fish

by

Dentice Al Forno Con Patate; The Italian Home Cook – Silvia Colloca

 ‘The Italian Home Cook by Silvia Colloca, published by Plum, RRP $44.99, photography by Rob Palmer.’

Description:
‘Italians are taught from a young age to cherish the ingredients we cook with, whether home grown or store bought. We have observed our nonnas caring for these ingredients with passion and knowledge, and turning them into meals we will never stop craving or recreating.’

Australia’s favourite Italian home cook, Silvia Colloca, shares the 100 recipes that will show you how to cook like a true Italian, using the most humble of ingredients: end-of-summer tomatoes, salty anchovies, vibrant greens, oozy burrata and many more.

These are the dishes made lovingly in homes around Italy every day, and they are often brought to life with only a handful of ingredients and the simplest equipment. Try silky handmade noodles, savoury pies filled with fresh ricotta and parmigiano, crispy fried seafood, or slow-cooked ossobuco over saffron risotto. The Italian Home Cook is your essential guide to shopping, cooking and eating like an Italian, and will help you bring a little slice of Italy into your own home.

Another great book from this wonderful cook! I love Silvia’s recipes. Whole Snapper with potatoes, cherry tomatoes, olives and capers is perfect for any family gathering.

“The idea with this dish is to create a tasty bed for a whole fi sh to nestle on. As it all bakes, the juices, flavours and aromas combine to create the most delicious one-pan dinner. Watch out for those coveted potatoes . . . they are sensational, having absorbed all the pan juices like golden sponges” p200

Ingredients: Serves 4

125 g (3⁄4 cup) cherry tomatoes, cut in half
90 g (1⁄2 cup) pitted black olives
1–2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
3–4 anchovy fi llets in olive oil, drained
125 ml (1⁄2 cup) dry white wine 100 ml extra-virgin olive oil
3 potatoes, boiled and cut into wedges
salt flakes
1 × 1 kg whole snapper, scaled and gutted, scored with two slashes on each side
roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves, to serve

Method:

Preheat your oven to 180°C.

Oil a large baking dish.

Place the cherry tomatoes, olives, capers, anchovies, wine and half the olive oil in the dish. Add the potato, season with salt and toss with the other ingredients. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven.
Place the snapper on the cherry tomato mixture and baste with the pan juices, drizzling them onto the slashes cut into the flesh. Season with a little more salt and return to the oven. Bake for a further 20–25 minutes or until the fish is just cooked through. To test if it’s ready, gently lift some flesh with a butter knife. If it lifts off easily and looks opaque, the fish is done.

Scatter some parsley over the top, drizzle on the remaining olive oil and serve.

by

Marinated Mackerel: Adriatico – Paola Bacchia

Adriatico_cover

From Adriatico: Stories and recipes from Italy’s Adriatic Coast by Paola Bacchia

(Smith Street Books, September 2018 – AU$ 55, NZ$ 65)

 

Marinated mackerel

Sgombri in aceto

 Marinated mackerel

SERVES 4 AS AN APPETISER

300 g (10½ oz) mackerel fillets (about 900 g/2 lb before cleaning)

250–500 ml (8½ –17 fl oz/ 1–2 cups) white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons finely chopped mint

1 large clove garlic, finely chopped

3 tablespoons good-quality extra virgin olive oil

sea salt

 

Wrap the mackerel fillets in a clean piece of fine white cloth (I use pieces of old cotton sheets but you could also use muslin or a tea towel) and tie the ends with string or elastic bands, so it looks like a bon-bon. Place the parcel in a saucepan filled with room-temperature water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 2 minutes, then remove the parcel and allow most of the water to drip off it.

 

Place the parcel of mackerel in a medium ceramic or glass bowl and pour in enough vinegar to cover the fish completely. Set aside for 1 hour.

 

Combine the mint, garlic and olive oil in a bowl and set aside to steep.

 

After an hour, remove the parcel from the vinegar and open the ends. Gently remove the fish fillets (take care as they may stick to the cloth and break). They should be mostly white; if they are still very pink, drop them directly into the vinegar and check them in 5–10 minutes. It’s fine if they are pale pink.

 

Pat the fish dry with paper towel and place on a serving plate. Drizzle with the infused olive oil and season to taste with sea salt.

 

Authors note:

Fresh mackerel are beautiful fish to look at, with their large eyes and colourful silvery skin. They are plentiful and easily caught in spring, when they approach the shore to eat tiny anchovies.

 

You might think that marinating the poached fillets in vinegar would make the flavour overwhelmingly acidic, but it’s quite the opposite. It removes any excessive fishiness from the delicate fillets and – when dressed with extra virgin olive oil, garlic and mint – imparts a well-balanced lightness. It is the kind of appetiser you would want to share on the terrace with close friends on a warm summer night over a bottle of crisp Fiano, a white wine typical of the Gargano.

 

I usually ask my fishmonger to clean the innards from the mackerel, and then fillet them at home, although you could always see if your fishmonger would do the filleting part too. Make sure you remove any bones with fine tweezers – there aren’t many but it’s worth taking the trouble. If you can’t find mackerel, use large sardine fillets instead.

by

Lemon Herb Fishcakes: The Smart Baby Cookbook – Lauren Cheney

SmartBabyCookbook_cover_SML

Smart Baby Cookbook by Lauren Cheney (Murdoch Books RRP $24.99)

 

Lemon Herb Fish Cakes with Avocado Citrus Sauce

 

Making time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Makes 15 patties

 

 

“Not your average fish patties, these lemon herb salmon cakes will have the fussiest of eaters lining up for more. The citrus sauce adds a silky flavour punch and bite-sized patties are perfect for little mouths.” p136.

 

1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped

415 g (15 oz) tinned pink salmon

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley

1 tablespoon lemon zest

2 spring onions (scallions), finely chopped

60 g (2½ oz/1 cup) wholemeal fresh breadcrumbs (GF if desired)

2 tablespoons finely chopped sweet gherkins or pickles

1 large egg, whisked

Olive oil, for cooking

 

Avocado Citrus Sauce

260 g (9¼ oz/1 cup) Greek-style yoghurt

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill

1 teaspoon lemon juice

½ avocado, mashed

1 teaspoon garlic powder

 

Boil the sweet potato in a saucepan of water until tender. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, combine the avocado citrus sauce ingredients in a bowl and keep in the fridge.

Drain the salmon and mash with a fork in a large bowl. Add the parsley, lemon zest, spring onions, cold mashed sweet potato, breadcrumbs, gherkins and egg. Mix everything together. Form the mixture into small round bite-size patties.

Heat some olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Place the salmon patties in the pan and cook for 2–4 minutes on each side until they are heated through and have a golden crust.

 

For Baby:

Serve as finger food with avocado citrus sauce for dipping.

 

All Grown Up:

Season with salt and pepper and serve with avocado citrus sauce and a green salad.

 

Smart Tip

Dill aids digestion and offers anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties.

 

by

Southern Indian Fish Curry – Gordon Ramsay’s Ultimate Fit Food

 

Gordon Ramsay’s Ultimate Fit Food ($39.99), published by Hachette Australia.

Photographer Jamie Orlando Smith

Ultimate Fit Food

Gordon Ramsay’s Ultimate Fit Food ($39.99), published by Hachette Australia.

Photographer Jamie Orlando Smith

 

SOUTHERN INDIAN FISH CURRY

SERVES 6

“This is a lightly spiced, creamy curry with a delicately sweet-and-sour flavour that is popular in the southern regions of India. Serve it with boiled basmati or brown rice for a perfectly balanced pre-exercise meal. Coconut is rich in a certain type of saturated fat which is metabolized more rapidly than that from animal sources – this means that coconut makes a useful energy source for endurance sport and competitions.” p. 230

Southern Indian Fish Curry

½ tbsp flavourless oil, e.g. groundnut, for frying

2 onions, peeled and finely sliced

2 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp ground turmeric

2 tsp ground cumin

3cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and grated

1–2 long red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped, to taste

1 x 400ml tin reduced fat coconut milk

1–2 tbsp tamarind paste or watered-down tamarind block

1 small aubergine, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 carrots, chopped into bite-sized rounds

200g green beans, topped and tailed and cut in half

600g meaty white fish (e.g. cod, pollock, haddock or coley), cut into bite-sized pieces

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

TO SERVE

Coconut and Ginger Brown Rice (see next post)

2 tbsp desiccated coconut, toasted (optional)

 

 

 1.Place a large, shallow saucepan or a high-sided frying pan over a medium heat and add the oil. Once hot, add the sliced onions with a pinch of salt and saute for 8–10 minutes, until completely soft.

2. Add the spices and continue to cook for a further minute or until you can really smell them, then add the ginger and chillies and stir over the heat for a further minute.

3. Pour in the coconut milk, tamarind paste and 400ml of water (use the empty coconut milk tin to measure the 400ml). Season with salt and pepper, stir well and bring to a simmer.

4. Once the sauce is simmering, add the aubergine and continue to cook for 5 minutes, then add the carrots and simmer for 10–15 minutes, until the carrots and aubergine are tender and the sauce has thickened a little.

5. Add the green beans and cook for a further 3 minutes, then add the fish. Stir well to coat, then cook for 3–4 minutes, until the fish is just cooked through. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.

6. Serve the curry with rice in warmed serving bowls, sprinkled with toasted desiccated coconut, if using.

by

Salmon & Quinoa Fishcakes: The Energy Guide – Dr Libby Weaver

The Energy Guide

The Energy Guide by Dr Libby Weaver is published by Macmillan Australia, RRP $39.99

 

Salmon & Quinoa Fishcakes

Prep ahead:
• Steam sweet potato and salmon
• Cook quinoa
Cooking time:45 minutes
Preparation time: 20 minutes

 

 

Salmon & Quinoa Fishcakes
SALMON & QUINOA FISH CAKES
Serves: 4
300 g sweet potato, peeled and chopped
500 g skinless salmon fillet
½ cup (100 g) tricolour quinoa, rinsed well (see Glossary)
1 cup (120 g) almond meal
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon red curry paste
100 g green beans, trimmed and thinly sliced
4 kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded (see Glossary)
finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil
salad greens and lime wedges (optional), to serve

“Fish cakes are a great healthy staple. These have extra protein
from the quinoa, meaning they’re particularly satiating. Serve
them with additional greens or one of the salad recipes in this
book. The fish cakes can be frozen (cooked or uncooked) in an
airtight container for up to 3 weeks.” p. 148
Steam the sweet potato for 20 minutes or until soft. Remove from
the heat and mash.
Steam the salmon for 10–15 minutes until it flakes easily. Remove
from the heat and flake the salmon, discarding any bones.
Meanwhile, cook half the quinoa in a saucepan of boiling water
for 20 minutes or until soft. Rinse and drain well.
Place the sweet potato, salmon, cooked quinoa, almond meal,
egg, curry paste, beans, kaffi r lime leaves and lime zest and juice
in a bowl and mix well to combine.
Divide the mixture into four portions and form into patties.
Sprinkle both sides of the patties with the remaining quinoa
to lightly coat.
Melt the coconut oil in a large deep frying pan over medium heat
and cook the fi sh cakes (in batches if necessary) for 5 minutes
on each side or until golden and cooked through. Serve the fish
cakes on salad leaves with lime wedges, if you like.

by

Scented Steamed Fish – Secrets From My Indian Family Kitchen – Anjali Pathak

The description and image in the cookbook  Secrets From My Family Kitchen (p.124) tempted me to give this one a try – and I ( and my dinner guests) were  not disappointed This was so easy and so delicious! Salmon fillets and a coconut + yoghurt spiced sauce cooked in foil or oven bake for about 15mins and dinner is ready!  This is one I will be serving for future dinner parties – it is so simple and fuss free but will taste like you have spent hours in the kitchen. Superb! This book has reawakened my passion for cooking.  Needed –  a lesson or two on how to take great food photos:)

IMG_2756

Scented Steamed Fish – p124 Secrets From My Indian Family Kitchen – Anjali Pathak