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.

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!

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!”

Light and fresh fish pie

From BBC Good Food Fish and Seafood Dishes
Serves 4
Ingredients

1tbsp plus 1 tsp olive Oil
1lb/450g new potatoes thinly sliced
8oz/200g broccoli, very small florets
2oz/50g plain flour
1 pint/600ml Skimmed milk
9oz/250g Cod fillet skined &, cut into large chunks
9oz/250g Salmon fillet skined &, cut into large chunks
3 tbsp Chopped fresh parsly
½ Lemon finely grated zest

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees and grease a 1.8litre baking dish.

Cook the potato slices in a pan of boiling salted water for 3 mins. Drain, return to the pan and drizzle over 1tsp of oil to stop the slices sticking.

Cover the broccoli in boiling water for 30secs drain into a seive and run under the cold tap.

Put the flour in a non stick pan with the milk & 1 tbsp of oil. Bring to the boil stirring with a wooden spoon then cook for a minute or two. Take of the heat stir in the broccoli fish, parsley & lemon zest season with salt & pepper.

Tip the mixture into the dish cover with the potato slices and season with pepper. Bake for 30 mins until golden brown.

Good simple fish pie recipe which doesn’t require mashed potatoes! But I really should try out the classic way of making fish pie as I haven’t done it before. Taste wise, I think it’s lacking a bit of a kick… still contemplating whether I should add mustard or something just to bring it over the edge.

In the end, with two leftover servings, I opted for cheddar cheese over the top and baked. Wonderful!

Pepper-crusted salmon fillet with garlic chickpeas

From BBC GoodFood More One-Pot Recipes
Serves 4

Ingredients
4 skinless salmon fillets , about 150g/5oz each
2 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp paprika
grated zest and juice 2 limes
1 tbsp olive oil
2 x 400g/14oz cans chickpeas
3 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves , finely chopped
150ml vegetable stock
130g bag baby spinach

Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Put the salmon fillets in a shallow ovenproof dish in a single layer. Roughly crush the peppercorns with a pestle and mortar, or tip into a cup and crush with the end of a rolling pin. Mix with the paprika, lime zest and a little sea salt. Brush the salmon lightly with oil, then sprinkle over the pepper mix. Bake for 12-15 mins until the salmon is just cooked.

Meanwhile, tip the chickpeas into a colander, rinse well under cold running water, then drain. Heat the oil in a pan, add the garlic, then gently cook for 5 mins without browning. Add the chickpeas and stock, then warm through. Crush the chickpeas lightly with a potato masher, then add the spinach and stir well until the leaves are wilted. Add the lime juice and some salt and pepper, then heat through. Serve with the salmon.

Fisherman’s stew

From Gordon Ramsey’s Cooking for Friends
Serves 4
Ingredients

500g clams
500g mussels
100ml dry white wine or
Noilly Prat

1 bouquet garni (1 bay leaf, sprig of parsley and thyme and 2 blades of mace tied together)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 large leeks, finely sliced
1 medium fennel bulb, finely sliced
700ml fish stock
pinch of saffron strands
100ml double cream
200g king prawns
400g plaice fillet, with skin
on, in bite-size chunks 200g crabmeat
small handful of flat-leaf
parsley, leaves chopped

Wash the clams and mussels and discard any that do not shut tightly when gently tapped. Put the wine and bouquet garni in a large heavy-based pan (with a tight-fitting lid) and bring to the boil. As soon as it starts to boil, tip in the clams and mussels. Give the mixture a stir, then cover and steam for 2–3 minutes until the clams and mussels have opened.

Tip the shellfish into a colander set over a large bowl to collect the liquid. Discard the bouquet garni. Return the pan to the heat and add the olive oil, leek and fennel. Sauté for about 4–5 minutes, then pour in the liquid from the clams and mussels. Add the fish stock and saffron and bring to a simmer. Let it cook until reduced by a third, then pour in the cream.
Meanwhile, extract the flesh from most of the clams and mussels, discarding any that have not opened, and keeping back a few of each in their shells to use as garnish.

Five minutes before you are ready to serve, bring the stock back to a simmer. Add the prawns and cook for 2 minutes, then add the fish and crabmeat. Poach for another minute, just until the fish turns opaque. Return the clams and mussels to the pan to warm through. Remove the pan from the heat. Ladle the stew into warm bowls and garnish with a little chopped parsley.

So I cheated. Too much hassle for me since I am cooking for myself to use the actual clams and mussels to make the stock. It would obviously taste better but for reasons of economy and effort, I decided to skip that step instead.

So instead, I started straight with the sautéing of the vegetables. Instead of adding the mussel/clam stock, I just added white wine and the bouquet garni.

Well, the taste is decent, probably as decent as it gets when you are just using a fish stock cube to make it. But if you want to make a cream based fish soup, this is a decent recipe.

Leeky salmon in a parcel

From GoodFood 101 Fish and Seafood Dishes
Serves 2
Ingredients
2 salmon fillets, 140g/5oz each
1 medium or 2 small leeks , about 200g/8oz in total
50g frozen petits pois
4 heaped tbsp crème fraîche , plus 2 tbsp to serve
1 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon

Season the salmon fillets all over. Slice the leeks really thinly. Cut two 40cm square sheets of greaseproof paper and put a fillet in the middle of each sheet.

Top each fillet with leeks and peas, and 2 tbsp of crème fraîche. Sprinkle with tarragon and salt and pepper.

Make up parcels with the paper and stand them on a microwave-proof plate or tray. Microwave on full power for 5 minutes. Put the contents of the parcels on two plates and top each serving with a spoonful of crème fraîche. Serve with new potatoes.

Cooking in the oven – If you prefer to cook the parcels in the oven, they will take 15 minutes at fan 170C/ conventional 190C/ gas 5.

Cheesy fish grill

Ingredients

Modified – Good Food Magazine 101 One-Pot Recipes
Serves 2

2 salmon fillets
2 slices of bacon
25g grated cheddar cheese
1/4 an onion, finely chopped
1 red pepper, chopped

Preheat the grill to high and lightly oil a large shallow flameproof dish. Add the chopped onions and red peppers to the dish. Arrange the fillets, skinned side down, on top of the vegetables, slightly spaced apart, and brush with a little oil.  Grill for 3 minutes.

Remove the dish from the grill, turn the fish over and top each fillet with a slice of bacon. Scatter over the fish and season with salt and pepper. Return to the grill for 10 minutes or until the fish is cooked.

This dish is described as a dish that even those who don’t love fish would like. What’s not to like about bacon, cheese and a fish fillet underneath?  

As you can probably tell, I am going through a phase where I am recooking old recipes and taking “better” photographs of them. Modified some of them as I went along. It’s fun and quite nostalgic to do so.