THIS week’s recipes are all about our great fish. It always amazes me how lucky we are to have such an array of produce available so close to home. Most people admit it is one of their favourite dishes to order when eating out, as mainly they are afraid to cook it themselves.
Fish and shellfish do come with lots of warnings but as long as it's fresh you can't go wrong. This squid dish has been on our menu at our James Street South Bar + Grill in Belfast for years; whenever, over time, we try try change, we end up putting it back on.
Everyone thinks squid is complicated but try this dish once at home and you will be amazed at how easy and quick it is to do.
The second dish is scallops, I love to serve these in the shell (once it has been cleaned). Great as a starter for a dinner party or even better cooked on the barbecue with our own seaweed butter.
I hope you enjoy this week’s dishes and look out for our next free cookery demonstration in April.
SQUID WITH PEPPERS
2 tubes squid
2 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
olive oil, for cooking
salt and pepper for seasoning
1 handful flat leaf parsley, removed from stalk
Wash and pat dry the squid with paper towels and cut into rings; toss in one tablespoon of olive oil and season. Heat a griddle pan or frying pan until hot; add in the squid for one to two minutes on one side, then turning over to other side.
Slice the peppers, removing the seeds, and add into the pan for the remaining two minutes; season with salt and pepper.
To serve, mix the squid and the peppers together. You can add some salad leaves but here I have just added some flat leaf parsley and a wedge of lemon.
SMOKED SCALLOPS WITH KELP AND COCKLES
(Makes four starter portions)
Flour Mix
150g cornflour
75g rice flour
50g potato flour
10g salt
5g ground white pepper
3g smoked paprika
8 smoked scallops
1kg fresh cockles
60g smoked butter
75g kelp (rinsed)
50ml dry white wine
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
10g parsley
10g dill
½ lemon
2 tablespoons brioghter gold rapeseed oil
salt/pepper
Sieve all flour ingredients into a bowl. Wash cockles and remove any that are open. Place finely chopped garlic, herbs, white wine and cockles in a heavy pot with a tight-closing lid on a high heat. Bring to the boil and shake the pot to encourage the cockles to open. When most cockles are open pour on to a tray and remove any that have not opened. Pick the cockle meat from the shells and leave to the side. Pass the cockle liquor through a fine chinois.
Place cockle meat in the flour mix just before frying. Place the strained cockle liquor in a pot and slowly add butter until a glossy consistency has been achieved to coat the kelp (this may not take all of the butter). When about to serve, add the kelp and season with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Heat up oil in a non-stick pan over a moderate heat. Lightly Season scallops place add a pinch of smoked butter and cook for 1½ minutes on each side until caramelised. At the same time fry the cockles at 180C until golden brown, then place on a cloth to remove excess oil and season.
Remove scallops from pan and rest. To serve place kelp, cockle liquor in serving bowls add in the scallops and finish with the crispy cockles.
Smoked Butter with dulse
50 grams salted smoked butter
10g capers
20g dulse chopped
2 diced button shallots
10g capers
1 lemon juiced and fine zested
5g dill chopped
5g chervil chopped
5g flat leaf parsley chopped
Salt and pepper
Place all ingredients in a bowl; mix, season and refrigerate.
IRISH INGREDIENTS:
Scallops – Kilkeel
Cockles – Kircubbin
Kelp – Rathlin Island islanderseafood@gmail.com
Butter – Smoked Abernethy butter allisonabernethy@btinternet.com
Broighter Gold Rapeseed Oil info@broightergold.com
