Category: Fish & seafood

Cold water prawns with black garlic dip

Published on by Hanna2 Comments

IMG_4222

Most Fridays of my childhood life before I moved to London we would have prawns for supper. When I grew up it was an easy supper to prepare for my mother who worked full time and we never grew tired of it. Even at university we had prawns for supper regularly and I do miss it at times.

Of course there are prawns in the shops here too, but often peeled and therefore less tasty. But when I was shopping at Waitrose for this Friday’s little dinner party they had plenty in the fish counter.

I admit it was a bit alien for my friends to peel prawns for dinner, but they all got into it. And the black garlic dip I served them with was such a nice change from mayonnaise or aioli. Much more depth in flavour I will definitely make this again.

Describing the flavour of the fermented garlic is near impossible as it is rather complex. But compared to regular garlic it is much milder, sweeter and rounder in flavour.

Black garlic-dipp, serves 5-6

Translated and adapted from Pytte’s recipe.

4 cloves black garlic

300 ml full fat creme fraiche

1 lemon wedge, juice only

salt and pepper

Press the black garlic and mix with the creme fraiche. Add lemon juice, salt and pepper and b beat with a stick blender for a few minutes for a fluffy dip. 

Squid with chorizo, cannellini beans, spinach and aioli

Published on by Hanna2 Comments

IMG_3199

One reason I love living in London is of course the restaurant scene. It is ever changing and evolving and I love (and hate!) the fact that I can’t keep up. Eating out inspires me a lot as a home cook but it is not always the most impressive and technically difficult dishes that appeal the most.

Since I had a similar version of this squid dish at Terroirs in October I have been waiting for the perfect opportunity to cook it since. So when Laura, another squid lover, came for dinner the other week I knew exactly what to cook.

IMG_3197

The Terroirs original has chickpeas instead of my cannellini beans but other than that I think I hit quite close to home. My homecooked dish was just as satisfying and although this is a straight-forward recipe with simple ingredients the combination is just utterly wonderful. (Chorizo is a bit like bacon – whatever you add it to tastes wonderful.) All it requires is some crusty bread and a nice glass of wine.

IMG_3208

Squid with chorizo, cannellini beans, spinach and aioli, serves 4

400 g squid, sliced into rings

150 g chorizo, sliced

1 tin (400g) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained 

250 g fresh spinach

oil for frying

1/2 lemon, the juice

salt, black pepper

To serve:

chopped parsley

aioli (see below)

crusty bread

Fry the chorizo in the oil. Remove from the pan but keep the oil to flash-fry the squid. A few minutes is all you need. Put the chorizo back in the pan and add the beans. Wilt the spinach in a separate pan and add it to the big pan too. Squeeze with lemon juice, season and serve! 

Aioli, serves 4

1 egg yolk, at room temperature

150 ml vegetable oil

1/2 lemon, the juice

salt, white pepper

1 garlic clove, pressed

Place the yolk in a mixing bowl and start whisking. Add the oil drop by drop and gradually in a thin beam. Once the mayonnaise has thickened, add the lemon juice to loosen it. Then start whisking again and incorporate the remaining oil. Add more lemon for flavour as well as salt, pepper and garlic. 

NYE 2012: starter II

Published on by HannaLeave a comment

IMG_2675The second starter on New Year’s Eve, was also a seafood dish. Nice big scallops fried on high heat with a truffled celeriac puré, apple caramel and crispy apple. Sooo good!

The recipe is courtesy of Daniel Clifford, and I found it in an Electrolux folder I picked up at the Taste of Christmas fair.

Pan-fried scallops with truffled celeriac puré and apple caramel, serves 9

Adapted from Daniel Clifford’s recipe.

The scallops are best cooked really quickly on high heat. Treat it them as a steak. You want the maillard effect or the surface to caramelize, but they shouldn’t be cooked all the way through, nicer with a slight wobble in the middle. If overcooked they are often rubbery.

The celeriac puré can be made in advanced and reheated when serving., just like the apple caramel. The apple sticks can be cut ahead of time too; just make sure you cover them with lemon juice and place them in an airtight container to prevent discolouring.

18 large scallops, side muscles removed

butter for frying

salt, pepper

1 lemon, the juice

Celeriac ipuré:

700 g peeled celeriac cut into pieces

milk and water

300 ml double cream

truffle oil

Apple caramel:

1 litre freshly pressed apple juice 

Garnish:

1 green apple, cut into matchsticks

truffle oil

Place the celeriac in a sauceoan and cover with half milk half water. Add salt. Bring to the boil and cook on medium heat until tender. Drain. Bring the cream to the boil in a seperate saucepan. Mix celeriac and cream to a puré. Add lemon juice and truffle oil to your liking. Season. 

Pour the apple juice in a saucepan and let it reduce on high heat until 1/3 of the liquid is left. Or reduce further until you have a thicker liquid. 

Heat up a frying pan on high heat. Add butter. Dry the scallops on a towel to remove liquid so they can brown easier. Season well and fry for 1-2 minutes on each side, only turning them over once. Place on a plate to rest. Squeeze with lemon juice.

Plate; first the puré, then the scallops on top (2 per person). Spoon over the caramel and drizzle with truffle oil. Top with the apple matchsticks. 

NYE 2012 – starter I

Published on by HannaLeave a comment

IMG_2664

I cooked us four courses on New Year’s Eve so we could enjoy a long and nice dinner. It was all traditional Swedish with snaps and snaps songs, and we also had a few interludes to cheer Happy New Year in places further east than us, so more or less the whole of Russia were celebrating midnight at one point during our supper.

This first starter, a lovely prawn mousse, was great to start off with, as it can all be prepared ahead, kept cold and decorated a bit ahead of time as well.

The texture is not as mousse-y as a chocolate mousse, the cream is there more to combine the other ingredients and bring them together. I served this with some homemade Toast Melba, just to add some crunch, and it worked really well. But bread or perhaps a side salad with avocado would work well too.

The recipe is courtesy of fellow Swedish blogger Annika. I followed it promptly but changed the method slightly as I used vege gel instead of gelatin and that requires a different approach. I also doubled it, and that was enough for nine, and even ten, people.

Prawn mousse, serves 4

Adapted from Annika’s recipe.

200 ml créme fraiche

150 ml double cream

2 tbsp chopped dill

2 tbsp chopped chives

2 tbsp finely grated fresh horseradish

1 jar lumpfish caviar (60-80 g)

salt and pepper

1 tbsp lemon juice

700 gram frozen shelled Icelandic prawns, defrosted and peeled

1 bag vege gel

dill, chives and horseradish to garnish

Peel the prawns. Set aside 5-6 per portion or the prettiest prawns. Chop the rest and add to a bowl. In a saucepan, mix creme fraiche, cream and the vege gel powder. Turn on the heat and bring to the boil while stirring. Cook for about 5 minutes as it thickens. Leave to cool for a few minutes.

Chop the herbs and add to the chopped prawns. Also add the horseradish, caviar and lemon juice. Mix it together. Add in the cream mixture and mix well. Season. Pour the mixture into 4 glasses or serving bowls. Place in fridge for at least two hours to set and cool. Decorate with the prawns, dill, chives and horseradish. (I added a lemon slice as well).

Calamari with chipotle mayonnaise and padrón peppers

Published on by Hanna5 Comments

My last house guest; childhood friend Therése, likes both tapas and calamari, so it was along those lines I was thinking when deciding what to have as a starter when she came to stay.

I have written about homemade calamari here before, and I repeat: so good, so cheap! And one can’t have calamari without some kind of dipping sauce, preferably mayo. I like to try different flavours on mayonnaise and this chipotle version was a winner. It worked really well with the paprika-seasoned calamari but also with the padrón peppers I picked up from Waitrose.

These peppers are fairly mild in flavour, but approximately 1 out of 10 can be quite spicy. I love these prepared in the simple manner of frying in plenty of olive oil and seasoned with plenty of sea salt. We had all this and some crusty bread to start, and it would be enough as a light supper really. We were pretty full when moving on to the maincourse.

Chipotle mayonnaise, serves 2

1 egg yolk – at room temperature

150 ml neutral oil 

1/2 lemon, the juice

1 tsp chipotle paste

salt

Beat the egg yolk with an electric whisk while slowly adding the oil, first drop by drop, then gradually more and more so it emulsifies and gets thick. Once you’ve added all the oil you should have a thick mayonnaise. Season with the lemon juice, chipotle paste and salt. 

Avocado mousse and chilli prawns

Published on by HannaLeave a comment

Isn’t it funny how ones view of vegetables change over the years? As a child you think of different ways to avoid them, especially at school where the green vegetables more looked yellow and not very appetizing, and even at home, I tried to avoid the peas.

Then during the teenage years you realise, that all those healthy things you battled with your parents over are actually really nice. You might still avoid the peas, but the broccoli, root vegetables and salad companions you really like. Like avocado. Probably still my favourite vegetable. I mean, you can eat it as it is with only some salt. You can have it in salads. You can make guacemole (oh hello!).

Or you can make this simple yet wonderful starter. When I made it for my flatmates and visiting best friend the other day they seemed very impressed, which is nice, but it is rather simple to make. But you do need a trusty food processor or a really good stick blender.

I love things I can prepare in advance, unfortunately this is not one of them, but it is a swift operation getting it done, so I don’t mind.

To follow this starter we had the wonderful lavender chicken with roasted potato slices, a reduced jus from the cooking juices and green beans. That went down very well too!

Avocado mousse with chilli prawns, serves 4

150-200 g raw tiger prawns

1 tbsp neutral oil

2 tsp chilli flakes

some lime zest

salt & pepper

The mousse:

2 ripe avocados

100 ml creme fraiche

3 tbsp olive oil

1 lime, juice and zest 

5-6 drops Tabasco

1/2 tsp Worchestershire sauce

salt & pepper

Decoration:

limeslices cut into quarters

crushed rose pepper corns

chopped parsley

Marinate the prawns in a bowl while you make the mousse. Cut the avos in half, remove the stone and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Mix the avo flesh until smooth in a food processor. Add the creme fraiche and olive oil and incorporate. Season to taste with lime, Tabasco, Worchestershire sauce, salt and pepper. 

Fry the prawns in a hot frying pan until pink on both sides. Pipe the mousse onto the plates, add the prawns and decorate. Serve with crusty bread. 

Mackerel tartare

Published on by HannaLeave a comment

I like to plan. A lot. Especially meals. And because I plan ahead, it is easy to prepare in advance too, having more time with your guests when you have them over for supper.

Last week when my fish loving friend Jenny came for supper I made us a mackerel tartare as a starter. Since we both like fish I made big portions, but you can easily use the recipe below for four as a starter as well.

Mackerel tartare, serves 2-4

Step 1:

6 medium mackerel fillets, about 250 g

almost 1 tbsp salt

1/2 tbsp caster sugar

a few sprigs dill

Step 2:

2 tsp dijon mustard

juice from 1/2 lemon

olive oil

salt, pepper

Start 1-2 days ahead. Place the fish (skin removed) in a tupperware or dish with sides. Clap the salt and sugar into the fish and put the dill on it. Cover with clingfilm clinging to the fish and add some pressure with your hand. Refrigerate for at least 24 hrs. 

Take out the fish and remove the water. Finely chop it and mix with mustard, lemon juice, oil and seasoning in a bowl. Add more dill if needed. 

Shape into 2-4 ‘burgers’ and plate. Serve with a cold sauce (creme fraiche, dijon, lemon juice, salt and pepper) and rocket. 

Salmon with pea mousse and crayfish tails

Published on by Hanna1 Comment

The starter at my birthday party back home was a recipe courtesy of Jason Atherton. It’s from his wonderful cookbook Gourmet Food for a Fiver. I really enjoyed the dish, but it was lacking a little bit of ‘oomph’ so don’t be surprised if you see a new spin on this dish here soon.

Although it is a British chef’s recipe the dish seems quite Scandinavian, and I made sure to use the best salmon availble. It is a fresh and summery dish and it feels very light.

Salmon with pea mousse and crayfis tails, serves 4

Adapted from Jason Atherton’s recipe.

260 g skinless salmon fillets, cut into 4 portions

600 vegetable oil

salt

80 g good-quality crayfish tails in brine, draines

1/2 cucumber

Pea mousse:

1 lef gelatine

1/2 tsp caster sugar, plus a pinch or two

300 g frozen peas

75 ml double cream, lightly whipped

1/2 tsp lemon juice

Garnish:

handful of watercress sprigs or pea shoots (I used maché)

olive oil to drizzle

Heat up the vegetable oil in a wide heavy-based pan and place over a very low heat until it registets 55C on a frying thermometer. Lower the salmon fillets into the oil and poach them gently at this temperature for 6-8 minutes, adjusting the heat to keep it at 55C as necessary. With a slotted spoon, carefully remove the salmon fillets and drain them on kitchen paper. Transfer to a plate, cover and refrigerate.

Soften the gelatine by soaking in cold water to cover. Meanwhile, bring a pan of salted water to the boil, with a pinch of sugar added. Have ready a bowl of iced water. Add the peas to the oan, bring back to the boil and blanch for 1-2 minutes. Drain, reserving 80 ml of the liquid, and immediately plunge the peas into the iced water to refresh.

Squeeze the gelatine to remove excess water, then dissolve in the reserved hot cooking liquid. Drain the cooled peas and tip into a blender. Add the dissolved gelatine and blend to a smooth purée. Pass through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing the pulp to extract all of the juice; you should have about 200 ml.

Using a rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream, sugar and lemon juice into the pea purée. Season with salt and add a little more sugar to taste, if needed. Chill to set.

Just before serving, rinse the crayfish tails and pat dray. Peel the cucumber, halve lengthways and dessed, then cut into batons (I peeled it and used a potato peeler to peel long thin strips).

Take the salmon out of the fridge 15 minutes before serving to bring to room temperature. Plate.

Dinner party preparations and nibbles

Published on by HannaLeave a comment

Place cards with songs

I had a dinner party for my friends in the summer house to mark my 30th birthday and with several guests it was quite a lot to prepare, but it all went well.

I feel confident enough in the kitchen now to be able to improvise if I need to. The day before the party I went grocery shopping and prepared the frozen dessert and on the day of the dinner party I did everything else, with help from my best friend Emma and my parents.

Emma got to do all the boring but time consuming tasks like wash and cut the potatoes, which I am very grateful for. We also left all the washing up for next day so we too could enjoy the party fully and that worked really well.

Mum made the table decorations

Salmon for the starter

The mussels are prepped

The meat is browned before hitting the oven

The guests can pour the aperitif

When the guests arrived we had bubbly and nibbles. Both the lovely ricotta stuffed mushrooms with lemon and persillade as well as mussels with aioli. In Sweden we don’t eat mussels very often, and I guess this was my attempt to put them ‘out there’. It seemed to work.

Mussels with aioli, makes 35-40

1 kg fresh large mussels (ca 35-40)

1 batch homemade aioli (see below)

water

Rinse the mussels and de-beard them. Discard of the mussels that are open and or have broken shell. Bring the water to the boil in a large sauce pan and place as many as the mussels you can fit (cook them in batches if necessary), put the lid on and cook for a few minutes until the mussels are opened. Drain and let cool enough for you to discard of the empty half shells. Place the mussels shell side down in an oven-proof dish and place a dollop (1/2-1 tsp) of aioli on each mussel. Put in a 200C oven for about 10 minutes before serving. 

Aioli:

1 egg yolk, at room temperature

150 ml neutral oil

1/2 lemon, the juice

salt, pepper

1 garlic clove, pressed

Place the yolk in a bowl and add the oil drop by drop at first and then in a small spout, while whisking. Add lemon juice, salt and pepper and garlic.

Grilled oysters

Published on by HannaLeave a comment

While home in Sweden I got into watching some of the summer programs on telly, and one TV chef called Tina Nordström cooked dinner with Swedish celebreties. In one program she met with a talk show host in the archipelagoa and put oysters on the barbecue. Something both me and my parents really wanted to try, so we did.

Dad was also great at opening the oysters and of course got to do the man-job and light the barbecue.

I really enjoy osysters, but this was the first time I had them warm, but it was just as nice as cold ones.

How to:

Fire up the barbecue and wait for the coal to warm up. Open the oysters and discard of the ‘lid’. Place the oysters directly on the hot coal and wait for them to heat up and shrink a little. Remove from heat and de-attach the oysters from the shells. Add lemon juice and 1-2 drops of tabasco.