GastroShark

Well I had to be the first in culinary history to try it!! Everybody says that the best and only way to cook whale is to quickly pan fry it over a high heat, as you would a fillet steak. But I discovered that my guest for the weekend had forgotten his 1kg of minke whale meat in my fridge and as I coudn't face eating it all as steak, I decided to make a whale stew.

I took a trusted recipe for Beef Bourguignon and substituted the beef for whale. 3 hours later and after a long gentle bubble in a very slow oven, the monstrosity emerged. Removing the casserole lid, I immediately smelled whisky. Strange I thought, but yes, it was the distinct smell of the sea that you often get in Islay whiskies. A dip into the gravy revealed a deep, concentrated, beefy jus with only a slight fishyness. The problem arrived with the meat itself.

I was surprised that the meat was tender, having next to no fat and being cooked for so long. But it was the taste that was revolting. Imagine a cross between beef, fish and liver and there you have it. The flavour becomes far too strong with this method of cooking so I'd advise anyone to stick to the old method of quick flash frying. This way you get a delicious mild, beef-like flavour and a butter-like texture which blows all other steaks clean out of the water!! hmmm...a bit like whaling i suppose......:-/