Category Seafood

Keralan Cod (Pollichathu)

August 7, 2013 Comments Off read Seafood

This dish is cooked in a Keralan style called ‘Pollichathu’ where the fish (usually a traditional Karimeen) is wrapped in a banana leaf and cooked in a tasty marinade to keep it moist and succulent. However, I used foil for mine and cooked it under the grill but a BBQ would be a great alternative! Serve with some homemade warm chapattis and some nice cooling lime infused yoghurt!

Serves 4

½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
¼ tsp turmeric
½ lemon juice
4 cod fillets/seabass fillets
1 coconut, flesh grated OR 2 large generous handful of desiccated coconut
8 spring onions
2 garlic cloves
5cm ginger root
1 large green chilli
1 large tbsp dried curry leaves (or a handful of fresh)
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 dried red chilli, torn or 1 small tsp of dried chilli flakes
Small bunch of coriander

Chapattis

280g wholemeal bread flour
1 tsp salt
200ml cold water

Combine the black pepper, turmeric and lemon juice and marinade the fish for 1 hour in the fridge.
Chop the spring onions, garlic ginger and green chilli and combine with the curry leaves.
Heat a splash of oil in a frying pan and add the mustard seeds until they begin to crackle and then add the red chilli.
Add the onion mixture and stir for a few minutes until beginning to brown but make sure it does not burn.
Add the coconut and the coriander, saving a handful for garnish and season and set aside to cool slightly.
Meanwhile, make the chapattis by placing flour and salt in a bowl and adding the water in a steady stream and mix with a wooden spoon. Knead briefly to obtain a sticky elastic dough and set aside in an oiled bowl to rest.
Place the fish fillets in the middle of a piece of foil or a banana leaf and spoon over a ¼ of the coconut mixture. Wrap the foil up into a sealed parcel. Place on a hot BBQ or under a hot grill for about 8-10 minutes until cooked.
While cooking, teach of golf ball sized pieces of chapattis dough and roll thinly. Either on the hot BBQ or in a hot dry frying pan, fry for a few minutes either side until charred and cooked. Wrap in a tea towel to keep warm and soft until ready to serve.
Once the fish is cooked, serve along side the fish garnished with the reserved coriander and a spoonful of yoghurt seasoned with some lime zest and juice to taste for a nice cooling side.

Deep Fried Whitebait

July 28, 2013 Comments Off read Seafood

Whitebait are delicious when deep-fried. They are a really fishy fish if you know what I mean but perfect as tasty canapes especially with some bubbly to celebrate an occasion….and this one- my recent graduation! On a recent trip to France my dad bought back some sparkling ‘Saumer’ which is a lovely alternative to Champagne. Its a really fresh, dry, Chenin Blanc based sparkling wine and, like most dry sparkling wines…goes deliciously well with fried, greasy finger food! After devouring one batch and one bottle we came to our senses and moved onto the real deal and another helping…

Serves 4 as a starter

50g plain flour
1 egg
200g whitebait
Salt
100ml sparkling water
Sunflower oil for frying
Mayonnaise
1 lime

Whisk the egg, flour and salt together in a bowl and whisk in the sparking water until you have a smooth batter.
Heat half a pan of sunflower oil (or a deep fat fryer if you have live an extravagant life) to about 180 or until a piece of bread, turns golden brown and sizzles within a few minutes.
Dip the whitebait into the batter, a handful at a time and fry in the hot oil for 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Drain into a kitchen roll lined bowl and sprinkle with salt. Keep warm while you finish the rest
Mix a small cup of mayonnaise with enjoy lime/lemon juice to taste and serve with the whitebait.

WINE: The only thing I can even bear to consider drinking with these fried and greasy is fishy delights is something sparkling. Anything of good quality you have to hand. Try a lovely Saumer or a classic Champagne. One of my personal favourites being Gimonnnet. Champagne Cuis 1er Cru Brut NV available at Armit Wines.

Saffron Risotto, Sea Bass, Parsley Oil

July 23, 2013 Comments Off read Seafood

This really hit the spot after a long weekend and an enjoyable fortnight of barbequed meat and salads. Risotto is my favourite way to relax in the evening especially with a glass in hand. As a risotto lover, this is definitely up there in my top 5.

Serves 2

2 generous handfuls of Arborio risotto rice (about 200-250g)
1 shallot or 1 small onion, chopped finely
½ garlic clove, chopped finely
1 small glass of dry white wine
Large pinch of saffron strands
750-1litre hot light vegetable stock
50g unsalted butter
4 large tbsp of finely grated parmesan
2 sea bass fillets
4 thin slices of chorizo
Small bunch parsley
80ml olive oil

Begin with the parsley oil. Bring a pan of water to the boil and have a bowl of iced water ready at the same time. Blanch the parsley in the boiling water for no more than 15 secs. Quickly drain and place into the iced water. Ring out any excess water and pat the leaves dry.
Heat the 80ml of olive oil in a pan until blood temperature and add the parsley. Place all in a food processor with a pinch of salt and blend until you have a lovely green oil. Taste and adjust the seasoning and place in a small jug and leave to cool to room temperature.
Start the risotto (see here for my tips). Melt about 30g of the butter and a drizzle of oil in a pan and fry the onion gently for about 10 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and fry for a few more minutes.
Keep your stock in a saucepan close by on a low heat and whisk in the saffron.
Add the rice to the onion and garlic and fry over a medium-high heat until beginning to turn translucent. When too hot to touch, add the wine and simmer until absorbed.
Turn the heat down to a medium-low and add the hot stock ladle by ladle as it becomes absorbed, stirring all the time keeping the mix on a very gentle simmer. Keep adding stock for about 15-18 minutes until the rice is cooked but with some bite (you probably won’t need it all). Season to taste.
When loose in texture and the rice is cooked, add the remaining butter, the grated parmesan and a squeeze of lemon, cover with a lid and take off the heat and place the risotto to one side to rest.
Heat a frying pan to a highish heat and season your sea bass fillets, cutting them into smaller pieces if you like. Fry for about 3 minutes, skin side down until crisp and finish cooking for up to 1 minute on the other side until cooked. Fry the chorizo slices in the remaining oil until crisp.
Stir the melted cheese and butter into the risotto- the texture should be creamy and ‘oozy’ and NOT stodgy. It should require serving in a bowl not on a plate. Taste and adjust the seasoning before dividing into two warm bowls.
Top with the sea bass fillets and the chorizo slices and drizzle with the vibrant parsley oil! Enjoy with a crisp glass of Muscadet.

Thai Crispy Salmon

July 7, 2013 Comments Off read Seafood

This is a great way to serve salmon in the summer- wrapped in a crispy shield of filo pastry but juicy and pink inside. I’ve used a Thai style salsa inside but really it can take anything….chilli jam works well or even a spoonful of pesto. Served with some boiled Jersey Royals covered in a insulating blanket of melted butter; a scattering of diced sweet shallot; some feather like ribbons of chopped garden mint and a sprinkle of garlicky chives from the garden…summer!

Thai salmon (Serves 2, adapted from Delia Smith)

1 tsp grated fresh ginger
Small handful of chopped coriander
1-2 spring onions, chopped
1 lime, zest and juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 salmon fillets
2-4 sheets filo pastry
25g butter, melted
1 tbsp sesame seeds

Preheat the oven to 190°C.
Mix the ginger, coriander, spring onions, garlic and lime together in a bowl.
Lay one or two sheets of filo pastry (depending on the size of your salmon. If they are large then 2 may be a better option) on the work top and brush with melted butter. Place one salmon fillet at one edge of the pastry and top with half the Thai mixture. Roll up like a present and tuck the ends underneath. Brush generously with melted butter and scatter with sesame seeds. Place on a baking tray and repeat with the other salmon fillet.
Bake for 15- 20 minutes until the pastry is golden and crisp. Serve!

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.

Asian Salmon and Coconut Rice

May 17, 2013 Comments Off read Seafood

I’ve cooked this recipe far too many times in the past couple of weeks. With revision STILL on the go it is a fresh but really satisfying meal which is also a hopeless attempt at consuming some more oily fish to fuel my brain! I’ve been unhelpfully vague in the method as all depends on the rice, coconut milk and salmon you use which will vary the cooking time and the quantities a little. The timings will vary but use your instincts and aim for a crispy skinned dark soy salmon that is moist and just cooked with a creamy coconut rice. You may not get the timings perfect on the first shot but I guarantee you’ll make it again to get it right!

Serves 2

1 can coconut milk
4 oz brown/wild rice
2 salmon fillets
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 ½ tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp runny honey
2cm grated ginger
1 lime, zest and wedges for serving
Scattering of sesame seeds

Mix the soy, oils, ginger and honey together and leave the salmon to marinade in the mix for at least 1 hour in the fridge.
Bring the coconut milk to the boil with a small cup of hot water and simmer the rice gently for about 20-25 minutes until cooked. The coconut milk you use in terms of thickness will vary so top up with hot water if it starts to look dry or if it is a thick variety, dilute down. What you’re aiming for is for the rice to cook in the time that it takes the coconut milk to reduce so you should end up with a creamy rice. If it is still looking drowned towards the end of cooking, turn the heat up and simmer more strongly. I like to use brown rice for its nutty flavour and texture.
Once cooked, stir in the grated zest of the lime and keep warm.
While the rice is cooking, preheat your grill to high and (skin side up) grill your salmon for about 5 minutes depending on thickness, until just cooked and moist with a dark soy crisp skin.
Simmer the remaining marinade in a saucepan to warm and thicken.
Serve your salmon on top of your coconut rice drizzled with a little of the warm marinade. Scatter with a handful of sesame seeds and a wedge of lime for squeezing. Serve with steamed broccoli.

Salmon and Dill Ravioli, Lemon Buerre Noisette

May 4, 2013 Comments Off read Seafood

Only a few weeks after returning from my gap year travels I was disappointed in myself that I had gone all my (then) 18 years and one hearty gap year without ever having been to Italy! Venice and Florence had always been on my list of destinations……the land of food. So a quick ticket and a hostel bed later I found myself in the middle of Italy with a heavy bag and apron for company. Naturally with my priorities in the right place) I had both a Venetian and Tuscan cookery class booked and under my belt.

If I’m honest, I’ve never been a huge pasta fan but what could be better than making it yourself in the sunny Tuscan hills? I spent what has to be the most charming, authentic and relaxing day in a Tuscan cookery school just outside Florence on their magical estate. With wine in hand on arrival (their priorities were right) I cooked a 4 course meal using wines and rich olive oils from their own estate and learned how to make pasta. It was a day to remember. (For details see below).

However, not being a pasta fan I have not revisited the pasta section of the charmingly translated and authentic cookery book from the school- until now. I thought I’d deviate from the traditional spinach and ricotta variety I made in Florence and invented my own. For pasta lovers, making it could not be easier- I don’t even have a pasta machine! Whilst I would recommend one, as rolling it to a thin consistency did shamefully strain and unearth some hibernating arm muscles, but it was delicious. Fill your ravioli with whatever you like and coat in any sauce that takes your fancy! I’m now off to re-make the other dishes I so greedily enjoyed back in those sunny hills….watch this space

Serves 2-3

200g ‘OO’ flour
2 eggs
Pinch salt
Small handful of chopped dill
2 salmon fillets, smoked (Mine were raw but lightly smoked which was a nice addition, alternatively used precooked smoked trout for the same texture and flavour but non-smoked salmon fillet work fine also)
2 heaped tbsp creme fraiche/ricotta
1 lemon, zest and 1 tbsp juice
25g butter
1 tbsp capers
Bunch of asparagus, chopped

1. Start with the pasta. Make a heaped mound of flour on a clean surface and make a well in the centre. Break in your eggs and a pinch of salt. Use a fork to whisk the eggs in a circular motion and then gradually bring in the flour from the sides bit by bit to incorporate it into the dough2. Once it has all be added (its may need a splash of water or wine to add a bit more moisture) knead into a ball. Add the chopped dill and then knead with the heal of your hand for a good 15-20 minutes until the dough is really smooth and it feels elastic.

3. Wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, cook the salmon in a hot oven for about 10 minutes until just cooked but still moist. Discard the skin and flake into a bowl with some seasoning, the finely grated zest of the lemon and a squeeze of the juice. Leave to cool before stirring in the creme fraiche.

5. Once the dough has rested, remove from the fridge and use either a pasta machine or some elbow grease and a rolling pin to roll out so it is really thin.

6. Cut out circles with a pastry cutter and spoon teaspoons of cold salmon into the middle. Fold over into a half moon and sandwich together and seal with a fork.

7. Place onto a lightly floured/.polenta coated plate.

8. Cook your asparagus spears for a few minutes and then drain and keep warm. Additionally, heat a splash of oil over a high heat and fry the capers until crisp and drain on kitchen paper.

9. Bring a large heavily salted pan of water to the boil and drop in your pasta. Simmer briskly until cooked to your liking (about 3-5 minutes depending on the thickness of the pasta) and they will rise to the surface when they are nearly ready.

10. Meanwhile, heat the butter in a large frying pan on a high heat. When it starts to sizzle, stir and allow it to turn a brown nutty colour and release a nutty aroma. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice

11. Drain the pasta and serve, with the asparagus spears and drizzle generously with the lemon butter sauce. Scatter with the capers and a grating of lemon zest.

Buon Appetito!

The cookery course I did in Florence was ‘The Good Taste of Italy’ day course found here. I didn’t stay in the accommodation on the estate but I wish I had, its worth a look as they also do cookery holidays where you are housed in their stunning villa and fed silly.

The Venetian course I did was outside of Venice and was very different. It took a more homely and casual approach set in the house of an Italian Mama. Advertised to teach you to ’cook like an Italian Mama’ it was certainly the most authentic course I could have done and there were only 3 of us in the class. After being collected, we shopped for our ingredients and picked our vegetables and herbs form their own healthy allotment before being welcomed generously to their kitchen to cook up a feast.

Bloody Mary Prawn Salad

April 24, 2013 Comments Off read Seafood, Vegetables and Salads

One of the reasons I have a huge but justified love of Jamie Oliver is his casual, instinctive and rustic approach to cooking which is what inspired me at a young age to cook. This recipe is just those things, rustic and casual and can be instinctively thrown together with a few alterations in flavours or ingredients that you love. Using his basic concept, I tweaked a few bits to make it the perfect starter at a recent dinner party. If you’ve got guests who enjoy fish, nothing excites and pleases them more than being presented with a platter of succulent shellfish with a tangy dressing and lemon for all. This is light and perfect to kick start the meal although in greater quantities it was all agreed we could have eaten it for mains as well…..

(Serves 6-8 as a sharing starter)

2 small cos lettuce
2 red chicory
1 punnet cress
1 large handful chopped dill
Celery leaves from celery tops
2 ripened avocados
2 slices of stale bread, cubed into croutons size
400g cooked, juicy prawns
200g brown shrimp
Crevettes (enough for one each)
Green lip mussels (enough for one each)
200ml ‘Big Tom’ spiced tomato juice
2 heaped tbsp mayonnaise
Juice of 1 lemon
3 heaped tsp creamed horseradish
Salt and pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Splash of vodka

Clip the leaves off the lettuces so that you get ‘edible cups’ from the leaves to nestle your prawns and dressing. Scatter these over a couple of serving dishes.
Scatter the prawns and brown shrimp over the top filling the cups.
Make the dressing by placing the big tom juice, mayonnaise, lemon juice, horseradish, vodka, a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and some seasoning in a processor and blend to combine. Taste and add a touch of whatever it is lacking for your tastes like Tabasco. However, make sure it is a bit too punchy and a bit over the top as when it is combined with everything else it will be blunted slightly and hold its own.
Get a griddle pan on a high heat and drizzle with olive oil. Cut the avocados into thick slices and char on the griddle, seasoning generously with salt and pepper, for a few minutes each side to warm through and soften. In another pan, heat some more oil and add your cubed bread with some seasoning and fry until golden and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper.
Scatter the hot avocados and croutons over the salad and prawns. Drizzle with the Bloody Mary dressing and scatter with the chopped dill, cress and celery leaves. Place the crevettes and mussels boldly on top and serve with lemon wedges as a sharing platter for an indulgent starter or light lunch…..

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!