EASTER IS NEXT WEEKEND AND WILL, FOR MANY OF US, MEAN FISH on the menu. I remember Mary Contini, of Valvona & Crolla, explaining how her family eats salt cod on Good Friday, with a sauce consisting of prunes and red wine – and while this may sound an unlikely flavour combination, it is a delicious sauce to accompany such a robust fish.
We are told we should include fish in our diets at least three times a week for its nutritional value. This is no hardship – we have so much to choose from. I am a particular fan of dermatologist Nic Perricone, who maintains that by eating salmon on
a daily basis we can hold back the ageing process. This would be easy for me because I love salmon, and there are so many ways to cook it. As with all fish, it is so quick to cook that it brings a whole new meaning to the words "convenience food", and one I vastly prefer to the usual offerings under that dire label.
HERB AND LEMON RISOTTO WITH STEAM-BAKED SMOKED HADDOCKSERVES 6
6 pieces of filleted smoked haddock, skin removed, each piece of fish weighing approx 4oz/110g
6 x 1oz/28g bits of butter
For the risotto:
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium-sized onions, each skinned and diced finely
about 1in/2.5cm root ginger, skin cut off and the ginger diced finely
1lb/450g risotto rice, such as Arborio
1/4 pint/140ml dry white wine – my preference is a sauvignon blanc
2 pints/1.2l good stock, either vegetable, fish or chicken
finely grated rind of 2 lemons, both well washed and dried before grating (to remove their preservative)
2oz/55g butter, cut into 6 bits
1 level teaspoon salt
about 20 grinds of black pepper
3 rounded tablespoons of finely chopped herbs – I suggest mixing parsley, snipped chives and dill
Prepare the fish for cooking by lining a baking tray with a sheet of baking parchment. Have ready a second bit the same size. Put the filleted fish on to the paper-lined tray, and put a piece of butter on each piece of fish. Cover with the second sheet of parchment. When the risotto is made, bake the fish in a moderate oven, 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4, for 10 to 15 minutes. Exactly how long is impossible to predict due to the varying degrees of thickness of fish. Test by gently pulling apart the thickest part of one bit of fish using two forks. You can see the juicy flakes of fish when it is cooked. If it looks quite raw, re-cover and bake for a further 5 minutes.
For the risotto: heat the olive oil in a wide sauté pan and fry the finely diced onions for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are completely soft and transparent-looking. Stir the diced ginger into the frying onions halfway through their cooking time. When the onions are soft, stir in the rice, stirring for a couple of minutes to make sure every grain is coated with olive oil. Then pour the white wine into the sauté pan, stirring until it evaporates completely. Add a small amount of stock, stir, and let it cook gently until the liquid has almost gone before adding more stock. You don't need to stir the risotto all the time, just occasionally as the stock is added and the rice absorbs the liquid. When nearly all the stock is added, stir the finely grated lemon rinds through the risotto, and then add the last amount of stock.
Lastly, stir the bits of butter through the risotto which will give it an appealing sheen. Just before serving, season with salt and pepper and stir the chopped herbs through the risotto – beware doing this too soon before serving, as the herbs lose their vivid bright colour if they sit in the hot risotto for any length of time. Serve by dividing the risotto between 6 warmed plates. Put a piece of cooked fish on each serving of risotto.
HOT SMOKED SALMON FISHCAKES WITH SESAME COATINGThese freeze very well for a limited time – about four weeks.
SERVES 6
2lb/900g potatoes, weighed when peeled
a grating of nutmeg
about 20 grinds of black pepper
1lb/450g hot smoked salmon, flaked from the skin and any bones removed
2-3 heaped tablespoons finely chopped parsley and snipped chives, mixed
2 large eggs, beaten with a fork, in a bowl
6oz/170g sesame seeds mixed with 1 teaspoon salt
olive oil and butter for frying
Boil the peeled potatoes in plenty of salted water until cooked. Drain, steam them dry, then mash thoroughly. Beat with a wooden spoon, but don't be tempted to add any butter or milk. Season with nutmeg and pepper. Cool. When cold, mix in the flaked salmon and chopped parsley and chives – the only way to do this thoroughly is to use your hand. If you can, wear a vinyl or latex glove. When all the fish, herbs and potatoes are thoroughly mixed, form into evenly-sized fishcakes.
Dip each fishcake into beaten egg, then into the sesame seeds, enough to coat on each side. Set the coated fishcakes on a plastic tray lined with a sheet of baking parchment. They freeze at this stage, and when frozen, pack them into a solid polythene box and cover with a lid, then replace in the freezer. To thaw, put the fishcakes in one layer – they take 2 to 3 hours to thaw.
You can either fry the fishcakes in a combination of olive oil and butter in a wide sauté pan over a fairly high heat. Don't be tempted to move them until they have fried for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. But if you cook in a Rayburn or an Aga, an alternative way to cook them is to heat a small amount – 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1oz/28g butter – in a non-stick roasting tin and dip each fishcake in the hot oil then put down on its other side. Roast the fishcakes, at a temperature of 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6, for 15-20 minutes (no need to turn them over during cooking providing you dipped their tops in the oil and butter) or until the sesame coating is pale beige in colour.
These are delicious for lunch or supper, and they can be a perfect and convenient main course for brunch.
STEAM-BAKED SALMON WITH SHREDDED STIR-FRIED VEGETABLESThis recipe contains the vegetables and main course all in one dish. And the vegetables can not only be prepared but stir-fried 24 hours in advance – which is really convenient.
SERVES 6
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 fat cloves of garlic, each skinned and finely diced
a piece of root ginger about 1in/2.5cm in length, skin pared off and the ginger diced finely
4 medium-sized carrots, each peeled and trimmed at either end and shredded into matchstick-thin pieces
4 courgettes, trimmed at either end and shredded as the carrots
11/2 celeriac head, skin sliced off and the celeriac shredded
about 20 grinds of black pepper
1 tablespoon soy sauce (I use Kikkoman)
juice of 1 lemon
6 pieces of filleted organic salmon, each weighing about 6oz/175g, skin removed
Heat the olive oil over moderate heat and fry the diced garlic and ginger for a couple of minutes – take care not to let the heat be too high under the pan for fear of burning the garlic. Then stir the shredded vegetables into the contents of the sauté pan and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in the pepper, soy sauce and lemon juice. Cool.
To cook the salmon and vegetables: line a baking tray with baking parchment and put the pieces of salmon on to this. Spoon the shredded vegetables on top of each piece of fish. Cover with a second sheet of parchment and bake at 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4, for 15-20 minutes. Serve on warmed plates, accompanied, if you like, with some sautéed potatoes.
When pan-frying salmon, your oil should be deep enough to cover 1/2 of the fillet or steak thickness.
