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Salmon with crab apple jelly and horseradish glaze

9 Oct

salmon with crab apple and horseradish glaze

Coating salmon in a sweet-tart glaze before baking in the oven is one of my favourite ways to cook it.

And this combination of crab apple jelly and horseradish is probably my favourite glaze to coat it with.

Crab apples were plentiful where I grew up. They’re not much good for eating, so my mum either pickled them whole or cooked them into a lovely tart jelly.

I occasionally see crab apple jelly for sale in the UK. Whenever I do, I always buy a couple of jars. It also works well with apricot jam.

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Salmon with orange-ginger miso noodles

1 Sep

salmon with orange-miso-ginger noodles

I’ve made this salmon noodle bowl several times this summer. It’s a versatile dish – equally good served hot or cold.

The orange-ginger miso sauce is the star of the show, adding richness and depth to an otherwise simple meal. Continue reading →

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Smoked salmon and cream cheese cigars

28 Aug

smoked salmon and cream cheese cigars

Necessity is the mother of invention and all that.

It was definitely the reason I “invented” these smoked salmon and cream cheese cigars to bring to our annual street party an hour before it started.

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Moqueca de camarão (Brazilian prawn stew)

14 Jul

moqueca de camarão (Brazilian prawn stew)

Moqueca de camarão is my kind of dish.

Simple, delicious, light, flavourful, every ingredient singing in harmony.

I’m so pleased I’ve discovered it, and expect we’ll be eating it regularly all year round.

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Tomate aux crevettes

11 Jul

I liked the look of this Belgian recipe for tomate aux crevettes, but wondered if it might be no more than the sum of its (very few) parts.

But after a short spell in the fridge, the prawn filling both infused the tomato shell and set a bit so that it sliced surprisingly well. Continue reading →

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Arepas con camarones y hogao

3 Jul

I love it when I discover something new to cook that I know will become a fixture on the family dinner table.

These Colombian arepas are one of those things.

Delicious, crispy, light and filling, we made noises of happiness as we ate them. Continue reading →

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Cod and chickpea curry

6 May

Cod and chickpea curry

Cod and chickpeas are trusted companions, appearing together in Spanish, Italian and North African dishes.

They work well in this simple Indian curry too – standing their ground against the sharpness and spice of the sauce. Continue reading →

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Salmon quiche

24 Feb

salmon quiche

Salmon quiche is something I think to make when I have leftover cooked salmon hanging about or a couple of fresh fillets that need using up.

I tend to make my own pastry, but with a sheet of ready-rolled, it’s five minute’s work to turn out this dish.

A superior lunchtime centre-piece for not much effort at all…

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Squid and fennel salad with croutons

27 Jan

Seafood fennel salad with croutons

Squid and fennel salad has become my go-to dinner party starter. Delicious and a little bit special, you can do nearly all the prep in advance, simply tossing the last few elements together when it is time to serve. Continue reading →

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Avocado-tuna boats

19 Jul

Avocado tuna boats

Avocado-tuna boats are a longstanding lunchtime favourite around here.

The tuna filling is entirely flexible, varying with the contents of the fridge and preferences of my lunch companions.

Radish can stand in for celery, fresh tomatoes for sundried, green onion for red, sliced olives for capers…

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Crab linguine

3 Nov

Crab linguine

This simple, delicious crab linguine takes me back to the week we spent camping in Cornwall, at the tip of the Lizard peninsula.

Once the seven-hour drive and rigamarole of pitching camp was behind us, we spent our days cliff walking, beach lazing, and body surfing, and our nights toasting marshmallows and sipping whisky round the campfire.

Before leaving London, I’d had the brainwave of freezing a few meals in large ziplock bags. These served as ice blocks for the cooler, keeping the milk and butter cool while they slowly thawed (a system that worked surprisingly well) until I heated them up on our little gas burner.

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Ed’s clam chowder

5 Oct

Dad's clam chowder

My dad Ed cooked only a few recipes – spaghetti, hamburger mince gravy, sourdough bread, clam chowder – and he cooked them very well.

His clam chowder is as good as any I’ve ever had. The much-loved and lamented clam chowder that the BC Ferries used to serve wasn’t a patch on my dad’s version.

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Spaghetti puttanesca

30 Jul

Spaghetti puttanesca

Sugo alla puttanesca – or “whore’s sauce” – is a savoury, spicy, lip-smacking combination of tomatoes, chilli, capers, anchovies and olives. Usually served with spaghetti, I’d choose it over a bolognese sauce any day of the week.

The Neapolitan version of puttanesca doesn’t include anchovies, so I’ve listed them as optional. I love the depth of saltiness they bring to the dish (and once they’ve cooked down, the girls are blissfully unaware they’re in there) so I usually sneak some in.

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Grilled sardines (sardinhas assadas)

6 Jul

Grilled sardines

I fired up the barbeque for first time this season to grill these sardines for our dinner. You can fry sardines in a grill pan or in a hot oven, but they are so much nicer cooked over an open flame.

These were delicious served with a squeeze of lemon, some crusty Portuguese bread and the traditional grilled pepper salad. The only possible improvements would have been a seaside table and a chilled glass of vinho verde. Continue reading →

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Prawns alla busara

3 Jul

Prawns buzara

I’ve been wanting to cook prawns alla busara ever since I saw Rick Stein prepare them on the Croatia segment of his Venice to Istanbul cookery show.

By the time he’d rustled up a delicious-looking plate of prawns bathed in a wine-rich tomato sauce, my mouth was watering. Continue reading →

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Cod with egg and butter sauce

14 Jun

Cod with egg-butter sauce

Iceland’s presence in Euro 2016 is a dream come true. Much as I’d like to see their unlikely success continue, it seemed expedient to fit an Icelandic meal into the schedule early on.

After some research, I settled on roast cod fillets with egg and butter sauce. It was delicious, and couldn’t be simpler to make. Continue reading →

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Fish pie

18 Feb

Fish pie

Fish pie is a comforting dish, and one many British people associate with childhood. I can’t recall ever eating one before moving to the UK, but unlike Marmite or Jaffa cakes, you don’t have to grow up eating fish pie to enjoy it.

Making a good fish pie does require care and attention. There are several steps – and several pans – involved. I’ve streamlined my version over the years,  arriving at a fish pie recipe where the final result justifies the effort.

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Smoked salmon dip

2 Feb

Smoked salmon dip

Hot-smoked salmon is one of the Canadian foods I miss most now that I live in the UK. It’s slowly becoming easier to find, but cold-smoked salmon still dominates the shelves.

So I was very pleased indeed to receive a stash of hot-smoked salmon through the post recently.

Aside from its deliciousness, the versatility of hot-smoked salmon is what makes it such a pleasure to cook with. Kedgeree, pasta sauce, salads, fish pie, chowder, quiche – it’s an asset to them all.

At last week’s Burns Night supper, I shared my hot-smoked salmon bounty with our guests in this smoked salmon dip.

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Smoked mackerel and beet salad

12 Jan

Smoked mackerel and beetroot salad

Smoked mackerel and beetroot salad is the kind of food I crave after December’s indulgences. Healthy without being “too healthy”, this winning combination of colours, textures and tastes feeds the eye before it feeds the rest of you.

The sharpness of the pickled beetroot contrasts beautifully with the mackerel’s oily richness, set off by the fiery horseradish dressing. I heaped forkfuls of it onto Ryvita crackers, and crunched away happily – feeling all Nordic – while catching up on the latest series of The Bridge. Continue reading →

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Prawn cocktail

29 Dec

Prawn cocktail

My mum always served shrimp cocktail before we tucked into our Christmas dinner. Now I’m wearing the apron, I’ve dispensed with the whole idea of starters. But it wouldn’t be Christmas without mum’s shrimp cocktail appearing on a menu at some point over the holidays.

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Kedgeree

6 Sep

Kedgeree

Kedgeree is one of my all-time favourite meals. While the British consider kedgeree a breakfast dish, we usually eat this delicious concoction of smoked fish, rice, eggs and curry as a weekday supper with a good dollop of mango chutney. Continue reading →

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Miang kum salmon salad

10 Aug

Miang kum salmon salad

The Thai street snack miang kum (or miang kham) is the inspiration for this smoked salmon salad.

Miang kum is intense bite of hot-sweet-sour-salty bits and pieces wrapped in a cha plu leaf. Apparently the name translates to “all things in one bite”.

I’ve reproduced the flavours of miang kum in this salad, adding the lettuce and noodles to transform it into a more substantial dish. I made it with prawns the first time, but prefer the smoky element the salmon introduces.

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Salmon and quinoa

19 Jul

Salmon and quinoa

As delicious as this recipe for grilled salmon with quinoa tastes, it’s the combination of textures that make it such a winner. The silky richness of the salmon, pop of quinoa, and juicy crunch of red pepper play beautifully off one another.

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Tonno e fagioli (tuna and cannellini beans)

14 Jul

Tonno e fagioli
Now that I’ve overcome a lifelong pressure cooker phobia resulting from the applesauce incident, I prefer cooking dried beans to buying tinned.

It’s more work, but with recipes like tonno e fagioli, the difference in texture and taste is worth the extra effort. Continue reading →

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Fish rice broccoli bowl

21 Apr

Fish rice broccoli bowl

“Andrea has made… steamed Japanese rice, a store-bought smoked mackerel fillet, and steamed broccoli, garnished with strips of nori and a sprinkling of sesame seeds,” Nova drawled in wicked imitation of India Fisher, as we settled with our rice bowls in front of the telly to watch Masterchef.

I get this kind of thing a lot: “You’ve let yourself down on the presentation again, I’m afraid”, or “for me, the elements don’t combine into a single dish” or occasionally “this cherry sorbet is a lovely, lovely thing.”

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Tuna fishcakes with tartare sauce

27 Mar

tuna-fishcakes

Fishcakes are a great store cupboard supper – quick to prepare using ingredients we nearly always have on hand. The addition of homemade tartare sauce makes it that bit more special, for those of us who like that sort of thing. For those who don’t, they are also nice with a wedge of lemon on the side. Continue reading →

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Chirashi sushi

14 Feb

Chirashi sushi

Chirashi sushi is an adaptable dish. It’s colourful and impressive party fare when arranged on a large serving platter, but makes a great midweek supper as well.

In the time it takes the rice to steam, I can throw together a quick Japanese omelette, soak and slice a few dried mushrooms, shred some nori and make the dressing for the rice. After that it’s just a matter of tossing things together.

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Tuna chickpea pitta sandwich

12 Feb

tuna-chickpea-salad

This simple tuna chickpea pitta sandwich is one of my lunchtime staples. I find the mix of textures particularly satisfying. It’s also low in fat and high in protein – the kind of food I’m looking for after recent indulgences.

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Steamed fish with Moroccan roast vegetables

7 Feb

Steamed fish with roasted vegetables

I don’t recall ever eating roasted vegetables when I was growing up – not even roast potatoes. Vegetables were boiled or steamed, possibly mashed, and served with butter. Mum had a wok (not standard kitchen equipment in those days), and would occasionally make a big Chinese stir fry, but roasting vegetables wasn’t on the radar. Continue reading →

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Sake-soy marinated salmon

8 Jan

Sake-soy marinated salmon

Salmon is the lifeblood of British Columbia, the province in Canada where I grew up. It permeates everything – the history, culture, mythology, ecology, and economy. It feeds the people, the bears, the soil itself. It attracts tourists and sends them home with suitcases full of salmon products. Continue reading →

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Smoked trout paté

2 Dec

smoked-trout-pate

Each November, we celebrate Thanksgiving with longtime friends, who have family in America. We pick a date that falls between Canadian and American Thanksgiving, and take turns hosting. The family that does the travelling brings the pies.

This year, it was our turn to cook the meal. I made this smoked trout paté to whet our appetite for the main event. The flavours are more delicate – and it’s also prettier – than my usual mackerel paté. The original recipe comes from Delicious magazine. Continue reading →

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Grilled prawns in peanut sauce

27 Nov

Satay prawns

I was undecided whether to call name this dish prawn satay, but eventually decided against it. Strictly speaking, I think that satay are grilled skewers served with a peanut sauce on the side.

This is a nice way of doing things too, and threading the prawns onto two skewers keeps them flat for grilling and helps prevent the peanut sauce sliding off.

I serve these skewers with a big green salad and a bowl of steamed rice.

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Provençal-style seafood soup

21 Nov

Provençal-style seafood soup

This seafood soup recipe has evolved from a straightforward tomato-based broth, making its way south to Provence with the addition of fennel, orange juice and a splash of Pernod. It now occurs to me that with a can of chickpeas, a half cup of couscous, and a dash of hot pepper sauce, it could easily hop the Mediterranean and land up in north Africa… Continue reading →

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Coquilles St Jacques

22 Oct

coquilles St Jacques

October 21st is my mum’s birthday. After she died in 2003, my brothers and I  established a tradition of preparing her favourite dish – coquilles St Jacques – on October 21st each year. It’s become a way of marking the day – and of connecting with one another. It isn’t always possible, but more often than not, we all sit down to this meal on her birthday. Continue reading →

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Tuna chowder

14 Oct

Tuna chowder

The word “chowder” has such a North American ring to it. You don’t seem to get chowders much in the UK, which is a shame because its a perfect match for the English climate and local ingredients. There is nothing fancy about this tuna chowder – just potatoes, onions, tuna, corn, dill and milk, transformed into something supremely tasty and satisfying.

This was one of my favourite dinners as a child. Mum had a big china tureen she would transfer the tuna chowder into before bringing it to the table. I don’t own a tureen myself, and probably wouldn’t use it if I did. But I always liked the way she took that extra bit of effort to make family dinners feel special. To make us feel special really… Continue reading →

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Prawn and pork wonton soup

10 Sep

Wonton soup A steaming bowl of wonton soup is a very satisfying supper on a cool autumn evening. I put Lyra to work assembling the wontons – her little fingers are very good at pinching the wrappers together. The recipe makes enough filling for about 50 wontons. Leftover filling can be formed into meatballs and dropped into broth unwrapped, or else saved for another day. Continue reading →

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Vietnamese salad rolls

2 Sep

Vietnamese salad rolls

A good Vietnamese salad roll is one of my all-time favourite things. When I lived in Vancouver, there was a great Vietnamese place called Vina round the corner from my apartment, and  I would regularly pick up an order of  salad rolls for dinner on the way home from work. Continue reading →

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Linguine with sardine pesto

25 Aug

Linguine with sardine pesto

Linguine with sardine pesto isn’t the most visually appealing dish, but it is so tasty I overlook that shortcoming. A regular tin of sardines makes enough pesto for two, so Adam and I will often have this while the girls go for the basil version. I don’t remember where I came across this recipe – I think I may have clipped it out of the newspaper way back when… Continue reading →

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Mackerel paté

21 Aug

Mackerel paté

Mackerel paté is not one of the recipe world’s natural beauties, and it’s beyond my limited photography skills  to make it look any better than this. On the plus side, it is dead simple to make and tastes great. To quote Meatloaf, “two outta three ain’t bad”.

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Bengali prawn malai curry

7 Aug

Bengali prawn malai curry

Prawn malai curry (or chingri malaikari) is a classic Bengali dish. Prawns simmered in a coconut milk sauce that is fragrant with cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. It’s meant to be mild, which worked for the girls. My version is based on the recipe I found on the Something Special website.

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