Flathead In Carpione

Serves 6

1kg Flathead fillets, cut into smaller pieces

Plain flour, for dusting

Olive oil,  for frying

Butter, for frying

6 medium sized carrots, sliced

Chicken stock

300ml dry white wine

300ml good quality white vinegar

Peppercorns, whole

3 fresh bay leaves

Salt and pepper

Dust the flathead pieces lightly in flour.

Heat a little olive oil in a large frying pan and fry fish on both sides until a light golden brown.

Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper.

Heat a little more oil and some butter in the same pan and add the carrots.

Saute over a low heat.

Add a splash of stock and saute slowly until the carrots are tender.

In a separate pan, bring the wine to boil.

Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

When cold, stir in the vinegar.

Arrange some pieces of fish in a smallish, non-reactive dish and top with carrots.

Sprinkle on the peppercorns, tuck the bay leaves among the fish pieces and season with salt and pepper as you go.

Continue layering the fish and carrots.

Pour the wine-vinegar mixture over the top.

Cover and refrigerate for at least one day before serving.

Found about 6 of these ’sardines’ inside this squid the other day.

Cajun Style Blackened Fish

8 150g firm fleshed fish fillets (swordfish, rockling, flathead)

400g unsalted butter + extra for frying

2 lemons

2 tablespoons sweet paprika

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon ground white pepper

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried ground oregano

1 teaspoon dried ground thyme

Mix the seasonings together.

Dry fish thoroughly.

Melt the butter and divide into two bowls.

Dip the fish in half the melted butter, shake off excess and coat with the spice mix.

Turn a fry pan onto high heat and add some butter.

Place the fish into the fry pan and cook for about 1 1/2 minutes on each side depending on the size of the fish.

Pour the other melted butter over the fish and serve with lemon and yoghurt and cucumber salad.

NB: Great cooked on the hot plate of a barbeque.

Yoghurt & Cucumber Salad

Flat leaf parsley, chopped

Rocket, chopped

Cucumber, sliced

Plain natural yoghurt

Lemon juice

Olive oil

Mix all the ingredients together.

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Grilled Squid & Pomelo Salad

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Braised Snapper with Star Anise & Cinnamon Bark

2 coriander roots, scraped and cleaned

2 star anise

2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

2.5cm piece of ginger, peeled

1/2 teaspoon white peppercorns

vegetable oil

50ml chinese cooking wine

2 tablespoon rock candy, pounded to a power

100ml oyster sauce

4 cups stock (chicken or fish)

3cm piece cinnamon bark

1 whole snapper, cleaned and scaled

A splash of fish sauce

A handful of coriander leaves

Ground white pepper

Crisp-fried garlic

Preheat the oven to 150°C.

Pound the coriander roots, 1 star anise, garlic, ginger and peppercorns in a mortar and pestle to a uniform paste.

Heat a little vegetable oil in a heavy-based pot and fry the paste in as little oil as possible until crisp and fragrant.

Deglaze with the cooking wine, then add the rock candy, oyster sauce and stock. Bring to the boil and skim. Lower the heat to a simmer and taste – it should be sweet, aromatic and salty.

Add the cinnamon bark and remaining star anise. Set aside.

Score the fish on both sides and douse with fish sauce. Drain and place in a braising pan, deep enough to hold all the hot liquid.

Cover the fish with the liquid then cover with baking paper and foil and place in the oven for 20 minutes.

Remove the fish from the oven and discard foil and baking paper. Let the fish rest for 10 minutes.

Lift the fish out with 2 spatulas and place on a serving dish. It should be fragrant and a light tan colour.

Bring the braising liquid back to a simmer, check the seasoning and strain enough liquid over the fish to half-cover it.

Garnish with coriander, a little white pepper and crisp-fried garlic.

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Southern Indian Rice & Seafood Soup

Serves 4

5 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 tablespoons brown mustard seeds

A handful of fresh curry leaves

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 1/2 teaspoons chilli powder

2 teaspoons turmeric

3 red chillies, deseeded and finely sliced

2 large thumb-sized pieces of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

6 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

2 onions, peeled and finely chopped

2 handfuls basmati rice

565ml water

600g fish, skinned, filleted and cut into 5-8cm chunks

800ml coconut milk

sea salt

freshly ground pepper

2 limes, juiced

A handful of fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped

Heat the oil in a big pan.

Add the mustard seeds, curry leaves, cumin seeds, garam masala, chilli powder and turmeric.

Cook for a few minutes and you’ll get the most amazing smells filling the room from all these spices.

Then add the chillies, ginger, garlic and onions.

Continue cooking slowly until the garlic and onions are soft.

Add the rice and water. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 15 minutes.

Add the fish and coconut milk with a pinch of salt.

Put the lid on the pan and simmer for a further 10 minutes, then stir well to break up the pieces of fish.

Taste and correct the seasoning with salt and pepper, then just before you serve add the lime juice and stir in half of the coriander.

Serve in warmed bowls with the rest of the coriander on top.

NB: A few prawns to go along with the fish are great in this soup. I think using a milder white fish (I used rockling) is best.

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Tonight we made this dish from Neil Perry’s ‘Good Food’ and it was delicious – didn’t take long to make too. It has really nice flavours that went well with the creamy coconut rice. I really liked the snake beans, they’re much softer than regular green beans and cook really quickly.

Dry Prawn Curry

Serves 4

16 large green king prawns, peeled and deveined

4 vine-ripened tomatoes

vegetable oil

3cm piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

2 teaspoons black mustard seeds

2 dried long red chillies, seeds removed and roughly chopped

1/4 teaspoon ground tumeric

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

8 snake beans, cut into 3cm pieces

2 limes, juiced

Preheat the oven to 150°C.

Place the tomatoes on a baking tray and drizzle with a little oil.

Slow roast the tomatoes for 1 1/2 hours, or until they are soft. Allow them to cool slightly before removing and discarding the skin and mashing the fresh.

Pound the ginger and garlic in a mortar with a pestle to form a rough paste. Remove and set aside.

Crush the mustard seeds with the chilli in the mortar, then add the turmeric, salt and pepper, mix and set aside.

Heat some oil in a heavy-based frying pan and cook the ginger and garlic paste until lightly coloured and caramelized.

Add the prepared spices and stir over low heat until fragrant.

Stir through the tomato fresh and simmer the sauce for several minutes to reduce slightly. Set aside.

Heat a large wok or pan, add a little oil and fry the prawns over high heat until cooked. You will need to do this in 2 or 3 batches.

Remove the prawns and set them aside in a bowl.

Add the snake beans to the wok and fry to heat through.

Return the prawns and tomato curry to the wok.

Mix together well.

Finish with lime juice to taste.

Serve with rice.

NB: You can add 250ml of coconut milk to the curry to make more gravy for the rice.

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Cucumber & Mint Salsa

Serves 4

A handful of mint leaves, roughly chopped

2 small French shallots, roughly chopped

1/2 a Lebanese cucumber, de-seeded and thinly sliced

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon wholegrain honey mustard

100ml good-quality extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon caster sugar

2 spring onion, white part only, cut into thin rounds

salt and pepper

Place the mint, shallots and cucumber in a bowl with a pinch of salt.

Add the vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, sugar and spring onions.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Mix well and leave for 15 minutes.

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