Mixed fish grill with lemon couscous

Mixed fish grill with lemon couscous

Mixed seafood with lemon couscous >>> This dish is delicious and impressive, yet so easy. If you're serving the full menu, heat the oven while you make your starter, place the tray in the oven when you serve the starter and it will be ready at the exact right time. If you like, you can make the dish in advance, and place it in the fridge until you're ready to pop it in the oven.

Ingredients:

4 lemons

1 large red onion, or 2 small red onions, peeled and halved

1 clove garlic, peeled

1 large bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, stalks reserved

300 g couscous

extra virgin olive oil

600 ml organic vegetable stock, hot

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 sea bass fillets, from sustainable sources, ask your fishmonger, skin on and pinboned

4 red mullet fillets, from sustainable sources, ask your fishmonger, skin on and pinboned.

1 bunch fresh mint, leaves picked

12 large raw king prawns, from sustainable sources, ask your fishmonger, shelled and deveined.

1 large handful clams , from sustainable sources, ask your fishmonger, cleaned

1 large handful mussels, from sustainable sources, ask your fishmonger, cleaned

1 pinch cinnamon

400 g tinned plum tomatoes

1 jar roasted red peppers, drained

Method:

1.      This dish is delicious and impressive, yet so easy. If you're serving the full menu, heat the oven while you make your starter, place the tray in the oven when you serve the starter and it will be ready at the exact right time. If you like, you can make the dish in advance, and place it in the fridge until you're ready to pop it in the oven.

2.      Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6. Zest and juice 2 of the lemons. In a food processor, whiz together the onion, garlic, all the parsley stalks and half the parsley leaves. When everything's finely chopped, scoop into a bowl and add the couscous, 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and half of the lemon juice. Stir in the hot stock and season well. Stir again and leave to the side for a couple of minutes.

3.      The fish should pretty much all be prepared by your fishmonger. Make sure the sea bass fillets are halved and the skin of both the sea bass and the red mullet is slashed with a sharp knife. Chop a few of the parsley and mint leaves and stuff them into the slashes – this looks pretty, flavours the fish and helps to crisp up the skin. Place all the fish and shellfish into a bowl, drizzle over some extra virgin olive oil, season and mix together.

4.      Spoon the couscous into a roasting tray or ovenproof dish. Spread it out, then arrange the fish and shellfish over the top, in a single layer. Make sure the fillets are placed skin-side up. Drizzle over the remaining lemon juice, a little more olive oil and sprinkle with half of the lemon zest.

5.      Cut the remaining 2 lemons in half and put on top of the couscous. Place in the oven and roast for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through and the skin of the fillets is crispy around the edges.

6.      While your fish is cooking, make the salsa. Finely chop the remaining parsley and mint leaves and put into a bowl. Add the cinnamon and remaining lemon zest. Finely chop the plum tomatoes and roasted peppers and add to the herb mixture. Season, stir and set aside.

7.      Once the fish is cooked, you are ready to serve. Make sure everyone gets a portion of couscous and a bit of all the different fish, and spoon over some salsa and garnish with the roasted lemon.

Read More

Fish Fingers & Minty Smashed Peas

Fish Fingers & Minty Smashed Peas

fish fingers & minty smashed peas are dried marrowfat peas which are first soaked overnight in water with bicarbonate soda/baking soda, then rinsed in fresh water and simmered with a little sugar and salt until they form a thick green lumpy soup. In Northern England and the Midlands they are a traditional accompaniment to fish and chips, although their appeal has spread and sometimes mint is used as a flavouring. All over Britain, but particularly in Northern England, they are commonly served as part of the popular snack of pie and peas (akin to the Australian pie floater, but with mushy peas instead of a thick pea soup) and are considered a part of traditional British cuisine. fish fingers & minty smashed peas can also be bought in tins cans in north America.

 Ingredients:

450 g frozen white fish fillets, from sustainable sources

500 g frozen peas

5 tablespoons plain flour

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

½ unwaxed lemon, zest and juice from

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 large free-range eggs

3 slices of wholemeal bread, (100g)

sunflower oil

½ a bunch of fresh mint, leaves picked

Method:

1.      Start by defrosting the fish fillets, preferably overnight in the fridge (I like cod or haddock, but it's up to you what you use).

2.      Put the peas into a colander in the sink and pour over boiling water to defrost them, then set aside. Place the flour in a shallow bowl with the paprika, lemon zest and a pinch of salt and pepper, then beat the eggs in another shallow bowl. Blitz the bread in a food processor to fine breadcrumbs, then tip onto a plate. Once defrosted, slice the fillets lengthways into fingers, roughly 2cm wide, then add to the flour and toss to coat (you'll need to do this in batches). Dip the flour-dusted fish pieces into the egg, shake off the excess, then roll in the breadcrumbs until well coated and place on a tray.

3.      Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the fish fingers (you'll need to do this in batches) and fry for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until golden, crispy and cooked through. Remove to a double layer of kitchen paper to drain while you fry the next batch, adding a splash more oil, if needed.

4.      Meanwhile, blitz the peas in a food processor until they're smashed up to a nice, chunky purée, or mash well with a fork. Tip into a bowl, then finely chop and add the mint leaves, squeeze in the lemon juice and season to how you like it. Mix well and serve alongside the crispy fish fingers and a nice green salad. If you want a dollop of ketchup, too, I won't judge!

Read More

Crunchy Fish

Crunchy Fish

This is one fish I will make over and over again. It's got this awesome crunchy coating made from stale bread blitzed into crumbs along with olive oil, lemon zest, fresh thyme leaves and Parmesan cheese baked on top of any firm fish fillet. I used salmon and its delicious.

 Ingredients:

1 thick slice of wholemeal bread, (roughly 50g)

olive oil

1 lemon

3 sprigs of fresh thyme

freshly ground black pepper

2 x 120 g firm white fish or salmon fillets, scaled and pin-boned, from sustainable sources

Method:

1.      This recipe is incredibly versatile – use whichever fish you like (as long as its sustainable) and add any herbs to the crumb. A fine grating of Parmesan makes a nice addition, too. It doesn't matter if your bread is a bit stale, it'll still work fine. And, if you haven't got any bread you can use four smashed-up cream crackers instead.

2.      Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 5. Tear the bread into a food processor, add 2 tablespoons of oil and grate in the zest of half a lemon. Pick in the thyme leaves (throw away the stalks), then add a grinding of black pepper. Whizz the mixture until nice and fine.

3.      Place a non-stick ovenproof frying pan on a medium-high heat. While it's heating up, check that there aren't any stray bones lurking in the fish fillets, then rub them all over with a little oil. Place in the hot pan skin-side down. Squeeze some lemon juice over the top of each fillet, then pile most of the crumb on top, covering them evenly, then scatter the remaining crumb into the pan. Fry for 3 minutes (this will get the skin nice and crispy), then transfer the pan to the oven and roast for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through and the crumb is golden and crunchy.

4.      Carefully remove the pan from the oven using oven gloves, then transfer the fish to your plates using a fish slice. Serve scattered with the extra super-crispy crumbs, and a jacket potato or wedges, and broccoli or peas on the side.

Read More

Salmon Fishcakes

Salmon Fishcakes

Salmon fishcakes are a classic for a good reason; they're easy to make, satisfying to eat and taste delicious. I make these for a light weekend lunch or a quick and tasty weekday supper. Children will love dunking these yummy fishcakes into the sweet chilli dip.

This recipe is so tasty that it's a really good idea to double or triple the quantities and freeze batches for another day – just make sure you defrost them thoroughly before using, then follow the cooking instructions below.

Ingredients:

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

50 g fresh or frozen peas

600 g potatoes

½ a bunch of fresh chives

2 x 180g tins of quality salmon

1 lemon

1 tablespoon plain flour, plus extra for dusting

1 large free-range egg

Olive oil

Method:

1.      Half-fill a large saucepan with cold water and add a tiny pinch of salt.

2.      Place on a high heat and bring to the boil. Meanwhile…

3.      If using fresh peas, pod them into a bowl, then leave to one side.

4.      Use a Y-shaped peeler to peel the potatoes, then chop into 1cm chunks on a chopping board.

5.       Once the water is boiling, carefully add the potatoes, bring back to the boil, then turn the heat down to medium and simmer gently for around 10 minutes, or until cooked through, adding the peas for the last 2 minutes. Meanwhile…

6.      Finely chop the chives and add them to a mixing bowl.

7.       Drain the salmon in a sieve over the sink .

8.       Add the salmon to the bowl, using a fork to flake it into small chunks.

9.      Once cooked, drain the potatoes and peas in a colander over the sink then leave them to cool completely. Meanwhile…

10.  Use a microplane to finely grate the lemon zest, then add it to the bowl along with the flour.

11.  Crack in the egg and season with a tiny pinch of pepper.

12.  Once cool, tip the potatoes and peas back into the pan and use a potato masher to mash them really well.

13.  Add the mash to the bowl, then mix together until really well combined.

14.  Sprinkle a little flour over a clean work surface and onto a large plate.

15.  Divide the mixture into 8 and use your hands to pat and shape each ball into a fishcake, roughly 2cm thick.

16.  . Place them onto the floured plate, dusting your hands and the top of each fish cake lightly with flour as you go.

17.  Place a large frying pan on a medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

18.  Carefully place the fishcakes into the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until crisp and golden, turning carefully with a fish slice.

19.  Cut the zested lemon into wedges.

20.  Serve the fishcakes with some seasonal green veg or a fresh green salad and lemon wedges for squeezing over

Read More