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Archive for the ‘Fish’ Category

Dover Sole À La Meunière

Posted in Fish, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 6 January 2026| Leave a Comment »

This might just be our favourite fish dish — and honestly, we can’t believe it took us this long to realise how utterly simple it is to cook. Dover sole (also known as black sole here in Ireland) is a truly special fish: delicate, buttery, and elegant with very little effort required in the kitchen. Since subscribing to a fish box from Urban Monger, we’ve been pushed out of our comfort zone and into cooking more seafood. This recipe is a great confidence booster: classic, quick, and very satisfying.

Wine Suggestion: Such a lovely fish needs respect, so don’t skimp on quality and look for a crisp, dry white with depth and personality. We chose a Chablis from Nathalie & Gilles Fèvre which is made in stailess steel, but left on its fine lees to add texture to an already layered, pure fruited wine: white stonefruit, a lemony twist and a limestone backbone.

Dover sole à la meunière – serves 2

  • 2 x 400-450g Dover soles trimmed and skinned (the ones we had were labelled black sole in Ireland but they are the same thing)
  • 25g plain flour
  • 4 tbsp flour
  • 50g unsalted butter
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp chopped parsley
  • 2 tsp capers
  • lemon wedges, to serve
  • roast baby potatoes, to serve

If you need to trim the fish yourself, take a pair of scissors and cut the frilly fins and the fleshy bones off both sides. You will be removing about 4 cm off all around so you are left with just the 4 fillets on the backbone.

Season the fish with salt and white pepper, then dip both sides into the flour and pat off any excess.

Heat the oil in a non-stick for well-seasoned frying pan. Add one of the soles, lower the heat slightly and add a small piece of the butter. Fry over a moderate heat for 4-5 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and keep warm while you cook the second fish.

Pour off the frying oil and discard. Add the rest of the butter to the pan and allow to melt over a moderate heat. When it starts to smell nutty and turn brown, add the lemon juice, parsley, capers and some seasoning. Pour some of the beurre noisette over each fish and serve with the lemon wedges and some roast baby potatoes.

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

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Nigella’s Mirin-Glazed Salmon

Posted in Fish, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 8 December 2025| 2 Comments »

This dish is big on flavour but could not be simpler to throw together. Leftover salmon is unlikely but delicious for lunch the next day.

Wine Suggestion: you need a white with some oomph to match the umami, deep flavours here. Something like the Soalheiro Alvarinho Reserva from northern Portugal which combines ripe stonefruit flavours with a twist of quinine minerality and texture, overlaid with a toasty, nuttiness from barrel aging.

Mirin-glazed salmon – serves 4

  • 60ml mirin
  • 50g light brown sugar
  • 60ml soy sauce
  • 4 x pieces skinless salmon fillet
  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1-2 scallions, shredded into fine strips

Mix the mirin, brown sugar and soy sauce in a shallow dish that will fit the salmon pieces. Marinate the salmon for 3 minutes on the first side, then turn it over and leave for another 2 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a large non-stick frying pan on the hob.

Heat a dry pan over high heat. Place the salmon in the pan and sear for 2 minutes. Flip the pieces over and continue cooking. After another 2 minutes, pour in the marinade.
If your salmon pieces are thick or very large, extend the cooking time before adding the marinade, wait until the salmon is almost cooked through. If you add the marinade too soon it will turn to caramel.

Remove the salmon to a plate, then add the vinegar to the sauce and warm through.

Pour the glaze over the salmon and top with the scallions. Serve with sticky rice and sushi ginger if you have it (though not essential).

(Original recipe from Nigella Express, Chatto & Windus, 2007.)

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Smoked Salmon with Pickled Cucumber

Posted in Fish, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 5 November 2025| Leave a Comment »

Buy top quality smoked salmon for this and serve as a starter. A delicious recipe from The Italian Deli Cookbook by Theo Randall.

Wine Suggestion: Some good friends brought over a sparkling from Woodchester Valley vineyards in the Cotswolds which was charmingly matched with this dish; both contrasting and complimenting the various flavours and textures. A classic blend of the three Champagne grapes and a classic secondary fermentastion in the bottle. Creamy mousse, hints of bready autolysis and elegance, but a touch more chalky, saline giving this wine a sense of place too.

Smoked salmon with pickled cucumber – serves 4 as a starter

  • 1 small red onion, finely sliced
  • 2 tbsp caster sugar
  • 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthways and deseeds
  • 100ml sunflower oil
  • 50g coarsely chopped ciabatta
  • 300g sliced smoked salmon
  • 1 tbsp tiny capers in vinegar, drained
  • 50g flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and roughly chopped
  • 1 lemon, quartered, to serve

Put the onion into a small saucepan with 1 tbsp of the caster sugar and 1 tbsp of the white wine vinegar and ½ tsp salt. Cover with a tight lid and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes, or until the onions are soft. Set aside and leave to cool.

Put the cucumber halves, flat-side down on a board and cut into 5mm slices. Put the sliced cucumber into a bowl with the remaining tbsp of sugar and of vinegar and add ½ tsp salt. Stir gently, then cover with cling film and macerate for 30 minutes. Pour off the excess liquid and put the cucumber into a clean tea towel and squeeze out any excess moisture. Set aside.

Heat the sunflower oil in a small saucepan over a medium heat. When hot, add the ciabatta and fry until lightly golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Sprinkle with a little sea salt and leave to cool.

Lay the smoked salmon slices over a platter. Scatter over the pickled onion and cucumber, followed by the capers and parsley.

Dot over small teaspoons of the crème fraîche and top with the ciabatta. Season with black pepper and serve the lemon wedges on the side.

(Original recipe from The Italian Deli Cookbook by Theo Randall, Hardie Grant: Quadrille, 2021.)

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Steamed Sea Bass with Garlic, Ginger and Spring Onions

Posted in Fish, Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 4 November 2025| Leave a Comment »

We are beyond excited by our subscription seafood box from Urban Monger. This is what we did with two whole sea bass that arrived on our doorstep amongst various other delicious things. Serve with steamed rice and tenderstem broccoli.

Wine Suggestion: We love classic wines that are slightly atypical, but showing a new direction in wine. Tonight we wanted a crisp, fresh and dry white so opened a Sybille Kuntz Kabinett Riesling from the Mosel in Germany. A wine like this from the Mosel would have typically had residual sugar but Sybille makes all her wines completely dry, it’s a roaring success and such a thrill to drink with this delicate, and flavoursome dish. A celebration of flavour all round.

Steamed Sea Bass with Garlic, Ginger and Scallions – serves 2-3

  • 2 x 350g whole sea bass, scaled, cleaned and gutted
  • 15g root ginger, cut into fine matchsticks
  • 4-5 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
  • 1 red chilli, finely sliced
  • 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp sesame oil
  • 4 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
  • a handful of coriander, roughly chopped

Put the fish in a fish kettle and sprinkle over the ginger (if you don’t have a fish kettle you could use a steamer or a rack in a roasting tin). Add 2cm of water. Use a couple of balls of tin foil to lift the rack up above the water level. Cover with the lid (or foil) and steam for about 10 minute or until cooked through. It’s easiest to use a thermometer and the fish should be 60C.

Lift the fish onto a warm serving dish and scatter over the scallions and chilli, then cover to keep warm.

Spoon about 5 tbsp of the cooking juices into a small pan, add the soy sauce and bring to the boil. Pour this over the fish. Heat the sesame oil in the same pan, then add the garlic and fry for a few seconds, then pour over the fish. Sprinkle with the coriander and serve.

(Original recipe from Rick Stein’s Simple Suppers, BBC Books, 2023.)

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Hake with Rice and Date Pickle

Posted in Fish, Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 8 October 2025| Leave a Comment »

Every element of this dish from Lugma by Noor Murad, but it’s the date pickle that truly brings everything together. It lifts the whole plate and we can definitely see it making repeat appearances alongside all sorts of other dishes.

Wine Suggestion: We’ve been exploring the fresher, lighter reds from north-western Spain, a joyful match for spiced or richly flavoured fish like this. A recent gem is the Finca Millara Lagariza, a youthful, fruit forward and light bodied Mencía that we served lightly chilled. A brilliant pairing.

Fish with rice and date pickle – serves 4

FOR THE FISH:

  • ½ tsp ground turmeric
  • ½ tsp paprika
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds
  • seeds from 15 cardamom pods
  • 600g skinless hake fillet, cut into 6cm pieces
  • 1½ tbsp melted ghee
  • ½ lemon

FOR THE RICE:

  • 2 tbsp melted ghee
  • 5 cardamom pods
  • 5 cloves
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 3 fresh bay leaves
  • 150g date molasses
  • ½ tsp loosely packed saffron threads, roughly crushed
  • 300g basmati rice, washed until the water runs clear, then soaked for at least 20 minutes and up to 2 hours, then drained well

FOR THE DATE PICKLE:

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp Aleppo chilli flakes
  • 120g Medjool dates, pitted and thinly sliced
  • 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 30g red onion, thinly sliced
  • 10g coriander, leaves and soft stems picked

Use a pestle and mortar to finely crush the cumin seeds and cardamom seeds.

Mix all the ground spices for the fish in a large bowl with ½ tsp salt and plenty of black pepper. Add the fish and mix well to coat, then put in the fridge until needed.

For the rice, add the ghee, whole spices and bay leaves to a medium, lidded saucepan and place over a medium heat. Cook for a few minutes, stirring now and then, until fragrant.

Stir in the molasses then pour in 620ml of hot water, the saffron and ¾ tsp salt. Bring to the boil, then stir in the rice. Bring up to a fast boil for exactly 5 minutes, without stirring, until the grains have started to plump up and have absorbed at least half of the water. Cover with a clean tea towel followed by the lid, securing the ends of the tea towel over the lid. Turn the heat to low and cook, without touching, for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the pickle. Add the oil and fennel seeds to a small frying pan over a medium heat. Cook for 2 minutes, until fragrant, then stir in the chilli and a small pinch of salt and pour into a medium heatproof bowl. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then stir in the dates, vinegar and onion. Set aside to pickle.

When the rice is read, remove the lid and tea towel. Allow the rice to cool slightly while you fry the fish.

Heat the ghee in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the fish and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until nicely browned and cooked through. Squeeze over the lemon juice.

Transfer the rice to a large platter and top with the fish and any fat in the pan. Stir the coriander into the pickle and serve alongside.

(Original recipe from Lugma by Noor Murad, Quadrille, 2025.)

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Smoked Salmon on the Barbecue with Tomato Salad and Potato Salad

Posted in Barbecue, Fish, Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 2 October 2025| Leave a Comment »

Quite a lot going on here but all very straightforward and not too time-consuming. We highly recommend this potato salad – piquant and not to mayonaisy.

Wine Suggestion: We’ve always enjoyed albariño but have really got into it in a big way recently by exploring the Spanish, Portuguese and new areas in the world making this great grape that pairs with fish and seafood. Tonight a little off-piste the Newton Johnson Albariño from Hermanus in South Africa … which has similar granitic soils to Spain. Sunshine, Antarctic breezes and a southern African hint make this unique but recognisable and delicious with the salmon, capers etc.

Smoked salmon on the barbecue with tomato salad and potato salad – serves 4

  • 4 lightly smoked salmon fillets (we bought ours in M&S)

FOR THE CHIVE DRESSING:

  • a small bunch of chives
  • 1 small shallot, finely chopped
  • 90ml (6 tbsp) of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • ½ tsp salt

FOR THE TOMATO SALAD:

  • 6 tomatoes, finely sliced
  • 1 smal red onion, finely sliced
  • a pinch of caster sugar
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp sherry vinegar
  • a handful of basil, torn

FOR THE POTATO SALAD:

  • 1 kg new potatoes – we used Jersey Royals
  • 2 banana shallots, finely chopped
  • 2 eggs, hard-boiled, peeled and chopped
  • 2 tbsp capers
  • a handful of cornichons, finely chopped
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
  • 2 tbsp mayonnaise
  • a small handful of parsley and dill, chopped

Start by boiling the potatoes for the salad in salty water until tender, then drain and set aside to cool.

Get your barbeuce on to heat up.

When the potatoes have cooled, cut them into halves or quarters and mix with the rest of the potato salad ingredients. Set aside until ready to serve.

For the chive dressing, set aside 4 chives for a garnish and finely slice the rest. Mix them with the shallot, olive oil, vinegar and salt.

For the tomato salad, arrange the sliced tomatoes on a serving plattter and scatter over the red onion. Season well with salt, pepper and sugar, then dress with the oil and vinegar and garnish with the basil.

Brush the fish with a little oil and cook over a hot barbecue for a couple of minutes on each side.

Spoon some chive dressing on each plate and top with the cooked salmon. Garnish with the remaining chives and serve with the tomato and potato salad.

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

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BBQ Trout with Beetroot & Apple Salad

Posted in Barbecue, Fish, Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on 1 September 2025| Leave a Comment »

We’ve been having fun and trying to cook a lot more fish on the barbecue. The salad with these skewers is particularly good.

Wine Suggestion: we opened and enjoyed Stephanie and Arnaud Dezat’s Sancerre Blanc. Two of the youngest members of an old family making wine here since the fifteenth century, this was pure and refreshing with a suitable minerally texture.

BBQ Trout with beetroot & apple salad – serves 4

  • 600g chunky piece of trout fillet, skinned and pin-boned
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 tsp wholegrain mustard
  • lemon wedges, to serve

FOR THE SALAD:

  • 1 apple
  • 6 radishes, thinly sliced
  • 100g pickled beetroot
  • 30g watercress
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped dill
  • 1 tsp Dijon
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Cut the trout fillets into 1cm thick slices. Mix the olive oil and mustard together in a bowl and brush the trout all over with this mixture. Thread the fish onto metal skewers and leave to marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Get your barbecue on and hot for direct cooking.

To make the salad, get a large bowl of iced water ready. Halve and core the apples and cut them into julienne strips and immerce in the iced water with the sliced radishes. Leave to crisp in the water for 10 minutes.

Drain the apples and radishes and pat dry with a clean tea towel, then place in a large bowl. Cut the beetroot into julienne strips and add to the bowl with the watercress and chopped dill. Toss together and leave in the fridge until needed.

Make the dressing by whisking the Dijon mustard, cider vinegar, honey and extra virgin olive oil together with some seasoning in a small bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad just before serving and toss well.

Place the skewers on the hot barbecue and cook for a couple of minutes on each side. Serve the skewers with some salad and a lemon wedge on the side.


(Original recipe from The BBQ Book by Tom Kerridge, Bloomsbury: Absolute, 2025).

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Trout and Asparagus Kebabs

Posted in Barbecue, Fish, Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 15 August 2025| Leave a Comment »

A bit late in the season to post these lovely trout and asparagus kebabs but we couldn’t leave them out.

Wine Suggestion: A bottle from a familiar winery, but one we picked up in Spain as this particular cuvée doesn’t currently make it into Ireland. Bodegas Castro Martin’s A-2-O, a fresh and elegant Albariño from the Val de Salnés in Rías Baíxas.

Trout and Asparagus Kebabs – serves 4

  • 600g trout fillet, without skin – try and get a chunky piece, cut into 3cm pieces
  • 200g asparagus – snap off the ends and slice into short lengths
  • 1 orange, quarter, then slice into small pieces
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

FOR THE HERB OIL:

  • about 15g of mint leaves, finely chopped
  • 100ml olive oil
  • 1 clove of garlic, crushed
  • 2 tsp red wine vinegar

Thread the trout, asparagus and orange pieces onto 4 metal skewers. If your fish pieces are a bit skinny just fold them over and thread them on to make a chunkier piece.

Drizzle with olive oil and season well.

Heat the barbecue for driect grilling and ideally use a grill tray.

To make the herb oil, put the chopped mint into a small bowl, then stir in the olive oil, garlic, red wine vinegar and seasoning.

Cook the skewers on the hot grill tray (if you have one) for a couple of minutes on each side or until the fish is crispy. Don’t be tempted to turn them too quickly or they might stick.

Serve with the mint oil.

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

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Brazilian Seafood Moqueca

Posted in Fish, Food, Gluten-free, Shellfish, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 11 August 2025| Leave a Comment »

We don’t cook many Brazilian dishes but perhaps we should make more as this one was delicious! Serve with rice or crusty bread.

Wine Suggestion: we had to guess a bit with what to open with this, so chose a warmer climate white with some white flower amd stonefruit characters; dry but with softer fruitiness. So tonight the charming Dominio de Tares Godello La Sonrisa and it was a very pleasant match indeed.

Brazilian seafood moqueca – serves 4 to 6

  • 650g firm white fish fillets (we used hake)
  • 400g whole shell-on prawns (about 12)
  • 3 limes, zested to make 1 tsp, juiced to make 6 tbsp, plus a little extra lime zest to serve
  • 2 tsp sweet paprika
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 medium onions, diced
  • 4 fat garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 large red pepper, cut into strips
  • 1 large yellow pepper, cut into strips
  • 2 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 4 tbsp tomato purée
  • 400ml coconut milk
  • coriander, chopped, to garnish
  • red chilli, sliced, to garnish
  • white rice or crusty bread, to serve

Cut the fish fillets into chunky pieces and de-vein the prawns but leave the shells on (either use a very sharp knife or pointy scissors).

Mix the lime zest, 4 tbsp of the lime juice, 1 tsp of the paprika, 1 tsp of the cumin and 1 tsp of fine salt in a large bowl. Add the fish and prawns and toss gently to coat, then cover and leave aside for 15 minutes.

Heat the oil in a large deep pan and cook the onions for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, peppers and crushed coriander seeds and cook for another 5 minutes.

Add the turmeric, 1 tsp of paprika, 1 tsp of cumin, the tomato purée and a splash of water, then mix well to coat the onions. Add the coconut milk with 200ml of water, then simmer over a medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes. Add 1 tsp of fine salt.

Gently add the fish and prawns to the sauce along with any marinade. The seafood needs to be completely covered so add a little more water if needed. Cover with a lid and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until the seafood is cooked through.

Check the seasoning and add more salt if needed. Stir throught the rest of the lime juice and serve garnished with coriander and chilli.

(Original recipe by Gurdeep Loyal in Olive Magazine, May 2025.)

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Sardines on Toast

Posted in Fish, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 15 July 2025| Leave a Comment »

We’re good at picking up fancy tins of fish but less good at using them! Here’s some nice inspiration for a tin of sardines.

Brushette with sardines and pickled cucumber – serves 4

  • 1 x 120g tin of sardines in olive oil, drained
  • juice of ½ lemon
  • 2 tbsp good olive oil
  • ½ cucumber, peeled, halved lengthways and deseeded
  • 1 tbsp caster sugar, red wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 beef tomato, halved horizontally
  • ½ tsp chopped marjoram
  • 1 tsp miniature capers in vinegar, drained
  • 4 slices of sourdough bread, toasted
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled
  • green salad, to serve

Remove the large bone in the middle of each sardine and transfer the sardines to a bowl. Mash with a fork, then stir through the lemon juice and 1 tbsp of the olive oil.

Cut the cucumber halves into 1cm slices. Place in a bowl with the sugar, ½ tsp of the salt and the vinegar. Mix well, cover with cling film and leave aside for 10 minutes. Pour off all the excess liquid and put the cucumber slices onto a clean tea towel, gather up the edges and squeeze out the excess moisture. Set aside in a bowl.

Scoop out and discard the tomato seeds. Finely chop the flesh to a pulp with the rest of the salt. Transfer to a colander and leave for 5 minutes to drain. Mix the drained tomatoes with the rest of the olive oil and season with black pepper, then add the marjoram and capers. Set aside.

Gently rub the toasted sourdough with the garlic clove. Divide the sardines equally on top of the sourdough slices and add a spoonful of the chopped tomato mixture. Finish with the pickled cucumber and serve with a dressed green salad.

(Original recipe from The Italian Deli Cookbook by Theo Randall, Quadrille, 2021.)

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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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Hake with Panko & Pesto

Posted in Fish, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 26 April 2025| 2 Comments »

A week night fish dish that was a hit with everyone in our family, and that’s saying something. Peas are obligatory as the side.

Wine Suggestion: this works excellently with a zesty, citrus flavoured white like the Pico Maccario Gavi di Gavi from Piedmont in Italy.

Hake with Panko & Pesto – serves 4

  • 1kg floury potatoes, cut into wedges
  • 2 tbsp olive oil, plus a little extra
  • 4 pieces of hake (or another firm white fish), skin and bones removed
  • 2 tbsp pesto
  • 2 tbsp panko breadcrumbs
  • 2 tbsp finely grated Parmesan
  • 1 tbsp chopped pine nuts
  • 1 tbsp capers, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp dill, chopped
  • 3 tbsp mayonnaise
  • ¼ lemon, zested and juiced

Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan.

Put the wedges onto a baking tray and drizzle over 1 tbsp of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, then toss to coat in the oil. Bake for 50-55 minutes, turning halfway, until crispy and golden.

Oil another baking sheet and add the fish pieces. Spread the pesto over the fish pieces and sprinkle over the panko breadcrumbs. Drizzle with a tbsp of olive oil, then sprinkle over the Parmesan and chopped pine nuts. Place in the oven for the final 10-12 minutes of cooking time. The top should be golden and the fish should flake easily.

Mix the capers, dill, mayonnaise, lemon zest and juice with some black pepper in a small bowl. Serve the fish with the wedges, peas and dip.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Little Salmon Sausage Rolls

Posted in Fish, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 23 March 2025| Leave a Comment »

These are great with drinks and much lighter than actual sausage rolls. You can also freeze them uncooked and then cook from frozen for a handy standby.

Wine Suggestion: Bubbles of course … we’re particularly fond of the Domaine de la Taille aux Loups Triple Zero, so named as it uses no chaptilisation, no liquer de tirage and no dosage. As unfettered and refined a Pet Nat you can find anywhere and very special for it.

Little salmon sausage rolls – makes 24

  • 1 x 320g sheet all-butter puff pastry
  • 1 egg beaten

FOR THE FILLING:

  • 200g skinless salmon fillet, finely chopped
  • 115g smoked salmon, finely chopped
  • 125g full-fat cream cheese
  • 25g Parmesan, finely grated
  • small bunch of dill, finely chopped
  • 6 scallions, finely chopped
  • juice of ½ lemon
  • 75g dill pickle from a jar, finely chopped

Heat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.

Preheat a large baking tray.

Put all the filling ingredients into a large bowl, season with salt and pepper and mix well.

Roll the puff pastry sheet out on a lightly floured surface to make a rectangle 30 x 40 cm. Brush with the beaten egg, then divide vertically into 3 even-sized pieces.

Divide the filling into 3 and make a mound down each piece of pastry. Lift and fold the pastry over and seal by pressing down with the back of a fork.

Cut each section into 8 and brush the tops with the beaten egg.

Line the hot baking tray with non-stick baking paper and place the rolls on top. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.

(Original recipe from Mary’s Foolproof Dinners by Mary Berry, BBC Books, 2024.)

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Thai Red Salmon Curry

Posted in Fish, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 15 January 2025| Leave a Comment »

This is a quick curry but it still tastes delicious and simple enough to throw together after work.

Thai red salmon curry – serves 2

  • 100g dried rice noodles
  • 350g skinless salmon fillets, cut lengthways into 4 thin pieces
  • 1½ tbsp vegetable oil
  • 3 tbsp Thai red curry paste
  • 1½ tsp finely grated garlic
  • 1 tsp finely grated ginger
  • 125ml chicken stock
  • 400ml tin coconut milk
  • 2 tsp fish sauce
  • 1 tsp white sugar
  • 4 baby bok choy, leaves separated
  • 1-2 tbsp lime juice, plus wedges for serving
  • fresh coriander leaves, to serve
  • red bird’s eye chilli, finely sliced, to serve

Soak the noodles in boiling water according to the pack instructions, then drain and divide between two bowls.

Season the salmon, then heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a high heat. Cook the salmon for a minute on each side, then transfer to a plate. It doesn’t need to be cooked through yet, just lightly golden on the surface.

Add the curry paste, garlic and ginger to the pan. Cook, stirring continuously, for a minute, then add the chicken stock and simmer rapidly for a minute, stirring to scrape any sticky bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the coconut milk, fish sauce and sugar, then simmer rapidly for 2 minutes.

Return the salmon to the pan and push the bok choy in around it. Simmer for 2 minutes, pushing the bok choy into the liquid as it wilts. Once the salmon flakes easily, remove the pan from the heat.

Pour the lime juice over the fish and serve over the noodles. Sprinkle with the coriander and fresh chilli before serving with extra lime wedges.

(Original recipe from Recipetin Eats Tonight by Nagi Maehashi, Pan Macmillan, 2024.)

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Fish Cooked in Tomato Sauce with Tahini

Posted in Fish, Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 18 December 2024| Leave a Comment »

Two delicious sauces combine to really highlight the fish in this North African inspired dish. We used hake but you can of course use other white fish fillets. Serve with couscous and pitta breads.

Wine Suggestion: it is quite a complex challenge to balance the spices, tomatoes and creamy tahini, but we think this works great with Mediterranean inspired blends that include a bit of Tempranillo like Parker Estate Favourite Son Shiraz-Tempranillo. Despite this being a bigger red and this being a fish dish there’s a certain freshness from Coonawarra that comes through and very complimentary spices that make this work.

Fish cooked in tomato sauce with tahini – serves 4

  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely sliced
  • 5 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
  • 2 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • a pinch of chilli flakes
  • 2 tbsp tomato purée
  • 2 x 400g tins plum tomatoes
  • 1 preserved lemon
  • 4 fillets of hake (or other white fish)
  • fresh coriander, to serve

FOR THE TAHINI SAUCE:

  • 1 clove of garlic
  • half a lemon
  • 80g tahini
  • 5-6 tbsp ice-cold water
  • a pinch of ground cumin

Warm the olive oil in a large sauté pan, then cook the onion with a pinch of salt until soft. Add the garlic and spices and continue frying for another minute or two, then add the tomato purée and cook for another couple of minutes.

Add the tinned tomatoes, then rinse the tins with a little water and add that too. Break the tomatoes up with a wooden spoon and simmer for 10-15 minutes to thicken the sauce. Quarter and deseed the preserved lemon, then chop into small pieces and add to the sauce.

Meanwhile, make the tahini sauce. Grate the garlic into a bowl, then squeeze over the juice of the half lemon, mix together and set aside for 5 minutes. Add the tahini to the garlic and lemon and whisk together, then add 1 tbsp of the cold water at a time, whisking until you have a smooth, runny sauce. Season with a pinch of salt and a pinch of cumin.

Season the fish, then nestle it into the tomato sauce. Cook for 5-10 minutes, or until just cooked (a thermometer will help if you have one). Serve with the tahini sauce and coriander over the top and with some couscous and pitta breads.

(Original recipe from The Farm Table by Julius Roberts, Ebury Press, 2023.)

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Sesame Miso Trout

Posted in Fish, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 10 December 2024| Leave a Comment »

Everyone loves trout in our house and especially with miso – a master combination.

Wine Suggestion: You need a white with a touch of acidity and umami-savouriness here to both balance and compliment the flavours. Something like the Höpler Grüner Veltliner from Burgenland in Austria would work a treat.

Sesame miso trout – serves 4

  • 4 fresh trout fillets, skin on
  • 4 tsp white miso paste
  • 3 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
  • 2 tbsp olive oil, plus a bit extra for the veg
  • a knob of butter
  • 4 pak choi, sliced into big pieces
  • 6 scallions, finely sliced

FOR THE GLAZE:

  • 4 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
  • 1 tsp white miso paste
  • 2 tsp sesame oil

Heat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.

Line a baking sheet with non-stick paper.

Whisk the ingredients for the glaze together in a bowl alongwith 6 tbsp of water, then set aside.

Season the fish fillets and spread the miso paste on the flesh side. Sprinkle the sesame seeds on top and press down so they stick to the paste.

Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the fish fillets, sesame seed side down, and fry for 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown. Carefully turn them over and fry for another 2 minutes on the skin side. Add the knob of butter and when it foams, use a small spoon to baste the trout with it.

Transfer the fish to the lined baking sheet, skin-side down, and cook in the oven for 7-8 minutes or until just cooked through.

Meanwhile, wipe the frying pan clean, add a little oil and put over a high heat. Add the pak choi, scallions and seasoning and stir until just wilted.

Spoon the veg onto a serving dish and put the fish on top. Add the glaze ingredients to the pan and gently warm until just bubbling, spoon over the trout and serve.

(Original recipe from Mary’s Foolproof Dinners, BBC Books, 2024.)

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Potato, Fennel & Smoked Trout Bake

Posted in Fish, Food, Gluten-free, Potato, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 18 November 2024| Leave a Comment »

Such a lovely recipe, and you can of course use smoked salmon. We like smoked trout from Goatsbridge which is a local supplier. Recipe inspiration from the new Ottolenghi book – Comfort. You must have a green salad and a glass of white wine to serve. If you have a mandolin it will cut the potatoes and fennel just right.

Wine Suggestion: We served an oddity/one-off from Chateau Hureau from Saumur in the Loire. They grew a low quantity of Chenin Blanc grapes in 2022 due to frost so decided to make a Blanc de Noirs from Cabernet Franc for a bit of fun. Only available at cellar door it’s both crisp and fresh, but significantly has bags of texture which this dish needs. Look for whites with a touch of skin contact, or aged on lees as a substitute.

Potato, fennel & smoked trout bake – serves 4

  • 200ml milk
  • 425ml double cream
  • 2 anchovies, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic, lightly smashed with skin on
  • 1 lemon, skin finely shaved into strips
  • 2 tsp fennel seeds, finely ground
  • 850g Yukon gold or red potatoes, peeled and sliced into ½ cm thick slices
  • 1-2 large fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 10g dill fronds, roughly chopped
  • 20g chives, finely chopped
  • 20g parsley leaves, finely chopped
  • 1½ tbsp unsalted butter, softened
  • 200g smoked trout (or smoked salmon) slices, roughly torn

for the lemon butter sauce:

  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tsp capers, roughly chopped
  • 40g unsalted butter, fridge cold and roughly chopped

Heat the oven to 170C fan.

Put the milk, cream, anchovies, garlic, lemon strips and ground fennel into a small saucepan. Place over a low heat and warm for 10 minutes, making sure it never comes to the boil. Give it a stir now and then and press on the solids to get plenty of flavour out of them. Remove from the heat.

Put the potato and fennel slices into a saucepan and cover with cold, salted water. Bring to the boil and cook for 6-7 minutes or until just tender. Drain and set aside.

Whisk the egg yolks with ¾ tsp of salt and a good grind of pepper in a large bowl. Strain the infused milk into the eggs, pressing on the solids against the sieve. Whisk to combine.

Combine all the herbs in bowl. Measure out 2 tbsp and reserve for the butter sauce.

Grease an ovenproof dish with ½ tbsp of the butter. Spoon a third of the potato and fennel over the base and grind over some pepper. Sprinkle over half the herbs and lay half the smoked trout over the top. Repeat with half the remaining potatoes and fennel, season with pepper, then add all the remanining trout and the rest of the herbs. Arrange a final layer of potato and fennel on top and carefully pour over the egg mixture. Grind over some more pepper and dot over the remaining butter. Bake for 45 minutes or until set and just golden. Remove from the oven and rest for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile make the lemon butter sauce. Put the lemon juice into a small saucepan on a medium-high heat and bring to a bubble. Allow to bubble for 1 minute, then add the capers and butter, a few pieces at a time. Whisk until smooth and creamy, then remove from the heat and stir in the reserved herbs and some more pepper. Spoon over the dish and serve warm with a green salad.

(Original recipe from Ottolenghi Comfort by Yotam Ottolenghi, Helen Goh, Verena Lochmuller & Tara Wigley, Ebury Press, 2024.)

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BBQ Trout with Spinach & Cream

Posted in Barbecue, Fish, Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 2 November 2024| Leave a Comment »

This recipe works well using fillets that have been grilled with fennel seeds and a bit of dill rubbed into the oiled sides before putting on the barbecue. However as we had a whole fish we adapted cooked it whole with some rosemary and lemon. Either way it’s handy to have a temperature probe to make sure the fish is up to 60C and therefore cooked. You can of course pop a pan on your hot barbecue and cook the spinach on there too, we usually cook the sauce indoors.

Serve with steamed, waxy (or baby) potatoes. And a big shout-out to Goatsbridge trout farm for the magnificent fish we bought online from them; superb!

Wine suggestion: Oaky Chardonnay all the way with this, so choose what ever is best in your local wine merchant.

BBQ trout with spinach & cream, serves 4 (depending on the size of the fish … our left-overs lasted all week)

  • 1 large trout (1.5-2kg), scaled and gutted
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 6 bay leaves
  • 2 garlic cloves, bashed
  • 1 lemon, sliced into rounds
  • a few springs of rosemary, fennel or marjoram

For the spinach & cream:

  • a knob of butter
  • 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
  • 250g spinach, washed and thick stalks discarded
  • 150ml double cream
  • a small pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Take the fish out of the fridge at least an hour before you want to cook it.

Light your barbecue, you will need a gentle heat to cook the fish through. Scrub the bars of the grill with a wire brush so it’s nice and clean, then lightly oil the bars. Let the grill get really hot before you put the fish onto it so the skin doesn’t skick and crisps up.

When the barbecue is ready to cook on, rub the olive oil all over the fish and season all over with salt and pepper. Put the bay leaves, garlic and lemom slices into the fish belly. Lay the fish onto the hot grill and cook for 2 to 3 minutes – then check the underside to ensure it’s not cooking too fast or burning – if it looks ok, continue to cook for 12-15 minutes on the first side, then use a couple of spatulas to turn the fish over, don’t worry too much if the skin tears a bit. Scatter over the herbs, then cook on the other side for the same amount of time. The fish is cooked when the the flesh flakes away easily from the bone – we find a temperature probe helpful too.

Gently lift the fish off the grill and serve with buttery new potatoes and the spinach with cream below.

FOR THE SPINACH & CREAM:

Put a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and add the butter. When the butter bubbles, add the garlic and allow it to sizzle for about a minute, without colouring.

Roughly chop the spinach if needed, then stir it into the garlicky butter until it wilts right down. Add the cream, nutmeg andn plenty of salt and pepper, then stir until thickened.

(Original recipes from Outside by Gill Meller, Hardie Grant Quadrille, 2022.)

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Hot-Smoked Trout, Gnocchi & Spinach Bake

Posted in Fish, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 25 October 2024| Leave a Comment »

This is a dish we cook when we get home late and need something quick and tasty. You can easily pick up the ingredients in a supermarket on the way home.

Wine Suggestion: the more we taste them, the more we like how versatile Verdicchio is, even the entry level Villa Bianchi from Umani Ronchi in the Marche. There’s just the right level of texture and viscosity for the creamy richness, and zip, zing and minerality for the fish.

Hot-smoked salmon, gnocchi and spinach bake – serve 4

  • 500g gnocchi
  • 4 hot-smoked trout (or salmon) fillets, skin removed
  • 200ml double cream
  • 150ml full-fat milk
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • leaves from 4 sprigs of thyme
  • 3 tbsp of Parmesan
  • 2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
  • 4-6 pieces of frozen spinach
  • green salad, to serve

Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7.

Put the gnocchi into a baking dish and tuck in the trout fillets.

Mix the double cream, milk, lemon zest, thyme, Parmesan and mustard together and season well.

Add the frozen spianch to the dish and pour over the cream mixture.

Place in the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes, give everything a gentle mix about halfway through to break up the spinach. Serve with a green salad.

(Original recipe by Anna Glover in Olive Magazine, September, 2022.)

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Salmon, Veg and Black Bean Tray Bake

Posted in Fish, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 20 October 2024| Leave a Comment »

Simple, tasty, and all very good for you too.

Wine Suggestion: a little indulgent, but we wanted to see how a bottle we picked up in the Loire from the winemaker was developing: the Domaine de la Taille aux Loups Montlouis les Hauts de Husseau. A crystalline Chenin Blanc from the neighbouring area to Vouvray, this was exciting, racy and edgy and exceptionally youthful. It may not be super cheap, but we’d argue still a bargain given the quality, complexity, depth and potential to age superbly. We’d even conjecture that it’s a very good option to top white Burgundy. The remaining bottles we’ll try to ignore for a few more years if we can resist.

Salmon, veg and black bean tray bake – serves 4 to 6

  • 2 red onions, cut into wedges
  • 2 sweet potatoes, cut into chunks
  • 2 red peppers, cut into strips
  • 2 tbsp sesame oil or olive oil
  • 1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
  • 400g tin of black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp rice wine
  • 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 5g fresh ginger, grated
  • ½  tsp Chinese 5-spice powder
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds
  • fresh coriander, chopped

FOR THE SALMON:

  • 600g skinned salmon fillet, cut into large chunks
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp runny honey

Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/Gas 6.

Put the onions, sweet potatoes and peppers into a large roasting tray. Drizzle over 1 tbsp of sesame oil and toss to coat, then season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes.

Toss the broccoli in the other tbsp of sesame oil and add to the roasting tin. Mix the beans with the soy sauce, rice wine, garlic, ginger and Chinese 5-spice powder and add 100ml of water. Pour this around the veg and cook for another 20 minutes, turning the broccoli over after 10.

Toss the salmon in the soy sauce and honey and place on top of the vegetables. Roast for another 8-9 minutes, or until cooked.

Serve sprinnkled with the sesame seeds and coriander.

(Original recipe from The Hairy Bikers One Pot Wonders by Si King and Dave Myers, Seven Dials, 2019.)

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