EatingBritain.com » Fish

Red wine with seafood isn’t a crime!

Sarah Cabral — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 09:30:04 +0000

In this video, Miles explains how the recipe has been designed to match with a delicious New Zealand wine and dispels the myth that only white wine goes with fish.

Seared tuna on herby Puy lentils with garlic-pickled girolles and thyme crème fraiche.

Ingredients

4×120g Tuna steaks
2 cups Puy lentils
3 cloves Garlic
1 Onion (chopped)
1 handful Rosemary and sage
1 cup Nobilo merlot
2 cups Water
1 bunch Parsley
Olive oil
200g Girolle mushrooms
¼ cup white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp Castor sugar
1/2 cup Crème fraiche
2 Tbsp Chopped thyme
Rocket for garnish
Salt and pepper

Method

Mix the chopped thyme through the cream fraiche, season and set aside
Heat 100ml olive oil in a sauce pan with garlic, onion, sage and rosemary.
Add lentils and cook for 2mins so the lentils are coated in oil. Pour in the merlot and reduce the liquid to half.
Add water and cook lentils with a lid on for 20mins or until soft. Season with salt and pepper and add a handful of chopped parsley.
Sauté the girolles in 50ml olive oil with 1clove of sliced garlic till brown. Add sugar, vinegar, some more chopped parsley and again season with salt and pepper
Heat more oil in a large pan and sear the tuna steaks at a high heat very quickly on each side. The tuna should be served rare.
Spoon some of the ‘herby’ lentils into the centre of a plate and top with a handful of rocket. Then put on the tuna and arrange some of the pickled girolles on top and around the plate. Finally spoon on some of the thyme crème fraiche.

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£1,000 Seafood platter extravaganza

Sarah Cabral — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 18:00:37 +0000

No other restaurant in the UK has served up such an extravagant seafood extravaganza. Created for two, this incredible festival of food is served on crushed ice with lemon, shallot vinegar and buttered brown bread and accompanied by the very best champagne and vodka. Feast on an array of the most coveted shellfish including caviar and lobster, sip the finest Cristal Champagne and sample the exclusive new designer vodka created by fashion guru Roberto Cavalli.

The Aquasia restaurant has created a phenomenal offer for the food loving fashionistas. Taste premium Tuna Sashimi with delectable Scottish Langoustines and Colchester Rock Oysters all within the elegant harbour-side location of Chelsea Harbour.

The full Seafood Platter Extravaganza includes:

Farmed Sevruga Caviar one of the best in the world
Colchester Rock Oysters Colchester Oysters also known as Colchester Natives are recognized as a high quality regional specialty (similar to Parma Ham and Brie des Meaux). Considered an astronomical delicacy and the best types of Oysters available.
Mediterranean prawns
Marinated Mussels- marinated with lemon, shallot vinegar, chilli, olive oil
Dressed Cromer Crab Meat a special delicacy of the town of Cromer these crabs are renowned for their tender flesh ( dressed with lemon, shallot vinegar, chilli, olive oil)
Scottish Lobster and Langoustines, one of the best in the world which cannot be beaten for taste, texture or versatility
Clams
Potted Shrimp
Tuna Sashimi

Wow! This is a feast fit for a king! I absolutely adore seafood and this platter sounds like heaven. I can just imagine sitting there for a couple of hours at least, tasting every delectable bit. I wish I had a spare £1000!

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Causa Limeña filled with shrimp

Ivonne Montealegre — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:13:53 +0000

I am 31 years old and though my profession is in marketing (I am a psychologist actually), I enjoy cooking and have taken distinct courses. Originally from Costa Rica, I have travelled all throughout the vast and beautiful Latin American territory and have collected my favorite recipes and ingredients from the great variety of countries and I am committed to share our wonderful Latin heritage.

As part of my travels I went to Peru. This country impressed me by the amazing variety of food and how delicious and super healthy it is. With an astounding amount of original recipes, it’s one of my favorite gourmet experiences that Peruvians have managed to take to a level of cuisine excellence. I am sharing with you, Eating Britain readers, my favorite way to make it.

Causa Limeña filled with shrimp

Ingredients

Serves 6 people

1.5 kg of potatoes (as bigger and yellow as possible)
Juice of one lemon
Mayonnaise
1 spoon of coriander paste (or chopped half a roll)
2 spoons of butter
Lettuce leaves
2 boiled eggs
2 orange chile peppers
salt
350 grams of shrimp

Preparation

Filling

Put the shrimp and put them in boiling water for exactly two minutes, when they are pink (clean them if necessary). Add 3 spoons of mayonnaise, juice of lemon, coriander and a bit of salt . Keep one shrimp for decoration.

Potatoes

Peel the potatoes and put them in a pot with water and salt until they are very soft. Fry the two chile peppers in a small pan with 3 spoons of olive oil. One minute later, open them and remove the seeds, then put back with the olive oil. Put oil and chile peppers in a blender along with two spoons of butter, milk and an egg until they form a homogenous mix. Add the mix to the potatoes with salt and form a mashed potato. Put half the mashed potatoes as a first layer on a nice platter, fill with shrimp and cover with the other half. With a fork decorate it: lettuce, shrimp and the slices of boiled egg. Put it in the fridge to cool a bit, serve cold and enjoy!

You can use different things to fill it (shrimp, lobster, crab, crayfish… even tuna!) And to make it even a main course you can add slices of avocado and tomato all around.

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Greek delights – Humous, Taramosalata and Melitzanosalata

Sarah Cabral — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:00:27 +0000

I’m a big fan of little dishes, like Spanish tapas and Greek meze, especially when they include dips.

Dips come in so many types, made from so many different ingredients, I love them. They’re perfect for a snack, lunch or BBQs; you can dip crisps, crusty bread, pita wedges, sliced veggies, bread sticks, pretty much anything you feel like.

Humous

Ingredients

420 g chickpeas (cooked,drained and rinsed)
2 tsps tahini paste
3 tbsns olive oil (or if your olive oil is strong, mix with rapeseed oil).
2 garlic cloves
1/2 tspn cumin powder (optional)
1 lemon juice
salt

Put the tin of cooked chickpeas (must be rinsed), garlic, spices, tahini, olive oil and lemon juice in a food processor and blend together.
Add extra lemon juice and/or water to make the consistency that you like.
Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with paprika (optional)

Taramosalata

Ingredients

85g Cod roe (smoked)
150ml Olive oil & rapeseed oil mixed 50:50
1/2 lemon juice
1/2 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 tbspn fresh parsley, chopped.
Boiling water

Soak roe in cold water for 2hrs, then rinse, drain and peel skin.
In a bowl, mash the roe to a pulp with a fork.
Mixing with an electric blender, gradually add the lemon juice.
Gradually add the oil (as if making mayonnaise) until it becomes solid and dry.
When it is at the lumpy, dry stage, whilst mixing, gradually add a little just boiled water until it reaches a smooth mousse consistency.
Note: Do not add the water until the mix is solid, otherwise it will separate.
Stir in the parsley and garlic.

Melitzanosalata

Ingredients:

1 large aubergine
100ml extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons of wine vinegar
1 cloves of garlic, crushed
sea salt
freshly ground pepper

Pierce the aubergine with a fork and char on the grill, or over an open flame (alternatively, grill for 10-15 minutes) until the aubergine turns black and is very soft. Set to cool and drain on a rack with paper towels underneath.

As soon as it can be handled, peel by hand (the skin will come off easily), and transfer to a bowl. Chop the pulp into small pieces with a knife, and mash with a fork. With a wooden spoon, stir in oil and vinegar slowly, alternating between them, until well blended. Stir in garlic, salt, and pepper. Serve chilled or at room temperature. This goes well with salty cheeses and fish meze like anchovies.

Theses dips are all very different in flavour, you have the nutty-ness of the humous, the creamy fishy-ness of the taramosalata and the fresh earthy-ness of the melitzanosalata. All three have a fair amount of oil but if you mix the olive oil with rapeseed oil, you get a milder flavour and the added health benefits. Plus you’re not going to eat them everyday, everything in moderation!

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Breakfast, the most important meal of the day.

Sarah Cabral — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 10:50:16 +0000

Leading nutritionist Fiona Hunter explains why breakfast is the most important meal of the day:

“Breakfast, as the word suggests, literally means ‘breaking the fast’. After 10 – 12 hours without food, our blood sugar is low and our body needs fuel, which is why many nutritionists consider breakfast to be the most important meal of the day. A good, healthy breakfast will set you up for the rest of the day. In fact studies show that what you eat at breakfast can affect your mood, your physical and mental performance, as well as your weight and long term health.”

Food for thought

“Trying to get your brain fired up in the morning without a proper breakfast is like trying to run your car without petrol. A paper published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, which combined the findings of a number of different studies on the breakfast habits of children, revealed that those who did not have breakfast in the morning performed less well in problem solving tasks. Verbal fluency, creativity and the ability to recall newly acquired facts were similarly affected. But it isn’t just children that perform less well if they skip breakfast. Other studies found that adults who ate breakfast tended to work faster, made fewer mistakes in logic tests and had better memory recall compared with breakfast skippers. Glucose is the brain’s only fuel and it is also vital for the manufacture of neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which is important for memory. After fasting, overnight blood glucose levels are at a low ebb which may explain why people who don’t refuel with breakfast have difficulty concentrating and perform less well in the morning.”

Patrick Holford, Chief Executive for the Food for the Brain Foundation, and Founder of the Institute of Optimum Nutrition recommends nairn’s oatcakes, “To keep blood sugar even, the single best carbohydrate food is oats,” says Holford. “For example, having wheat-free oatcakes is four times better than bread for balancing blood sugar levels. Keeping your blood sugar evenly balanced not only determines your weight; it is also the key to high energy, stable mood, concentration and longevity.”

Foods that provide slow release carbohydrate, like oatcakes, are the perfect choice for breakfast because their carbohydrate is converted into glucose gradually throughout the morning which helps to provide fuel for the brain and keeps blood glucose levels stable. If you don’t refuel properly in the morning, blood glucose levels are more likely to take a nose dive mid-morning which can impair your ability to concentrate and leave you feeling hungry and distracted.

So oatcakes are an excellent choice for breakfast but if you haven’t got a clue what to do with them (except eat them topped with cheese) Nairn’s have come up with a whole host of imaginary ways to include oatcakes in your breakfast:

Oatcakes with peanut butter and topped with slices of apple
Oatcakes spread with lemon curd and topped with slices of kiwi fruit
Oatcakes thinly spread with chocolate and hazelnut spread and topped with mashed banana
Oatcakes spread with low fat soft cheese and slices of smoked salmon

Bacon & Egg Oatcakes	Grill 2 rashers of lean back bacon until crispy then roughly chop. Mash 1 lightly boiled egg with 1 tbsp of reduced fat mayonnaise, stir in a handful of chopped rocket and the bacon and spoon over 2 oatcakes.
Oatcakes with mushrooms and scrambled egg with chives	Brush 2 large flat open cap mushrooms with a little oil and grill for 5mins. Place each mushroom, cut side up, on an oatcake. Scramble one large egg, stir in a few chives and spoon egg into the mushrooms.
Huevos rancheros with oatcakes	Mexican breakfast dish of poached or fried eggs served with refried beans
Spanish Eggs with oatcakes	Make a rich tomato and red pepper sauce, flavoured with a pinch of paprika (this could be prepared the day before), spoon sauce into a shallow dish – break eggs into the tomato sauce and bake in the oven for 15mins. Serve with oatcakes
Oatcakes with sausage & tomato	Grill 2 reduced fat sausages, allow to cool then slice in half lengthways. Spread oatcakes with tomato salsa and top with sausage.
Oatcakes topped with ricotta and raspberry spread	25g raspberries, 50g ricotta cheese, zest of half a lemon, icing sugar to taste, 3 nairn’s rough oatcakes, 3 raspberries to decorate. Method: Mash the raspberries with the ricotta, add lemon zest and icing sugar to taste. Spread over oatcakes and top each oatcake with raspberry Per serving: 223kcals/11g fat/5g saturated fat
Oatcakes topped with cinnamon and raisin spread	50g Quark, 2 tbsp raisins or dried cranberries, 3 nairn’s rough oatcakes. Method: Mash the raspberries with the ricotta, add lemon zest and icing sugar to taste. Spread over oatcakes and top each oatcake with raspberry Per serving: 223kcals/11g fat/5g saturated
Oatcakes with cream cheese and ginger spread	50g reduced fat soft cheese, 1tsp crystallised ginger, 1tsp syrup from the jar of crystallised ginger, 3 nairn’s rough oatcakes. Method: Finely chop the ginger and mix the cheese and 1tsp of the syrup from the ginger. Spread over oatcakes. Per serving: 247kcals/11.7g fat/5.3g saturated fat

If you like smoked fish or roe, a delicious idea is to serve scrambled eggs over oatcakes, with slices of smoked fish or roe on top – a gorgeous way to start the day!

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Thai Green Curried Scallops

Sarah Cabral — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 01:27:23 +0000

Despite current heightened discussion about the benefits of organic foods, I for one still believe organic food is important to our health and I continue to use as much organic produce as possible. Finding organic products is becoming much easier but with a gluten free diet I still have to be careful which brands I choose. So I searched for organic products aimed at specialised diets and I struck gold!(...)
Read the rest of Thai Green Curried Scallops (376 words)

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Diesel Salmon contamination in UK Supermarkets

David — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 10:12:48 +0000

Salmon products ranging through wet-fish, smoked salmon and fish pies, have been removed from shelves and recalled by supermarkets due to contaminations with diesel.

The source of the problem has been traced to the seafood company Marine Harvest – one of the world’s biggest salmon farmers – which operates in the west Highlands and supplies fish to Morrisons and Young’s Seafood Ltd. The company said the fresh fish could have been tainted by the diesel – possibly from a vehicle – during transportation to a nearby processing plant.

The problem was first noticed when consumers complained of an unpleasant “white spirit” taste. Thousands of salmon products have been recalled from ten supermarket chains. The salmon recall is the latest in a long line of food alerts similar to the Tuna story we reported recently.(...)
Read the rest of Diesel Salmon contamination in UK Supermarkets (132 words)

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Plum Baby

Sarah Cabral — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 23:29:19 +0000

Something I have noticed since turning thirty, is that most of my friends are getting married or having babies, I guess it’s an age thing! My friends that are mothers or mothers to be, all share one major concern, how to make sure they provide a healthy balanced diet for their children. Ingredients and nutrition are of course the greatest priority but time and cost play large roles too. (...)
Read the rest of Plum Baby (481 words)

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Tuna Recall By Sainsbury’s

Sarah Cabral — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 10:55:33 +0000

Sainsbury’s has recalled a number of their tuna products due to fears they may cause consumers to become ill. Recalled products include Sainsbury’s and Taste the Difference fresh tuna steaks, fresh diced tuna and fresh tuna from the fish counter. Sainsbury’s have advised the Food Standards Agency that these products may contain high levels of Histamine.(...)
Read the rest of Tuna Recall By Sainsbury’s (292 words)

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Razorlight’s Johnny Borrell and TV Chef Oliver Rowe Cook up Climate Solutions

Sarah Cabral — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 09:03:26 +0000

We were contacted by a lovely lady from Friends of the Earth, who told us about the BBC’s urban chef, Oliver Rowe who teamed up with Johnny Borrell, lead singer of Razorlight to cook up a low carbon meal as part of a Friends of the Earth day to highlight the solutions to climate change. Oliver’s restaurant Konstam, sources most of its food from within Greater London, cutting down on food miles. The day was organised in support of The Big Ask, Friends of the Earths climate campaign.(...)
Read the rest of Razorlight’s Johnny Borrell and TV Chef Oliver Rowe Cook up Climate Solutions (417 words)

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