Leftover Fish and spinach pie

A simple, lighter fish pie without the white sauce.

Ingredients

for 4 people

• 400gr cooked fish such as Salmon, Cod, haddock
• 1 nutmeg size piece of ginger
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 bag of spinach
• 3 medium potatoes, boiled and mashed 
• 4 hard boiled eggs, peeled and halved

arrange the fish on an ovenproof dish, season with salt, pepper, ginger, garlic, drizzle a little olive oil over the fish.

Arrange the cooked spinach over the fish, and the halved eggs on top of the spinach. Season.

Spread the mash evenly over the pie.

Bake in a hot oven for 35-40 minutes.

Leftover Spaghetti with ginger garlic

Picture: Spaghetti with whitebait

This is is my tried and tested Ginger Garlic combination which I use very often.
It is so versatile and loved by all.
You can make it vegetarian, or add a little leftover roast or even flaked fish, cooked prawns.

Ingredients for 4 people:

• 300 gr dry spaghetti
• Flavorings: 100 gr cooked meat of fish, mushrooms, vegetables
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 cm cube of ginger, grated
• 1 hot chili
• olive oil
• Paprika to garnish

Method

• Cook the spaghetti in plenty of boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain and keep to one side.
• Peel the garlic and chop it finely.
• Grate the ginger.
• Heat 3 tbsp oil a large pan, add the garlic, ginger, chili and your chosen flavoring; cook for a few seconds. Add the spaghetti. Mix everything with a fork and reheat well. Serve.

Prawn soup

I love to make this hearty soup using the leftover heads and skins of prawns.
If you do not want to add the cream, use coconut cream instead.

Ingredients for 6-8 people:

• 50 g butter
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, halved
• 1 handful of chopped Parsley 
• 1sprig of thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 125 ml brandy or dry vermouth
• 1 kg cooked langoustines, in their shells
• 1.5 litres fish stock. You can also use chicken stock for a milder flavor.
• 200 ml double cream or coconut cream
• 1-2 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 pinch smoked paprika or chilli powder
• 1 lemon, juice only

Method
1. Heat the butter in a heavy-based pan over a medium-high heat until foaming and gently fry the onion, garlic, two sprigs of thyme, parsley and bay leaves for 2-3 minutes, or until the onions have softened.

2. Pour in the dry vermouth and cook until the volume of the liquid has reduced by half.

3. Meanwhile peel the langoustines, reserving all the shells and heads. Add these to the pan, crushing the shells and heads with the back of a wooden spoon to extract as much flavour as possible.

4. Cover with the fish stock and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for about 40 minutes, then strain the stock through a colander, crushing the shells with a rolling pin. Strain the stock again through a fine sieve into a clean pan.

5. Add the cream and lemon juice to the strained stock and warm through gently. Add the langoustine meat, then season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

6. To serve, ladle the bisque into bowls. Roughly chop the remaining parsley and use to garnish the bisque.

Tuna Tartar

Ingredients for a Starter for 2
This dish is quite indulgent as it uses fresh red tuna from the market. However, it is worth it!. It is very easy to make and the result is impressive.

• 1 fresh red tuna steak, about 250gr
• chopped coriander leaves about 1tbs
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• lemon juice, to taste
• 1/2 clove of garlic, minced to a pulp
• salt
• pepper
• 1 tsp wasabi, optional
• soy sauce, to taste

Chop the tuna into small bits. Do this with a heavy chopping knife, until it resembles mince meat.

With a metal spoon, carefully mix in 1 dessertspoon lemon juice, a good pinch of salt, the chopped coriander,  grated ginger garlic,  soy sauce and pepper to taste. Stir 1 tbs of good olive oil into the tuna. Try a little and correct the seasoning to taste.
Stir a little wasabi sauce if you like it.
Serve with Melba toast, as a starter.

Note. If you don't have coriander use the same amount of chopped parsley instead.

Peruvian Prawn Soup (Chupe)

This soup comes from Peru, and it is one of my favorites. The recipe was given to me by my mother in law who lived in Peru for some years. It is hot, spicy, creamy, and has prawns in it. Perfection.
It is very easy to make. It takes about 45 minutes of preparation once you have all the ingredients. It is perfect to serve at dinner parties because you can make it in the morning and then keep it in a cool place until required. If there is any left after the meal, it even tastes better the next day.
I always prepare more than what I think is sufficient, because guests will ask for second and even third servings.

For best results, make a good stock using the leftover heads and shells of grilled or barbecued prawns.

Serves 6

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 stick celery, chopped
• 1 small potato, peeled and cut into small dice
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 3 tbsp tomato concentrate
• 1 tsp chili flakes, or sweet paprika
• pinch of Saffron
• 1.5 Lt chicken of fish stock
• 600 grams of cooked prawns
• 300 ml coconut cream or evaporated milk
• 300 gr cooked corn
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 100 gr frozen peas
• 150 gm rice

Heat 3 tbsp oil in a large pan and gently caramelize the onion and celery for 10 minutes. Add the potato dice, Saffron, garlic, chili and tomato concentrate; cook for 2 more minutes. Add the chicken stock, bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes. Add the condensed milk, corn, and rice; and cook for 20 minutes until the rice is cooked through.
Check the seasoning and add more salt, pepper or chili if necessary
Add the prawns, peas and the beaten eggs, stir the soup until the egg curdles and is starting to boil again.
Serve hot as a main course, with crusty bread and a fruity white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc.

Majorcan baked Fish

This recipe is very versatile. This is the basic recipe, you can make as many variations as you can think of

Ingredients for 4:

• 4  hake, Cod or any other white fish fillets
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 large potatoes, peeled and sliced
• 100 ml white wine, stock or water
• salt, pepper
• 2tbs flour, for coating the fish

Gently fry the onion and the potatoes in 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, in a large ovenproof pan with lid. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover them while cooking to prevent them from coloring too much. You want them cooked through but still pale.  Now add a little whine or water to make a sauce.

While the onion and potatoes are cooking, season the fish fillets and coat them with flour.
Fry them in a separate pan, for 1 minute on each side. Remove from the pan and reserve.

When the potatoes are cooked though, remove the lid and arrange the fish fillets on top. Pour some of the sauce and onions over the fish.

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes at 180ºC.
Serve hot, straight from the oven

Variations:
Lemon cream: add 100 ml of double cream and the juice of half a lemon to the sauce.
Mushrooms: fry some mushrooms with the onion and potatoes. continue as above
Peppers: fry 1 red pepper with the onion, instead of the potatoes.

Thai Prawn Cakes

• 3 spring onions 
• 2 small red chillies 
• finely grated zest of 1 lime and 1 tbsp fresh lime juice 
• pinch of sugar 
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander 
• 225g shelled raw tiger prawns 
• 1-2 tbsp plain flour , for dusting 
• 3 tbsp sunflower oil 

1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds for sprinkling over the cakes


Chop 1 spring onion and tip into a food processor. Slice the remaining 2 spring onions diagonally and set aside. Halve both chillies lengthways and discard the seeds. Put 1 chilli into the food processor, finely chop the other and set aside.
Add the lime zest, sugar, 2 tbsp of the coriander and a generous pinch of sea salt to the spring onion and chilli in the processor and whizz to a coarse paste. Add the prawns and whizz until everything is chopped but still has some texture.
Tip the mixture on to a floured surface and with floured hands lightly shape into 4 rounds, each about 1cm thick. (You can make ahead up to this point. Cover and keep refrigerated for up to 24 hours.)
Heat 2 tbsp of the sunflower oil in a smallish frying pan and start frying the prawn cakes - cook over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side, turning them over when they become golden.

NOTE:  as a main course, serve with a large green salad and a rice dish. Try my egg fried rice.

King Prawns with Chili Mayonaise

This is a lovely dish to have any time of the year, I like to serve it for a light supper and my children fight over who has the most prawns.
Whole cooked prawns can be bought frozen, they are delicious, and I always use up the heads and shells to make a spicy prawn soup for the next day.

Ingredients for 4:

• 500 gr whole king prawns
• 1.5 litre fish or chicken stock cube
• 2tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 small garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tsp tomato ketchup
• dash of chili or Tabasco

Put a large pan of water to boil, add the stock cube and a pinch of salt.
When the water comes up to the boil, pour in the prawns. As soon as the water comes up to the boil again, turn off the heat and drain the prawns, saving the stock to make a great fish soup for the next day. Place the drained prawns in a serving dish.

Mix the mayonnaise with the garlic, ketchup and chili or Tabasco, taste to check that the flavour is good and strong.

Serve the prawns cold, with the mayonnaise, as a starter or snack.
Because the prawns can be eaten with your fingers, give each person a small bowl of water with lemon juice, so they can clean their finger when finished.

Molded Salmon Appetizer

I found this recipe in an old recipe note book my sister was writing when we were students.
It is a classic mold, suitable for Christmas or a cold buffet.

Ingredients:

• 200 gr canned salmon or tuna in brine
• 200 gr cream cheese
• 300ml can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 packet of gelatin sheets
• 60 ml water
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 spring onion, chopped
• 200 ml mayonnaise
• 1/2 tsp curry powder

Combine the cream cheese and the can of soup. Heat and stir this mixture until smooth.
Dissolve the gelatin in water according to the packet instructions. Then add to the soup mixture.
Fold in the remaining ingredients and stir until mixed through.
Pour into one mold of 6 individual molds. Refrigerate for 5 hours until set.
Turn out when ready to serve.
Serve with a green salad and crackers.

Salmon Kedgeree

I like to serve this dish as a light dinner

Ingredients for 4-5 people
2 cups of basmati rice
3 cups of chicken stock
2 tablespoons garam masala
3 tablespoons of powdered ginger
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 onion
2 hard boiled eggs, cut into 8 pieces
1 fillet of salmon

Put the salmon in a pan with two tablespoons of milk, a pinch of salt and pepper. Turn the heat on, cover the pan and simmer the fish for 5 minutes, until barely cooked. Turn the heat off. When the fish is cold enough to handle, flake it and remove all the bones. Reserve the salmon on a plate.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan and add the spices; stir for 5 seconds, add the onion and fry for 5 minutes until pale. Add the rice, stir it into the spices, pour 3 cups of chicken stock over the rice and cover the pan. Let it simmer for 15 minutes, until the rice is cooked. Turn the heat off, sprinkle the salmon flakes over the rice and decorate the dish with the boiled eggs. Let the salmon stand for a minute or so until heated through. Serve immediately.

Fish Soup

Small rock fish are used for this dish, so try to find a pack with mixed fish. You can also use any leftover prawns heads if you have any.

Ingredients for 4:

• 500 gm mixed small fish, frozen is fine
• 1 onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• pinch of chili flakes
• 1-2 chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsp tomato concentrate
• salt & pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1.5 Lt chicken stock

Chop the onion and saute in the oil in a large pan, with the garlic, tomatoes and chili. When the onion is cooked through, add 2 tbsp tomato concentrate and cook for one minute. Add the fish, seasoning, and the stock. Bring to the boil. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Turn the heat off and wait for the soup to cool a little.
Sieve it through a coarse sieve or moulin. Discard the bones and skins.
Pour the soup in a pan, bring to the boil and add 1 tablespoons of rice per person, cook for 12 minutes and serve at once with chopped garlic and parsley to garnish and a lemon wedge per person.

Tangy Fish Cakes

Ingredients for 5-6 patties:

• 250 gm cooked white fish
• 1 medium potato, cooked and crushed
  
• 1 tbs flour
• salt, pepper, paprika, nutmeg
• 1 crushed garlic clove
• 1 spring onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

you will also need:

• 1 egg,
• breadcrumbs

With a fork, fold the fish flakes into the potato; mix in the rest of ingredients except for the egg. Make balls the size of a golf ball and flatten slightly into patties, coat with egg and then the crumbs; shallow fry in a pan with a little oil and serve as an appetizer or light dinner with salad.

The patties can also be placed in a baking dish and covered with tomato sauce, baked for 20 minutes and served with fried potatoes.

Variation: make these cakes with salmon. Poach it gently for 2 minutes in very little water, flake it and remove the bones. Continue as above.