Easter Seafood Recipes from Billingsgate Seafood School
Billingsgate School Fish Pie (pictured above)
Serves 41 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
400g potatoes, scrubbed and cubed
1 leek, finely sliced
2 rounded tablespoon soft margarine/butter
2 heaped tablespoon flour
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
½ teaspoon dried English mustard or 1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard
600 ml semi skimmed milk
1 bayleaf
500g mixed fish fillets (such as salmon, smoked haddock, coley, and pollack)
2 tablespoons chopped dill
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Salt and pepper
50g grated Cheddar cheese
To make the topping place the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 5-10 minutes until just tender. Drain and set aside to cool.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan stir in the leeks and cook for 2-3 minutes until starting to soften. Sprinkle in the flour, cayenne pepper, nutmeg and mustard and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Remove from the heat and gradually stir in the milk, add the bay leaf. Cook, stirring all the time, over a gentle heat until the sauce has thickened. Leave to cool.
Skin and pin bone the fish fillets and slice the fillets into chunks.
Remove the bayleaf and stir the prepared fish, dill and parsley into the cooled sauce. Season with salt and pepper and spoon into a large shallow oven proof dish.
Cover the fish mixture with the cooked potatoes and sprinkle over the cheese.
Place the dish on a baking sheet in a preheated oven 200°C/Gas Mark 6 and cook for 30minutes, until topping is golden brown and centre of the dish is piping hot.
Try this with a mixture of fish and shellfish, or add chopped hard boiled eggs. For the topping try a mixture of mashed root vegetables – potatoes, parsnip and carrot.
Scallops with Chorizo
Serves 2
50g (2oz) chorizo, thickly slided
6 prepared scallops
1 red pepper, seeded and finely sliced
3 spring onions, finely sliced
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Squeeze of lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat the chorizo in a frying pan and cook over a medium heat until the fat begins to run. Increase the heat and cook until beginning the frazzle. Transfer the chorizo on to a plate and set aside.
Heat the frying pan until the fat is just beginning to smoke. Add the scallops and pan-fry over a high heat for 1-2 minutes on each side or until the scallops are lightly seared.
Replace the chorizo, add the red pepper and spring onions and toss over a low heat for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the parsley and seasoning. Squeeze over lemon juice and serve immediately.
Sea Bass and Fennel Tray Roast
Serves 4
2 small sea bass, filleted
2 bulbs Florence fennel, finely sliced
1 red onion, finely sliced
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon oregano leaves
Splash of Pernod
Juice of ½ lemon and a few lemon wedges
Preheat the oven to 220°C/425F°/gas mark 7. Pin-bone the sea bass fillets, score the skin with a sharp knife and season.
Put the fennel and onion in a large roasting tin. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for 7 minutes.
Remove the vegetables from the oven and sprinkle with the oregano leaves. Arrange the fish on top. Splash with a little Pernod and lemon juice and tuck lemon wedges around the edge. Return to the oven for a further 7-10 minutes or until the fish is cooked; the flesh will be opaque and the skin will peel away easily. Serve straight from the roasting tin.
Try this with sea bream, red mullet or trout
Char-grilled Tuna with Aubergine & Chilli Relish
Serves 2
2 yellow fin tuna steaks, each about 150g (5oz)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Relish
1 aubergine
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 red onion, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1-2 red chillis, seeded and finely chopped
1 teaspoon honey
5 tablespoons white wine
5 tablespoons mirin
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 table spoons freshly chopped flat leaf parsley
1 tablespoon freshly chopped mint (optional)
Make the relish. Cut the aubergine into 2 cm (¾ in) dice, sprinkle with salt and leave to stand in a colander for 10 minutes.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the onion and cook over a low heat for 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic, chilli and aubergine and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the honey, white wine, mirin and soy sauce, bring to the boil and cook over a low heat until the aubergine is tender and the liquid has evaporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in herbs.
Brush the tuna steaks with oil and season lightly with salt and plenty of pepper. Heat a griddle pan until it is beginning to smoke. Add the tuna and press on to the ridges of the pan. Sear for 1 minute, turn over and sear on the other side. Reduce the heat under the pan and continue to cook for a further 1-2 minutes on each side until the tuna has been cooked as required.
Transfer to serving plates and serve with the aubergine relish.
Roast Salmon Fillet with Ginger and Chilli Dressing
Serves 4
750g (1¾ lb) salmon fillet, unskinned and pin-boned
For the Dressing
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
Grated zest and juice of 2 limes
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons grated root ginger
1 teaspoon honey
2 seeded and finely chopped red chillis
Handful of chopped coriander
Salt and pepper
To serve
Rice or noodles
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6
Put the salmon on a large baking sheet, skin side down, and bake for 15-18 minutes or until the fish is opaque and will flake if gently pressed.
Meanwhile, mix together the ingredients for the dressing and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Remove the cooked fish from the oven, transfer to a serving dish and spoon over the dressing. Serve with rice or noodles
Try this with trout or sea bass
Langoustine and Asparagus Risotto
Serves 4
50g (2oz) butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 litre (1 ¾ pints) seafood stock
175g (60z) Arborio rice
1 glass of white whine
Splash of extra virgin olive oil
12 langoustines, peeled and deveined, or 45g (1lb) raw tiger prawns
225g (8oz) small asparagus spears, blanched
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Flat leaf parsley, to garnish
Melt two-thirds of the butter in a large sauté pan. Stir in the onion, cover with a piece of dampened greaseproof paper and a lid. Cook over a low heat until soft and remove the paper. Stir in the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
Put the stock in a saucepan, bring to a simmer and keep hot.
Tip the rice into the pan with the onion and stir for 1 minute to coat the grains. Add the wine and stir until it has evaporated.
Stir a ladleful of the hot stock into the rice. When the stock has been nearly absorbed, stir in another ladleful.
Continue to add the stock, one ladleful at a time; this may take up to 25 minutes. When the rice is nearly cooked and all the stock has been added take the pan off the heat.
Meanwhile, blanch the langoustines in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and leave to cool for a few minutes, then peel. Season the langoustines lightly with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and add the langoustines.
Stir-fry over a high heat for 30-60 seconds or until white in appearance and firm to the touch.
Add the asparagus and lemon zest to the risotto and season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon into four warm bowls and dot with the remaining butter. Top each bowl with the langoustines, garnish with parsley and serve immediately.
As an Easter treat, Billingsgate Seafood School is offering a buy one get one half price offer. For a limited time only book onto either the Good Friday or Easter Saturday class and get an evening class half price or take a friend with you onto an Easter class for half price. www.seafoodtraining.org