Category Archives: Fish and Seafood

Roasted red bell pepper jam

Leave a reply

Get ready for the new sauce of Summer ’22.
The perfect sauce for Mexican Corn Jalapeño Burger, Jamaican Jerk Chicken Kebabs, Beef burger filled with Onions and Crispy Bacon, Madras Salmon Burger, etc etc… basically all kinds of hamburgers, grilled meats, salmon, fish and sandwiches.
The jam is sweet, a little tangy because there is a little vinegar in there, and a hint of spice in the form of chili flakes. You can adjust that to your liking of course, but for us, 1/2 teaspoon is enough. This sauce will keep for about two weeks in the refrigerator,  you can also process the jars (canning) for a longer shelve life, but do consult a canning website or source for that procedure.
This roasted red bell pepper sauce takes five minutes to make and is so easy. I used a jar of roasted peppers like I did in my 5 minute Romesco Sauce, cheats version because, why not? Sometimes it’s okay to take a shortcut.

Makes 1 jar

INGREDIENTS:


1 jar of fire roasted red peppers, drained
80 grams of special jam sugar/gelling sugar
1/4 cup plain vinegar
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
1/4 teaspoon table salt

INSTRUCTIONS:


Place all the ingredients in a blender.
Puree until smooth and transfer to a large pot.
Cook for 5 to 7 minutes until bubbly and slightly thickened.
Pour into sterile jar, let cool a bit with the lid off, for an hour or so.
Then close with a lid and keep in the refrigerator. Like I said earlier,  it’s good on everything.


Enjoy!

5 minute Romesco Sauce, cheats version

7 Replies

Romesco Sauce is a Spanish pepper and tomato based sauce from the region of Cataluña, that dates back to the 15 th century, thanks to Christopher Columbus who brought back the Romesco peppers from his travels in the America’s which are the base for this sauce.
You can find Romesco sauce everywhere in Spain, it’s very popular and can be eaten with everything from just bread to grilled fish, grilled meat or vegetables.

The original version is with dried peppers, almonds, some times hazelnuts as well, bread, garlic etc…
I have come up with a cheats version that can be done in 5 minutes and it is addictively delicious.

INGREDIENTS:

6 tbsp. Olive oil
1 small onion, peeled and chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 jar roasted red bell peppers (15 oz. jar / 500 ml), drained
1/4 cup almond butter (the roasted kind)
1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes in olive oil
1/3 cup parsley, roughly a handful
1-2 tsp. red wine vinegar
3/4 tsp. salt
fresh black pepper
1 tsp. smoked paprika (preferably the Spanish kind)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Place the sun dried tomatoes in a bowl and cover with very hot water. Let sit for five minutes then drain.
On medium heat, fry onion and garlic in two tablespoons of oil, until light golden and just soft. Let cool a bit.

In a food processor, add the pepper, the onions and garlic, almond butter, drained sun dried tomatoes, parsley, vinegar, salt, pepper, paprika and the remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil.
Turn on the food processor and blend until smooth. That’s it!

I use only one teaspoon of vinegar but you can add more depending on how acidic you like it.

The sauce will keep in the refrigerator for about five days in a glass container or jar, but I can assure you, you will be putting it on everything.

Enjoy!

Fideuá – Spanish Seafood noodle dish similar to Paella

7 Replies

Fideuá, is a Spanish dish very similar to Paella but uses “fideos” which is a tiny pasta (it looks like thin spaghetti cut into one inch pieces), instead of rice.

Fresh fish, squid, prawns, tomatoes, noodles all cooked together in a good home made fish stock.

Fideuá is similar to paella, mostly because it is cooked in a Paellera which is the large pan used for Paellas and Fideuás. You can buy them online, using a regular frying pan will only work if you are cooking for two people at the most, since the rice or the noodles need to be in a thin layer to get the perfect texture.

The best way to cook paella is outside on an open fire. But I make it on the stove all the time, when I’m using my 4 person paella pan. For larger amounts I cook it outside.

Serves : 4
INGREDIENTS:

  • 6 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil (for cooking)
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 400 gr. Cleaned Squid, cut into pieces
  • 400 gr. Firm fish, Halibut, Monkfish , Seabass….
  • 4-8 large Shrimp (optional)
  • 400 gr. Fideos nr. 4, or thin spaghetti broken into one inch pieces
  • ¼ cup canned tomato sauce (tomate frito)
  • 2 tsp. smoked paprika (Pimentón de la vera)
  • A pinch of saffron
  • 4 cups (good quality) fish stock, preferable home made
  • Salt to taste
  • Aioli to serve
  • Lemon wedges to serve
  • Parsley to serve
  • Lot’s of Sangria to serve (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

First bring your stock to a simmer and have a ladle ready.
Have your onion chopped, garlic chopped, fish cut into large-ish pieces and squid cut into bite size pieces too.
Everything happens rather quickly so have everything portioned out, a little bowl with your paprika powder, the tomato sauce etc…
Heat the Paellera, (the paella pan) on medium high heat. Add the olive oil, and add the onion and stir for a few minutes until it starts to color slightly, add the garlic and stir for one more minute. Add the squid, and fry for a minute or two, add the fish and stir around carefully for another few minutes.
Now add the paprika powder, stirring all the time but and add the tomato sauce and Saffron.
Now add the the noodles , making sure to coat all of them in the oil and sauce, add about half of the hot stock, adding more as needed. If you need more liquid, add hot water.
Cook on high heat for about 10 minutes, lower the temperature and taste the liquid to see if you need to add more salt. Cook for another ten to fifteen minutes until the noodles are cooked. There should still be some liquid in the pan and the noodles will have stuck to the bottom of the pan in the middle and is considered the best part. Enjoy!
Serve straight away with Aioli and lemon.

Fiery Garlic and Honey Shrimp.

8 Replies

Spicy, garlicky, sweet, sticky skillet shrimp with fresh lime and baby Basil. This recipe is so good and super easy, it just take 10 minutes to make!

Hopefully you already have a pack of Shrimp in the freezer, and otherwise add it to your shopping list so you can make this delicious recipe this week. Having Shrimp in the freezer is probably one of the best ingredients to have on hand for a super fast last minute dinner. You can make so much with just a bag of Shrimp…
From Tacos to Paella, and from Curry to Sandwiches, the possibilities are endless. They cook in no-time and everybody loves Shrimp. All good reasons to have a good supply in your freezer. However when I’m in a hurry or just in the mood for Shrimp, I turn to this recipe, Fiery, Garlicky Shrimp!
I have made this recipe for two as a main course, but you can simply double as needed. Serve with plenty of French bread to mop up the juices.

This recipe comes together very quickly, so have all your ingredients ready before you start cooking.

The tiny basil I happened to find at the market, it looked so cute and it is really sweet (and pretty). So if you can find it, great. But if not regular basil is fine too.

Serves: 2 as a main or 4 as a starter
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cooking Time: 5 Minutes
________________________________________

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb. shrimp (I leave the shell on)*
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 – 1 1/2 tsp. Sambal Oelek
• 1 tbsp. honey
• juice of half a lime
• a sprinkle of salt
• 1 small glass dry white wine
• 2 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• a small handful of baby basil and lime/lemon wedges to serve


METHOD:

  1. Rinse the shrimp with cold water. Pat dry with kitchen paper and set aside.
  2. Heat up a skillet (cast-iron preferred), add the olive oil. When very hot add the shrimp and leave for two minutes without moving until you see the pink color coming thru.
  3. Now turn them over and add the garlic slices and the Sambal. Leave for a minute and then toss the shrimp around by shaking the pan and flipping the shrimp if you can otherwise use a spoon.
  4. Add the honey and then the lime juice and white wine and stir around to cover.
  5. Finely add the sweet tiny basil and add the cold butter to bind the sauce.
  6. Garnish with more baby basil and serve immediately with lime/lemon wedges.

*I leave the shell on because they add so much flavor and we love peeling them and eating with our hands, but if you prefer peeled shrimp, that’s fine too.

Enjoy!