A Box of Fish, Fish Recipes and Crabstock

I was lucky enough to recently be sent a box of fresh fish from the guys at  Andy's Kitchen and  Crabstock Fish Festival . They asked me to create some recipes that would hopefully help to get more people eating fish . The following recipes have been made from seasonal fish freshly caught. You can adapt them if you want by changing the fish you use. Enjoy.



Pollock with Pesto and a Black Garlic Crumb

Pesto sauce
1 medium bunch basil
1 medium bunch parsley
1 clove garlic
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons ground almonds
salt and pepper to taste

Crumble
3 cloves Black garlic (available mail order from South West Garlic Farm)
30g stale breadcrumbs
1 large pollack (or 4x 150g -200g fillets)

If you have a whole fish then first of all carefully fillet it and trim it, removing any bones. (You could ask your fishmonger to do this). Then cut it into 4 equal sized portions.
Next make the pesto by putting the basil, parsley, chopped garlic, 3 tbsp.oil and the almonds into a blender. Add a little salt then blend until you have a smooth paste. If it is quite stiff add a little more oil but not too much that it is runny.

To make the breadcrumbs crush the garlic with the back of a round edge knife to a paste. Slowly work this into the breadcrumbs until mixed thoroughly.

Place the pollack onto a very lightly oiled baking sheet and season . Then put a layer of pesto and then finish with the crumb.
Place into a preheated oven 180o fan /200oC /Gas6

Serves 4

Oriental Style Baked John Dory
1 John Dory approx 500g
3-4 Spring Onions
1 stick celery
1" chunk of fresh ginger,grated
1/2 red pepper
1/2 stick lemon grass (outer layer removed)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon fish sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2garlic cloves, crushed

Make a few slashes through the fish skin ( not too deep, just enough to cut the skin) and put onto a very lightly oiled baking tray. Slice the vegetables into thin strips.
In a bowl mix the soy and fish sauces,the sesame oil and the garlic cloves.

 Mix in the vegetables until well coated in the sauce then lay over the fish. Put into a preheated oven
200o fan/180oC/Gas 5 for about 20 minutes until the fish is flaky and cooked.
Serve with egg noodles

Serves 2-3

If you don't like the fuss of fish on the bone just use fillets instead and reduce the cooking time

Crab Toasts 
2 - 3 slices of white bread
200g white crab meat ( or 2/3 white 1/3 brown if you prefer)
zest and juice of of 1 lime
1 spring onion finely sliced
1 small chilli ( or to taste if you don't like too much heat)
1/2 " fresh root ginger finely grated
1 egg white
1 tablespoon cornflour
30g sesame seeds
salt and pepper to taste
Vegetable oil for frying

If you are feeling brave you can buy a fresh crab and have a go at removing the crabmeat yourself. There are plenty of guides available on the Internet. If not the meat is readily available from fishmongers and supermarkets. I wouldn't recommend the tinned variety as it lacks flavour and can hold a lot of liquid.
Put the picked crabmeat (if doing yourself make sure there is no shell in it) into a bowl along with the lime zest and juice, spring onion, chilli, ginger, egg white and cornflour. Season to taste and mix together. Spread over the slices of bread and sprinkle over the sesame seeds. Press down firmly.
Heat 2-3 cm of vegetable oil in a pan. To check to see if it is ready for frying drop a cube of bread into it. If it sizzles then it is ready if not retry again with another cube of bread.
Carefully fry toasts on each side for 2-3minutes or until nicely browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Cut into triangles and serve with a chilli sauce.

Serves 2-3

Red Mullet with Rosemary Vegetables
1 small Red Mullet (approx 250g)
1/2 courgette
1/4 leek
100 g butternut squash
1 clove garlic
small sprig rosemary
parsley
salt and pepper
olive oil

 Fillet the red mullet ( or get your fishmonger to do this for you) .Cut the vegetables into thin strips and crush the garlic. Add some olive oil to a pan and stir fry the vegetables along with the rosemary for 3 - 4 minutes.Season. In another pan put a small amount of  oil and heat .Add the mullet skin side down (press down lightly with a spatula to stop it curling up) and cook for 1-2 minutes then turn over and cook for a further minute. Serve the mullet on the bed of vegetables sprinkled with a little fresh parsley.

 Serves 1

Barbecued Dover Sole and Prawns
 2 Dover Sole
about 12 large prawns
50g butter
1/2 teaspoon cayenne (adjust to more or less depending on if you like it spicier or no
t)
pinch nutmeg
lemon slices
fresh parsley sprigs
90 g packet Samphire

Soften the butter and add the cayenne and nutmeg and mix thoroughly.
Trim the fish of its tail and head .

Cut  a large sheet of baking parchment (enough to lay the fish on and be able to close the top into a very loose parcel) and lay one of the fish on top . Lay on the prawns then dot with half of the flavoured butter. Add a couple of lemon slices and a sprig of parsley. Carefully make a loose parcel from the baking parchment leaving a space for the steam to collect and seal at the top by wrapping over a few times. Make sure that there are no holes. Place on some tin foil on the barbecue . Cook for about  15- 18 minutes or until fish is cooked. Just before the end of the cooking time steam some samphire for 3 minutes.
When the fish is cooked turn out onto a serving plate and serve with samphire.

This fish can also be cooked in an oven if you don't want to barbecue it. 200o /Gas 6 for about 12-15 minutes or until cooked.
If you don't want to use sole you can change the fish to one of your choice.
Serves 2

Crabstock is a Unique Inland Seafood Festival bringing seafood to those who don't have fresh seafood on their doorstep. Its a chance also for people who have never sampled the delights of fresh seafood to have a try at some of the fresh fish on offer at the various stalls,vendors and demonstrations over the weekend of 25th and 26th July. So come and visit for more fish ideas and treats.