IN SEASON
Seafood always feels a little bit special
SAYS KATY HOFSTEDE-SMITH
Fish tends to be one of those things that divides people, you’re either a lover or hater, but for those that fall into the former category it is a perfect entertaining staple. Seafood always (or at least to me) feels a little bit special, it can be served hot or cold and pre-prepares very well. For an elegant starter when you don’t
have much time but want to wow try a South American cooking technique called ceviche which lends itself perfectly to seafood. Rather than cooking with heat the fi sh is cooked with acid usually lime, lemon or grapefruit juice with additional fl avours such as chilli or herbs added and left until the fi sh turns opaque or for about 4 hours (any longer and the fi sh tends to go chalky and dry). Any fi sh can be ‘cooked’ in this way but fi rm white fi sh or shellfi sh, especially scallops, work perfectly and will defi nitely create a talking point.
Going from very modern to retro, I don’t
think you can beat a wonderful salmon en croute if you’re entertaining. It can be pre- pared the day before and is actually very simple but also creates a fantastic centre piece to a meal. If you want to make this a little more elegant, make individual por- tions and serve with a tangy hollandaise sauce. There is always a reason to revisit classics in my book! For a more informal evening with close
friends where you don’t mind getting your fi ngers a little messy, homemade moules marinieres is a wonderful treat and again easy to make. Ask your fi shmonger to clean and de-beard your mussels to save you the time but do always check that they haven’t missed any. Serve big steaming bowls along with piles of crusty bread and crisp cold white wine and you’ll have the perfect backdrop for great conversation.
MONKFISH STEAKS WITH CELERIAC AND BROWN SHRIMPS
Monkfi sh is best cooked at hot temperatures. It has a high moisture content, so can be hard to colour when pan-frying. It works exceptionally well braised in the oven with plenty of liquid. If you fi nd brown shrimps (small prawns) diffi cult to come by, then peel a few prawns (shrimp) instead.
Serves 2
❤ 1 tbsp good olive oil ❤ 1 onion, thinly sliced ❤ 1 garlic clove, fi nely chopped ❤ Sprig of fresh thyme ❤ 1 bay leaf ❤ 75 ml dry white wine ❤ 2 x 175 g monkfi sh steaks, cut across the tail through the bone, leaving the bone in, skin and membrane removed
❤ Sea salt and white pepper ❤ 50g butter ❤ Pinch of mace ❤ 50g peeled cooked brown shrimps (small prawns)
❤ 1 tsp fi nely chopped fresh fl at-leaf parsley
For the celeriac
❤ 400g fl oury potatoes, peeled and cut into 2.5 cm/1 in dice
14 | THE WEST COUNTRY FOODLOVER
ASK YOUR FISHMONGER TO
REMOVE THE SKIN AND MEMBRANE FROM 2 X 175G MONKFISH TAILS
❤ 400g celeriac (celery root), peeled and cut into 2.5 cm/1 in dice
❤ 100g butter ❤ Splash of double (heavy) cream
1 Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof pan. Sweat the onion and garlic with the thyme and bay leaf over a low heat until soft. Add the wine, increase the heat to high and boil off the alcohol – this should take 2 minutes. Place the fi sh on top of the onion, season with sea salt and white pepper and cover, then roast for 20 minutes.
2 Meanwhile, for the celeriac, put the potatoes and celeriac in a saucepan with plenty of salted boiling water. Boil for about 10 minutes, or until soft. Drain and mix with the butter and cream, then mash and season.
3 Place the fi sh on 2 or 4 plates with a good spoonful of the celeriac. Heat the butter in a pan until it is foaming, add the mace, shrimps and parsley and spoon over the fi sh.
Fish Easy by Mitch Tonks, publisher: Pavilion, photograph: Chris Terry
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