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Archive for June, 2025

Salmon with Cajun Spices

Posted in Fish, Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , , , on 30 June 2025| 2 Comments »

Salmon is one of the most popular dishes in our house so it’s nice to find a recipe with some different flavours.

Wine Suggestion: double down on the citrussy aspect when choosing a wine so for this we headed to a Loire Sauvignon Blanc, but not from one of the “big two”, rather an under-rated Menetou Salon made by Anthony Girard at La Clef du Recit. A touch more grapefruit and orange, but with hints of lemon, the freshness really worked well with the salmon.

Salmon with Cajun spices – serves 2

  • 2 salmon fillets, skin on
  • 2 tsp Cajun spice blend
  • 1-2 tbsp olive oil
  • 30g butter
  • lemon wedges, to serve

FOR THE SAUCE:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 banana shallots, finely diced
  • 2 cloves of garlic, finely diced
  • ½ tsp Cajun spice blend
  • 150ml fish stock
  • 150ml crème fraîche
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Score the skin of the salmon with a sharp knife, then sprinkle both sides with the Cajun spice mix and a little salt. Heat the olive oil over a medium heat in a frying pan.

Add the salmon to the hot oil, skin side down, pressing the fillets down with a fish slice. Cook for a few minutes on each side, then remove the pan from the heat.

Add the butter to the pan and baste the salmon with it as it melts. Transfer the salmon to a warm plate and leave to rest while you make the sauce.

Put the frying pan back over a medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Add the shallots and cook for a few minutes, then add the garlic and Cajun spice blend and cook for a couple of minutes.

Add the stock to the pan and let it bubble until reduced by half. Stir in the crème fraîche and cook for a minute or two until the sauce thickens. Season and add the lemon juice to taste. Remove from the heat and stir through the parsley.

Spoon the sauce onto warmed serving plates and top with the salmon. Serve with lemon wedges and green beans.

(Original recipe from Tom Kerridge Cooks Britain, Bloomsbury, 2024.)

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Prawns and Mangetout on the Barbecue

Posted in Barbecue, Food, Gluten-free, Prawns, Shellfish, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 26 June 2025| Leave a Comment »

This is an excellent barbecue starter. We have a number of Genevieve Taylor’s barbecue books and they are superb!

Wine Suggestion: You need a wine that loves shellfish, barbecues and salty cured meats which is a bit of a conundrum. The key is both a good amount of fruitiness alongside a minerally freshness; complimetary and contrasting characters. For tonight Pazo Señorans Albariño from Rias Baixas in north western Spain, you almost smell the salty sea air alongside crisp white peaches in the glass and so well structured on the palate. This wine ages superbly and luckily the winery also releases aged bottles so if you get the opportunity do try these too.

Prawns and mangetout on the barbecue – serves 4

  • 300g raw peeled prawns
  • 10 slices of prosciutto
  • 150g mangetout
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

FOR THE LEMONY MAYO:

  • 125g mayonnaise
  • zest of 1 lemon, and juice to taste
  • 10g chives

Pat the prawns dry with kitchen paper.

Cut each slice of prosciutto into 4 pieces. Wrap each prawn in a piece of prosciutto.

Thread a prawn onto a skewer, followed by a piece of mangetout, then another prawn. Keep going until everything is used up, then brush a little oil over each skewer and season with salt and pepper. Leave them in the fridge until ready to cook.

For the lemony mayo, spoon the mayonnaise into a small bowl and stir through the lemon zest and chives. Add lemon juice to taste (start with half the lemon) and season with salt and pepper. Chill until needed.

Get the barbecue going for hot direct grilling.

Cook the skewers for 1-2 minutes on each side until the ham is crispy and the prawns pink. Serve with the mayo.

(Original recipe from Scorched by Genevieve Taylor, Hardie Grant: Quadrille, 2024.)

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Summer Rolls

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Shellfish, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 23 June 2025| Leave a Comment »

Summer rolls – so simple but they look so impressive. Serve for lunch.

Summer rolls – makes 8

  • 35g rice vermicelli noodles
  • 16 chives
  • 8 sprigs of coriander
  • 1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
  • ¼ cucumber, deseeded and cut into matchsticks
  • 50g bean sprouts
  • ½ little gem lettuce, finely shredded
  • 125g cooked, peeled prawns, halved lengthways
  • 1-2 tbsp roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
  • 16 mint leaves
  • 8 rice paper wrappers

FOR THE CHILLI DIPPING SAUCE:

  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp freshly grated root ginger
  • 1 red bird’s eye chilli, thinly sliced
  • 1 clove of garlic, grated

Cook the noodles by bringing a pan of water to the boil. Drop in the noodles and take the pan off the heat. Leave the noodles to soak for 2 minutes, then drain and rinse under cold water. Drain well and set aside.

Mix all the chilli dipping sauce ingredients together with 2 tbsp of cold water and set aside.

Make sure you have all the filling ingredients prepped and to hand.

Dip a rice paper wrapper in a bowl of cold water and leave to soak for up to a minute, then transfer to a damp tea towel.

Add the filling ingredients as follows (making sure to leave a border around the edge so you can seal the roll): arrange two chives in a X in the middle, add a sprig of coriander, then some noodles, carrot, cucumber, bean sprouts, lettuce, prawns and peanuts (careful not to overfill). Top with a couple of mint leaves.

Fold the edge closest to you over the filling, tuck the sides over to enclose then ends, then roll away from you to seal. Set aside under a folded damp tea towel to stop them drying out while you make the rest. Repeat with the remaining rice papers. Serve with the dipping sauce.

(Original recipe from Rick Stein’s Food Stories, BBC Books, Penguin: Random House, 2024.)

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Avgolemono

Posted in Chicken, Food, Gluten-free, Greek, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on 5 June 2025| Leave a Comment »

A Greek chicken and rice soup with egg and lemon. Tastes delicious and can only be good for you.

Avgolemono – serves 4 to 6

  • 125g extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 medium white onions, diced into 1cm pieces
  • 2 medium carrots, diced into 1cm pieces
  • 2 ribs of celery, diced into 1cm pieces
  • 3 large cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 500g skinless chicken breasts
  • 125g rice
  • 2 large eggs
  • 75g lemon juice
  • 3 tbsp dill, chopped

Heat the oil in a large pot, then add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves and a pinch of salt. Cook gently for about 30 minutes or until soft.

Meanwhile, put the chicken in a single layer in a large pan and cover with 2 litres of water. Add 2 tsp of fine sea salt, then bring to a simmer with the lid on. As soon as the water simmers, turn the heat right down and cook for 5 minutes, then turn the heat off and leave until cool enough to handle.

Remove the chicken and reserve the cooking liquid. Chop the chicken into 1cm pieces.

Add the rice, chicken and chicken cooking waterto the cooked vegetables and bring up to a gentle simmer. Cook for 30 minutes or until the rice is tender.

Whisk the eggs and lemon juice together, then add a couple of ladlefuls of the hot soup to this mix, whisking constantly, before adding the mixture to the soup in a thin stream, stirring all the time.

Bring the soup back to a simmer and leave for another 5 to 10 minutes, stirring constantly until thickened slightly. Remove the bay leaves and check the seasoning. Stir in half the dill, then take off the heat and leave to rest for 10 minutes.

Seve in warm bowls with the rest of the dill, some more black pepper and a drizzle of good olive oil.

(Original recipe by Nick Bramham in FT Magazine, 1/2 March 2025.)

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Thai Chicken with Basil

Posted in Asian, Chicken, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 3 June 2025| Leave a Comment »

A tasty and colourful dish which we have also successfully cooked with pork fillet so feel free to try that either. The Thai basil makes this dish so we only every make it when we can get that.

Wine Suggestion: Thai basil brings an herbaceousness that we think goes with red Northern Rhone or Burgundy, especially if there’s a little whole bunch fermentation. So for this dish we opened an bottle of Domaine Jamet’s Cotes du Rhone rouge which is made from Syrah grown on the upper slopes around Cote Rotie and with some whole bunch. A wine that benefits from 6 to 12 months in the bottle this had a smoothness, earthiness and well integrated tannins as well as remaining fresh and weightless so not to overwhelm the food.

Thai Chicken with Basil – serves 3

  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
  • 1 Thai green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, julienned
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 medium red pepper, deseeded and diced into 1cm pieces
  • 3 scallions, cut into 5cm pieces
  • 1 tsp freshly roasted and ground coriander
  • 1 tbsp palm sugar or soft brown sugar
  • 1 tsp cornflour
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce (nam pla)
  • 1 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 7g fresh Thai basil, shredded
  • plain rice and fresh coriander, to serve

Heat a tbsp of the vegetable oil in a wok over a high heat, then add half the chicken strips. Add the green chilli and garlic and stir-fry for about 5 minutes or until the chicken has changed colour. Sprinkle with a little of the sesame oil, then remove to a plate.

Add the remaining tbsp of vegetable oil to the wok, then add the red pepper, scallions, ground coriander and sugar. Stir-fry for 2 minutes, then add the chicken.

Mix the cornflour with the fish sauce and soy until smooth, then pour into the pan, stirring constantly for a minute or until the juices thicken slightly. Sprinkle with the remaining sesame oil. Toss in the basil, season to taste and serve with plain rice and lots of chopped coriander.

(Original recipe from Grow, Cook, Nourish by Darina Allen, Kyle Books, 2017.)

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