fish when we arrived. Buckets full of small fish were brought to a sorting table to take out a small percentage of unwanted fish named "médailles" and "carassins" in french. A sign near the scale indicated the prices for the 3 types of fish that they were selling : 2 Euro/kilogram for carps, 3,5 Euro/kg for small roah fish and 10 Euro/kg for pikes. The family team was in the process of sorting and weighing a 100-kilogramme order of roach fish for a single buyer (for his own pond), filling progressively a big plastic container [pic upper left] with the small fish.
We usually buy a carp in pond sales [this one on the picture on left would have made it], but this time we decided to try roach fish.Future accountant looks on as a check is signed... Of course all these fish were alive and full of energy, jumping out ot of the buckets, the sorting table and occasionally the big black containers... When the big buyer was served, we got our one-kilogramme order, wriggling in a small plastic basin that we had brought. There was no "vin chaud" hot wine this time, but a few bottles including an Alsace white. Everyone was very busy though and we did not wait for the pour.
Getting live fish is a guarantee of freshness of course, but there's the dilemna of killing these cute things. Somehow I felt more difficult to decide to kill these roach fish (we felt we couldn't fry them alive) than knocking a single carp. Happily, some of them probably felt too tight in the basin and opted to die right away after a few hours. These are the ones we ate (and we gave the surviving ones to a friend for his own pond)... Our way to cook the roach fish : We did not eviscerate the fish nor scale them, they were so small you can eat everything. We rolled them in flour to coat it. Flour coating helps the fish not to disintegrate when fried. Put enough cooking oil in the frying pan, the fish must bath in the oil without being fully immersed though). I would typically put the fish to cook when the oil is on the verge of boiling [pic above, left]. It lasts a couple of minutes only, a minute maybe, then take them out swiftly and put them a couple of minutes on several layers of paper towel to drain the oil [pic above, right]. Now, serve. To go with fried fish, a dry, fresh Sauvignon is a good option because its high acidity pairs well with this fat-rich fish. With the hot years we had recently, some Sauvignons can lack the desired acidity, so carefully choose the millesime. I went to the store and bought this Quincy "Les Victoires" 2004 by the "Cave Romane de Brinay", a Quincy Coop (priced about 8 Euro). Quincy is a tiny Loire Appellation located on its eastern wing, between Valencay and Sancerre. I found out later that this Coop, with a total vineyard surface of 80 hectares, lets its individual members (15 in all) vinify separately their wines. The one I bought is from Philippe Portier, and he also makes wine in his winery, aside from the ones he vinifies at the Coop.
This was a good choice actually. This wine has a generous richness, a nice alcohol/acidity balance and its mouthfeel has a nice lasting. We actually finished the bottle the next day as aperitif, and the wine was just beautiful by itself.

Comments

[robert]

Bertrand,
Fantastically detailed stories and photos of France and abroad! I lived in Paris for almost ten years and am now living in British Columbia: all of your wonderful work is bringing back incredible memories, Rue Mouffetard, St.Etienne du Mont, Bar le Pipos, and on and on. I very much like your photos/anecdotes of the people of all the different countries you've traveled in: a very humane outlook on people and places. Thank you!
Robert