Week 12 - Fish Baps with Mushy Peas

This was a fantastic weeknight meal, pretty much no prep, quick and full of flavour. Remember to get all of your ingredients if you want a truly 15 (or 20) minute meal. I nailed this one in 20 but oh my gosh you should have seen the state of the kitchen! Poor OH with the clean up.

Watch out for cayenne pepper.. much hotter than chilli powder!!! I used quite a lot so the fish had a definite kick! I loved the yoghurt tartare though, very different and helped balance the heat.

Coating the fish

Browning it off

Yum!

Book: 15 Minute Meals

Recipe: The Best Fish Baps with Mushy Peas and Tartare Sauce

Ingredients: 

Serves 4

Baps

4 nice wholewheat gaps (any roll will do really!)
4 large (halved) or 8 small flat-fish fillets (around 480g) - I used Perch - skin off and pin boned
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
½ a mug of plain flour
olive oil
25g parmesan cheese
1 punnet of cress - I used pea sprouts
1 lemon

Peas

1 medium potato
500g frozen peas
½ a bunch of fresh mint

Sauce

6 cornichons
1 tablespoon capers
1 little gem lettuce
250g natural yoghurt
¼ of a bunch of flat leaf parsley
1 lemon

Method: 

Ingredients out, Kettle boiled, Oven at 130°c, small lidded pan high heat, large fry pan high heat, food processor (bowl blades)

Put the baps into the oven, slice the potato 0.5cm think, put it into the small pan, cover with boiling water and the lit and bring to the boil. On a sheet of greaseproof paper, season the fish with salt, pepper and cayenne, then sprinkle over flour to coat.

Pour 2 tablespoons of oil into the frying pan and add the fish. Cook until golden, finely grating the Parmesan over the top when you flip it over. Top the frozen peas into the pan with the potato then rip in the leafy top half of the mint and replace the lid.

Put the cornichons, capers, lettuce and yoghurt into the processor. Tear in the top leafy half of the parsley, squeeze in the lemon juice, then whiz up, season to taste and pour into a bowl. Drain the peas and potatoes, puree in the processor and season to taste. When the fish is perfect, get the baps out of the oven and serve with the peas, tartare sauce, punches of cress and lemon wedges.


Changes Made: Regular multi-grain rolls

Results: Great! Nice and light meal, pretty healthy and so tasty! The peas were fantastic and will be something to incorporate a lot more in dinners, very quick. Fish was delish although I underestimated the potency of cayenne pepper.. lucky I can handle the heat!

Next Time: Nothing :)

Week 6 - Mixed Fish Grill

My sister came to visit and in traditional Adelaide weather it was a weekend of high thirties days and hot nights.. not very nice! This week was a sister pick and we thought we would enjoy the day with some seafood. This recipe had it all, easy to make, healthy, tasty and so quick!

There was more to this recipe, but due to the weather we felt we did not need he fennel and couscous sides.

Sorry for the lack of photos, I was too excited about eating I forgot to take a "finished" shot.

The base of champions!

Just about to pop in the oven

Book: 15 minute meals

Recipe: Mixed Fish Grill

Ingredients: 

Serves 4

1 bunch of fresh parsley
1 fresh red chilli
12 ripe mixed colour cherry tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic
olive oil
1/2 a lemon
400g mixed fish fillets, scaled and pin boned (we used snapper and tuna)
4 large raw shell on prawns
500g clams and mussels, scrubbed, cleaned and debearded

Method: 

Roughly chop the parsley leaves and chilli and out into a large high sided roasting tray with the tomatoes. Squash in the unpeeled garlic through a garlic crusher and mix with 1 tablespoon of oil, salt, pepper, and the juice of half a lemon. Half the fish fillets, then add to the tray with the shellfish (throw away any mussels or clams that wont close when tapped), and toss together. Cook in the oven for 10 minutes or until the clams and mussels have opened (throw away any that remain closed).

Serve with lemon wedges.

Changes Made: More prawns, as we love them! Not much else changed as its such a simple and easy one. 

Results: Delish! Loved the addition of the cherry tomatoes as they just pop in your mouth with sweet goodness. This was so easy, although it all ended up a little salty from the mussels opening (I assume that was why) and tasted a little sea watery. 

Next Time: Maybe cook the mussels separate, and turn the oven up more!!

Week 1 - Moroccan Fish and Chips

I wanted to begin with something a little ambitious but after cooking the whole Christmas lunch I think I may have scaled down those ambitions, for the first week anyway. The week ahead in Adelaide boasts numerous days above 40° so I instantly thought... Seafood. 

This recipe is a fancy take on fish and chips and looks delicious. Fish is a fairly new ingredient that I have learnt to enjoy and can't wait to give it a go!

Book: Jamie Does...

Recipe: Moroccan Fish and Chips

Marinating the Fish

Salad

Fish after being pan fried

The Finished Product.. Delish!

Not to forget.. my little helper for the evening, waiting patiently until I drop some food.

Ingredients: 

Serves 4

600 grams Monkfish tails, skin off, trimmed and cut into 5cm pieces
olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1kg baking potatoes, scrubbed clean
2 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
½ a small cucumber, halved and sliced
1 carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1 tablespoon capers, drained
a small bunch of fresh coriander, leaves picked
4 Arab-style breads or flatbread
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
natural yoghurt, to serve

For the Marinade:
½ tablespoon paprica
½ tablespoon turmeric
½ tablespoon ground ginger
½ tablespoon ground coriander
a small bunch of fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Put your fish into a bowl with all the marinade ingredients, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a nice big pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well so that the monkfish gets evenly coated, then cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. 

Meanwhile, cut the potatoes into 1cm chips and spread out in a single layer on 2 large roasting trays. Drizzle over a few lugs of olive pol, season, and toss the chips until coated. Roast for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through crisp and lightly golden. Halfway through the cooking time swap trays around and give a good shake so all the chips cook evenly.

Put a griddle pan or large non-stick fry pan on a high heat to get really hot. Make your salad by mixing the tomatoes, cucumber, carrot, capers and coriander together in a bowl. 

About 10 minutes before your chips are ready, put fish pieces into the screaming hot pan and cook, turning every couple of minutes for 5 to 7 minutes, until firm and cooked through. You'll need to do this in two batches if in a small pan. Warm breads in a hot dry pan for 30 seconds each side, or wrap in foil and pop them into the oven for a few minutes. Dress the salad with the white wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil, then season with a pinch of salt and pepper and toss. 

Tear your warm breads in half and slit them open with a knife. Stuff the pockets with a small haldful of salad, a few monkfish chunks and a dollop of yoghurt. Sprinkle a little paprika over your chips and serve on the side. 

Changes Made: As I have never heard to Monkfish I went in search for a firm white fish, Basa is what I decided on. A cheap, delicious fish that held its shape and worked well. I also hate coriander so substituted it for basil which went well, although I still used ground coriander as I feel its taste is not as strong. 

Results: What a great way to start the year! As being someone who has never cooked fish before I was a little sceptical as to how hard this recipe would be.. it was so simple and so delicious... which is so Jamie. I love eating with my hands and this dish allowed me to do what I love. The idea of putting everything in a pocket was great. On a hot summer night this is just what you want. 

The salad crunchiness was just what you need with a soft white fish and surprisingly my little pita's didn't fall apart! The biggest issue was the marinade/fish sticking to the pan, not sure what happened here but it was an issue as I had to wash the pan in-between the batches of fish causing the fish to cool down before serving. It was a bit hit overall and something I would definitely do again.

Next Time: The yogurt could have done with some garlic and lemon added to it just to bring everything together. I would also look for a thicker flatbread.