fish – My Whisk and I

Roasted Hake with Onions

June 15, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This recipe is my adaptation to make it easier/quicker/simpler to make Ottolenghi’s Roasted hake with fenugreek onions. The original recipe can be found in his book OTK on page 191.

5ml fennel seeds
5ml mustard seeds
10ml ground cumin
5ml ground turmeric
60ml + 45ml olive oil
40g + 40g + 20g butter, cubed
6 large onions, peeled and sliced
5ml salt
1 green chilli, finely chopped
5ml + 2,5ml sugar
12 hake medallions, unfrozen and dried on kitchen paper
10ml lemon juice
3 lemons cut into wedges

Mix the fennel, mustard, cumin and turmeric together in a small bowl.
Spoon 5ml of this spice mixture out into another small bowl and set both bowls aside.
Place a large pan over medium-high heat and add 60ml olive oil and 40g butter to it.
Wait for the butter to melt before adding the onions and salt.
Turn the heat down and cook for 20 minutes, stirring every now and then.
Add the chopped green chilli and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Add the 5ml sugar and the spice mix, stir for 30 seconds and remove it from the heat. Set aside.
Preheat your oven to 200℃.
Add the 45ml olive oil, 40g butter, 2,5ml sugar, 5ml spice mix and a pinch of salt to a 24cm x 24cm ceramic dish and mix together in the dish so that it covers the bottom.
Pack the fish tightly into the dish and season with salt and pepper.
Spoon the onion mixture over the fish medallions in an even layer and dot the surface with small pieces of the 20g butter.
Place in the oven and roast for 25 minutes.
Drizzle 10ml lemon juice over the fish and serve with the lemon wedges on the side.

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Seafood Bake

May 19, 2024May 16, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

400g prawns, shelled and deveined
450g hake medallions (hake cut into more or less 3cm x 3cm)
500g seafood and fish mix
60g butter
4 cloves of garlic, minced
125ml white wine
10ml salt
125ml cream
1 lemon, zest grated

Topping:
1 x 200g box of KIPS, Bacon Flavoured Biscuits or any other savoury cracker
30g butter, melted
125ml grated parmesan cheese

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and place all of the seafood in a large oven dish. Flatten/spread out as evenly as possible. Set aside.
Add the butter to a small saucepan set over medium-low heat and allow it to melt.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute.
Add the wine, turn the heat up to high and simmer rapidly until only half the original liquid remains.
Add the salt, a few good grindings of black pepper, the cream and the lemon zest.
Turn the heat down to a low simmer for 30 seconds or so, remove from the heat and pour over the seafood.
Mix through so that the seafood is coated in the sauce.
Place in the oven and cook for 12 minutes.
Crush the biscuits finely and add it to a mixing bowl.
Pour over the melted butter and add the parmesan cheese.
Remove the baking dish from the oven and evenly scatter the mixture over.
Return the seafood to the oven, turn the heat up to 240℃ and bake until golden.
Serve with charred lemon to squeeze over.

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Prawn Curry

April 21, 2024April 19, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

30ml olive oil
15ml turmeric
15ml ground coriander
15ml ground cumin
30ml curry powder
1 kg prawns, shelled and deveined

Curry sauce:
30ml vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 green chilli, chopped
10ml ground ginger
15ml curry powder
5ml ground cumin
5ml ground turmeric
15ml ground coriander
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
250ml coconut milk

Pour the olive oil into a large mixing bowl and add the turmeric, coriander, cumin and curry powder to it. Mix through.
Add the prawns and stir to cover with the spice paste. Set aside for 30 minutes.
Place a saucepan on medium heat, add the vegetable oil and onion and cook until translucent.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute.
Add the green chilli, ginger, curry, cumin, coriander and turmeric and cook for 30 seconds.
Now blitz the two tins of tomatoes and add it to the saucepan.
Turn down the heat and simmer the mixture for 10 minutes.
Add the marinated prawns, pour in the coconut milk and simmer for another 10 – 15 minutes.
Serve the prawn curry with fresh coriander and steamed rice.

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Salmon Rillettes

December 10, 2023July 27, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

1 onion, chopped
250ml dry white wine
750ml water
5ml whole black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 lemon, zested and juiced
250g fresh salmon, skin removed
125g smoked salmon, chopped
30ml + 30ml butter, cubed and at room temperature
30ml sour cream
45ml dill/parsley, chopped
15ml capers, finely chopped
15ml olive oil

Add half of the chopped onion, all of the white wine, water and peppercorns to a saucepan.
Add the bay leaf and lemon juice and bring the mixture to the boil.
Add the fresh salmon to the liquid, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove the salmon from the liquid and allow it to cool. You may discard the poaching liquid.
Gently flake the salmon with your fingers and add it to a bowl. Set aside to cool completely.
Add 30ml of the butter to a pan set over medium heat.
Add the remaining onion and cook until soft.
Now add the lemon zest, smoked salmon, sour cream, dill, capers, olive oil, the remaining 30ml butter and the cooked onion to the flaked salmon.
Stir the mixture together to combine evenly but be careful not to mush the salmon.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Take the salmon from the fridge and allow 30 minutes for it to come back to room temperature.
Serve on crostini or crackers.

The salmon can be kept in the refrigerator for three days. Spoon it into a glass jar, melt about 50g of butter and pour over before sealing with the lid.

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Fish Parcels

February 27, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

4 portions of hake
2 sweet peppers, sliced
100g green olives, pitted
30ml capers, roughly chopped
60ml peppadews, chopped
2 lemons, quartered

Preheat your oven to 200℃.
Cut 4 pieces of baking paper to more or less 30cm x 30cm.
Place a portion of hake in the centre of each paper square and season with salt and pepper.
Add the sweet peppers, olives, capers and peppadews to a small bowl and mix through. Divide the mixture equally and spoon onto the fish.
Squeeze the juice of a quartered lemon over.
Bring the two opposite sides of the paper together and fold over twice.
Now twist the ends to enclose the filling.
Place on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
Serve the fish in its paper parcel.

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Sheet-pan Fish with Ladolemono Dressing

April 14, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This recipe works well with any white fish, fresh or frozen, and is the perfect nutritious weeknight dinner. Ladolemono dressing is traditionally Greek and a basic olive oil and lemon dressing that is drizzled onto fish before and after baking. This version has garlic and origanum added and will have you longing for a Greek vacation!

6 – 8 portions of white fish fillet
Ladolemono Dressing:

90ml olive oil
30ml lemon juice
5ml salt
15ml fresh oregano
1 clove garlic, minced

Preheat your oven to 220℃.
Lay the white fish portions/fillets onto a baking sheet and put aside while making the dressing.
Add all the Ladolemono dressing ingredients to a small bowl and whisk until the mixture turns thick and is completely blended.
Spoon half of the dressing onto the fish and bake for 15 minutes.
Remove the fish from the oven and drizzle the rest of the dressing onto the cooked fish.
Serve with a salad or roasted vegetables.