The spotted ray is a ray which may be found anywhere from the North Sea to the Mediterranean. As you would expect it has spots on its back, and, like the thornback ray, very good flavour.
The spring agaric mushroom is a well flavoured edible mushroom with a large cap and meaty texture, similar to the common mushroom and growing to a Portabella type if left to mature. Ensure that it really is Agaricus bitorquis and not Agaricus xanthodermus, which is yellowish when cut and is not an edible mushroom. This is sometimes called the pavement mushroom (US: sidewalk mushroom) as it literally pushes its way through tarmac (US: hardtop). (If gathering mushrooms you must be absolutely certain what you have before you eat them as many are very poisonous.)
Springbak is a Cambeltown malt whisky which is light but with a very full palate. The other is Glen Scotia which is peaty but also oily.
People are inclined to think that spring greens are just cabbages harvested early, but they are in fact a cultivar of Brassica oleracea in the Acephala group, meaning that they do not form a heart as cabbages often do. Although this is thought to be closely related to the wild cabbage it is welcomed in northern Europe when it appears in spring for its sweetness. I really enjoy the first spring greens and cook them lightly with a little juniper and garlic.
Spring onions (US: scallions, salad onions) are small white onions with long dark green stems. They are usually eaten raw in salads or as a garnish. In South East Asian and China they are often chopped and added as a garnish before a dish is served.
Chinook, also known as Quinnat salmon, is the largest of the Pacific salmon, with the most intense flavour. The flesh has large flakes and high oil content. Coho is smaller and has paler flesh. Sockeye, also known as king salmon, has a four year life-cycle which contributes to the meatiness of its flesh, which is dense and velvety and turns deep red before spawning. It is considered good for tinning purposes. Pink is leaner and milder in flavour and is the favoured salmon in the United States.
