Smoked mackerel pate

From Jamie’s Ministry of Food
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients

200g smoked mackerel fillets
2 spring onions
1 lemon
100g light Philadelphia cream cheese
1 tablespoon creamed horseradish
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small loaf of good-quality bread
1 punnet of cress

To prepare your pâté

• If you want to pull the skin off each piece of mackerel, do this now and discard it
• Trim and finely slice the spring onions
• Break the mackerel into chunks
To prepare your pâté

• Finely grate over the zest of one of your lemons, then cut it in half
• Put the cream cheese into a large bowl with the creamed horseradish
• Chop up the mackerel, spring onions and lemon zest on a chopping board, mixing everything together as you chop until you have a coarse paste

• Add this to the bowl with the cream cheese and horseradish
• Season to taste with salt and pepper
• Squeeze in the juice of your zested lemon, and mix again

Festive fish pie

From 101 Fish & Seafood Dishes – Tried and Tested Recipes
Serves 6
Ingredients

200g smoked salmon
4 plum tomatoes, skinned, seeded
400g raw king prawns
500g cod fillet cut into 2.5cm chunks
2.5cm piece of fresh root ginger
50g butter
50g plain flour
425ml milk
150ml dry vermouth
142ml carton single cream
3 tbsp chopped fresh dill
juice of 1/2 lime

For the topping
700g potatoes peeled,
good pinch of saffron strands
25g butter

Cut the salmon into strips and chop the tomatoes. Mix these with the prawns and cod in a buttered overproof dish

Chop the ginger. Bring the butter, ginger, flour milk and vermouth to the boil in a non stick pan, whisking all the time until until thickened and smooth. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2 minutes, then season and leave to cool, stirring occasionally. When cooled to room temperature, stir in the cream, dill and lime juice. Taste and season. pour over the fish.

Slice the potatoes and boil in a pan of water with the saffron and some salt until just tender, thend rain. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

Arrange the potatoes, overlapping, over the pie mixture. Melt the butter and brush over. Bake for 30-40 minutes until golden.

Cod and prawn bake in a cheese sauce

From Irish Cooking by Clare Connery
Serves 4

Ingredients
450ml / ¾ pint milk
¼ onion
6 peppercorns
Blade of mace
1 bay leaf
A few parsley stalks
50g / 2oz butter
450g / 1 lb cod fillets, skinned
50g / 2oz button mushrooms, sliced
125g / 4oz cooked peeled prawns
30g / 1 ½ oz plain flour
1 tablespoon lemon juice
125g / 4oz grated Cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper

Put the milk into a saucepan with the onion, peppercorns, mace, bay leaf and parsley stalks. Bring to the boil, and then remove from the heat and leave to infuse while preparing the remaining ingredients.

Melt the butter in another saucepan and use a little to brush the inside of a 1.6 litre / 2 ¾ pint ovenproof pie dish. Cut the cod into finger size strips, place in the pie dish and scatter the mushrooms and prawns on top.

Strain the milk through a sieve, then discard the contents of the sieve. Add the flour to the remaining butter in the saucepan, stirring to blend. Gradually stir in the strained milk to make a smooth sauce.

Bring to the boil, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper and lemon juice and add two thirds of the grated cheese. Stir until melted.

Pour the sauce over the fish, sprinkle with the remaining cheese, place on a baking sheet and cook in a preheated oven 180C, Gas 4 for 20 – 25 minutes until golden brown.

I love the taste of the white sauce! To the extent I made too much, and that’s why it looks a lot more than it actually is. I am saving up the cheese sauce so that I can have pasta with it.

Soy-baked salmon with zingy salsa

From Cook with Jamie
Serves 8
Ingredients

150ml low-salt soy sauce
75ml rice mirin or rice wine
a large thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled
1 lemon
2 limes
1kg side of salmon, scaled and pin-boned

for the salsa
1 red pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
2 fresh green chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
extra virgin olive oil
a few sprigs of fresh mint, leaves picked
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cooking a side of salmon is really simple and a great recipe to have up your sleeve even if you’re not feeding a crowd, as the leftover fish will work really well flaked through a salad or pasta the next day. The salsa adds a lovely kick to contrast with the sweetness of the salmon.

Pour the soy sauce into a bowl with the mirin or rice wine. Finely grate in the ginger and the zest from the lemon and limes. Mix well then carefully pour into a large sandwich bag. Add the salmon to the bag, loosely folding it to help it fit. Squeeze out any excess air so the salmon is completely covered then tie a knot in the bag and pop in the fridge to marinate for around 1½ hours.

Preheat your oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6. Ten minutes before the salmon has finished marinating, put an ovenproof griddle pan on a high heat to get nice and hot. When the time’s up, transfer the salmon to a plate and pat it dry with kitchen paper, discarding the soy marinade. Sear the salmon for 1 minute on the screaming hot griddle pan, skin-side down, then place in the hot oven to cook for 10 to 12 minutes, or until cooked through.

Meanwhile, make the salsa. Mix the chopped pepper and chillies in a bowl with the juice of the zested limes and twice as much extra virgin olive oil. Finely chop and add the mint leaves and a pinch of salt and pepper then have a taste and tweak the seasoning if needed.

Serve the salsa with the lovely baked salmon, roasted sweet potatoes and a fresh green salad.

Creamy salmon kedgeree

From Irish Cooking – Clare Connery
Ingredients
Serves 4

50 g Butter
1 large onion (finely chopped)
175 g long grain rice (cooked until just tender)
500 g cooked salmon (boned and flaked)
3 hard-boiled eggs (roughly chopped)
2 tblsp parsley (finely chopped)
150 ml Cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp chives (finely chopped to garnish)

Melt half the butter in a large pan, add the onion and fry until it is soft.

Stir in the cooked rice, and season well with salt and pepper.

Add the salmon, eggs, parsley and cream, folding them carefully into the rice to prevent the fish and eggs from breaking up too much.

Pile the kedgeree into an ovenproof dish.

Grease a sheet of foil with the remaining butter and use to cover the dish.

Heat thoroughly in a preheated oven, 180°C (350°F/Gas 4) for 15 minutes.

When hot, serve sprinkled with the chives.

Was in Dublin for a wedding, and I continued my habit from buying cookbooks from the countries I have been to. Bought this irish cookbook to test out its recipes, and started with this kedgeree dish. Very very creamy and filling, and quite tasty too.

Mussel, haddock and salmon stew

From BBC Saturday Kitchen
Serves 4
Ingredients

1litre/2 pints fish stock
1kg/2lb 3¾oz mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded
pinch saffron
¼ tsp curry powder
500ml/1pint double cream
For the stew
250g/9oz smoked haddock, cut into 1.5cm cubes
200g/7oz salmon, cut into 1.5cm cubes
4 carrots, cut into 1cm cubes and blanched
2 potatoes, cut into 1cm cubes and blanched
1 leek, cut into 1cm cubes
2 tbsp flatleaf parsley, roughly chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
4 slices country bread, griddled

Bring the stock to the boil, then add the mussels and cook for 3-4 minutes until the mussels are open. Discard any mussels that do not open.
Strain the stock into a saucepan, reserving the mussels.
Pull the mussel shells in half, discarding the halves without the mussel meat, and keep to one side.
Place the pan with the stock back on the heat and reduce the temperature to a simmer.
Add the saffron, curry powder and cream, then bring it back to a simmer.
Add the fish, carrots, potatoes and leek and simmer for 2-3 minutes until tender.
Add the parsley and cooked mussels and stir through.
Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Serve with the griddled bread.

This is now my current favourite cream based fish stew. The addition of saffron and curry powder brings this stew to a completely new level!

Pasta Puttanesca or Working Girl’s Pasta

Jamie’s Dinners
Serves 4

Ingredients:
A handful of fresh basil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Extra virgin olive oil
Two 8-ounce tuna steaks, chopped into bite-size chunks, or 2 cans of good-quality tuna, drained
14 ounces penne or spaghetti
8 anchovy fillets
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 handfuls of soaked capers
A handful of black olives, pitted and roughly chopped
1 to 3 small dried chiles, crumbled to your taste, or 1 fresh red chile, deseeded and finely sliced
2 handfuls of really ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
Optional: a swig of white wine
A handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Smash the basil to a pulp with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the lemon zest and juice and 2 good lugs of extra virgin olive oil. Mix this up and either rub over your chopped-up fresh tuna or mix with your broken-up canned tuna and allow to marinate.

Get a large pan of salted boiling water on and cook the pasta according to the package instructions. As soon as you put the pasta on, put 3 or 4 good lugs of extra virgin olive oil into a large frying pan and put on the heat. As the pan starts to get warm, add your anchovy fillets and allow them to fry and melt. At this point add your garlic, capers, olives, and chili and stir around for a couple of minutes. If you have used fresh tuna, add it to the pan now with all of the marinating juices and sear it on both sides. When done, add the tomatoes and a little swig of white wine if you have some. If you have used canned tuna, add it to the pan at the same time as the tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then simmer for around 5 minutes, stirring regularly with a spoon, breaking the tuna up into smaller pieces. What you don’t want to do is overcook the tuna so it goes tough. You want it to be soft and silky. Correct the seasoning carefully with salt and pepper.

The pasta should now be ready, so drain it in a colander, reserving some of the cooking liquid. Toss the hot pasta with the hot tuna sauce, add the parsley, and mix well. You may need a few more lugs of olive oil and a spoonful of cooking water to make the sauce nice and loose.

One of my go-to recipes for good wholesome seafood pasta.

Sea bass with sizzled onions, ginger and chilli

From BBC Goodfood
Serves 6

Ingredients
6 x sea bass fillets, about 140g/5oz each, skin on and scaled
about 3 tbsp sunflower oil
large knob of ginger , peeled and shredded into matchsticks
3 garlic cloves , thinly sliced
3 fat, fresh red chillies deseeded and thinly shredded
bunch spring onion , shredded long-ways
1 tbsp soy sauce

Season the fish with salt and pepper, then slash the skin 3 times. Heat a heavy-based frying pan and add 1 tbsp oil. Once hot, fry the fish, skin-side down, for 5 mins or until the skin is very crisp and golden. The fish will be almost cooked through. Turn over, cook for another 30 secs-1 min, then transfer to a serving plate and keep warm. You’ll need to fry the fish in 2 batches.

Heat the remaining oil, then fry the ginger, garlic and chillies for about 2 mins until golden. Take off the heat and toss in the spring onions. Splash the fish with a little soy sauce and spoon over the contents of the pan.

My mom taught me how to cook this Chinese dish a long time ago. I have forgotten all about it until I chanced upon this recipe on the BBC website. Really simple dish to make, but full of flavour.

Swordfish (Smoked Salmon) Parcels

From The Silver Spoon
Ingredients

Serves 4
250g mussels, scrubbed and beards removed
250g clams, scrubbed
150ml olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 garlic clove
150g raw prawns, peeled and deveined
2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 yellow pepper seeded and cut into large slices
6 fresh basil leaves, chopped
4 swordfish steaks
1 fresh flat leaf parsley sprig, chopped
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Cut four large squares of foil. Discard any mussels or clams that do not shut immediately when sharply tapped, then place the shellfish in a pan with 3 tbsp of the olive oil and the garlic. Cook over a high heat for about 5 minutes until the shells open. Discard any that remain closed. Drain the shellfish, reserving the cooking liquid. Heat 2 tablespoons of the remaining olive oil in another pan, add the prawns and cook for a few minutes. Add the mussels and clams, still in their shells, the tomatoes, yellow pepper, basil, chilli and reserved cooking liquid and simmer for 5 minutes. Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan, add the swordfish and cook for 5 minutes on each side.

Place a swordfish steak on each square of foil, season with salt and pepper and spoon the seafood mixture on top. Sprinkle with the parsley and drizzle with olive oil. Fold the foil over and seal the edges, transfer the parcels to a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes. Place the parcels on a warm serving dish, opening them slightly.

Ok, the recipe is long and complicated if you are not used to managing seafood and well, I didn’t do it that way. Instead, I went to Waitrose and bought a pack of seafood mix. This is after all London, land of expensive and not that plentiful seafood. Ok fine, I am also too lazy to sort out all that seafood. Well, my point is, if you buy a pack of seafood mix, this recipe is ridiculously simple. All you do is dump in the seafood with the vegetables and let it simmer before adding it to the fish. Which brings me to another modification. Again, london, seafood, limited. I used salmon instead, ah but not a normal salmon fillet, a lightly smoked salmon fillet.

The end result of the recipe (and all my modifications): an extremely tasty baked seafood dish, the wonderful flavours of the mussels, squid and prawns combining well with the yellow peppers and tomatoes and most importantly, the chilli (i love baked seafood dishes with chilli and tomatoes) and underneath all that, the smokey taste of the salmon. My first response when I ate it: “this is f****** good!”

Baked fish on rosemary potatoes

From BBC GoodFood
Serves 6
Ingredients

1 large fennel bulb
6 medium sized potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
8 tablespoons olive oil
8 cloves garlic
8 sprigs fresh rosemary
2-3 whole fish, such as bream, bass or trout, total weight about 1.5kg, gutted and scaled
2 x 275g packs cherry tomatoes on the vine

Heat the oven to 190C, Gas 5.

Roughly chop the fennel and blanch for 1 minute. Put all the potato slices and fennel in a large shallow roasting tin and pour 6 tablespoons of the oil over them. Bash 4 of the garlic cloves, skins still on, with the flat side of a knife. Season the potatoes generously and tuck in the garlic cloves and 4 sprigs of the rosemary, broken up a bit. Toss the potatoes with the other ingredients to coat them in olive oil, then arrange in the tin and cook in the oven for 15 minutes.

Wash and dry the fish inside and out. Peel and slice the rest of the garlic. Make 3 slash marks across each fish on both sides with a sharp knife and push in some garlic slices and rosemary sprigs.

Season inside and out. Drizzle about a tablespoon of oil over the fish and rub it on. Take the potatoes out after 15 minutes and lay the fish on top of them with the sprigs of tomatoes.

Give a final drizzle of oil, then roast until the potatoes and the fish are cooked through, about 25-35 minutes.

Serve on a large flat dish with a green salad.