Fish

I have finally found a decent fish supplier – hurrah! Despite the fact that I live less than three miles from a harbour, it’s almost impossible to buy fish locally. I think most of it seems to disappears straight out of the town. I was bemoaning this fact to Matthew at the michelin starred Montagu Arms, and he introduced me to their suppliers – Premier Fish… A quick look on their web site sent me into small ecstasies – there’s brill, turbot, halibut, lobster, prawns, clams, anything you can think of – fabulous. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to do something “big”, so, meet my chum, the 3kg halibut, dubbed Herbert by the 11 year old.

Halibut is a pretty high end fish – it’s delicate yet meaty, a stunning white colour, with an open texture. It can handle pretty robust flavours, and when I spotted a recipe by Tom Kitchin which included salsa verde a citrus dressing, and olives, I knew I had to make it. I’m a huge fan of Tom’s. He’s worked with and for Pierre Koffmann, and a number of other excellent chefs. As a punter, it’s always fabulous when you find a chef who’s palate matches your own personal preferences, and Tom inspires me utterly. Some flavours are understated, others are incredibly bold – but always the produce is allowed to shine through to show respect to the ingredients… That’s my kind of chef!

The joy of a restaurant recipe is that you tend to find the chef has broken the dish down into stages, many of which can be completed in advance. In this case the salsa verde, citrus dressing and vegetables can all be prepped earlier in the day. The fish itself requires no more than 6 minutes cooking in total, so it’s perfectly viable to do that bit of the dish at the last moment.

Now of course it isn’t necessary for you to buy a whole halibut, heaven forbid! I bought one because I really wanted to fillet it :0) Filleting a big fish is hilarious – it’s practically wrestling – but if you’re interested in having a go, there are several excellent videos on YouTube – just make sure you choose the right fish. Oh, and another fishy point, farmed halibut will have a mottled underbelly, where wild will have a white belly…

Ingredients
Salsa Verde
2 tablespoons chopped basil
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon mint
3 tablespoons capers
4 anchovy fillets
1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
150ml olive oil
4 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 lemon, zest and juice
(You might need a tiny bit of sugar to balance the acidity)

Citrus Dressing
4 lemons, segments and zest
8 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil

Vegetables
6-8 new potatoes (I used fir, didn’t have any new to hand)
vegetable oil
100g fresh samphire (didn’t have any)
12 olives, pitted and chopped (we both used black)
300g baby spinach
2 tablespoons chopped chivesFish
2 x 200g halibut fillets

To Serve
chervil and dill
micro leaves if you have them
diced croutons made with 2 slices of white bread

Method (in advance)

To prepare the salsa verde, blend everything together until smooth, then set aside in the fridge
For the dressing, toss everything together and set aside
Cut the bread into small dice, and fry in oilive oil until golden
Boil the potatoes until cooked, and cut into slicesWhen ready to serveFry the potato slices in vegetable oil until crisp and golden brown
Add the samphire, and chopped olives, then the baby spinach, shallots and chives
Pat the halibut fillets dry, and sason well with salt.
Heat two tablespoons of vegetable oil over a medium head, and add the fish.
Cook until they are golden on both sides, turning once.
This will take around three minutes per side. Allow the fish to rest for 3 or 4 minutes

To plate

Put a pool of salsa verde onto each plate
Top with the vegetable mix, then the halibut
Spoon the dressing over the halibut, and add some croutons
Garnish with the herbs (and micro-leaves, if you have them)

The salsa verde and citrus dressing don’t clash – there are so many other big flavours that they work together well. The last time I had something similar, it was actually a rabbit dish, cooked by an Observer food editor twenty years ago, and had the same earthy and bright notes… I know they sound completely different, but they strike the same note within my palate. Hubby and the 11yo had cleared their plates before I’d even finished photographing mine – and wanted to know when I could make it again! Another victory for the lovely Mr Kitchin.

You can find this recipe in Tom’s first book, and don’t forget his second is due out imminently! >

I’ve been eating for two weeks… This may seem like a bit of a dream for some people, but my palate is jaded, I needed something much more comforting and zingy. I’ve also been up since 4am this morning, and I’m definitely not in the mood for one of my elaborate cookery sessions – so it has to be fast!

At this time of the year my fridge is full of summery seasonal produce, but the weather speaks much more of autumn. So, what to make? I check what I have – a large salmon fillet, Jersey royals of course, English asparagus, etc… Not really what I’m after I must admit…

I eye up my last remaining bottle of my favourite African Volcano peri peri marinade, and wonder when I will actually see Grant again to get some replacements… But it’s too late. My palate is already craving the rounded heat of Grant’s sauce, and there will be no alternative.

I decide to make a variation of one of my regular ‘quick’ dishes, here with a swift kick of spice to bring it alive. I always have a large fillet of salmon in my fridge – it’s an incredibly versatile ingredient… You can marinade it in white miso, or brown miso, teriyaki, olive oil and herbs… Anything you fancy really, so I knew it would take to Grant’s marinade with aplomb.

I popped the fillet into a food bag with the marinade, but I also added a small handful of crushed pink peppercorns – I wanted that tart piquancy that they add, and of course the colour doesn’t look strange here either. Then I wandered off for half an hour. Pop the salmon in a roasting tray covered in foil for 10 minutes, then uncover it for the remaining 15 to allow the skin to crisp up. I also popped in some lime quarters as roasted lime is delicious with fish.

While the fish was cooking I peeled the asparagus and popped that in a foil parcel to roast alongside the salmon, and prepared some boiled and crushed Jersey royals with olive oil. How simple is that?

Now. Jamie Oliver has a sweet potato mash that would have worked perfectly with this, but I didn’t have sweet potatoes in my fridge today. We make this mash regularly, it has a spicy kick, and an amazing tangy savoury contrast via a combination of lime, mango chutney and soya sauce… Next time I will definitely make this dish using that mash and not the Jersey royals, lovely though they were. The recipe is in Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals, but I’ve included a link below from the Daily Mail website for ease.

Line your trays with foil, and the whole thing will take you about 15 minutes of prep, and about the same of actual cooking. Result.

If you want to try the African Volcano marinade or sauce for yourself (and you should!), you can pop along to the Maltby Street Market on a Saturday, or contact Grant directly for a clandestine handing over of bottles…

Jamie’s Sweet Potato Mash

Ingredients:

700g (1lb 9oz) sweet potatoes
A small bunch of fresh coriander
2tbsp mango chutney
Soy sauce
2 limes

Wash the sweet potatoes, trim off any gnarly bits, then stab them a few times with a knife. Put in a large microwave-safe bowl, halve one of the limes and add to the bowl, then cover with a double layer of clingfilm and microwave on full power for 12 minutes, or until cooked through.

Finely chop the coriander on a large wooden chopping board, setting a few leaves aside for the garnish. Add the mango chutney, a good splash of soy sauce, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, the juice from ½ a lime and the reserved chopped chilli. Chop and mix everything together on the board.

Get the sweet potatoes out of the microwave and check they are cooked through, then use tongs to squeeze over the juice from the hot lime halves and discard them.

Carefully tip the sweet potatoes on top of the mango chutney mixture and use a knife or masher to chop and mash everything together, including the skins. Season to taste, adding more fresh lime juice if needed.

This is last week’s salmon by the way, when I was clearly feeling much more summery and light :0)

Halibut, with Salsa Verde and a Citrus Dressing…

Roasted Salmon in African Volcano PeriPeri Sauce