Category Archives: Dinner

Crab stuffed Flounder

Ready to impress? This delicate dish is very suitable for a dinner party in fact is’s so elegant you’ll think you are dinning out in some fancy restaurant and it only takes about thirty minutes to make.

I have used Flounder but you can use any type of white fish fillet like Sole or Tilapia, just use what is available. For the filling I have used good quality canned crab meat because there is nothing else available here, but if you can use use fresh or frozen.

Serves 4

Ingredients;

4 Flounder fillets, cut in half lengthwise
1 6 oz. can Crab meat drained, the best quality you can get or fresh or frozen (even better)
1 onion, peeled and chopped very fine
1 garlic clove, peeled and grated
4 tbsp. butter
2 oz. grated Parmesan Cheese
2 tbsp. Cream Cheese plus 2 tbsp. extra for the sauce
1 tbsp each, chopped Parsley and Chives
1/2 glass of Dry White Wine or Vermouth for the dish
Salt and pepper to taste

Topping;

2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese grated
2 tbsp. Breadcrumbs (use GF if necessary)
oil Spray

Method;

In one tablespoon of butter, gently fry the onion and garlic until just turning soft and golden. Remove to a bowl and let cool.

Add the Crab meat, the 2 oz. of Parmesan cheese, the herbs and the cream cheese, ground pepper and a pinch of salt. Mix gently with a spoon.

Pre heat the oven to 400° F

Lay out the fillets with the tail end facing you on a chopping board and divide the filling over the fish fillets. Roll them up and secure with a tooth pick or some kitchen string. Butter a casserole dish with the remaining butter and place the fillet rolls in an upright position in the dish.

In a bowl mix the two ingredients for the topping and divided over the fish rolls, spray with some oil.

Place the dish in the oven, after ten minutes add the wine and continue to cook for another ten minutes. Check for doneness with the tip of a knife, insert by the seam and open a tiny bit to see if it cook through.

Remove from oven. Place the fish rolls on a plate and add 2 tbsp. cream cheese to the remaining sauce in the casserole dish to bind and make a creamy sauce. Add more wine if necessary. Serve straight away.

Enjoy!

Myra Xo

Cajun Shrimp Tacos with Corn, Peach and Coriander Salsa, Roasted Pepper Aïoli

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If there is something I go nuts about it’s Shrimp. Big plump juicy Shrimp. Very fresh, from the market.

Saturdays is usually the day we eat fish or seafood since it is market day. Fish from the supermarket just doesn’t appeal to me, all packaged up in plastic.

I like to fry the Shrimp on high heat so they stay nice and juicy. When you over cook your Shrimp they will become tough and dry.

You can prepare the salsa and Aïoli in advance or even the night before.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. Jumbo Shrimp, peeled and cleaned
4 Whole unpeeled very Large Shrimp, to serve alongside
8 or more Taco Shells
1 C. Corn Kernels, fresh or from a can
1 tbsp. Olive Oil
Salt
a small bunch of Coriander
2 tbsp. Cajun Seasoning (store bought or make your own, see below.)
Shredded Lettuce and/or shredded red Cabbage to serve
Lemon wedges to serve

Note: if you use store bought Cajun Seasoning don’t use extra salt.

Cajun Seasoning Blend:

2 tbsp. Onion powder
2 tbsp. Garlic powder
2 tbsp. Oregano
2 tbsp. dried Basil
1 tbsp. Dried Thyme
2 tbsp. Ground Black pepper
1-3 tsps Cayenne Pepper
5 tbsp. smoked Paprika

Peach Salsa:

2 Peaches, peeled and diced
2 tbsp. Coriander, chopped
1 red Chili, deseeded and chopped fine
1/2 Red Bell Pepper, diced small
Juice of half a Lemon
1 tbsp. Olive Oil
1 small Onion, peeled and diced very small
Salt and Pepper

Roasted Red Pepper Aïoli;

1 1/2 C. Mayonaise
2 Garlic cloves peeled and grated
1 Roasted Pepper from a jar, patted dry on kitchen paper
Salt and Pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

Start by making the Aïoli so the flavor can develop. You can make this the night before too. Drain de Pepper well and pat dry. Put all the remaining ingredients in a food processor and blitz a few times until smooth. Put in a bowl and place in the ridge until ready to use.

The for the Peach Salsa, place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix gently until combined. Put in a bowl and place in the fridge until ready to use.

Pre heat the oven for the tacos according to package instructions.

For the Shrimp, Rinse the seafood under cold water and pat dry thoroughly on kitchen paper. In a bowl combine the peeled Shrimp with the Olive Oil and Cajun seasoning and season with salt if necessary. Mix well. Drain the Corn if it is canned.

Heat a griddle pan and spray lightly with some oil. Grill the large Shrimps for about three minutes on each side until cooked. Season with some salt.

Heat another large frying pan. When hot add the the Shrimp with all the oil. Fry on high for about 4 minutes. Do not overcook or they’ll become tough. After 4 minutes add the corn and fry for one or two more minutes just enough to heat up. Serve immediatly with shredded Lettuce, Peach salsa and Aïoli.

Enjoy!

Potato Focaccia

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Makes 2 large Focaccias or 6 – 8 small ones

Pre heat the oven to 425° F

Spoiler alert!!

There’s mashed potatoes in the dough.

If you think your love for all things “Dough” can’t grow bigger…you’re wrong.

Unless you have already had a potato Focaccia before. This is the lightest and fluffiest Focaccia you will ever have. When you press the Focaccia between your fingers you will see there is a bounciness that is unmatched by anything else. The mashed potato does something magical to dough.

I’ve had it in cakes before too and the same thing happens.

But back to the recipe, you will need to plan ahead, because it has to rise for quit some time. You can use left over cold mashed potato or otherwise just boil a few potatoes and mash them. This recipes makes a lot, but you can easily freeze some of the dough for later use.

The Focaccia above has home roasted Tomato sauce, grilled Onions, grilled Peppers and a few Anchovis on top. You can leave out the Anchovis for Vegans.

Ingredients:

1.5 C. Luke warm water, about 100° F

2 tsp. instant yeast

1 tsp. Honey or Sugar (for vegans)

6 C. Spelt flour

1/4 C. olive oil

1.5 tsp. Himalayan Salt

1 C. Mashed potatoes.

Method:

Put the warm water in the bowl of your mixer, fitted with the hook attachment. Pour in the honey, or sugar. Add the yeast, carefully mix and leave it to activate for about ten minutes.

Meanwhile measure out all your other ingredients.

Mix the olive oil in with the mashed potatoes and add to the bowl. Mix gently. Add the remaining ingredients and mix on medium for about 5 minutes. The dough should not cling to the bowl anymore, add a little flour if it does.

Turn out to a lightly floured surface and give it a knead and shape into a ball and place in an oiled bowl. Cover with oiled cling film and leave to rise for 3 hours.

After the rise. Turn out the dough to a floured surface. Divide in half. Shape one half into a Focaccia shape, I always make mine a little oval shape and also a bit irregular to give it a more rustic look.

Place the Focaccia on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Press little dimples in the dough with your finger and drizzle with some olive oil and sprinkle with some coarse sea salt and Rosemary. Drizzle the Rosemary with a little bit of oil before to prevent burning.

Place in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes. After 15 minutes turn the heat down to 400° F. It should sound hollow when you tap on it.

Alternatively, make smaller shapes and bake about 5 minutes less.

You can also top your Focaccia with vegetables, or anything else you like. This way becoming a meal in itself.

When I bake smaller plain ones I use them for sandwiches. Or serve them with soup. The large ones are great party food cut into smaller squares, or serves two as a dinner with plenty of toppings. Basically once you have the dough let your imagination run free.

Enjoy

Myra Xo

Home smoked Salmon

6 Replies

Serves 4

Smoking Salmon at home has got be one of most satisfying cooking experiences I can think of. It’s very rewarding, quite effortless and very impressive.

Because of the high fat content of the fish, it holds up really well against the smoking, it doesn’t dry out at all. The skin becomes it bit leather like and the inside pink and very juicy.

The fun part is, that is actually really easy.

Ingredients;

4 portions of Salmon, or one large piece for four portions
1 C. Coconut blossom sugar or regular sugar, use half white and half brown
1/3 cups kosher salt
3 torn up Bay leafs
2 tablespoons crushed black pepper

Method;

Mix the Sugar, Salt, Bay leafs and Pepper

Get out a ceramic or glass baking dish and put in half the seasoning, lay your Salmon on top and cover with the remaining seasoning. Cover tightly with cling film and refrigerate from 4-8 hours. 8 is best.

After this time, remove fish from the dish and rinse thoroughly with cold water. Pat dry with kitchen paper and let dry in the fridge uncovered for about three hours. This will form a skin. Essential for a good result.

Meanwhile prepare your smoker according to the manufacturers instructions.

Put about three tablespoons of wood shavings on the bottom tray of your smoker. I like to add some flavoured chips like Hickory or Maple. Put the second rack on top. Now place each piece of Salmon on a lightly oiled piece of aluminium foil, and put them on the top rack of your smoker. Salmon will stick to the rack, so the foil is a must. Put the lid on. Set the flames to medium for the first five minutes to get it going then turn to low and cook for about 20 to 30 minutes. Check after 20 minutes by gently pulling a bit of Salmon away with a fork.

When its’ done remove from smoker and serve. Left overs are incredible but unlikely.

Enjoy

Myra Xo

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