Shellfish risotto

This relies on a good quality fish stock. We made ours using langoustine shells simmered with bay leaves, celery, peppercorns, onion and hot water for an hour or two.

Otherwise, see if you can buy fish stock from your local fishmongers.

We made our risotto in the usual way, flavouring it with a small onion, a clove of garlic and a couple of sliced portobello mushrooms as a token veg addition. We added lemon zest, lemon juice, scallops, tiger prawns and squid rings for the last 3-4 minutes of cooking, adjusting the seasoning as necessary.

Add some parsley towards the end as well if you like and serve with extra lemon wedges.

Paella

We love paella. It’s so easy to make and virtually fool proof. Brown the meat, add veg followed by rice and stock, then cover and leave to cook. Add any shellfish and peas for the last five minutes and garnish with herbs and lemon.


We vary ours depending on what we fancy but this one is a favourite…

Ingredients (serves 2 but is easily doubled etc):
3 chicken thighs
4 mini cooking chorizo sausages
1 red pepper (chopped)
1 onion (chopped)
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
Pinch of saffron
¼ tea sp smoked paprika
Large handful of shell fish (we used mussels, langoustines and prawns)
½ cup frozen peas
200g paella rice
500ml chicken stock
1 lemon
1 small bunch of parsley

- Cut the chicken and chorizo into bite sized chunks and brown in a little olive oil. Set aside.
- Next fry the peppers, onions and garlic for 5 minutes or so until softened. Add the meat back into the pan.
- Add the saffron, paprika and rice and stir well.
- Add the stock and give everything a good stir. Cover the pan with a double layer of foil and make sure it is tucked tightly around the edges so steam doesn’t escape.
- Let the paella cook on a low-ish heat for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes lift the foil and add the peas and any shellfish. Re-cover with foil.
- After a further 5 minutes remove the foil and check to see that the shell fish is cooked.
- Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and lemon wedges (we took the photo above before we did this)
- The rice should be tender and a crust should have formed on the bottom of the pan - don’t worry about this, it’s the best bit!

Turbot in a crab and champagne sauce

Ingredients:

2 turbot fillets or steaks

cooked crab meat

2 shallots, peeled and quartered

1 clove of garlic, crushed

100ml champagne

50ml double cream

flat leaf parsley, chopped

salt and pepper

olive oil

• Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees
• In an oven proof dish, place the shallots and garlic and drizzle with a little olive oil. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes or so.
• Lay the turbot fillets over the roasted shallots and garlic and pour over the champagne. Roast for 10 minutes.
• Scatter the crab over the turbot and pour over the cream. Season with salt and pepper and put back in the oven for another 10 minutes.
• Once cooked, scatter with fresh parsley and serve with potatoes and a green veg. (Note: the turbot may take longer to cok than 20 minutes - it depends on how thick your fillets or steaks are).

Seafood mixed grill

Bream, salmon, tiger prawns, squid and scallops, served with salad, crusty bread and garlic and parsley mayonnaise. And a bottle of Chablis. Mmmmm

Spicy prawn and noodle fritters

Ingredients: (makes about 12)

2 handfuls of small cooked prawns

1 sheet of medium egg noodles

4 spring onions

2 medium eggs

1 small chilli

1 tbl sp sesame oil

1 tbl spoon veg oil

1 tea sp of plain flour

• Cook the egg noodles according to packet instructions, drain and roughly chop.
• Roughly chop the prawns and spring onions and add to the noodles.
• Finely dice the chilli and add to the prawns/noodles/onions, along with the sesame oil and eggs.
• Mix everything well. It should have quite a thick consistency. If it looks too wet, add a little flour.
• Heat the veg oil in a non stick frying pan or pancake pan.
• Place spoonfulls of the mixture in the hot oil and allow to cook for a couple of minutes. Turn over and cook on the other side until golden.
• Serve with sweet chilli sauce.

Hake with clams, mussels and chorizo

Crispy fried potatoes as a side dish...

We make variations of this dish all the time. The chorizo, tomatoes, wine and lemon are always present though. We usually add some chopped parsley at the end but didn't have any on this occasion.

Ingredients (serves 2):

2 hake fillets

a handful of fresh mussels

a handful of fresh clams

2 cooking chorizo sausages, sliced

3 large tomatoes, diced

2 handfuls of mushrooms, sliced

1 garlic clove, crushed

1/2 a lemon

1/2 glass of white wine

a glug of good quality olive oil

parsley, chopped (optional)

potatoes or crusty bread, to serve

• In a large frying pan (preferably one with a lid) fry the garlic and mushrooms in olive oil for a couple of minutes before adding the chorizo.
• After 5 minutes add the diced tomatoes and the white wine, simmer for another 5 minutes.
• Turn the heat down a little. Place the hake fillets on top of the chorizo/tomato mixture, squeeze the juice of half a lemon over. Put the lid on (if you have one) and let the fish steam for a few minutes.
• Add the shellfish and allow to cook/steam for another 3-4 minutes or so, until the shells have opened.
• Scatter with parsley, adjust seasoning and serve.

Mediterranean Fish Soup

Ingredients: serves 2

a couple of shallots or a white onion

2 celery sticks

1 carrot

2 cloves of garlic

3 tomatoes

sml bunch of parsley, chopped

a bay leaf

a pinch of saffron

600ml fish or veg stock

a selection of fish and shellfish (we used a monkfish tail, mussels, clams and prawns)

• Dice the onion/celery/carrot/garlic and fry in a little oil until softened.
• Dice the tomatoes and add to the veg. Saute for 5 minutes or so.
• Add the stock, saffron and bay leaf and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Cut the monkfish into bite sized pieces and wipe/de-beard the shell fish.
• Add the fish and shellfish to the soup, put a lid on the pan, and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
• Add the chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper if necessary. Discard any shellfish that haven't opened.
• Serve with crusty bread.

Spiced curry monkfish with mussels

Mixing wine and cream with spices sounds a little odd but this really works. It's based roughly on a Gordon Ramsey recipe but we altered it slightly according to our personal tastes and the ingredients we had in the house.

Ingredients (serves 2)

4 monkfish cheeks

small bag of mussels, cleaned

100ml white wine

100ml double cream

1 carrot

1 leek

1 onion

1 bay leaf

tea spoon curry powder

pinch of saffron

1/2 teaspoon of turmeric

butter

olive oil

1. Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees.


2. Heat a splash of oil in a large saucepan and then add the mussels, bay leaf and white wine. Cover with a lid and cook for about 3 minutes, until the mussels have opened.


3. Strain the juices into a bowl and set aside.


4. Remove the mussels from the shells and set aside in a second bowl.


5. Chop the carrot, leek and onion and saute in olive oil until soft. Add the curry powder, saffron, turmeric and reserved mussel liquid. Simmer until reduced by approximately half.


6. Whilst the liquid is reducing dust the monkfish cheeks with salt, pepper and a pinch of curry powder. Pan fry the monkfish in a hob and oven proof pan for a couple of minutes on each side before transferring to the oven. Roast for approx 5 minutes until firm.


7. Add the mussels and the cream to the sauteed veg. Heat through.


8. Serve the roast monkfish on top of the creamy mussel mixture. Asparagus or spinach would be a good accompaniment.