Spicy pan fried prawns

 

A delicious finger-licking prawn recipe inspired from the peri-peri prawns that my Mom often made for special occasions

Ingredients:

• 800g uncooked prawns
  
• 4-5 garlic cloves (according to size and taste)
  
• 1t peri-peri or chilli powder (again according to taste)
  
• 2 t chopped parsley
• Crème fraîche (optional)
  

Method:

In a colander, rinse and prepare prawns by cutting off the long "feelers". Peel and finely chop the garlic.

Heat a large, heavy based pan, add a little oil then add the prawns. Turn them over frequently until they turn pink. Allow to sizzle for a few minutes, still stirring them around in the pan. When almost cooked, add the chilli powder and the garlic. Preheat a serving dish and after about 1 to 2 minutes, (don't let the garlic cook too long, it loses its flavour), tip the prawns into the serving dish. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley. For a really gourmet touch, déglace the pan with a few dollops of crème fraîche and use as a sauce. 

Serve with basmati or thaï rice.

Smoked herring flammeküeche

A speciality of Alsace, with herring instead of lardons. Makes 1 flammeküeche. Serves 4 as a starter or 2 as a main meal with a crispy green salad.

 

 

Ingredients:

• 250g puff pastry (1 bought roll)
  
• 150g smoked herring
  
• 3T fromage blanc
• 1T fresh cream
• 1t Dijon mustard 
  
• 1/2 red onion
  
• Pepper for serving
  

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200°C

 
Thinly slice the onions. Dice the herring. Mix the fromage blanc, cream and mustard.

Spread the fromage blanc mixture on the  pastry and add the onions and herring.

 

 

Bake for 20 min until the tart is golden brown. Season with red and black pepper to taste.

Smoking salmon in a BBQ

There are two methods; hot and cold smoking. Hot smoking is very similar to cold smoking except for one simple difference. In this first method, the fire and smoke chamber are built together. This raises the temperature a lot, though it should still be kept around 110°C. Cold smoking is a much slower cooking technique. In order to use cold smoking, you need two separate chambers. One of the chambers is where the meat needs to be hung and is also where the smoke will filter through. The other chamber is where a fire needs to be built. The two chambers need to be connected with a pipe or tube so that the smoke has the chance to leave the fire chamber and enter into the smoking room. The smoke then slowly goes out the top of the smokehouse. When cold smoking, the cooking temperature should never get above 30-39°C
Source: https://lilgrill.com/cold-smoking-vs-hot-smoking

Ingredients:

• Salmon
• Wood chips
  

Method (hot smoking):

Soak the desired amount of wood chips in water for 20min (use the smoking box to measure the quantity). Close the lid and preheat the barbecue on high. Put the drained wood chips in the smoking box and place it in the middle of the barbecue. Close the lid and preheat until it gets quite smokey, set to low heat. Place the food to smoke inside and close the lid.

For a 600g filet of salmon, you'll get a nice and tender flesh by smoking for 30min.

Shrimp spring rolls

This is somewhat tricky, I suggest using 2 rice papers per roll as I had to add a wrap to most of them as they either came apart or stuck to the plate (see photo)😞.  Nevertheless, they are delicious especially with the sauce! Makes around 16 spring rolls.

Ingredients:

• 16-32 rice papers
  
• 100g uncooked vermicelli
• 200g cooked shrimp, peeled and halved as to make 2 identical pieces
  
• 250g grated carrots
• 100g cucumber, julienned
  
• Fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped
  
• Fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
  

 For the sauce:

• 100ml rice vinegar
• 4 cloves garlic
• 4T soy sauce
• 1t sugar
• Sesame seeds
  
• Fresh cayenne peppers
  

Method:

Prepare the vermicelli according to package directions.

 

To make the sauce, mix the vinegar, soy sauce, sugar and sesame in a serving bowl. Thinly slice the cayenne peppers and garlic and add them. Refrigerate whilst wrapping the rolls.

 

Assemble the ingredients in bowls, have a large salad bowl ready filled with water for dipping.

Dip 1 or 2 rice paper wraps into the water, let it/them for soak a few seconds, not too long or else it's very difficult to roll.

On a plate or clean chopping board, place the wrapper(s), pink side facing the plate, add about 3-4 pieces of shrimp, 2 cucumber sticks, lengthwise, about a spoon of grated carrots a small amount of vermicelli to cover, finally sprinkle the fresh herbs.

Fold over one half, tucking it firmly under the mixture, then fold the two slide flaps over the remaining half and complete the roll, pressing firmly.

Place on a serving plate and continue until all the ingredients are used.

 

Serve with lettuce leaves, more fresh mint and the sauce.

 

Enjoy!

Salmon duo terrine

A must make for a summer luncheon party or any occasion. Tried and tested many times, try it with a low fat mayonnaise or a creamy avocado sauce as a festive starter. 

Recipe adapted from the Elle magazine website.

Ingredients:

• 3 whole eggs
• 200 ml fresh cream
  
• 150g smoked salmon
  
• 500g fresh salmon
  
• 3T finely chopped fresh basil coriander, parsley
  
• Freshly ground black pepper
  
• 1t paprika

 

Method:

 Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Place the fresh salmon, the eggs, the crème fraîche et the spices in the bowl of a mixer.

Blend until the mixture is thick, don't worry if there are some pieces of salmon.

Line a silicone loaf mould with a few of the slices of smoked salmon. Place a 1/3 of the mixture on top, add a another layer of smoked salmon, pour over the rest of the mixture.

Put the mould into a large baking dish and fill up till the edge of the mould with water. Cover with baking paper and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the baking paper and bake for a further 5 minutes.

Allow to cool, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

 

Seafood paella

 A simple paella with seafood.

Ingredients:

• 300g uncooked medium shrimp or prawns, peeled and deveined
• 8 small squid, bodies sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch rings and tentacles halved 
• 500g mussels, scrubbed and debearded 
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 1/2 cups uncooked arborio or other short-grain rice
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large red pepper, julienned
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 2 large pinches of saffron threads 
  
• 1 t paprika
  
• 1/2 t ground turmeric
• 1 t dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
  
• 1/4 t Cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes (optional)
  
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 T lemon juice & 1t lemon zest
• 2 T chopped flat-leaf parsley 
• 3 green onions, sliced 
  
• Freshly ground black pepper
  

Method:

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or paella pan over medium heat. Stir in garlic, red pepper flakes and fry lightly. Stir in shrimp; cook, turning the shrimp, until both sides are pink. 

Add rice. Stir to coat rice with juices from the pan, about 3 minutes. Then add the bell pepper and onion; cook 5 minutes. Slowly add the rest of the veggies. Stir well and add the vegetable broth.

Stir in saffron threads, all the spices and the lemon zest. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer for at least 20 minutes.

Top with the chopped green onions and parsley.

Salmon and spinach lasagna

A delicious, healthy comfort food for those cold winter weekends... ring the changes with cod and/or chard or whatever you have in the freezer and/or cupboard! Made for and dedicated to my lovely daughters <3

Ingredients:

• 3 fillets of salmon
  
• 1 large bag of baby spinach, washed and ready to use
• 1 package lasagne sheets
  
• 1 cup fresh cream
• 250g ricotta cheese
• 200g grated Emmental or cheddar cheese
• 1 ball of fresh mozzarella
• 2t yummy spice
  

Method:

In a non-stick pan cook the salmon until almost done. Remove the skin and flake the fillets with a fork, set aside.

Rinse the spinach, add to the same pan. On medium heat, wilt the spinach.  

 

Add half a cup of fresh cream to the spinach, stir well. Add the ricotta and mozzarella, allow to soften. 

 

 

Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan) 

In a greased ovenproof dish, assemble the layers, starting with the lasagne sheets, then add the flaked salmon and some of the Emmental & parmesan.

Next layer will be the spinach/ricotta mixture, then a layer of lasagna sheets. Continue until all both mixtures are depleted. Add a last layer of lasagna sheets, spread with the remaining fresh cream and cover with the cheeses.

Bake in at 180° for about 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown and bubbling.

 

Fish sausages

Three step veggie sausages, here they're made with fish, but they can be made with seitan, textured protein or simply a mix of your favourite vegetables. 

It's a good idea to batch cook these and freeze them. They keep well and taste good when reheated.

Ingredients:

• 400g cooked fish marinated in lemon juice and black pepper
• 150g cooked lentils or chickpeas
• 50g grated cheese (cheddar or emmental)
  
• 2 eggs + 1 flax egg
• 4 slices of toasted bread (I used Pelletier)
• 2 shallots
  
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 T potato starch
• 1 T pea protein
• 2 T tomato paste
• 1 T mixed herbs & spices
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 T dried mushroom powder
  

Method:

Blend all the ingredients together on high speed.

Fill silicone  sausage moulds with the mixture. 

Steam for 20min, then pan fry them until crispy.

Makes about 24 sausages.

 

 

Baked fish brandade style

 

Ingredients:

• 1 kg white fish fillets (de-boned) 
• 1 kg potatoes
• Milk for the mash
• Bay leaf and peppercorns for the fish
• 2 or 5 cloves of garlic (according to taste)
• 3 T olive oil 
• Black pepper

Method:

 

Preheat the oven to 180°C

Poach the fish with the peppercorns and bay leaf until soft.

Boil the potatoes, drain and mash with sufficient milk until creamy.

Drain the fish, discard the peppercorns and bay leaf and coarsely shred the fish with a fork.

Combine the fish, the finely chopped garlic,  the mashed potatoes and olive oil.
Season with black pepper.

Spread the fish in a lightly oiled baking dish, cover evenly with the mash.

Top with a mix of grated parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs and mixed herbs.

Bake in the hot oven for about 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Top with chopped parsley or chives and serve with a green salad.

Sardine Rillettes

 A quick snack or appetizer made with pantry staples.

 

Ingredients:

• 2 cans of sardines
• 1 echalote
  
• 1/3 cup Philadelphia or St Moret
  
• 2T fromage blanc
• 1T tomato paste
• 1t dijon mustard
• 1t madras
• 1/2t ground coriander, sarriette, mixed herbs
• fresh herbs like scallions
  

Method:

Blend all the ingredients together in a mixer.

 

Refrigerate and use as desired.

Chinese dumplings

For 40 dumplings.

Ingredients:

• 250g rice wrappers or home made
  
• 250g shrimp
• 250g chicken fillet
• 60g bamboo shoots
• 60g peas
  
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 t sugar
• 1 t salt
• 1 t maizena

Method:

Mince the shrimp and chicken. Chop and fry the bamboo shoots. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until thick. Wrap them and stem them.

Seafood panaché

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 4 medallions of monkfish
• 2 fillets of salmon
• 250g mussels
• 250g clams
• 8 prawns
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 125g fresh cream
• 20g butter
• 2 T cognac
• 1 T sriracha chilli sauce
• 2 stalks of dill
• 1 shallot
• red pepper corns
• cracked black pepper
  

Method:

Clean and prepare the mussels. Rinse them as well as the clams. Drain them and then steam for 4min until the mussels and clams open. Put these aside.

Melt the butter in a cast iron pot, sweat the shallot until transparent. Add the fish stock, cognac, fresh cream, sriracha and black pepper. Cook for 4min on medium heat. Add the salmon, monkfish and prawns in the sauce and cook for a further 10min until the fish fillets are well done. Lastly add the garlic, dill, red pepper corns and then the seafood. Mix well and serve immediately.

Blanquette de la Mer (Creamy fish casserole)

There is a famous French dish that is usually served in spring, called "Blanquette de Veau" directly translated one would say, Blanket of Veal ;D
This is a wholesome, creamy recipe and as I didn't have veal at hand, I decided to adapt the recipe with what I had in my freezer which was a packet of mixed fish fillets. You could add some dry white wine to the enhance the flavour of the sauce.

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 600g mixed fish fillets (salmon, cod,etc)
• 1 Rutabaga (yellow turnip)
• 2 stalks of celery
• 1 whole leek
• 10 baby carrots
• 3 or 4 bay leaves
• 2 or 3 stalks of parsley
• a small branch of fresh rosemary
• 3 cloves
• 5 juniper berries
• salt to taste
• 1 T butter
• 2 T flour
• 1t mustard
• 2 T fraîche crème (or more if you like creamy!

Method:

Prepare the vegetables, I cut the leek in 3 and stuck the cloves in one of the pieces. I cut the rutabaga in about 8 pieces and the celery stalks in 3. I left the baby carrots whole.

Put all the vegetables in a stock pot, cover with water and add the parsley, bay leaves, juniper berries and salt.

Cook until the vegetables are soft.

In a frying pan, brown the fish in a little olive oil. Remove.

In the same pan, melt the butter, add the flour and stir into a paste.

Add the stock from the vegetables little by little to make a white sauce. Add the mustard and the cream. Rectify the seasoning, add some pepper if desired.

In a warmed serving dish, arrange the vegetables and the fish. 

Pour over the sauce, decorate with chopped parsley and serve hot with rice or mashed potatoes.