Cured Rainbow Trout

Cured trout with mandarin oil & chervil

Trout fillet, sea salt flakes, demerara sugar and lemon

I can feel a new obsession coming on. Having always been fascinated in preserving, whether it be fermented soya beans, pickled cabbage, fruit jams and jellies, smoked fish, cured meats, pickled plums, salted cod, snow dried tofu, air dried game and mushrooms there is a whole new chapter of gastronomy to dive into. Man has been preserving food since ancient times and it's a wondrous thought that all over the world different methods were discovered to harness nature and preserve the hunt or harvest. Probably most fascinating is the Japanese art of fermenting and the painstaking process of snow drying tofu.

Jams, jellies and preserved fruit along with duck confit is as far as my practical skills have extended, so, enough of being fascinated from afar, I have now rolled up my sleeves and embarked on my new curing career.

An easy cured oily fish seemed a good place to start. A rainbow trout from the farmers market weighing about a kilo was filleted, and simply embalmed with some sea salt, demerara sugar, lemon zest and juice. Left in the fridge for 8 hours, washed, rinsed and dried very thoroughly and sliced finely. Served with a slurp of oil, I used mandarin oil and black pepper, garnished with chervil. This was a very satisfying place to start. All sorts of wonderful options await, vodka; beetroot; thyme; ginger......

The good news is that this recipe is totally fool-proof and a delicious rewards within just 8 hours.

Soused Gurnard

Gurnard is an extraordinary prehistoric looking fish.  Currently plentiful and sustainable they are one of the cheapest fish on the  market.  I bought 2 for £6 at the week end.  Filleted they have fed 2 people 1 main meal and a soup for the next day.

This recipe is taken from Mark Hix's British Seasonal Food and changed in accordance to what I had in stock.  I recommend the book highly and is my current favourite read.  

Sousing is an old method of cooking and fish.  Mackeral and herring are more commonly soused.  It's in between a marinade and a pickle.

I served it with a salad of arame seaweed, avocado & beetroot.

• 2 red gurnard filleted
• 3Tbsp cider vinegar
• 3Tbsp water
• 1 medium carrot sliced finely
• 2 medium shallots sliced finely
• 1 small leek sliced finely
• 10 coriander seds
• a pinch of cumin seeds
• a pinch of fennel seeds
• sea salt
• 1-2Tbsp extra virgin hemp oil

Preheat oven to 200C

1. Wash and dry the fillets and lay in an oven proof dish
2. Put the vinegar, water, carrot, shallot, leeks, spices and salt into a pan and bring to the boil. Simmer for a minute.
3. Pour over the fish and cover dish with foil and cook in oven for 10-15 minutes.
4. Allow to cool down for a couple of hours and then chill in refrigerator.
5. Bring to room temperature to serve and drizzle some oil.

Seaweed Salad

• 10gms arame seaweed
• 1 ripe avocado
• half a red onion chopped very finely
• 1 beetroot boiled, peeled and chopped into matchsticks
• Dressing : 2Tbsp hemp oil and 1Tbsp cider vinegar, S&P and pinch of fennel  seeds.

1. Soak the arame for 10 minutes in water, drain.
2. Blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes, strain and chill in cold water.
3. Blend the dressing ingredients and simply add all the other ingredients and mix well.

To serve place the seaweed salad in the middle of the plate and add the soused fillets on top. 

Slow Cooked Spicy Squid Casserole

Slow cooked spicy squid casserole

I had to cook for a large group this week end and got one of my old favourites out the bag. This is a guaranteed crowd pleaser,  a good chance you will even entice those who don't like squid. The slow, low cooking gives a soft, melt in the mouth texture.  Serve with plain boiled rice, or crushed new potatoes and a zinging palate cleansing salad. 

The recipe is a guide, as it is one of those dishes that's better improvised each time.

Serves 4

• 1kg squid, cleaned and sliced
• 1 large onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 hot red chili (you can use dried flakes)
• 1 stick of lemongrass sliced (optional)
• 1 tin of plumb tomatoes
• 1 lime or lemon
• Handful of coriander
• Olive oil and seasoning

Simply

1. Fry the onion off in some olive oil until soft.
2. Add the garlic, chili, and lemongrass and stir for a minute
3. Up the heat and stir fry the squid for a minute
4. Add the tin of tomatoes and break up the tomatoes as they cook out
5. Season and add lime or lemon juice
6. Simmer for at least an hour on a really low heat, or in a low oven
7. When it's soft and tender, check seasoning and add the coriander.