Velvet swimming crab. The velvet crab (alternatively velvet swimming crab or devil crab) is the largest swimming crab found in British coastal waters, with a carapace width of up to 100 mm. The body is coated with short hairs, giving the animal a velvety texture, hence the common name. It is one of the major crab species for UK fisheries. The velvet crab lives from southern Norway to Western Sahara in the North Sea and north Atlantic as well as western parts of the Mediterranean Sea, on rocky bottoms from the shoreline to a depth of about 65 m. The last pair of pereiopods are flattened to facilitate swimming. The flesh is succulent and sweet.
Monkfish (US: angler fish). A fish with a sweet flavour and succulent firm flesh but with the ugliest appearance imaginable. It is found in the Mediterranean and Atlantic, in coastal waters of north western Europe. It can be recognised by its large head and fan-shaped fins. The fins and the operculum are spiny. It can be eaten fried or in soup. The larger fish often have better flavour. It has a hideous head, which is why it is usually displayed without it, and a muddy colour. It is known as the anglerfish as it bears on its head a 'rod' and 'lure' which attract its prey. The meat of the tail is sweet and succulent - almost like lobster meat, entirely compensating for is appearance. The flavour may well be assisted by its own diet which is high in shellfish. The best monkfish are Lophius piscatorius and the similar Lophius budegassa, the favourite of the Spanish. American monkfish or goosefish (Lophius americanus) is considered inferior, while New Zealand monkfish (Kathetostoma giganteum) is related to the stargazer and is only fit for soup.
A type of gelatinous black bean curd or yam cake. It is processed from the taro-like, glutinous root of konnyaku yams or 'devil's tongue' (snake palm) into either solid, gelatinous, brownish cakes or into ito-konnyaku, i.e. spaghetti-like threads. The tubers are peeled, pounded vigorously, boiled and the curd precipitated out. It is calorie-free, is 90% water and helps cleanse the digestive system. Konnyaku is valued more for its spongy texture than flavour and is cut into strips and added to vegetable soups, salads and simmered dishes. It can either be unrefined, in which case it is a dirty grey, or refined by bleaching and filtering, in which case it is pearly white and comes in several different shapes. It is also available in tins.
A type of gelatinous black bean curd or yam cake. It is processed from the taro-like, glutinous root of konnyaku yams or 'devil's tongue' (snake palm) into either solid, gelatinous, brownish cakes or into ito-konnyaku, i.e. spaghetti-like threads. The tubers are peeled, pounded vigorously, boiled and the curd precipitated out. It is calorie-free, is 90% water and helps cleanse the digestive system. Konnyaku is valued more for its spongy texture than flavour and is cut into strips and added to vegetable soups, salads and simmered dishes. It can either be unrefined, in which case it is a dirty grey, or refined by bleaching and filtering, in which case it is pearly white and comes in several different shapes. It is also available in tins.
Snake palm. A plant with a glutinous, starchy tuber which is used to make translucent shirataki noodles and konnyaku, a black bean curd.
Devon Blue is a blue wheel of cow's milk cheese made with unpastuerised milk. It has a creamy flavour and a natural rind with a grey-brown crust.
