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Archive for the ‘Fish’ Category

Smoked Mackerel Dauphinoise

Posted in Fish, Food, Gluten-free, Potato, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on 15 May 2023| Leave a Comment »

Who doesn’t love a dauphinoise? This one is extra special with some smoked mackerel and is a meal in itself with some green salad on the side.

Wine Suggestion: Chardonnay is not commonly found in the Loire, but there are gems to be found, especially around the appellation of Cheverny where it is brilliantly blended with Sauvignon Blanc. Tonight an outlier from Touraine, Domaine Bellevue’s IGP Chardonnay. Classic crisp red apple flavours with layers of tropical and citrus notes; good body but without any flabby weight. Perfect for fish and dairy combination

Smoked mackerel dauphinoise – serves 4

  • 900g potatoes
  • 250ml milk
  • 250ml double cream
  • a small clove of garlic, crushed
  • freshly grated nutmeg
  • 225g smoked mackerel, skin and bones removed and flaked into chunky pieces
  • a small handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley

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

Peel the potatoes and slice very thinly, a mandoline is the best job for this but watch your fingers. Dry the potatoes slices with a clean cloth, then spread out and season with salt and black pepper, mixing with your hands.

Pour the milk into a saucepan, add the potatoes and bring to the boil. Cover, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

Add the cream, garlic and a generous grating of nutmeg and continue simmering for another 20 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent the potatoes sticking to the pan. As soon as the potatoes are cooked, remove them with a slotted spoon and put a layer into a large ovenproof dish. Sprinkle over the mackerel and parsley, then cover with the rest of the potatoes. Pour the creamy liquid over the top. Put some water into the base of a large roasting tin and set the potato dish into the tin, the water should come about half-way up the sides. Bake the dish in the oven for 10 to 20 minutes or until the top is golden and bubbling.

(Original recipe from Darina Allen’s Ballymaloe Cookery Course, Kyle Cathie Limited, 2001.)

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Pasta with Mackerel, Marsala & Pine Nuts

Posted in Fish, Food, Pasta, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 14 May 2023| Leave a Comment »

A Nigella creation that is in no way authentic and makes no apologies. Anything with mackerel goes in this house.

Wine Suggestion: Quite an exceptional wine was chosen to match with this: Sartarelli’s Balciana. From a low-yielding vineyard Verdicchio in the Marche, this is hand harvested picking only the grapes of utmost ripeness at the very end of the season. This means the picking team goes out many times picking individual grapes and bunches that meet the required levels of ripeness. It makes quite an extraordinary dry wine that has a richness of almost a sweet wine, alongside textured layers of savoury nuttiness and salty minerality. Named best white wine in Italy many times, and we understand why. We chose this as the combinations of sweet, savoury, fresh and sour flavours in the dish need a wine with substance and depth.

Pasta with mackerel, Marsala and pine nuts – serves 2

  • 50g golden sultanas
  • 200g linguine
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 long shallot, finely chopped
  • 60ml Marsala
  • 2 smoked makerel fillets, skinned and flaked
  • 2 tbsp drained capers
  • a few drops of red wine vinegar
  • a handful of dill, torn into fronds
  • 25g toasted pine nuts

Bring a large pan of water to the boil for the pasta. Put the sultanas into a small bowl and cover with hot water from a boiled kettle.

Add lots of salt to the boiling water, then cook the linguine until al dente.

Warm the olive oil in a frying pan and cook the shallot for a couple of minutes until softened.

Add the Marsala and let it bubble, then add the mackerel, sultanas (squeeze the water out of them with your hands first), the capers and a few drops of vinegar. Remove from the heat once the mackerel is warm. There should be barely any liquid left.

Reserve a cupful of pasta cooking water before draining. Return the pasta to the pan, then tip in the mackerel, half the dill and half the pine nuts and a tbsp of pasta water. Toss gently to combine, then taste and add another few drops of vinegar if you like.

Divide between warm bowls and finish with the remaining dill and pine nuts.

(Original recipe from Nigellissima, Chatto & Windus, 2012.)

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Fishcakes with Parsley Sauce

Posted in Fish, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , on 2 May 2023| Leave a Comment »

This is a long recipe but it’s not difficult and quite nice and methodical. You can make the fishcakes earlier in the day and cook when you’re ready if you like. You will get big fishcakes full of chunky pieces of fish. Serve with green salad.

Wine Suggestion: a top-notch Muscadet, like Jérémie Huchet’s, very special Clos des Montys. Finely toned and vibrant with citrus and grapefruit on the palate; both dry and salty, and creamy at the same time. It’s a little edgy, but we like that. Wines like this bring out the flavours of the sea and celebrate the three fish in this dish.

Fishcakes with parsley sauce – serves 6

  • 600g Maris Piper potatoes, cut into chunks
  • 250g thick unskinned cod fillet
  • 250g thick unkinned salmon fillet
  • 100g unskinned smoked haddock fillet
  • 500ml full-fat milk
  • 1 bay leaf
  • grated zest of ½ lemon
  • 6 scallions, finely sliced
  • 25g plain flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 100g fresh white breadcrumbs
  • 75ml vegetable oil
  • lemon wedges, to serve

FOR THE PARSLEY SAUCE:

  • 25g butter
  • 25g plain flour
  • reserved milk from cooking the fish
  • 25g curly parsley, finely chopped

Put the potatoes into cold salted water, bring to the boil, then simmer for 12 to 15 minutes or until tender, then drain and mash. Season with salt and white pepper, then spread the potatoes out over a plate to cool.

Put the fish pieces into a large saucepan with the milk and bay leaf. Season with a little salt and peppper. Cover with a lid and gently bring to a simmer, then remove from the heat and set aside for 10 minutes to finish cooking.

Remove the fish from the milk and set onto a plate. Pour the milk into a jug as you will need this for the parsley sauce later. Remove the skin from the fish and break it into chunky pieces, discarding any bones, then leave to cool completely.

When the potato has cooled, transfer it to a large bowl and stir in the lemon zest and scallions. Gently stir in the fish with a wooden spoon, trying not to break it up too much.

Divid the mixture into 6 balls. Flatten the balls into cakes, about 3cm thick, and place on a lined baking tray. Put the tray into the fridge for 45 minutes or into the freezer for 20 to firm up.

Sprinkle the flour over a plate. Beat the eggs together in a shallow bowl. Spread half the breadcrumbs over another plate. Now take each fishcake and coat in the flour, shaking off any excess, then into the egg, allowing excess to drip off and finally into the breadcrumnbs to coat. Place on a lined baking tray. When you have coated 3 fishcakes put the rest of the breadcrumbs onto the plate for the rest. The fishcakes will keep in the fridge for 24 hours at this stage.

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

Heat the oil in a large frying pan, then place 3 fishcakes into the pan and fry for about 3 minutes on each side. Put onto a baking tray while you fry the rest.

Put the fishcakes into the hot oven for 10 minutes to finish cooking. Test with a skewer to make sure they are hot right through to the middle.

To make the parsley sauce, melt the butter in a small pan, then stir in the flour. Cook for a minute, then gradually add the reserved milk, stirring continually until you have a smooth sauce. Allow to simmer, then cook gently for a few minutes until thickened, then season. Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped parsley.

Serve the fishcakes with the sauce and some lemon wedges. A green salad works well on the side.

(Original recipe from The Hairy Bikers’ British Classice by Si King and Dave Myers, Seven Dials, 2018.)

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Lemon Sole Florentine

Posted in Fish, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , on 24 April 2023| 2 Comments »

It’s a classic combination for good reason. Very easy to make and absolutely delicious.

Wine Suggestion: playing on the balance of rich parmesan and bechamel, earthy spinach and gentle sole we opened a bottle of Sartarelli’s Mellitta. A Castelli di Jesi Verdicchio Riserva this shows the depth only top quality old-vines can give with flinty almond and peach flavours overlaid with a creamy toastiness. Made gently and with thought this wine isn’t brash, but rather has great depth and subtle nuances. A new find and one we’ll revisit.

Lemon sole florentine – serves 4

  • 4 large lemon sole, each cut into 4 fillets and skinned (your fish shop will do this for you)
  • juice of ½ lemon
  • 45g butter
  • 45g plain flour
  • 450ml full-fat milk
  • 750g spinach leaves
  • 30g Parmesan cheese, grated

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

Sprinkle the fish fillets with the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Fold them in half widthways, and set aside.

Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour and cook, stirring for a minute. Remove from the heat and gradually blend in the milk. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly until thickened. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, then season.

Wash the spinach and put into a pan with just the water left on the leaves. Cook for a couple of minutes until wilted, then drain well and squeeze out excess water.

Stir half the sauce into the cooked spinach and spoon into a shallow ovenproof dish. Arrange the sole on top, then pour over the rest of the sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, then serve.

(Original recipe from Mary Berry’s Complete Cookbook, DK, 1995. )

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Lemon Sole with Basil & Tomato Sauce

Posted in Fish, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 12 April 2023| Leave a Comment »

This fish dish feels a bit special but is very easy to make. Serve on buttered spinach and with steamed potatoes.

Wine Suggestion: from our recent trip to the Loire we opened the superlative Domaine de la Taille aux Loups Clos de la Bretonnière. Made by Jacky and J-P Blot from a monopole in Vouvray, it has to be “Vin de France” as their winery is not in the appellation. No matter, this is as fine as dry Vouvray gets. We really enjoyed the taut minerality that complimented the fish, and how it kept on giving more layers as it went along revealing hints of spring and summer fruits. Tension and poise, but with a real generosity too.

Lemon sole with basil & tomato sauce – serves 4

  • 60g plain flour
  • 2 small lemon sole, each cut into 4 fillets and skinned (your fish shop will do this for you)
  • 30g butter

FOR THE SAUCE:

  • 300ml double cream
  • juice of ½ lemon
  • 3 tbsp fresh pesto
  • 100g sun-blush tomatoes, finely chopped
  • 2 tsp chopped basil, to serve

Sprinkle the flour over a large plate and season well with salt and pepper.

Dip the fish fillets into the seasoned flour and shake off any excess.

Melt the butter in a large frying pan. Wait until the butter foams, then add the fillets and cook for 2 minute on each side, or until opaque and easy to flake. Transfer to a warm plate and keep warm while you make the sauce.

Heat the cream, lemon juice, and pesto in a pan over a medium heat until hot, then add the sun-blush tomatoes and season with salt and black pepper. Serve the fish fillets on a bed of buttered spinach, dress with the sauce and sprinkle over some basil leaves.

(Original recipe from Mary Berry’s Cookery Course, DK, 2013.)

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Honey & Soy Glazed Salmon with Green Quinoa

Posted in Fish, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 23 February 2023| Leave a Comment »

And so we’ve realised that we do like quinoa after all. This green salad is delicious and the quantity given below is half that suggested by Neven Maguire. Feel free to double if you think you can manage it.

Wine Suggestion: We think this suits a young, fruit forward Cabernet Franc like Olga Raffault Cuvée Domaine. Unoaked and joyful dark cherry fruits with a crispness and earthiness that really complements the kale, spinach and watercress.

Honey and Soy Glazed Salmon with Green Quinoa – serves 4

  • 100ml soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • a good pinch of chilli flakes
  • 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 4 salmon fillets, skin on

FOR THE QUINOA:

  • 75g quinoa
  • 150ml vegetable stock
  • 50g curly kale, remove the stalks
  • 50g baby spinach
  • 50g pistachios, toasted and chopped
  • 40g watercress
  • ½ an avocado, diced
  • ¼ cucumber, deseeded and finely diced
  • 1 tbsp chopped coriander
  • lime wedges, to garnish

Rince the quinoa then put into a small saucepan with the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and simmer gently for 10-12 minutes until tender and the stock has been absorbed. Tip into a large bowl and leave to cool.

Put the soy sauce, honey and chilli flakes into a small bowl and whisk to combine.

Prep the rest of the ingredients for the quinoa and fold them gently in to the cooled quinoa. Taste and season with salt and black pepper.

Season the salmon fillets, then heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the rapeseed and sesame oil, then fry the salmon fillets, skin side up, for 2-3 minutes, until lightly golden. Turn them over gently and cook for another 4 minutes. Turn the heat to hight and pour in the honey and soy mixture. Allow to simmer for a couple of minutes, spooning the sauce over the salmon, it should thicken to a syrupy sauce.

Put the quinoa onto a large serving platter and sit the salmon fillets on top. Drizzle over the syrupy sauce and garnish with the lime wedges.

(Original recipe from More Midweek Meals by Neven Maguire, Gill Books, 2022.)

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Tagliatelle con salmone e mascarpone

Posted in Fish, Food, Italian, Pasta, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 9 January 2023| 2 Comments »

We’re clearing out in January, rather then dieting. This recipe used up the last of a side of smoked salmon and its simplicity is perfect.

Wine Suggestion: We think Verdicchio is under-rated as a grape and for food combinations like this where you have a creaminess, combined with some Omega fatty acids and citrus zest it is the business. Tonight our choice was Sartarelli’s Tralivio which balances fruit weight with an almost saline minerality.

Tagliatelle with Salmon and Mascarpone – serves 4

  • 400g tagliatelle
  • 200g smoked salmon, snipped with scissors into short strips
  • 125g mascarpone
  • 20g soft butter
  • zest of 1 lemon, plus more to garnish
  • a few sprigs of dill, snipped

Cook the tagliatelle in lots of very salty water until al dente.

Meanwhile, tip the salmon strips into a large warm serving bowl along with the mascarpone, butter and lemon zest. Add a ladleful of the pasta cooking water to loosen it all to a cream, then taste and add salt if needed.

Drain the pasta, reserving some water, then tip into the bowl with the sauce and toss gently, adding more cooking water if needed. Serve sprinkled with the dill and some more lemon zest.

(Original recipe from An A-Z of Pasta by Rachel Roddy, Penguin: Fig Tree, 2021.)

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Rosemary and Balsamic Salmon with Tomatoes

Posted in Fish, Food, Healthy, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 7 November 2022| Leave a Comment »

A roasting tin dinner for busy evenings and when a batch of “very” late season cherry tomatoes land in our lap.

Rosemary & balsmic salmon with tomatoes – serves 4 (easily halved)

  • 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 sprigs rosemary, 2 left whole and needles picked and finely chopped from the rest
  • 1 clove of garlic, finely sliced
  • 600g cherry tomatoes
  • 2 x 400g tins cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
  • 4 small salmon fillets
  • 2 handfuls of rocket

Heat the oven to 220C/200 Fan/Gas 7.

Whisk the baslsamic, olive oil, chopped rosemary, garlic, and seasoning, together in a small bowl.

Tip the tomatoes and beans into a large roasting tray. Nestle in the salmon fillets, then pour over the dressing. Toss gently to make sure everything is coated in dressing.

Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the fish flakes easily. Give the beans and tomatoes another gentle toss and push down on a few tomatoes to burst them. Scatter over the rocket and serve.

(Original recipe by Anna Glover in Olive Magazine, October 2021.)

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Za’atar Sea Bass

Posted in Fish, Food, tagged , , , , , , , on 4 September 2022| Leave a Comment »

We’re loving all the simple and delicious recipes from Sabrina Ghayour’s new book, Persiana Everyday. This fish takes minutes to make and tastes amazing. We served with some sautéed potatoes and salad.

Wine Suggestion: A richer, rounder white like the Edetària “via Edetana” Blanc which combines old-vine Garnaxta Blanca with Viognier. Elegant and complex with honeysuckle, peach, tangerine and toasted nut aromas and flavours. The stonefruit flavours, in particular, seem to work with the earthy za’atar in a superb way.

Za’atar Sea Bass – serves 2

  • 1 heaped tbsp za’atar
  • 1 tbsp plain flour
  • veg oil, for frying
  • 2 skin-on sea bass fillets
  • lemon wedges, to serve

Mix the za’atar, flour and plenty of seasoning in a shallow dish.

Coat the fish fillets in the seasoned flour, turn them over a few times.

Put a frying pan over a medium-high heat and drizzle in enough oil to coat the base. When the oil is hot, put the sea bass fillets into the pan, skin-side down, and cook for 1-2 minutes until the skin is crispy. Turn the fish over and cook for another minute on the other side – they should be just cooked. Serve straight away with the lemon wedges to squeeze over.

(Original recipe from Persiana Everyday by Sabrina Ghayour, Aster, 2022.)

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Hake with Slow-Cooked Onions and Tomato Salsa

Posted in Fish, Food, Gluten-free, Spanish, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 25 August 2022| Leave a Comment »

This recipe is from The Spanish Home Kitchen by José Pizarro who cooks from the heart. It takes a little while to cook but is so simple and delicious. It would also be easy to cook when camping if that matters to you. As José says, this is the comfort dish that his mother would cook … need we say more.

Wine Suggestion: Spanish inspired, but off the beaten track is a Garnacha Blanco from Terra Alta (quite possibly one of the best places in the world for Garnacha of both colours alongside Chateauneuf du Pape … although quite different in style). If you can stretch to an old vine expression like this you’re in for a treat. For us tonight an easier, fresher style with Edetària’s “via Terra” which is charming with layers of fresh stone fruit, nuttiness and salinity. It tastes both of the earth, sunshine and fresh cooling breezes.

Hake with slow-cooked onions and tomato salsa – serves 4

  • 100ml olive oil
  • 3 large onions, finelly sliced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 150ml white wine
  • 150ml vegetable stock
  • 4 hake fillets (200-250g each)
  • a handful of basil leaves

FOR THE TOMATO SALSA:

  • 500g ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
  • ½ small red onion, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp capers, chopped
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Heat the oil in a deep sauté pan with a lid. Add the onions and season well with salt and black pepper, then cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes. Cover with the lid and cook for half an hour until really soft but not coloured.

Meanwhile, mix all of the salsa ingredients together in a bowl, then season well and set aside to mingle.

Add the wines to the onions and bubble for a minute before adding the stock. Simmer, uncovered for 10-12 minutes then seaon the hake fillets and nestle them into the onions. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover with the lid and leave to cook for 10 minutes. Turn the heat off and rest for 2-3 minutes.

Spoon the salasa over the fish and onions, then scatter the basil over before serving.

(Original recipe from The Spanish Home Kitchen by José Pizarro, Hardie Grant Books, 2022.)

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Baked Sea Bream

Posted in Fish, Food, Gluten-free, Spanish, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 28 June 2022| Leave a Comment »

It’s the first night of our holidays and we felt like eating something to remind us of the beach!

Wine Suggestion: Dominio de Tares La Sonrisa Godello, or something similar with a chalky, Chablis-esk minerally finish; unoaked, vibrant and dry.

Baked sea bream – serves 2

  • 5 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 1 garlic clove, chopped
  • 1 large green pepper, sliced
  • 400g tin tomatoes
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 large waxy potatoes, peeled
  • 2 x 400g whole sea bream, scaled and gutted
  • juice of ½ lemon
  • 6 black peppercorns
  • 60ml dry sherry
  • a small handful of flatleaf parsley leaves, chopped

FOR THE PICADA:

  • a small handful of flatleaf parsley leaves, chopped
  • 2 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • ½ tsp sea salt

Warm 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the onions, garlic and pepper and cook for 10-15 minutes or until soft. Add the tomatoes, bay leaf and a splash of water, then cover and cook gently for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C. Slice the potatoes, not too thin and not too thick so they hold together but cook through. Spread them over the base of a roasting dish that can easily accomodate the fish. Drizzle over 2 tbsp of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss together then bake for 20 minutes.

To make the picada, put the parsley, garlic and salt into a pestle and mortar and grind to a paste, then set aside.

Season the fish with salt and pepper and put on top of the cooked potatoes. Spread the picada over the fish. Add the lemon juice and a couple of tbsp of water, then pour the tomato sauce over everything. Drizzle over the last tbsp of olive oil, add the peppercorns and sherry, then bake for 20-25 minutes. Scatter with the chopped parsley to serve.

(Original recipe from Rick Stein at Home, BBC Books, 2021.)

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Sea trout, New Potatoes and Asparagus with a Dill & Mustard Sauce

Posted in Fish, Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 4 June 2022| 2 Comments »

This dish couldn’t be easier and is all cooked in the one tray; a great spring celebration. It helped that we were able to source all of the ingredients locally, always makes us feel good about what we’re eating.

Wine Suggestion: Simple, but fresh and asparagus friendly Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley, in this case blended with a touch of Chardonnay from the Cheverny appelation. Pascal Bellier produces a charmer.

Sea trout, new potatoes and asparagus with a dill & mustard sauce – serves 4

  • 1kg baby new potatoes, we used Jersey Royals
  • 400g asparagus
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 fillets of sea trout (or you could use salmon)

FOR THE SAUCE:

  • 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp soft light brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 4 tbsp groundnut oil
  • 2 tbsp chopped dill, plus a bit extra to serve

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

Cook the potatoes in salty water for about 3 minutes, then add the asparagus and cook for a further 2 minutes. Drain well and and run the asparagus under cold running water to stop it cooking any further.

Put the potatoes into a large non-stick baking tray, toss with the olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Put into the oven for 15-20 minutes or until starting to brown.

Tuck the trout and asparagus in and around the potatoes and season these too. Roast again for 10-12 minutes or until the trout is just cooked.

Meanwhile, whisk the mustard, sugar, vinegar and oil together to make the dressing. Stir through the dill just before you’re ready to serve. Drizzle the sauce over the dish and scatter with some more dill if you like.

(Original recipe by Janine Ratcliffe and Adam Bush in Olive Magazine, May 2019.)

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Hot-Smoked Salmon Salad with Chive Buttermilk Dressing

Posted in Fish, Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , , , , on 15 May 2022| Leave a Comment »

Try this simple lunch with some crusty bread.

Wine Suggestion: A good, salty Pazo de Señoráns Albariño which plays a delightful dance of balancing a lightness and elegance with surprising depth, concentration and complexity.

Hot-smoked salmon salad with chive buttermilk dressing – serves 2

  • 2 Little Gem lettuces, cut into chunky pieces
  • 50g sugar snap peas, halved
  • 1 small red onion, finely sliced
  • 2 tbsp capers
  • 150g hot-smoked salmon
  • crusty bread, to serve

FOR THE DRESSING

  • 100ml buttermilk
  • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • a pinch of caster sugar
  • a bunch of chives, finely chopped

Put the buttermilk, white wine vinegar and caster sugar into a small jug, season with salt and pepper and whisk together. Add the chives.

Put the lettuce, sugar snap peas, red onion and capers into a large bowl and toss together gently. Add half the dressing and toss again. Flake over the hot-smoked salmon and gently toss again, then drizzle over the remaining dressing and serve.

(Original recipe in Olive Magazine, April 2020.)

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Cod with Cherry Tomatoes and Green Olives

Posted in Fish, Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , , , , on 1 May 2022| 2 Comments »

This is so simple but looks impressive and is perfect for a Friday night when you want a weekend dish but don’t have lots of time. You will need some crusty bread to mop up the delicious juices. Serve with buttered orzo or new potatoes.

Wine Suggestion: From the Burrier family of the superb Château de Beauregard in Pouilly-Fuissé is Domaine de la Rochette Mâcon-Bussières an excellent example of what this southern Burgundian region can do so well. Lovely ripe stonefruit and apple flavours under-pinned with a savoury minerality and fresh, layered mouthfeel which allows the cod to shine, counter-balances the Parma’s meaty saltiness and sings along with the olives and tomatoes.

Cod with cherry tomatoes and green olives – serves 6

  • 1 red onion, cut into wedges
  • 750g cherry tomatoes
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 6 even sized pieces of cod loin, about 125g each
  • 6 slices of Parma ham
  • 18 nocellara green olives
  • a small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped (to serve)
  • crusty bread

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

Put the onions and tomatoes into a shallow baking tray. Season with salt and pepper and add the olive oil, toss together and put into the oven for 15 minutes.

Season the cod then wrap each piece in a slice of Parma ham. Add the olives to the baking tray with the tomatoes, then gently set the cod pieces on top. Bake for another 15 minutes or until the fish is cooked and the ham is crispy. Scatter with the chopped parsley and serve.

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

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Smoked Haddock, Cheese & Leek Pie

Posted in Fish, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 16 April 2022| Leave a Comment »

We recently discovered the ‘Theo’s’ brand of filo pastry in one of our local shops; definitely better than most others we’ve used. It’s usefully a touch larger per sheet, and very easy to work with. Combined with a light, crispy finish we’ll definitely be putting some in our freezer for whenever the mood strikes.

This is a rich and substantial dish, but you can divide it all between two pie dishes and freeze one for later if you like. Serve with a green salad with bacon bits and lemony dressing.

Wine Suggestion: This is worth splashing out on a good Chardonnay that has both body and a nutty, mineral freshness. An old favourite of ours would be something from the Jura, but given their scarcity opened an Olivier Leflaive Bourgogne Blanc “les Sétilles”, a cuvée from Puligny and Meursault vineyards that while inexpensive has some serious chops behind it. All citrussy, deep and bubbling with energy.

Smoked haddock, cheese & leek pie – serves 6 to 8

  • 600ml full fat milk
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 tbsp white peppercorns
  • 650g smoked haddock fillets
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 75g butter, plus extra for frying
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, grated
  • 2 large leeks, halved and finely sliced
  • 75g plain flour
  • 1 tbsp English mustard powder
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 175g strong cheddar, diced

FOR THE FILO CRUST:

  • 140g butter
  • 6 cloves of garlic, grated
  • 400g filo pastry, preferably Theo’s brand
  • large bunch of chives, finely snipped

Bring the milk, bay and peppercorns to a simmer in a large shallow pan. Add the smoked haddock fillets, then remove from the heat and cover with a lid. Leave for 30 minutes. Remove the haddock from the liquid onto a plate, then strain the milk into a jug.

Remove any skin and bones from the haddock and break into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

Heat the oil and a small knob of butter in a pan. Add the onion and garlic and cook for about 15 minutes, or until softened. Add the leeks and cook for 2 minutes, then set aside to cool (drain in a colander if there is liquid).

In the same pan, melt the 75g butter, then stir in the flour to make a paste. Cook for a few minutes, then slowly add the warm milk, stirring constantly, until you have a smooth sauce. Stir in the mustard powder, lemon juice and some seasoning, then pass through a fine sieve.

Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.

Put the leeks into the base of a 1.6 litre pie dish and top with a third of the sauce. Next add the smoked haddock and another third of the sauce. Finally, scatter over the cheese and top with the remaining sauce, making sure the filling is completely covered.

For the filo pastry, melt the butter in a small pan, then add the galric and heat gently for about 5 minutes. Lay a sheet of filo pastry on a wooden board and brush all over with the garlic butter, then sprinkle with chives and some black pepper. Put another sheet of pastry on top, at a slight angle and repeat. Continue until all of the pastry is used, you will end up with a sort of pastry circle. Lay this over the pie dish, trim the edges with scissors or a sharp knife, but still leave an overhang. Brush with a final layer of butter, sprinkle with flaky sea salt and bake for 40 minutes or until crisp.

(Original recipe by Tom Kerridge in BBC Good Food Magazine, March 2015.)

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Spaghetti with Chilli, Sardines and Oregano

Posted in Fish, Food, Pasta, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 10 April 2022| Leave a Comment »

Tinned fish seems to be having a moment, which is fine with us because we love it. We especially like Shines of Killybegs who do great sardines in sunflower oil, amongst lots of other delicious fishy things.

Wine Suggestion: An Italian white with a nutty twist at the end like Sartarelli’s Tralivio, a verdicchio from low yielding old vines that epitomises the very best of this grape and a perfect match to the umami saltiness of this dish.

Spaghetti with chilli, sardines & oregano – serves 2

  • olive oil, for cooking
  • 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
  • 75g rough breadcrumbs, made from stale bread
  • 200g dried spaghetti
  • 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
  • 1 x 120g tin good-quality sardines in oil, drained
  • ½ tsp dried oregano
  • 50g rocket

Heat a small frying pan over a medium heat. Add a good glug of olive oil and when it’s hot add the breadcrumbs and half the garlic. Cook for a few minutes until golden and toasted, then season with salt and pepper and toss well. Drain on kitchen paper if needed.

Cook the pasta according the pack timings in lots of very salty water.

Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add a little oil, then add the remaining garlic and the chilli for 1-2 minutes. Flake the sardines into small pieces, then toss in the pan with the garlic and chilli.

Lift the cooked pasta out of the cooking water with tongs and add straight to the frying pan with the sardines. Toss to mix well, then add the oregano and season to taste.

Stir in the rocket and divide between two plates. Garnish with the garlicky breadcrumbs.

(Original recipe from Gordon Ramsay’s Ultimate Cookery Course,

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Baked Orzo Puttanesca

Posted in Fish, Food, Italian, Pasta, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 22 March 2022| Leave a Comment »

Do buy good quality tuna for this, packed in olive oil. We like Ortiz which is widely available and excellent quality. We’d also highly recommend Shines’ Wild Irish Tuna, one of our local companies based in Donegal. We have tried loads of their tinned and jarred fish and they are all top quality.

Wine Suggestion: We chose a lighter red to match this dish from the Marches in central Italy. The Umani Ronchi San Lorenzo Rosso Conero has style and panache and the medium body, morello cherry flavours, soft spices and silky tannins are a charming match.

Baked orzo puttanesca – serves 4

  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 6 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • ½ tsp chilli flakes
  • 3 anchovies in oil, drained and roughly chopped
  • 2 tbsp capers
  • 30g preserved lemon, discard the flesh and thinly slice the skin into strips
  • 70g pitted Kalamata olives, roughly torn in half
  • 2 tins of good tuna in olive oil, drained and roughly flaked
  • 1 tbsp tomato purée
  • 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 250g dried orzo
  • 1-2 plum tomatoes, cored and cut into half ½ cm thick rounds
  • 40g Parmesan, finely grated
  • 5g basil leaves, roughly torn

Preheat the oven to 200C fan.

Heat 3 tbsp of the olive oil in a large ovenproof sauté pan that has a lid. Add the onion and cook gently for about 8 minutes or until softed and browned. Add the garlic, chilli flakes and anchovies and cook for another minute, until fragrant.

Stir in the capers, half the preserved lemon strips, 45g of the olives, the tuna, tomato purée, tinned tomatoes, orzo, 450ml of water, 1 tsp of salt and lots of black pepper. Bring to a simmer, then cover with the lid and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the orzo is cooked through.

Turn the oven up to 230C fan.

Remove the lid from the dish, top with the tomato slices and sprinkle over the cheese. Bake for a further 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned, then leave to rest for 10 minutes.

Sprinkle over the remaining olives, preserved lemon, basil and 1 tbsp of oil before serving.

(Original recipe from OTK Shelf Love by Noor Murad & Yotam Ottolenghi, Ebury Press, 2021.)

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Norwegian Fish Chowder

Posted in Fish, Food, Gluten-free, Prawns, Shellfish, Soup, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 17 February 2022| Leave a Comment »

A lovely fiskesuppe with delicate flavours and delicious chunks of seafood. You can use whatever mix of fish and shellfish you like, clams would be nice. Serve with lots of steamed potatoes.

Wine Suggestion: Fish, cream, brandy … demands a richer white with a touch of oak and Quinta Soalheiro’s Alvarinho Reserva fitted the bill. Textured and buttery, but at the same time bone dry and vibrantly fresh and full of citrus fruit and salty crisp peaches. A wine so fresh and pure, and yet round and embracing.

Norwegian Fish Chowder – serves 4

  • 100g cooked shell-on prawns
  • 1 litre fish stock
  • 1 bay leaf
  • a handful of flat-leaf parsley, plus a handful of parsley leaves, chopped, to serve
  • 12 peppercorns
  • 2 carrots, roughly diced
  • 2 celery sticks, roughly diced
  • 1 leek, thinly sliced
  • 100ml dry white wine
  • 50ml brandy
  • 300ml double cream
  • 100g skinless salmon fillet, cubed into 2cm pieces
  • 150g haddock fillet, cubed into 2cm pieces
  • 20 mussels, cleaned
  • steamed potatoes (to serve)

Shell the prawns and put the shells in a large saucepan with the fish stock, bay leaf, parsley, peppercorns, carrot, celery and leek. Bring to the boil and cook for 10-15 minutes. Pour in the wine and brandy and boil for another 5 minutes, then strain into a clean pan.

Add the double cream and bring back to a simmer. Add the salmon, haddock and mussels and cook for 3-4 minutes, adding the cooked prawns for just a minute to warm through at the end. Season and scatter over the chopped parsley. Serve in warm bowls and add potatoes.

(Original recipe by Signe Johansen in Olive Magazine, January 2014.)

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Black Cod Miso

Posted in Asian, Fish, Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 28 January 2022| Leave a Comment »

This was made at the end of a weekend where all the previous recipes we’d tried hadn’t quite come together, or worked as we’d hoped, so our expectations were low. What a relief: we were blown away with the flavour, and our enthusiasm returned with a vengeance! The recipe is by Jamie Oliver but inspired by the Japanese restaurant Nobu in London who are known for their black cod miso and for good reason. The recipe is simple but you need to start 24 hours in advance.

Wine Suggestion: This is a dish jam packed full of savoury umami flavours and needs a similarly umami loaded wine to match. We started with a small glass of Hidalgo La Gitana’s Pasada Pastrana, a single vineyard aged manzanilla which was excellent. Then we segued into savoury Grenache territory with Roc des Ange’s Segna da Cor from the wilds of Roussillon; vibrantly textured and almost sucking the stones it was grown on. What a way to end the weekend.

Black Cod Miso- serves 4

  • 4 bulbs of pak choi, quartered
  • 1 cucumber, peeled halved and deseeded, then sliced into long 1cm thick strips
  • juice of 1 lime
  • soy sauce
  • cooked sticky rice (to serve)

FOR THE MARINADE:

  • 2 stems of lemongrass
  • 1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
  • 2.5cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
  • 200ml of sake or white wine
  • 2 tbsp runny honey
  • 300g miso paste
  • 4 x 200g cod steaks, skin-on and pin-boned

Start the marinade the day before. Remove the outer layer from the lemongrass stems and discard. Bash the lemongrass with the back of a knife, then finely chop. Put the lemongrass into a pestle and mortar with the chilli, ginger and a pinch of salt, then bash to a paste.

Put the paste into a saucepan with the sake and honey, then bring to the boil. While the mixture is warming, gradually add the miso paste, a little at a time, stirring constantly. Simmer until the mixture is lightly golden, then remove from the heat and pour onto a flat tray so it cools quickly.

When the marinade is cool, put the fish into a container and pour over three-quarters of the marinade. Move the fish fillets around to ensure they are completely coated, then cover and put into the fridge. Put the rest of the marinade into a container and keep in the fridge until needed.

When ready to cook, preheat the grill until very hot. Put the pieces of fish onto an oiled baking tray, skin-side up and cook until slightly caramelized and golden. This will take 6-8 minutes depending on how thick your pieces of fish are.

Meanwhile, lay the pak choi into a steamer over a pan of boiling water. Add the strips of cucumber and steam until the pak choi is tender.

Stir the lime juice into the container of leftover marinade to loosen it slightly. Serve the fish with the greens and drizzle over a little soy sauce. Serve with cooked rice and the miso dressing on the side.

(Original recipe from Cook with Jamie by Jamie Oliver, Penguin Books, 2006.)

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Conchiglie with Tuna, Egg & Capers

Posted in Fish, Food, Italian, Pasta, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on 21 January 2022| Leave a Comment »

This recipe is from Rachel Roddy’s fabulous book, An A-Z of pasta. She introduces this one by asking if you are familar with vitello tonnato, which happens to be one of Jules’ favourite dishes, so we had to try it. Rachel uses the lumache pasta shape, which means snails and they are a bit like snail shells. We found these hard to find so we substituted conchiglie to great effect.

Wine Suggestion: look for a crisp, fresh white with a good body/structure like a dry, unoaked chardonnay from a cooler region. For us it was Céline & Frèdéric Gueguen’s Bourgogne Côtes Salines. Grown in vineyards just outside the Chablis appellation this is vibrantly fresh apple and melon flavoured with a savoury mid-palate that just melts into the tuna sauce.

Conchiglie with tuna, egg & capers – serves 4

  • 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 stick of celery, trim to the palest bit, pull of any strings, and finely chop
  • 6 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 x 200g tin of tuna in olive oil, drained
  • 2 tbsp tiny capers, rinsed
  • 200ml white wine
  • 1 unwaxed lemon, zested and juiced
  • 400g conchiglie (or lumache)
  • a sprig of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
  • 2 egg yolks, beaten

Bring a large pan of water to the boil and add a generous amount of salt.

Warm the olive oil in a frying pan, then add the onion and celery with a pinch of salt and cook on a medium-low heat, until soft. You need to be patient as this will take a while.

Add the tuna and capers, stir for a minute, then add the wine and allow to bubble for 10 minutes, adding 3 tbsp of lemon juice and some zest for the last few minutes. You are looking for a saucy consistency so cook for a bit longer if it is still watery.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the packet timings, then drain and tip into a warm bowl, pour the sauce over the top, add the parsley, toss together, then quickly add the egg yolks and toss again.

(Original recipe from An A-Z of Pasta by Rachel Roddy, Penguin: Fig Tree, 2021.)

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