Smokey Fish Pie

 

Everyone has favourite fish pie recipes. This one is mine

4 generous portions

Ingredients

• 900g potatoes,  peeled and diced
• 25g butter
• 4 spring onions, roughly chopped (or 1 regular onion finely chopped)
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
• 1 large carrot, cut into matchsticks
• 2 celery stick, finely chopped
• 300g smoked coley or haddock, skinned & bones and cut into chunks
• 300g firm white fish (hake, cod, haddock) skinned & bones and cut into chunks
• 75g butter
• 75g plain flour
• 500ml warm milk
• 100g cheddar cheese, grated
• 3 anchovy fillets
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

• Preheat the oven to 200C
• Boil or steam the potatoes until tender, drain and mash with 25g butter and stir through the spring onions
• Heat the sunflower oil in a frying pan and gently sauté the garlic, carrots and celery until tender.  Remove to a high-sided baking dish with the fish chunks
• Melt the 75g of butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add the anchovies and break them up then stir in the flour and whisk in the warm milk until it boils and becomes thick. Stir in three quarters of the cheese and season with salt and pepper
• Pour the sauce over the fish and vegetables.  Gently spread the mashed potatoes over the top and sprinkle over the remaining cheese.
• Bake in the oven at 200C for 35 minutes

Honey and Garlic Salmon

Based on a Cafe Delites recipe Honey Garlic Salmon is a throw together recipe in one pan and a perfect sweet and savoury 5-ingredient garlicky sauce with a hint of lemon!

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Total Time20 mins

Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

• 4 salmon fillets about 200 grams each, skin off or on
• Salt and pepper, to season
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika (mild, sweet or smokey)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or minced
• 4 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice, (plus extra to serve)
• Lemon wedges to serve

Instructions

• Season salmon with salt, pepper and paprika. Set aside.
• Heat the butter in a pan over medium-high heat until melted. Add the garlic and sauté for about a minute, until fragrant. Pour in the honey, water and soy sauce; allow the flavours to heat through and combine. Add in the lemon juice; stir well to combine all of the flavours together.
• Add the salmon steaks to the sauce in the pan; cook each fillet (skin-side down if there's any skin) for 3-4 minutes or until golden, while basting the tops with the pan juices. Season with salt and pepper, to taste (if desired).
• Optional -- Add the lemon wedges around the salmon (adds a stronger lemon taste). 

  Baste salmon one more time then transfer the pan to a hot grill for a further 5-6 minutes, or until the tops of the salmon are nicely charred, and the salmon is cooked to your liking.
• To serve, drizzle with the sauce and a squeeze of lemon juice. Serve with steamed vegetables; over rice or spinach or with a salad.

Firecracker Salmon

 

Based on a Cafe Delites recipe,  this oven Baked Firecracker Salmon fillets with an incredible sauce is an easy to make salmon recipe in minutes! Flakey on the inside with seared, crispy edges, then finished off in the oven to bake until tender!

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time30 mins

Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons chili sauce of choice
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar 
• pinch of crushed red chili flakes
• 2 teaspoons sriracha (adjust to suit your heat preference)
• 4 skin off salmon fillets
• Salt and pepper to season
• 1 teaspoon paprika (mild, smoky or spicy)
• Chives chopped

Instructions

• In a shallow bowl, whisk together the minced garlic, minced ginger, olive oil, soy sauce, chili sauce, brown sugar, red chili flakes and sriracha to combine.
• Season salmon with salt, pepper and paprika. Add salmon fillets to the marinade, turning each to evenly coat in the sauce.
• Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight (if time allows).
• Preheat oven to 200°C. Heat an oven proof pan over medium heat with a small drizzle of oil.
• Sear salmon for 2-3 minutes on both sides, undisturbed, to get nice crust. (You may need to sear in batches depending on the size of your skillet.)

  Transfer to plate and repeat with remaining salmon.
• Return all salmon fillets to the pan. Alternatively, transfer to baking dish.Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until cooked to your liking.
• Brush with any remaining marinade and sprinkle with chopped chives

Monkfish, Garlic and Ginger Asian Style

 This is really delicious as well as being fast and healthy - based loosely on a Rick Stein recipe

Serves 2

• 350-400g monkfish tail, filleted

• 1/2 tbsp finely shredded root ginger

• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped (or use chopped wild garlic if available)

• 1 tsp sesame oil

• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce

• 1 spring onion, finely sliced

Method

• Cut the monkfish tail into thin slices and arrange in a single layer on a plate that will fit into a large saucepan.

• Mix the ginger, garlic and spring onion together and place a small amount on each slice of fish

• Add 1cm of boiling water to a large saucepan.  Bring it back the boil and and place the plate on some sort of trivet to keep it clear of the water. Put the lid on and boil for 4 minutes.

• Meanwhile, mix and heat the sesame oil and soy sauce (microwave or small pot)

• Arrange the cooked fish on serving plates,  add any liquid from the cooked fish to the sesame/soy mixture and spoon over the fish slices.

 Serve with boiled or fried rice

Thai Style Hot and Sour Soup Base

A spicy Thai style soup base that's full of flavour and very versatile.  The objective is to get a balance between hot, sour, sweet and salty flavours in the base.  It's endlessly variable - add vegetables (peas and green beans are very good,  chopped mushrooms also),  fish or shellfish (prawns are great), chicken or other meat,  noodles or any combination.

Ingredients for 8 portions
(basic soup can be frozen and additional ingredients added when thawed)

• 1 litre of stock (I use homemade chicken stock whenever possible)
• 1 400ml can coconut milk
• 1 large onion - peeled and chopped
• 4 carrots - peeled and chopped
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1-2 tbsp red or green Thai curry paste (Mae Ploy is good - quantity depends on desired spiciness)
• 1-3 tbsp fish sauce (depending on saltiness of the stock. Use soy sauce instead for vegitarians)
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 limes, juiced (this is the sour component)

Method

• Sweat the onions and carrots over gentle heat for 15 mins, then add the curry paste and sir for a minte
• Add the stock and coconut milk, bring to the boil and simmer until carrots are soft
• Blend, add the fish sauce, sugar and lime juice.
• Now taste it.  You're looking for a good balance between the hot, sour, sweet and salt flavours so you may need to adjust some of the last four ingredients to get your desired balance.
• That's the base - you can chill or freeze it at this satge.
• To serve,  add your desired ingredients, bring to boil and cook until additions are fully cooked.
• Sprinkle with chopped coriander and serve

Hot Smoked Salmon with Dill Bretonne Sauce

We once did a house swap to Helsinki where I sampled the magic of Finnish smoke-box cooking.  We don't have smoke-boxes in Ireland but I developed this variation for covered barbeque which works spectacularly well with salmon.

Ingredients

• Allow 170g to 200g salmon per person - either in one piece or individual darnes
• Soy sauce
• Olive oil

Method

• Marinade the salmon flesh side down in soy and olive oil for a while. Not strictly necessary but it seasons the fish well and imparts a lovely golden colour.
• Sprinkle damp wood chips on coals, place salmon aside from coals cover with lid (with lid vent placed to draw smoke over fish) and leave to smoke for 15 to 25 mins (depending on thickness of fish) until fish is cooked through

This is especially good served with dill Bretonne sauce

BRETONNE SAUCE

Ingredients

• 50g melted butter
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp finely chopped dill

Method

• Melt the butter and allow to boil
• Whisk the egg yolks, mustard, lemon juice and herbs together.
• Whisk the hot melted butter into the egg mixture little by little so the sauce emulsifies.
• Can be kept warm over bowl of hot (not boiling) water

Italian Pan-Seared Tuna

A Jamie Oliver recipe - sharp, fresh,  light and delicious.  And quick too

The great thing about this meal is that it all happens quickly, in one pan. Remember, tuna should be cooked on a high heat and quickly so it’s still a little blushing in the middle – don’t be tempted to overcook it.

Ingredients for 2/4

• 2/4 cloves of garlic

• 1/2 large fresh tuna steaks (c. 175 gms per person)

• 300/600g ripe red and yellow cherry tomatoes

• one/two handfuls of black olives

• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

• one/two small bunch of fresh basil

• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1/2 lemon

• olive oil

• 4/8 anchovies (or a good splash of soy sauce if no anchovies available)

Method

Put a large frying pan over a high heat • Peel and finely slice your garlic • Halve your tomatoes and cut any larger ones into quarters • If olives are stones in, press down firmly on them using the palm of your hand so they break open, and discard the stones • Pick the basil leaves off the stalks and put the smaller ones to one side for serving • Halve your lemon

Cook your tuna. Season your tuna steak with salt and pepper and sprinkle over the oregano • Put a lug of olive oil in the hotpan, followed by the tuna steaks • Cook for 1 minute on each side, then remove to a warm plate • 

Put the pan back on the heat with a little more olive oil • Add the garlic and olives and cook for 1 minute, then add the anchovies (or soy sauce) and tomatoes • Squeeze in the juice from one half of your lemon • Cook for 1 minute, stirring every so often • Just before you take the pan off the heat, throw in most of your whole basil leaves, tearing up any larger ones • Squeeze in the juice from the remaining lemon half, toss everything together and season to taste with salt (or soy) and pepper

To serve your tuna: Divide the sauce between your plates • Slice up your tuna steaks into 2cm thick pieces and lay over the top  Sprinkle with the remaining basil leaves and serve with some lovely crusty bread and fresh salad.

Alternatively, on a bed of greens and ladle on the sauce and place tuna, lemon slices and basil leaves on top.  Serve with warm boiled small potatoes dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.