Category: Fish & seafood

Farfalle with smoked salmon, broad beans and chives

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Although I love cooking, I don’t particulary enjoy to cook for only myself. If I need to I want something that’s quick, but still enjoyable. There are other times when that type of cooking is required too. Like when Christopher is working late and not home until 10pm.

This dish is for such occasions. Apart from podding the beans it will only take the same amount of time as it does for the pasta to cook. In my case that was 12 minutes. And the result was summery and lovely.

Farfalle with smoked salmon, broad beans and chives, serves 2

250 g farfalle or other pasta

400 g fresh broad beans in their pods

150 g cold-smoked salmon

100 ml Philadelphia

juice from 1/2 lemon

chives

salt

white pepper

Pod the beans. Cook the pasta. Fry the beans in butter until soft. Add some lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mix the Philadelphia with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Drain the pasta. Top with smoked salmon, beans and cut chives. Perhaps add some freshly ground black pepper and dig in. 

Stuffed squid

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A while ago I found this recipe for stuffed squid on one of my favourite Swedish food blogs: Gittos Mat. I just felt like I had to make this dish one day and bring a part of sunny Spain into my kitchen.

I rwally like squid and can not believe how cheap it is. Another thing I can not comprehend is why you in some restaurants (not the best ones, admittedly) get horrible rubbery calamari, when fresh squid is silky smooth and light years from the rubbery texture. Why oh why, I wonder.

I love homemade calamari and all my friends who have tasted it can not believe how good it is. And it is so incredibly easy to make as long as you do not mind deep-frying. This dish however, is a bit more fiddly, but it was a joy to cook it. And to eat it too of course. Serve with white bread to dip into the sauce, and perhaps a side salad of rocket and feta like I did.

Stuffed squid, serves 2

4 squid tubes

1 onion

3 garlic cloves

2/3 of a fennel

100-150 ml fresh breadcrumbs (1-2 slices)

1 egg

75 g chorizo

a bunch of chopped parsley

plain flour

400 g chopped tomatoes

salt, black pepper

olive oil

(my addition: balsamic vinegar)

Rinse the squid and pat dry. Chop onions and garlic finely and fry until soft in olive oil. Place half in a bowl for the stuffing and keep half aside for the sauce.
Chop the fennel finely and fry until soft in oil. Add to the bowl. Also add breadcrumbs and the egg, stir and leave it to swell for 10 minutes. Chop the chorizon finely and add to the mixture. Add the parsley and season. 

Stuff the squid tubes with the filling, but not too tight. Use toothpicks to seal the ends. Coat the tubes with flour and fry them until golden in olive oil. Place in a casserole dish and add the oil too. Add the onions and chopped tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Add a glug of olive oil and some balsamic vinegar. Put on the lid and let it gently simmer for an hour. Serve and enjoy!

Rosti with crayfish spread

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I have a long-lasting fondness of rosti, from when my mother used to serve it as starter in the late 80s early 90s as a starter at dinner parties. The crispy buttery shreds of potato taste absolutely divine with salty caviar, sharp red onions and velvety creme fraiche. I can still crave this, and I don’t care one bit that it is so retro. It is  good!

Sometimes I make this as a light supper, but Christopher is unfortunately not very fond of caviar. I know… He does have other qualities to make up for it, I promise!

So to enjoy this this with my dear boyfriend, I came up with this little crayfish mixture, dip, spread – whatever you would like to call it. And it is good. Less salty, but just as good. This would be absolutely mind blowing with fresh crayfish tails, but mixed in with the large amount of dill and the cream cheese, the in-brine version works too.

You can also put a large dollop of this on your jacket potato, in your baguette, in a cold omelette that you roll up and make little appetizers from, and plenty more.

Crayfish spread, serves 2

180 g crayfish tails

3 large tbs philadelphia

a bunch of dill, finely chopped

1/4 lemon, the juice

1 tsp paprika

salt

white pepper

Chop the crayfish tails coarsely. Mix with the other ingredients.

Rosti, serves 2

ca 6-8 medium potatoes (not new ones)

Peel and grate. Melt butter and oil in a large skilled and place dollops of the potatoe with space in between. Flatten them out. The starch is enough to hold them together (hence the older more starchy variety). Fry until crisp on both sides. Season and serve immediately. 

Calamari, wild garlic mayo, asparagus and potato wedges

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We had this lovely supper one day in the middle of the week, last week. Why? Because we can. No, but squid is so cheap, and it makes such a lovely summery meal.

The best mayo I’ve ever made is the wild garlic mayo, and thanks to mum who dried some leaves for me I can enjoy this all year round. It didn’t work as well with the dried stuff as the fresh leaves, so next time I will try it with the frozen ones my mum has gathered for me. Mum – you’re the best!

Calamari, serves 2

4-5 squid tubes

3 tbsp semolina

2 tsp paprika powder

a pinch of salt

neutral oil  (vegetable oil/ground nut oil)

For serving:

lime and/or lemon wedges

mayo of some sort

Cut the squid into rings. Pour semolina, paprika powder and salt in a large ziplock bag and shake it. Add the squid rings and shake so the rings get coated by the mixture. Heat up 2 cm high of oil in a large pan. Check that it is hot enough by throwing in a small piece of bread. If it browns it is hot. Remove the bread and add a handful calamari. Beware of the oil splashing about. Fry until the calamaris are golden on both sides. Remove with a slotted spoon or tong, drain on some kitchen towel. Fry the remaining squid in a few batches. Serve immediately!

Alaskan pollock with mustardy leeks and potato salad with cabbage

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My French colleague Fabienne is always very impressed by my cooking/baking skills and says that she can’t cook. I don’t believe her, I think all French women can cook. And so far she has not been able to convince me, especially not when passing on great recipes like this.

I am referring to the mustardy leeks which are divine although so very simple to make. It is just three ingredients, four if you want to use some nutmeg, and it goes so well with fish, especially if it is a bit plain like my Alaskan pollock above, fried in butter with lemon pepper. Together with a fresh potato salad this is healthy, cheap and delicious weekday food!

Alaskan pollock with mustardy leeks and potato salad with cabbage, serves 2

400 g Alskan pollock

butter

lemon pepper

Leeks:

2 large leeks, chopped

100-150 ml creme fraiche

2 tsp dijon mustard

salt & white pepper

Potato salad:

new potatoes

1 pointy cabbage, chopped

a few radishes, sliced

juice from 1/2 lemon

proper olive oil

chopped parsley

Start by cooking the potatoes. Cut them in half and leave to cool. Put the cabbage in boiling water just to blanch it. Drain after a few minutes. Rinse in cold water. Mix potatoes, cabbage, radishes, parsley, lemon, and oil and mix thoroughly. Place on a platter.

Fry the leeks on low heat in a saucepan until soft and not browned. Add creme fraicge and mustard. Season with salt and pepper (and nutmeg).

Fry the fish in butter. Season with lemon pepper. Serve! 

The best pasta with prawns

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This recipe is from one of my favourite Swedish food blogs, called Smaskens. This pasta dish is fabulous although it is quite easy to make. The secret is good stock, and it is very easy to make your own prawn stock.

Since I made it the first time, I never throw prawn shells away, instead I freeze them and use them for stock.

Luxorious pasta with prawns, serves 4

linguini or spaghetti for 4 people

50 ml white wine

100 ml homemade prawn stock

200 ml creme fraiche

2 garlic cloves, pressed

nutmeg after taste

sea salt after taste

300 g Icelandic prawns

Cook the pasta and keep some of the water if you need it for the sauce. Mix wine, stoc, creme fraiche and garlic in a pan. Bring to the boil and reduce until creamy. Add nutmeg, salt and prawns. Throw in the drained pasta and some of the pasta water if needed. Serve with black pepper and parmesan.

Scallops with pea purée and basil sauce

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I manged with a themed dinner on Friday, a bit unintentionally. When I was standing in the kitchen making bruschetta and the basil scent overpowered the kitchen it hit me that peas and basil would be great together. And they were. I flavoured the pea purée only slightly with some pesto but the cold basil sauce had more of a punch to it, and to put a dollop of this and put it on top of the mash and let it melt is truly heaven. Serve with panfried juicy scallops and you have a wonderful and healthy meal. Pair with a glass (or two) of rosé and enjoy a warm summer evening.

Try this, ok? I beg of you.

Scallops with pea purée and basil sauce, serves 2

8 large scallops

1/2 lemon, the juice

a knob of butter for frying

400 g frozen petit pois

3 tbsp butter

2 tsp pesto

salt, white pepper

The sauce:

150 ml creme fraiche

1/2 lemon, the juice

1/3 bunch basil

salt, white pepper

Mix the ingredients for the sauce with a stick blender. Cut the muscle off the scallops and place the scallops in a bowl, squirt lemon juice over. Cover the peas with boiling water and cook for a few minutes.  Drain and purée with a stick blender. Add butter and pesto, season to taste with salt and pepper. Klicka i smöret och peston, mixa igen. Smaka av med salt och peppar. While the peas are cooking, fry the scallops on high heat for a few minutes on each side, in plenty of butter. Season. 

Julia Child’s mock hollandaise

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We had this lovely plate of food for supper on Monday. The fish is called Mahi Mahi and although it originates from around Hawaii, our fillets came from fishes around the Spanish coast. Not that sustainable I know, but we were curious what it would taste like. It had a lot of flavour although the sparse seasoning with only lemon pepper and butter. The texture was quite firm so it held together well while cooking.  We had steamed new potatoes, fried leeks and steamed radishes alongside it. And of course the lovely sauce. The reason why I am writing about this in the first place.

In Mastering the Art of French Cooking it is called mock hollandaise. It tastes a bit like hollandaise and it contains both butter and egg yolk, but the main ingredients is actually stock. Which makes it a slightly healthier version than the real deal, and perfect for weekday indulgence. It is also easier to make as it doesn’t threaten to split like a proper hollandaise.

I will definitely be cooking this again. Thanks, Julia!

Mock hollandaise, serves 4

30 g butter

30 g flour

350 ml boiling stock (water + concentrated stock/stock cube works fine)

1 egg yolk

2 tbsp cream

salt & white pepper

1-2 tbsp lemon juice

60-120 g softened butter

Melt the butter (30 g)in a saucepan, add the flour. Combine and then add ALL of the stock at once. Whisk properly. Remove from heat.

Mix the egg yolk with cream in a bowl. Add the stock mixture drop by drop while whisking. When half or so is incorporated, add the rest in a thin stream while whisking. Pour the sauce back into the pan, heat up and let it boil for 5 seconds. Remove from heat. Season with lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Just before serving add your chosen amount of butter while whisking to incorporate (away from heat). Serve straight away.

Premiere: British strawberries

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I was extremely happy when I noticed British strawberries in the supermarket yesterday. Is it that time already?! Grown in Kent they tasted like early strawberries do; some nice and sweet, some a bit sour and some a bit bland. But together with pouring cream and sugar they still taste fantastic! My favourite dessert, and something I will eat most evenings from now on.

We went out for a three course lunch yesterday (plus amuse bouche and truffles – report to follow) so we had a simple, but very nice nevertheless, supper consisting of Swedish style prawn sandwiches and strawberries and cream for dessert. Life is good. 🙂

Prawn soup

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We had fresh prawns for dinner on Friday. With salad, boiled eggs, mayonnaise and garlic bread. Yum! And when you peel prawns yourself you are left with the stinking shells. Either you need to take them out to the wheely bin straight away or put them in a ziplock bag in the fridge and make stock on them the next day. I did the latter.

And when the stock is ready (it only takes 20 mins) it is not a far cry from a delicious prawn soup.

Prawn soup, serves 2

Shells after 350 g of prawns with shell

2 carrots

5 cm leek

1 piece of celeriac

1 tsp fennel seeds

1/2 tbsp tomato purée

100 ml white wine

water

some more tomato purée

200 ml cream

dill

salt, white pepper

12 peeled prawns

Heat up a large pan, add oliveoil, fennel seeds and the vegetables. After a few minutes, add the prawn shells and stir around until they are almost white. Add the tomato purée. Add the wine and cover with water. Put on the lid and bring to tapidly to the boil.  Boil on medium heat for 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Put the stock through a sieve into a clean pan. Reduce until half is left. Taste and reduce some more if it is weak. Add tomato purée, salt, white pepper, dried or fredhly chopped fill and boil for another few minutes. Lower the temperature and add cream, let it thicken for a while. Put the prawns in the soup bowls and pour the hot soup over them. Serve immediately. I found the taste of this soup quite summery, and it works in nice weather too as long as you serve a glass of chilled dry white wine alongside it.