Spice up the Sea!

Browsing through some old recipes that I’ve successfully horded over the years, I managed to come across the most amazing seafood recipes by a Mauritian chef Mesh Boyjoonnauth.  His combinations of spices and seafood are absolutely phenomenal and a must try! So out with the aprons and lets get cooking!

Seafood Curry

150g kingklip fillet, cubed

150g Calamari steak, cubed

150g prawns, shelled

150g shrimps

10ml fresh grated ginger

1-2 Cloves garlic, crushed

4 Cardamom pods lightly bruised

2 Cinnamon sticks

4 Cloves

8 Curry leaves, finely chopped

5ml Fresh thyme

10ml Cumin powder

60ml Oil

1 Onion peeled and sliced

45-60ml curry powder

2 Tomatoes Cubed

2 Chillies chopped

300ml fish stock

Salt and black ground pepper

30ml Fresh coriander, chopped

To make:

1. Marinate all the seafood in the ginger, garlic, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, curry leaves, thyme and cumin for 15minutes.
2. Heat the oil in a large pan and sweat the onion until tender.  Add the seafood and fry for 3-5minutes before adding the curry powder, tomatoes and chili.
3. Finally add the fish stock and cook for 5minutes.  Season to taste.
4. Sprinkle with coriander and serve with basmati rice.

Grilled prawns with Cognac Sauce

1kg Prawns, largest available

Juice of 2 lemons

30ml fresh parsley chopped

100ml Olive oil

Cognac Sauce

30ml oil

100g Lobster heads

100g prawn shells

1 Carrot Chopped

1/2 Onion Chopped

1/2 Leek chopped

45ml Chopped Fennel

10ml Cognac

20ml White wine

30g Tomato paste

2Litres water

10ml butter

50ml Cream

Salt and ground black pepper

To make:

1. For the cognac sauce, heat the oil and fry the lobster heads and prawn shells together with all the vegetables until coloured.
2. Flambe’ the cognac over the vegetables and then deglaze the pan with white wine.  Add the tomato paste and water.  Bring to the boil and cook for 1 hour.
3. Strain the sauce, finish with the butter and cream and season to taste.
4. Clean the prawns and season with the lemon juice, parsley, a little olive oil, salt and black pepper.
5. Heat the oil and grill the prawns until cooked through.
6. Serve the prawns immediately with the spicy rice and the cognac sauce.

Roasted Kingklip with Roasted vegetables and a mushroom and tarragon sauce

800g Kingklip or firm white fish fillets

10ml lemon juice

15ml olive oil

15ml chopped fennel

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

ROASTED VEGIES:

1 Green pepper

1 Red pepper

1 Squash

200g Carrots

200g Turnips

4 Large mushrooms

100g Asparagus tips

30ml Olive Oil

MUSHROOM AND TARRAGON SAUCE

40g Butter

1//21 Onion chopped

3-4 Sliced mushrooms

15ml Chopped Tarragon

50ml White wine

500ml Cream

15g peeled and cubed tomato

To make:

1. Marinate the fish in lemon juice, olive oil, chopped fennel and seasoning for 15minutes.  Roast for 5 minutes at 220 degrees.
2. Seed the peppers and cut into quarters.  Cut the squash into segments.  Cut the carrots and turnips into long strips.  Clean the mushrooms.
3. Pan roast all the vegetables in olive oil and season to taste.
4. To make the sauce, melt 30g butter in a saucepan.  Cook the chopped onion, mushroom and the tarragon for 3 minutes.
5. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and add the cream.  Bring to the boil and reduce to thicken.  Stir in the remaining butter and season to taste.  Finally add the tomato cubes.
6. Place the roasted vegetables in the middle of a plate.  Top with the roasted fish and sauce. Serve hot.

Coriander Rice

5ml Salt

2 Litres water

200g Basmati rice

15ml Coriander seeds

1 Bay leaf

1 Bunch coriander leaves chopped

To make:

1. Add salt to the water and bring to the boil.  Rinse the rice and add to the salted water.
2. Tie the coriander seeds in a muslin cloth and add to the rice.  Add the bay leaf and boil until the rice is tender.
3. Drain and rinse with cold water.
4. Stir in the chopped coriander.

And on that note HAPPY COOKING!!

Tickle the tastebuds with these fantastic starters…

Stuck for what to make as a starter?  These awesome ideas will tickle your tastebuds and add that WOW factor to your dinner party!

First up we have the old time favourite:

Salmon Mousse

1 envelope (15 ml) gelatine
4 T (60 ml) cold water
½ cup (125 ml) boiling water
1 x 220g tin pink salmon, skin and big bones removed but retaining juices
½ packet (100 ml) Tomato and Chilli Sauce (use the remaining sauce as a garnish)
½ cup (125 ml) grated cucumber, peeled
1 T (15 ml) lemon juice
1 T (15 ml) fish paste
1 cup (250 ml) fresh cream
2 t (10 ml) Lemon & Black Pepper seasoning to taste

GARNISH
Olive oil
Remaining Tomato and Chilli Ready to Serve Sauce
100g Salmon trout ribbons
Onion sprouts
Dill or fennel

To Make:

Sprinkle the dry gelatine powder over the cold water. Leave to sponge. Then add the gelatine sponge to the boiling water and stir gently until dissolved. Mix all the ingredients except the cream and Lemon & Black Pepper seasoning in a food processor or liquidizer until smooth. Stir and chill over ice water until beginning to set. Whip the cream and fold lightly into the mousse. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Using a brush, oil the mould lightly with Olive Oil or Canola Oil. Pour the mousse mixture into the mould/s. Allow to set in the refrigerator overnight.  When ready to serve, turn out onto your plate garnish and voila!  Another great tip I love to do is simply set the mousse in a normal bowl, then serve on savoury biscuits with cucumber, dill and a dash of squeezed lemon!

This next starter is a little different but if you love good cheese and good venison then its an absolute must try!

Halloumi and Smoked Venison

What you need:

1 pack Halloumi cheese
100g Rannoch Smokery Cold Smoked Venison
1 ripe pear
basil leaves
2 tbsp olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp lemon juice

Method:

• Cut the cheese into 12 slices and place a slice of pear as well as a basil leaf on each slice and wrap in a slice of smoked venison.  Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, some shredded basil and a good grind of black pepper in a bowl.  Brush the wrapped halloumi slices with the dressing and cook under a hot grill, turning at least once and basting as they cook.  Cook until golden and serve with lemon wedges and basil garnish.

Another winning starter is crostini elegantly placed on the table so that guests may nibble as they like.  Not to mention the flavour toppings you are able to come up with!

What you need is the following

• 1 loaf of ciabatta bread, cut into 1cm/½ inch slices
• 1 large clove of
garlic, peeled and cut in half
• good-quality extra virgin olive oil

Then for the topping you can literally go buck wild!  Have fun with colours, flavours, herbs – just talking about it gets me all excited!

A few examples I have tried are the following:

From Jamie Oliver – Absolutely d’vine!

Prosciutto, Figs, and Mint

Get yourself six large ripe figs, 12 slices of prosciutto, and a small bunch of fresh mint. Tear the figs in half, then drape a piece of prosciutto over each of your hot crostini and squash a piece of fig on top.  Finish with mint leaves and serve drizzled with a little extra virgin olive oil, a drop of balsamic vinegar, and some freshly ground black pepper.

Cream Cheese, Capers, Smoked Salmon and Dill (one of my fav!)

Roasted Peppers, aubergines, whole garlic drizzled with olive oil.

A good cream cheese with homemade pesto (another fav)

You really can have fun with these and just see what you enjoy and what goes well together.

Well on that note I’m officially starving!  Bon appetit!

Flavoured Vinegars & Oils

VINEGARS Flavored vinegars and oils add an extra kick to marinades, sauces, and dressings. If you are looking for an elegant and thoughtful gift to make for Christmas, try these savory blends that are sure to enhance any meal. If you grow your own herbs, this is a great way to use up any excess before the growing season is over. We hope you enjoy these unique blends. Vinegar Base 1 small bunch of parsley 1 teaspoon of peppercorns 1/8 teaspoon of salt 1 clove of garlic, peeled 1 quart of your choice of vinegar: cider, white distilled, rice wine, white wine, or red wine Place the parsley, garlic, salt and pepper in a 2 quart ceramic or glass bowl. Bring the vinegar to a boil. Pour the vinegar over the herbal mixture in the bowl. Cover and let the mixture stand for two days. Strain the mixture and decant into a sterilized bottle. Add one to three sprigs of the herbs of your choice. Seal the bottle with a cork or lid. Let stand for two more weeks before using. Flavor combinations Tarragon and lemon in white wine vinegar Chives, basil, and parsley in white wine vinegar Oregano, rosemary and thyme in red wine vinegar Lemon and dill in cider vinegar Garlic, chives blossoms and chervil in red wine vinegar Cilantro, jalapeño pepper and lime in white distilled vinegar (this one is hot) Lavender blossoms in cider vinegar Ginger root and cilantro in rice wine vinegar OILS 1 teaspoon peppercorns 8 to 10 sprigs of your choice of herbs Olive oil to fill the container you are using 1 sterile bottle or wide mouth canning jar Place the herbs and peppercorns into the sterile bottle or wide mouth canning jar. Use a funnel to decant the olive oil into the bottle to cover the herbs. Seal and let stand for one month before using. Flavor combinations Lemon and dill Tarragon and chive Lemon and garlic (one of our favorites) Garlic, onion, and basil Basil and garlic Cilantro and Lime Rosemary and Marjoram Garlic, onion, oregano and red bell pepper Note: When using large pieces of fruit or vegetables, cut them into small wedges or pieces to fit into the bottle. Use bamboo skewers to hold the pieces together in the bottle. Use herb vinegar in salad dressings, marinades, or to deglaze pans. Happy Cooking!