Fishmonger Falmouth Cornwall

Continuing our ‘local food heroes’ series, which highlights some Philleigh Way favourites, this month we interviewed Annie Sibert, tutor on our fish and shellfish cookery courses to find out what Annie thinks about living in Cornwall, her Dad’s fish pie, Camel Valley fizz and her thoughts on working with Philleigh Way!

Annie was a Fishmonger for 20 years and now teaches people how to fillet and cook fish to perfection.

Who or what inspired you to become a fishmonger?

Born in Falmouth and brought up in a family involved in the fishing industry, I started my own business at the age of 19, a very successful door to door fish round.

Coming from a fishing family, was fish a regular feature at mealtimes growing up?

I remember my father bringing home smoked mackerel, this was a new product back then, I was about 12 and I thought it was delicious.

Whenever my father cooked fish pie, it was always a family favourite and if he ever added Scallops, such a treat! We would argue if we didn’t get any on our plate! I still use my father’s fish pie recipe to this day.

What inspired you to start teaching people about fish?

I started out simply as a way of passing on my knowledge. My underlying passion is to get people back into our fishmongers.

Understanding how to recognise quality fish and how to cook it is essential for anyone who is interested in introducing this fabulous ingredient into their everyday cooking habits.

What stops people from buying fresh fish to cook from scratch?

I think many people still suffer from the misconception that fish is difficult to prepare and cook. Once you know the basics of filleting and cooking fish, you will never look back. It really is so easy to prepare once you know what you are doing. A good fishmonger will be able to help you prepare you fillets if filleting puts you off. There is nothing better than simply cooked fillets of fresh fish straight from the boat!