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Archive for the ‘Fish’ Category

Spaghetti with Roasted Red Mullet

Posted in Fish, Food, Italian, Pasta, tagged , , , , , , , , on 3 April 2020| Leave a Comment »

Spaghetti with Roasted Red Mullet

It feels a bit weird posting recipes like this but at the same time we think its important to remember that there are no food shortages. The fish shops are open and fishermen continue to fish and while this continues, we’re going to make the most of it.

Wine Suggestion: a good rule of thumb when matching wines is to look at the source of the food and see what is being grown nearby. Today, an Italian seafood pasta drags us to the Poggio ai Ginepri Vermentino, grown on the Tuscan coast; both floral and salty in equal amounts with a good dollop of tasty fruit in the middle.

Spaghetti with roasted red mullet – serves 2

  • 4 small fillets of red mullet – ask the fish shop to fillet them for you and make sure you check them over for tiny bones
  • a handful of black olives, pitted
  • a dried chilli or half a tsp of dried chilli flakes
  • 200g cherry tomatoes
  • your best extra virgin olive oil
  • some fresh thyme, leaves stripped
  • 200g spaghetti

Preheat your oven to 200C/400F.

Prick the cherry tomatoes with a fork, then toss with a little olive oil, season and spread over a baking tray. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes.

Put the fillets of red mullet in a single layer in a shallow baking dish, sprinkle with thyme and the dried chilli, then season. Drizzle with oil and roast in the oven for 5 minutes.

Cook the spaghetti in loads of salty water until al dente. Drain and return to the pan.

Add the olives and tomatoes to the pasta with 1 tbsp of olive oil and season. Add the red mullet and toss gently, then serve.

(Original recipe from Italian Two Easy: Simple Recipes form the London River Cafe by Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers, Clarkson Potter, 2006)

 

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Sardines & Peppers on Toast

Posted in Fish, Food, tagged , , , , , , on 26 March 2020| 2 Comments »

Sardines & Peppers on Toast

This was my lunch on the strangest Mother’s Day ever. I was supposed to be cooking lunch for my own Mum but we couldn’t do that due to social distancing, and we live too far away to drive up and chat through the window. But we did FaceTime twice and that was good. Meanwhile, Mother Nature looked after everyone in Dublin with a gorgeous sunny day and this lunch reminded us of holidays. It’s also an easy lunch to do on a weekday – we can do these things while most of us are at home – turn it into an opportunity as my Dad would say!

Sardines and peppers on toast – serves 2

  • 2 large roasted red peppers from  a jar, torn into pieces
  • juice of a lemon, plus some extra lemon wedges to serve if you like
  • olive oil
  • 1 clove of garlic, halved
  • a handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • a pinch of sweet smoked paprika
  • 2 large slices of sourdough bread
  • 1 small tin of sardines, drained

Put the peppers into a bowl with the lemon juice, 1 tbsp of olive oil, the garlic, parsley, paprika and some salt and pepper. Leave aside while you toast your bread.

Toast the bread and put onto warm plates. Top with roasted peppers, followed by the sardines, then drizzle the liquid from the peppers over the top.

(Original recipe by Janine Ratcliffe in Olive Magazine, March 2016.)

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Fishcakes with Tartare Velouté

Posted in Fish, Food, tagged , , , , , , , on 22 March 2020| Leave a Comment »

Fishcakes with Tartare Velouté

These are definitely a bit fancier than your average fishcake. Jam-packed with fish, not too much potato, and a stunning sauce. We’ve put a few in the freezer and can’t wait to have them again. The recipe is by Tommy Banks, of The Black Swan in Oldstead, and he suggests serving a poached egg on top. Do as you wish.

Wine Suggestion: We actually had another Jura Chardonnay with this, the Berthet-Bondet, but we’re conscious that these aren’t easy to find. We’d also suggest a sparkling from a cooler climate, especially if it has some autolytic bottle age; or a Chablis, Vermentino or good Albariño.

Luxury fishcakes with tartare velouté – serves 6

FOR THE FISHCAKES:

  • 1 red-skinned potato, about 250g
  • 250g smoked cod or smoked haddock
  • 250g hake
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tbsp English mustard
  • 500ml milk
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 25g butter
  • nutmeg, for grating
  • ½ lemon, zested and juiced
  • 100g mature cheddar, grated
  • 100g mixed white and brown crabmeat
  • 2 bunches of scallions, finely chopped
  • 100g plain flour
  • 100g panko breadcrumbs
  • 4 tbsp sunflower oil, for frying
  • poached eggs (optional), lemon wedges & pea shoots, to serve

FOR THE TARTARE VELOUTÉ:

  • 25g butter
  • 25g plain flour
  • 50ml double cream
  • squeeze of lemon
  • large handful of parsley, chopped
  • 2 tbsp capers, chopped

Prick the potato a few times, then bake at 200C/180C fan/Gas 6 for about an hour or until soft.

Scoop the flesh from the potato into a bowl and mash until smooth.

Meanwhile, put the cod or haddock and hake into a large, shallow pan. Add the bay leaves, mustard and milk, and season. Bring to a simmer over a high heat, then cover with a lid, turn off the heat, and leave for 10 minutes.

Put the mash into a large bowl and stir in the egg yolk, butter, a pinch of grated nutmeg, the lemon zest and juice, the cheese, the crab and the scallions. Stir together well, then add 1 tbsp of the poaching milk and some seasoning.

Lift the fish gently from the milk and pour the milk into a jug (throw away the bay leaves). Flake the fish into large pieces and stir gently through the potato mixture. Shape the mixture into 6 fishcakes.

Now put the flour, egg and panko crumbs into 3 separate bowls. Coat each fishcake lightly in flour first, then dip into the egg to cover and finally into the panko crumbs. You want them to be totally covered in the breadcrumbs. You can freeze them now if you like or put into the fridge for cooking later.

To make the sauce, heat the butter in a saucepan until foaming, then stir in the flour. Cook over a low heat for 2 minutes, then gradually add the reserved poaching liquid, stirring all the time. Keep adding liquid until you have a silky sauce, then stir in the cream and leave to simmer gently for 10 minutes. Stir in some lemon juice, parsley, capers and seasoning. Keep warm.

To cook the fishcakes, heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side until dark golden and crispy. A metal skewer into the centre helps to check they’re piping hot, particularly if they’ve spent time in the fridge. You can cook them in batches if easier and keep warm in a low oven.

Serve the fishcakes with plenty of sauce, a handful of pea shoots and a lemon wedge. You can also add a poached egg if you would like.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

 

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Fish Pie

Posted in Fish, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 17 March 2020| Leave a Comment »

Fish Pie

This is an excellent fish pie recipe by Marcus Waring. It makes a generous portion so great for feeding a crowd or you can divide it between two dishes and freeze some for later.

Wine Suggestion: A full-bodied Chardonnay is our choice for rich fish pies. Tonight it was Domaine Labet’s “en Billat” an ancient vine, jurassic soiled classic we are fortunate to have a few bottles of from holidays last year. Think of a majestic white Burgundy with altitude, and a concentration that 100 + year old vines can achieve.

Fish Pie – serves 6, generously

  • 1kg fish fillets (a mix of salmon & cod/haddock), skinned
  • 600-800ml whole milk
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 75g butter
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 leek, white part only, sliced
  • 50g plain flour
  • 100ml white wine or white vermouth if you have it
  • 2 tbsp crème fraîche
  • 150g frozen peas, defrosted
  • 300g raw tiger prawns, shelled
  • 2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cut into chunky pieces
  • 2 tbsp capers, rinsed

FOR THE TOPPING:

  • 1.2kg potatoes, cut into chunks
  • 50g butter
  • splash of milk
  • 100g grated Cheddar cheese

Remove any bones from the fish with tweezers, then put into a large pan and pour in enough milk to cover. Add the bay leaves and some salt and pepper. Gently bring to the boil over a medium heat, then simmer for 5 minutes or until just cooked. Remove from the heat.

Melt a third of the butter in a large saucepan. Add the leeks and onion and cook gently until softened. Remove the leeks and onions from the pan and set aside. Melt the rest of the butter in the same pan and when it bubbles stir in the flour and cook for about 30 seconds, then add the wine or vermouth and stir to form a thick paste. Tip the leeks and onions back into the pan.

Strain the milk from the fish fillets into a measuring jug. Gradually add about 600ml of the milk to the leek mixture, stirring until the sauce bubbles and coats the back of a spoon. Stir in the crème fraîche and season again.

Flake the fish into chunky pieces and gently fold through the sauce along with the peas, prawns and parsley.

Spoon the mixture into a large ovenproof dish. Scatter the eggs and capers evenly over the top.

Preheat the oven to 200C/180fan/gas 6.

To make the topping, put the potatoes into a large saucepan, cover with water,  add a generous pinch of salt, and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through. Drain the potatoes and mash with the butter and enough milk to make a spreadable mash. Season.

Spread the potato over the fish and sprinkle with the grated cheese.

Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the top is golden and the sauce is bubbling.

(Original recipe from Marcus At Home by Marcus Wareing, HarperCollinsPublishers, 2016.)

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Smoked Haddock & Hollandaise Bake with Dill & Caper Fried Potatoes

Posted in Fish, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 9 March 2020| 5 Comments »

Smoked Haddock & Hollandaise Bake with Dill & Caper Fried Potatoes

We love hollandaise but very rarely make it. This is going to change now we know how to do this cheat’s version. It can be adapted very easily for Béarnaise sauce for steak by adding some fresh tarragon. It’s a revelation!

Wine Suggestion: matching milder haddock and the creamy hollandaise requires a delicate touch and we’d suggest a white with a touch of oak, but not too much. The easiest choice is a Chardonnay which we duly went for; a Château de Beauregard Saint-Véran. Medium bodied, this is made partially in stainless steel and the other half in oak and has a lovely apple, citrus and brioche flavour and a mineral freshness to balance.

Smoked haddock & hollandaise bake with dill & caper fried potatoes – serves 2

  • 150g baby spinach
  • 2 x 140g smoked haddock fillets (boycott the artificially dyed orange stuff)

FOR THE SAUCE:

  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 tsp cornflour
  • 100ml double cream, plus a bit extra in case you need to rescue the hollandaise
  • 2 tsp white wine vinegar

FOR THE POTATOES:

  • 500g floury potatoes, peeled and chopped into 3cm chunks
  • knob of butter
  • 1 tbsp rapeseed oil, plus a bit extra
  • 2 shallots, peeled and finely sliced
  • 1 tbsp capers, drained
  • small handful of dill, leaves picked
  • 1 lemon, zested, then cut into wedges to serve

Put the potatoes into a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, then season with salt, cover with a lid, and simmer for 7-8 minutes or until tender but not falling apart. Drain and leave in the pot to steam dry.

Meanwhile, heat the oil and butter in a frying pan. Add the shallots and fry for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the potatoes and fry for 15 minutes or until crusty and browned.

To make the hollandaise you need to put the egg yolks into a bowl and whisk in the cornflour until smooth. Add the cream and the vinegar, and season well. Pour the sauce into a small saucepan and cook over a very low heat, whisking continuously, until it resembles a hollandaise sauce (like thin custard). If the sauce looks like it’s going to split or it’s getting too hot, just add another splash of cream and keep whisking. Check the seasoning and add a bit more salt or vinegar if needed.

Heat the grill to medium-high.

Heat a splash of oil in an ovenproof frying pan. Add the spinach and stir until just wilted, season with salt and black pepper. Turn the heat off and spread the spinach across the base of the frying pan. Lay the haddock fillets on top of the spinach, then pour over the hollandaise sauce. Put the pan under the grill for about 10 minutes or until the fish is cooked (it should flake easily) and the sauce is browned.

Toss the capers, dill and lemon zest over the cooked potatoes. Serve the potatoes with the fish and put the lemon wedges on the plates to squeeze over.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Baked Salmon Parcels with Ginger, Soy, Honey, Toasted Sesame Seeds & Broccoli

Posted in Fish, Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 7 March 2020| Leave a Comment »

Baked salmon parcels with ginger, soy, honey, toasted sesame seeds & broccoli

We love a simple salmon recipe and this one, by Neven Maguire, is particularly handy as it’s all cooked in a tidy parcel in the oven. Serve with steamed rice with a some scallions sprinkled over.

Wine suggestion: delicious with a good, dry Riesling like Weingut Korrell’s Slice of Paradise from the Nahe in Germany which has a delicate dance of fruit, aromatics and a wonderful core of bright acidity and texture.

Soy and honey salmon parcels with tenderstem broccoli – serves 4

  • 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds (just toast them gently in a dry frying pan)
  • 2 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp clear honey
  • juice of a lime
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • rapeseed oil, for brushing
  • 4 x 100g salmon fillets, skin and bones removed
  • 250g tenderstem broccoli, trimmed
  • 2.5cm piece of ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks
  • steamed basmati rice, to serve
  • finely chopped scallions, to serve

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.

Whisk the sesame seeds, soy sauce, honey, lime juice and garlic together in a bowl, then set aside.

Cut out 4 squares of tin foil about 50cm square. Brush the foil with oil and put a piece of salmon in the middle of each one.

Blanch the broccoli for a minute, then drain and refresh in iced water.

Sprinkle the ginger over the salmon, then divide the broccoli between each parcel. Spoon over the soy sauce mixture and drizzle each piece of fish with about ½ tsp of oil. Fold the edges of the foil together to seal and place them on a baking tray.

Cook the parcels in the oven for 10 minutes or until the salmon is just cooked. You can leave it for a bit longer if you prefer your salmon well done but we wouldn’t recommend it.

Serve the parcels with a large bowl of rice sprinkled with the scallions.

(Original recipe from Neven Maguire’s Complete Family Cookbook, Gill Books, 2016.)

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Fish in Tahini

Posted in Fish, Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , , , , on 22 January 2020| 2 Comments »

Fish in Tahini (Samak bi Tahina)

There is a recipe for fish in tahini sauce in almost every Middle Eastern cookbook, and for good reason. The caramelised onions really complement the slightly sour tahini sauce. Serve with rice and salad.

Wine Suggestion: Not having had tahini with fish before we weren’t sure what to open, so went with our classic standby for seafood – Muscadet. The Domaine de la Chauviniere worked a treat and we would highly recommend this as a match.

Fish in Tahini (Samak bi Tahina) – serves 2

For the fish:

  • ½ tsp ground cumin
  • ¼ tsp ground Aleppo pepper
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 2 fillets of white fish

For the sauce:

  • 80ml tahini
  • 50ml lemon juice
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • salt, to taste
  • 80ml water

For the topping:

  • 2 medium onions, sliced
  • 1 garlic clove, chopped
  • a handful of coriander, chopped
  • vegetable oil, for frying
  • a handful of toasted pine nuts

Mix the spices and oil and rub over the fish, then leave to marinate in the fridge for half an hour.

Caramelise the onions by frying them over a very low heat until soft and browned – about half an hour.

Make the tahini sauce by mixing the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt and water in a pan. Don’t worry if it curdles just keep stirring vigorously until it becomes smooth. Warm the sauce over a very low heat.

Heat a splash of oil in a large frying pan and fry the marinated fish for a few minutes on each side, then remove from the heat and place in a warm dish.

Fry the garlic and coriander in a pan with a little oil for a minute.

Pour the warm tahini sauce over the fish, then sprinkle over the onions, followed by the coriander, garlic and pine nuts. Serve with bulgar wheat or rice and a salad or vegetables if you like.

(Original recipe from Syria: Recipes from Home by Itab Azzam and Dina Mousawi, Trapeze, 2017.)

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