Fish Recipe

[BC Wench]

I've been cooking cod loin and salmon fillets in various ways, but would really like to try a different type of fish.

Any recommendations with recipes please would be appreciated.

Many thanks

[SRD]

There has been a push for people to try different, more sustainable, fish of late which has meant that several varieties have started appearing on the fishmonger's slab. Pollack is a good alternative to cod, it has a similar firm, flaky texture, although it isn't as pearly white. Personally I prefer it for its feeding habits, it preys off smaller fish unlike the cod that likes nothing more than a good sewage outfall. It can be used like cod, I'm pretty boring with it, generally grilling it with butter and black pepper and serving it on a bed of mashed potato into which has been stirred spinach cooked in butter with a little chopped shallot.

But I bet one could treat it like monkfish and lightly smear pesto onto it, wrap it in prosciutto (any of the hams; Parma, Jamon Serrano or the like, there are even English ones around now, a local butcher does a superb applewood smoked one, it's pricey but you only need a couple of wafer thin slices) and tie up with pudding string to keep the parcel together (you can pin it with cocktail sticks but they can burn), then quickly fry the parcel before roasting it in a medium to hot oven until cooked through (chefs might only do it for 5 minutes, we tend to go closer to 15). If you have a small, all metal, frying pan it can go into the oven so no need to transfer to a roasting tin but be careful, the handle will be exceedingly hot, I've still got a small scar on the palm of my hand from grabbing the handle of a frying pan that had been in the oven. Deglaze the pan with marsala or sweetish sherry and pour over. You could use a medium dry wine or vermouth if you prefer a less sweet dish. I'd serve it with mashed potatoes (made with olive oil) with maybe a tiny amount of pesto stirred in and roasted tomatoes maybe dressed with a little balsamic vinegar.

If you do grab a hot handle, forget the waste of food and drop it immediately then get your hand under a running cold tap until you can't feel the pain anymore (several minutes) whilst screaming at the kids/dog/partner not to touch the mess on the floor. Only a certain kind of macho professional chef sees scarred hands as a badge of honour.

[SRD]

Another fish that seems to be appearing more regularly are Tilapia fillets. These need very little cooking so need only a simple grilling but, because they have a very slight oiliness, lend themselves to having a nice fruity salsa with them; dice sweet red pepper, sweet onion or spring onion, a fruit like papaya or mango, and tomato, stir in a minced chilli and some chopped coriander leaf and dress with lime juice. Serve with boiled charlotte potatoes dressed with butter and parsley.

[SRD]

I like fishcakes and one can use any flaky cooked fish but MrsSRD makes them with tinned salmon.
Take equal volumes of potato well mashed with butter and a 400gm tin of salmon drained and flaked in a bowl. Separate an egg and add the yolk to the bowl. If one likes one can add some chopped capers/parsley/dill. Season with salt and pepper (for this I prefer white pepper). Mix thoroughly and then chill the mix for 20 - 30 minutes to let it firm up a bit (this bit can be missed out but it's easier to do the next bit if the mixture is a bit firmer). Divide the mix into patties or croquettes and chill for another 20 - 30 minutes (this bit can be missed out but it's easier to do the next bit if the patties are a bit firmer). Lightly beat the egg white to break down it's strength but don't beat it so much it foams. Dip the patties into the egg white then coat with breadcrumbs (the in thing to use is matzo crumbs which one can buy in supermarkets, especially where there's a Jewish community, but I have a wheat allergy so we use rye breadcrumbs) and fry in half an inch of cooking oil, turning when one side gets nicely browned. Serve with a bit of green salad (it's nice to use something a bit bitter like chicory or frisée), sliced tomatoes and cucumber, mayo with a squeeze of lemon juice mixed into it, and brown bread and butter.

[BC Wench]

Sorry for the late reply SRD. Thank you so much for the recipes, they sound really delicious. Never heard of tilapia.

Unfortunately, my fish man called this morning before I found out your fish suggestions and I've had salmon fillets - again. Last week I did baked salmon with a pistachio/parmesan crust, with fried potatoes and veg. I found the meal a little dry, so could you recommend a sauce to go with it please.

Many thanks again for your fish recipes.

[Rob]

[SRD]

A simple Bechamel sauce might work http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/bechamelsauce_70004, I might use a bay leaf as well as parsley (bay is one of my favourite herbs) and I stud my onion with one or two cloves as well and add a grating of nutmeg if I don't have mace, but mace is best for this and it keeps for ages in a dark glass jar (like a very well washed Bovril/Marmite one) in a dark cupboard. I also tend to leave the flavourings standing in the milk for at least half an hour before I'm ready to make the sauce, it gives a more intense flavour. Those with wheat/gluten problems can thicken the sauce with slaked cornflour and use a mix of cream & milk to replace the richness of the butter.

Pistachio & Parmesan suggest Italy to me so a Mediterranean tomato sauce made by thinly slicing onion and softening it in olive oil, adding some crushed garlic and cooking for a minute or so more, add some thinly sliced peppers (lots of different colours looks good) and fry for a minute or so, add a tin of chopped tomatoes, season and add a pinch of oregano(and/or a bay leaf), bring to boil, cover and simmer for 10 - 20 minutes then uncover and reduce to a sauce consistency; you don't want the onions and peppers to cook to a mush but rather look like multi coloured spaghetti in a tomato sauce. You could add some celery and/or fennel slices with the onion and forget the peppers, or keep all of it in for something more like a Mediterranean vegetable stew.

Alternatively a parmesan flavoured cheese sauce might fit well, don't use all Parmesan in the sauce, it may well be too strong, but mix it with a milder flavoured cheese.

Fish doesn't want a lot of cooking, I find many recipe cards tend to weigh too heavily on the "It must be properly cooked otherwise we'll get sued because of food poisoning" end of cooking times and so the fish ends up like wadges of cotton wool. To get a nice browned crust on a crusted, baked fish dish bang it under a hot grill for a few seconds or wave a blow torch over it.

[SRD]

My website has a recipe for a baked Sea Bass dish http://www.riverdale.org.uk/food/recipes/seabasspotatoprovencale.html which could be adapted for any fish fillets with the skin still on. Alternatively it might be possible to cover the whole mix with a crumb crust (cheats could probably use a stuffing mix).

[mallosa]

Did anyone watch the Mary Berry Story last night? What a wonderful lady!

She made Fish Pie and it looked delicious, I've gotta try it. Here's the recipe - http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/mary_ ... _pie_79943


not sure if this link will work but here goes...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0 ... Episode_1/

[SRD]

I'm not a great fan of eggs in fish pie, it seems a step too far to me, and she only uses one type of fish, albeit in two different preparations.
My preference is to take equal weights of salmon, smoked haddock or cod and the cheapest white chunky fish on the slab; coley or pollack are fine as are haddock or cod as long as it's not the same as the smoked one and is a good chunky fish, and a handful of prawns.
Boil and mash some potatoes with butter and cream, season with white pepper and salt.
Make up the Bechamel sauce as above and add some chopped dill or parsley
Cut the fish into bite sized chunks and mix all together and place in an ovenproof dish.
Pour the sauce over the fish.
Top with the mashed potato, fleck with butter and bake in a medium oven until the filling is bubbling and the crust flecked with brown (between 20 & 40 minutes).
Serve with peas.

[Northern Lass]

I'm not a great fan of eggs in fish pie, it seems a step too far to me, and she only uses one type of fish, albeit in two different preparations.
My preference is to take equal weights of salmon, smoked haddock or cod and the cheapest white chunky fish on the slab; coley or pollack are fine as are haddock or cod as long as it's not the same as the smoked one and is a good chunky fish, and a handful of prawns.
Boil and mash some potatoes with butter and cream, season with white pepper and salt.
Make up the Bechamel sauce as above and add some chopped dill or parsley
Cut the fish into bite sized chunks and mix all together and place in an ovenproof dish.
Pour the sauce over the fish.
Top with the mashed potato, fleck with butter and bake in a medium oven until the filling is bubbling and the crust flecked with brown (between 20 & 40 minutes).
Serve with peas.

Sounds Lovely Srd might have a go at that one myself thanks

[BC Wench]

Thanks SRD for the sauces, they sound really lovely. That sea bass sounds good too. I love sea bass but never cooked it myself.

Thanks Mally as well for the Mary Berry Fish Pie.

Looks like I'll have to start getting in some more herbs.

[dudleytaylor]

SRD ,you must be a really good cook. everything you write about sounds delicious.I am not a fish person ,but it all sounds yummy

[SRD]

I love food. And once I'd got out of the fussy early teens I'd try anything. My mum was a good 'country' cook and once I'd left home I realised that if I wanted to continue eating in the manner to which I'd become accustomed I'd have to learn to cook myself. Add to that a period that I spent in a Gujerati household (I was madly in love with their daughters) which honed my spicing skills and a long period of unemployment due to disability when my contribution to my group of friends, all of whom were working, who subsidised my social life, was to help out with all their domestic chores including preparing meals for them when they got home from work. On top of that for the past 20 odd years I've been living with a lady who has M.S. and other severe spinal structural difficulties who also loves her food, so there's been a lot of time to learn about the preparation and enjoyment of food.

[SRD]

For a special treat, and when fresh tuna is well reduced in price, I make a fresh Salad Nicoise for the two of us.
Trim, halve and blanche a handful of French or Kenyan Fine beans and throw into cold water to stop them cooking, when cold let them dry on a couple of sheets of kitchen paper.
Line a couple of bowls with two or three of the top green bits of Cos lettuce (also called Romaine or you can use Little Gem or Webbs Wonder but not a soft lettuce or an iceberg), coarsely shred the rest and put in a mixing bowl, add a couple of coarsely chopped tomatoes, the French beans, half a tin of artichoke hearts quartered (you can use new potatoes cooked,cooled and cut into chunks) and a handful of pitted black olives (Kalamata are best). Dress with a vinaigrette and divide between the two bowls. Lay a couple of anchovy fillets across the top (more if liked) and a sprinkling of small capers (if liked).
Brush the surface of a couple of smallish tuna fillets about 1cm thick with olive oil and season with coarsely ground black pepper. Griddle or grill until virtually cooked through (we prefer our tuna undercooked as overcooked it can be more like cotton wool) and keep warm.
Poach a couple of eggs.
Lay the tuna across the top of the salad, perch the egg on top and season well with salt and black pepper.
Serve with a chunky crust of bread.

I have made this on the BBQ.