Posts tagged fish

Fennel, Fish, Saffron

June 9, 2013 Comments Off read Seafood

A night in by myself, I fancied experimenting a bit. This is not totally refined so give me a break on the measurements if you attempt something similar for dinner. But, here is what I came up with! In this case I used a hake fillet but ideally I would have used my favourtie seabass but any white strong fish will work well here. Additionally, I used Jersey Royals as they were in season but any spud will do. (Serves about 3)

Fennel Puree

3 large fennel bulbs
40g butter
2 tbsp olive oil
Light stock

Roughly chop the fennel, removing the tougher outer layers and place. Place in a saucepan and cover with some light vegetable stock or water.
Bring to the boil and then simmer until the fennel is tender and soft (about 10 minutes or so)
Drain, reserving the stock, and place in a blender with some seasoning, the butter and the oil. Blend until smooth adding some of the reserved stock to achieve the desired consistency. Set aside in the pan to keep warm over a low heat.

Saffron Roast Potatoes

500g Jersey Royals pealed and sliced
Large pinch saffron stamens
Olive oil

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Crush the saffron into a powder in a pestle and mortar.
Just cover the potatoes in cold salted water and add about 1/3 of the saffron. Par-boil until just tender, about 10 minutes, then drain and leave to dry a little.
Mix the rest of the saffron with a good splash of olive oil and coat the potatoes in it in a roasting tray. Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes until crisp.

Fish

3 x white fish fillets such as seabass/hake/halibut

Season your fish evenly with salt and pepper.
Heat a non-stick frying pan until really hot and fry your fish, skin side down, for 3-4 minutes depending on thickness until crisp and nearly cooked. Flip and finish cooking on the flesh side on a lower heat for another minute or so.
Serve with a spoonful of the fennel puree and some of the crispy saffron potatoes. I also caramelised a few wafer thin slices of fennel in a little butter.

Fish in Brown Shrimp Butter

May 26, 2013 Comments Off read Seafood

This really is my idea of a speedy fast-food supper which takes less than 5 minutes to cook. The longest part of the process in fact was getting the capers out the jar. Oh and chopping the parsley was fairly taxing…….

Serves 2

2 white fish fillets of choice e.g. cod loin (as shown), Dover/lemon sole, plaice fillets, haddock
1 small pot of potted brown shrimp (I used the Morecombe Bay brand)
1 tbsp drained capers
Juice of ½ lemon
Generous handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley
Splash of olive oil

Have all the ingredients for the sauce ready before you start as once the fish is cooked, it takes seconds and must be served warm. Heat a splash of oil and a sliver of butter in a hot frying pan.
Season your fish and depending on how thick it is, fry gently on both sides until just cooked. A fillet a few centimeters thick should take 2-3 minutes.
Remove from the pan and set aside to rest while you quickly make the brown shrimp sauce.
Add the potted brown shrimp and its butter (If using packaged brown shrimp, add with a good tablespoon of butter)
Add the drained capers, the juice from half the lemon and a handful of chopped flat leaf parsley. Allow the butter to melt and the flavours to combine before pouring over the fish and serving! Its that simple! Serve with crusty bread or roast potatoes/mash or whatever you fancy.

NOTE: Work quickly and if the pan is too hot the butter will burn. Browning the butter will add a nice nuttiness but if it is beginning to catch, just remove the pan from the hob as the residual heat of the pan will be enough.

Sea Bass and a Prawn Bisque sauce

March 18, 2013 Comments Off read Seafood

I designed and refined this recipe with the aim of creating my perfect dinner treat with all of my favourite flavours and ingredients. It is most certainly up there at the top of my list. It really isn’t hard, honestly. Everyone can make mash right? And you can fry a piece of fish? Good news- the sauce pretty much makes itself as by frying the leftover prawn shells releases a wonderful larva of juicy orange oils which adds so much flavour that would otherwise have been criminally thrown in the bin. The challenge comes with getting the fish and prawns hot and cooked perfectly at the same time as the sauce is warm and of particular consistency with the warm mash and wilted spinach. Oh and of course having time to take a photograph in a temperamental kitchen with hungry waiting guests….the later is optional of course. This is lovely served with a chilled glass of Muscadet….

Serves 4

4 sea bass fillets
18-20 whole, raw king prawns (shell and heads on)
1 small carrot, diced finely
1 small onion, diced finely
½ bulb fennel, diced finely
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp tomato puree
Splash whiskey
600ml hot fish stock
500g potatoes, peeled, quartered
40g butter
100ml whole milk
4 spring onions, finely chopped and fried lightly in oil
Handful parsley, finely chopped
200g spinach
Olive oil
Knob of butter
Salt and pepper

Begin with the sauce. Peel the prawns to retain the shells and the heads. De-vein the prawns and set aside. Heat a splash of oil with the knob of butter in a saucepan and gently soften the carrot, onion and fennel with the prawn shells and heads with the bay leaf. Cook for about 20 minutes until the prawns have turned orange and released their juices.
Next add the tomato puree and cook out for a few minutes before deglazing the pan with the whiskey.
Now add the hot fish stock and simmer for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, use a potato masher to crush all the flavours together. Remove the bay leaf and then, using a hand blender, blend the sauce together. Pass through a fine sieve into a clean pan, discarding the solids. Taste and simmer to reduce if too thin to your liking. Only at the end season the sauce as reducing it will concentrate any salt added previously. Keep on a low heat while you make the rest of the dish.
Boil the potatoes in salted water for about 15-20minutes until soft but not waterlogged. Meanwhile, melt the butter and warm the milk together in a pan.
When soft, drain the potatoes and leave to steam dry for a few minutes before passing through a potato ricer for really smooth mash, or mashing by hand. Season generously and add the milk and butter and mix until smooth. Add the spring onions and parsley and plenty of seasoning. Set aside to keep warm while you fry the fish.
Make sure your sauce is on the heat now and you have your spinach at the ready. Heat a frying pan until hot and add a splash of oil. Season your fish and then fry skin side down in the hot oil for 3-4 minutes (depending on size) and add your prawns to the hot sauce to cook gently until pink at the same time. Complete the fish cooking by flipping carefully onto the flesh side for 1 minute.
Remove the fish and leave to rest very briefly while you quickly add the spinach to the pan juices, with plenty of seasoning and leave to wilt while you plate up.
Serve a spoonful or potato into a warmed serving bowl. Top with a spoonful of spinach and the fish fillet, crispy skin side up.
Spoon around the prawn bisque sauce including a few prawns per dish. Serve!

Trout with Almond and Orange Salsa

February 26, 2013 Comments Off read Seafood

Fish and a vibrant salsa make the perfect marriage on the best of days but throw in some crunchy almonds and some cleansing fresh orange and you’ve got yourself a delicious swingers party……The texture of this ‘salsa’ add a lovely crunchy addition to the soft trout. It would also go brilliantly served with some blushing slices of roast lamb.

Serves 4

90g flaked almonds
½ lemon, zest and juice
1 tsp runny honey
1 orange- 1 tbsp orange juice squeezed
salt and pepper
Olive oil
Bunch of coriander
Bunch of mint
4 trout fillets

Heat a splash of oil in a pan over a moderate heat. Fry the flaked almonds for about 3-5 minutes until they begin to turn a nutty brown and release their flavour
Tip into a pestle and mortar and crush lightly but not to a paste, keeping some texture
Add the lemon juice and zest, orange juice, honey, salt and pepper, and loosen with a good few tablespoons of olive oil.
Allow to cool slightly while you cook you trout. Season the skin side well with salt and pepper. Heat some olive oil in a hot frying pan and when really hot, fry, skin side down for about 4 minutes to get it really crispy. Season the flesh side and then turn and finish cooking for 2-3 minutes on the flesh side on a lower heat. Baste with a knob of butter at the end.

When ready to serve, chop the herbs finely and stir through the salsa. Add more oil to loosen if you like and season and adjust to taste. Serve your warm trout topped with the fresh salsa.

All made that extra bit more delicious by my personalised plate, courtesy of KVStudios!

Spanish-style Fish Stew

February 19, 2013 Comments Off read Seafood

I should really call this ‘30 minute Spanish-style fish stew’ as it really is quick. It is probably one of the most flavourful dishes you will get out of such a small amount of cooking. The spicy chorizo flavour provides a punchy character suitable for even the most headstrong bull-fighting Spaniard with delicate but robust enough chunks of meaty fish. It won’t take you hours to knock out and I frequently glam it up for dinner party occasions with extra shellfish or topped with a butter basted piece of crispy fried seabass. Alternatively, keep it hearty and rustic as I did here, which my student budget no doubt appreciated this week. I can guarantee it will leave you satisfied and happy as I feel right now writing this after a hearty bowl….

(Serves 3 generously)

1 large bulb fennel or 2 small ones, halved and sliced (fronds and green tops reserved for garnish)
1 onion, sliced
1 tbsp fennel seeds
100g chorizo, sliced into chunks
1 large clove garlic, sliced
1 glass of dry white wine
500g tomato passata
1 pint hot, good fish stock
Squeeze lemon juice
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Meaty fish e.g. Haddock/cod/monkfish or a mixture
(Optional) Handful of cleaned mussels/prawns/sliced squid
Croutons to serve
Flat leaf parsley to serve

Begin by heating some olive oil in a large casserole dish. Gently sweat the chopped onion and fennel for about 15 minutes over a low heat until soft and beginning to caramelise.
Add the fennel seeds and fry for a few minutes to release the flavour and then add the garlic.
Add the sliced chorizo and cook just until the oils begin to be released.
Turn up the heat and de-glaze the pan with the white wine and simmer away for a few minutes.
Add the tomato passata and the fish stock and stir to combine.
Simmer for about 10 minutes until thickened (adding more stock for a thinner base if prefered) Season to taste with salt and plenty of heavy handed black pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Cut you fish into bite sized chunks. If using mussels and prawns, add these, and the chopped fish to the hot stew and cover with a lid. Simmer gently for a matter of minutes until the prawns are pink, the mussels are open and the fish is just starting to flake.
Serve in oven warmed shallow bowls, garnished with chopped flat leaf parsley, the chopped fennel fronds and a handful or crispy croutons.

Alternatively serve with some fresh french bread, sourdough croutons and punchy rouille (see here). This is also lovely served at a dinner party glammed up with more shellfish and squid and topped with individual pieces of crisp fried seabass fillets.

WINE: Absolutely delicious served with one of the countries crispy whites – try this Lagar de Cervera, 2014 Albariño, Galicia available at Armit Wines.

WINE: Absolutely delicious served with one of the countries own crisp whites – try this Lagar de Cervera, 2014 Albariño, Galicia available at Armit Wines

Bouillabaisse with Rouille, Sourdough Croutons and Samphire

September 19, 2012 Comments Off read Seafood

Bouillabaisse is a Provencal fish stew. This is probably one of my favourite dishes and I love to spend an afternoon making it properly from scratch, however, don’t be put off, it can be done quicker I just like to take my time!

Contents (serves 4)

1 x tinned tomatoes
1 litre homemade fish stock
a pinch of saffron
a pinch of cayenne pepper
salt and pepper
mixed seafood- I used 1xgurnard, 1xbream and 1 large hake fillet, filleted and chopped into chunks. Reserve the fish bones/heads for the stock
12-15 raw crevettes/prawns- peeled, shells retained
Handful of mussels
Bunch flat-leaf parsley, stalk reserved for stock
Samphire, steamed for about 3 minutes, to serve
Rouille, to serve

Soup base

1 large bulb fennel
2 sticks celery
6 cloves garlic
2 onions
2 carrots
3 bay leaves
Bunch of flat leaf parsley
1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
Small glass white wine/Pernod

Fish Stock

Bones, head and tails or the fish (about 2 carcases) or ask your fishmonger for some free scraps
2 red onions, quartered
2 carrots, sliced
2 sticks celery, halved
Stalks of flat-leaf parsley
1 fennel bulb, sliced
2 bay leaves
6 black peppercorns
Salt
2 litre cold water

Start by making the fresh fish stock but if using a cube, skip to stage 4.
Place all the ingredients into a large pan (except the salt) and cover with the water. Bring to the boil and skim off any scum that comes to the surface and discard.
Lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, but no longer. Season to taste and then strain and reserve the stock for use later.
Now start on the soup base. Chop the vegetables and fry gently in some oil in a large pot with the fennel seeds, bay leaves and parsley. Cover with a cartouche (a round shaped piece of parchment) to prevent the vegetable catching and to help soften them. Reduce the heat and soften for 40 minutes.
After 40 minutes, increase the heat and caramelize the vegetables for a few minutes until tinged with brown. Add a small glass of white wine and simmer for 1 minute before adding the tomatoes, 600-800ml fish stock and a pinch of saffron and cayenne and season. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 1 hour. Meanwhile…….

A traditional bouillabaisse has a ‘tomatoey’ sauce flavour, however, I have adapted various recipes to bring out the best in the flavours I like best. Feel free to skip this step but it wholeheartedly adds a deep, rich, fishy punch to the soup base. Here I have made a prawn stock/reduction using the reserved shells.

Fry the reserved prawn/crevette shells and heads in a little oil for about 5 minutes, until they turn a beautiful deep orange and release their juices
Add a splash of wine and simmer for 1 minute, before adding a large spoonful of the simmering soup base and then top up with about 200ml of fish stock.
Bring to the boil, then simmer for 25 minutes.
After this time, strain and retain the prawn stock, season and discard the shells.

8. After 1 hour, puree the soup with a hand blender (not too smooth, don’t worry if there are a few lumps) and add the prawn reduction (If not using, add fish stock to obtain your required consistency)

9. Finally, add the chunks of fish and on a very low simmer, cook the fish for about 6-7 minutes before adding the shelled prawns and mussels. With a lid on, cook for a few minutes until the mussels are open and the prawns are cooked.

10. Serve in deep, warmed bowls topped with samphire and scattered with chopped parsley and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. I devoured mine with the traditional mayonnaise- Rouille and giant sourdough croutons

Rouille

September 19, 2012 Comments Off read Extras

Rouille is simply a saffron, chilli and garlic infused mayonnaise. I always make my own mayo at special occasions or when it is a central ingredient or accompaniment for a meal as it is so easy to make if you have a food processor and a steady hand. Once you’ve had the real homemade stuff you’ll be left wondering how on earth a jar of Hellman’s suddenly tastes so vile after years or worshipping the contents? The only hold back usually, is its creamy indulgence so don’t throw away your jars yet……..Classic French rouille is a traditional garnish to a punchy Provencal fish soup or a deep rich bouillabaisse. A celebratory freshly homemade bouillabaisse was the call for this batch which I knocked up to lather a bakeryful of giant sourdough croutons!

1 tsp dried crushed chillies
Pinch of flaky salt
3 large garlic cloves
Pinch of saffron
2 free range egg yolks, at room temperature
120ml olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice
Pinch cayenne pepper

Grind the chillies, garlic cloves, and saffron with the salt in a pestle and mortar.
Add the egg yolks and mix thoroughly
Add to a food processor and, with the motor running, pour the oil through the funnel drop by drop and then in a EXTREMELY steady, gentle stream with the motor running at all times. If you add to fast it won’t emulsify with the yolks, however as you see it begin to thicken, you know you’re on safe ground and you can begin to pour more quickly but still in a steady stream. Sometimes it won’t take and the mixture will split and be runny like cream- sometimes it just happens *
When you have added about 2/3 of the oil and it is thickening, add the lemon juice and a pinch of cayenne pepper and then finish adding the oil. If you want it a little thinner, add a little more oil.
Once finished, pot and pop it in the fridge where it will keep for about 4-5 days.

This recipe, untraditionally doesn’t contain soaked breadcrumbs which it should but I rather like it without and thought this recipe was great anyway!

* To prevent your mayonnaise splitting in the first place, use fresh eggs at room temperature in a really clean food processor bowl. If it does split, don’t chuck you’re mixture. Remove it to a jug, clean the bowl well and add another egg yolk to the processor and blend. Then instead of adding oil, add the mixture!

Indian Fish Pie

August 6, 2012 Comments Off read Seafood

This should really be called ‘Indian inspired fish pie’ as I highly doubt you’d find it on the streets of Delhi……however, it has a nice spicy touch! This recipe can be left completely untouched and authentically English without the Indian influence but if you fancy a twist on your usual fish pie then it adds a really interesting and tasty alternative. It reminds me of a ‘kedgeree pie’…….

500g mixed fish fillets (salmon, smoked haddock and cod) chopped in large chunks
1 large handful prawns
1 handful peas
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp curry paste (optional) mild or hot- I used Patak’s Curry Paste
1 egg (hard boiled, peeled and chopped)
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
250g puff pastry
1 egg, beaten
35g unsalted butter
35g flour
500ml milk
1 bay leaf

Heat some olive oil in a pan and soften the chopped onion for about 5 minutes. Add the curry paste and cook for a further 2 minutes, then set aside.
Next, make the white sauce. Warm the milk in a pan with a bay leaf before melting the butter in another pan over a medium heat until it starts to bubble. Then remove from the heat and stir in the flour, mixing with a wooden spoon to form a paste. Return to the heat and cook the paste, mixing all the time, for 1 minute.
Add a ladle of milk to the paste, whisking hard to prevent it going lumpy, until thickened and continue adding the milk until the sauce is thick and smooth (remove the bay leaf). Bubble briskly for about 5 minutes until thick enough. Season with salt and lots of black pepper.
Add the curried onion mix to the sauce, along with the peas, prawns, chopped egg, parsley and fish and stir to combine. Transfer to a suitable serving dish and using the beaten egg, coat the edges of the dish so the pastry lid will stick better.
Roll the puff pastry on a floured surface, to the correct size to fit as a lid and cover the fish filling. With the overhanging pastry, scrunch up the excess and stick it to the edges of the dish to get a big pastry crust around the edge (the best bit)
Brush the whole pie with beaten egg and transfer to a preheat oven at 180°C for about 35-40 minutes, until the pastry is golden and puffed and the filling is hot!