Fishy Business

I have grown up around the sea, from the the isolated bays on the East Cape and the beautiful beaches of Melbourne, through to our lovely North Shore beaches just a short drive away. Part of living near the sea for our family has always meant fishing and gathering seafood of all kinds.

We grew up with surfcasting days at the Fishing Club, gathering scallops at Titirangi and picking pupu's off the rocks while Dad was diving. I treasure all of these memories and it has struck me recently that part of city living and a busy lifestyle, has meant my kids are missing out on these precious experiences that I remember so fondly.

I have been enjoying seafood since I was a toddler, when I apparently used to teethe on paua straight from the sea. I still LOVE my seafood and appreciate all the effort that goes into gathering it.

Imagine our surprise to get a knock on the door from my beautiful Dad earlier this week, with armloads of fish and other treats for us! This was a very new experience for Rosie and Harry and they watched as Papa scaled and filleted the fish for us. They were fascinated, as well as a little scared.

We managed to get them to touch the freshly scaled fish and they were surprised at how smooth the texture was. Rosie even agreed to attempt to try and hold the fish, but as you can see, she was sceptical! It is important to me that my littlies have an appreciation and respect of the sea and I am grateful to Dad for helping to create some special memories for them, even if they were a little nervous at first! :)