Showing posts with label Recipes: Fish/Seafood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Recipes: Fish/Seafood. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Exploring the Fish Market in Jimbaran, Bali

Our little family of five spent three weeks exploring the beautiful Island of the Gods aka Bali earlier this year. We began our family vacation in Jimbaran, then stayed in the quaint artists' village of Penestanan just outside Ubud, then explored Northern Bali from Dencarik on Lovina beach and ended our holiday with a short stay in Canggu on the West coast again. Although the kids - then 3, 5 and 7 - were the one setting the pace and nature of our vacation, we did cram in quite a few food-related activities as well.

Visiting the famous fish market in Jimbaran was one of them.

We relied on local taxis to get around on Bali, as the local traffic was somewhat intimidating to a Northern European like me. So I'm unable to give you exact instructions re: how to get to the market - just ask your cab driver. But do get there early - the market opens around dawn at 6 am - for the best selection of fish and liveliest action, even if you are there just for window-shopping.

Traditional fish baskets drying in the sun:
Jimbaran Fish Market, Bali

Jimbaran Fish Market, Bali

Jimbaran Fish Market, Bali

Balinese jukung, below, is a small wooden outrigger canoe, and they are always very colourful and highly decorated. These are traditional fishing boats on the island, though modern uses include transporting scuba-divers and whale-spotters as well :)

Jimbaran Fish Market, Bali

Jimbaran Fish Market, Bali

Jimbaran Fish Market, Bali

Jimbaran Fish Market, Bali

Jimbaran Fish Market, Bali

One of the many fish restaurants at the market:


Jimbaran Fish Market, Bali

Jimbaran Fish Market, Bali

Jimbaran Fish Market, Bali

Jimbaran Fish Market, Bali

Jimbaran Fish Market, Bali

Jimbaran Fish Market, Bali

While we did manage to identify all the fruit we ate while on the island and put an English and an Estonian name to all of them (post coming soon), we quickly gave up any hope of identifying the seafood. Just look at the selection - the colours are like I've only seen in a goldfish tank, not at your local fishmonger.

Jimbaran Fish Market, Bali

Jimbaran Fish Market, Bali

Jimbaran Fish Market, Bali

Jimbaran Fish Market, Bali

Jimbaran Fish Market, Bali

Jimbaran Fish Market, Bali

Jimbaran Fish Market, Bali

Although a lot of the trading takes place outside, just next to the incoming fishing boats, there is a large covered area, which is packed with vendors. There's no room to swing a cat in there - or "Kilud karbis," we'd say in Estonian - but there were plenty of transactions taking place. Unfortunately it was way too dark to take proper photos, and the kids felt somewhat uneasy in there - the noise, the smells, the sheer amount of funky-coloured fish and a number of people can seem intimidating when you're just three or five, I imagine :)

Jimbaran Fish Market, Bali

Jimbaran Fish Market, Bali

Have you been to Bali? Did you have a chance to enjoy some local seafood?

Sunday, July 24, 2016

Anne's shrimp and mango salad

Kreveti-mangosalat. Shrimp and mango salad.

We had some friends over today and I needed something bright and yummy (and without gluten) to be served on this sunny day. I was browsing my to-do(-again) lists, and opted for a refreshing mango and shrimp salad that I've made before. It's light, it's easy, and it's quite an eye-catcher, so perfect for a summer get-together. As I suspected, it was very well received - though you might hold back with the chilli when catering for kids as well ;)

The original recipe is from Anne's blog, and she's actually blogged about it a couple of times (see here and here)

Shrimp and Mango Salad
(Kreveti-mangosalat)
Serves four

300 g peeled cooked shrimp
300 g mango cubes
1 red chilli
1 small red onion
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
a small handful of fresh coriander leaves/cilantro
a generous pinch of pink peppercorns

If you use frozen shrimp, then defrost them overnight in the fridge or put into a bowl of lukewarm water for a few hours. Drain thoroughly.

Defrost the mango cubes or cut to the fresh mango into small cubes.

Thinly slice the chilli (discard the seeds). Peel the onion, cut either into a small dice or cut into two lengthwise and then into thin slices.

Mix mango, shrimps, chilli, onions and coriander leaves in a bowl. Drizzle with lime juice and sprinkle some crushed pink peppercorns on top.

Serve immediately.

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Cullen Skink, a Scottish smoked haddock and potato soup (gluten-free)


IMG_3073.jpg

Few days ago the Scots - and friends of Scotland - celebrated yet another anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns, hosting or attending a Burns Supper. Any self-respecting Burns Supper begins with a proper Scottish soup. I've shared a recipe for Cock-a-leekie before, other options are Scotch broth and Cullen Skink.  Now it's time to share my recipe for the smoked haddock and potato soup - think of it as a Scotch chowder :)

The soup is from the North-East of Scotland, from the fishing town of Cullen. Originally it's a comfort food, cheap and easy fare, and it's still popular in and around Cullen. Yet somehow that humble soup has tranformed into a fancy fare to be enjoyed at various festive Scottish occasions.

Scots know their smoked fish. Arbroath Smokie is a pair of salted haddocks, hot-smoked in a humid smoking chamber. Finnan Haddie, the traditional fish used for making Cullen Skink, is gutted and cleaned haddock that's been dry-salted and then smoked in a cool smoking chamber for 8-9 hours. If Finnan Haddie is hard to find where you live - that's probably most of the world apart from the British Isles - (and avoid the bright yellow dyed stuff, it discolours the soup), then any other nice smoked white fish would do. I used smoked cod, a user of my Estonian Nami-Nami site said that the soup worked well with smoked herring.


Cullen Skink
(Šoti suitsukalasupp)
Serves 6 as a starter, 3 as a main dish

IMG_3083.jpg


500 g smoked haddock (ideally Finnan Haddie)
500 ml (2 cups) of water
butter for frying
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 large leek, cleaned and sliced
2-4 floury potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
500 ml (2 cups) whole milk
1 bay leaf
salt and freshly ground black pepper
fresh chives, finely minced

Place the fish into a pan, add the bay leaf and cold water. Gently bring into a boil, then simmer for about a minute or two. Remove the fish from the pan, transfer onto a plate and leave to cool. Keep the fish stock!

In another pot melt the butter gently. Add onion and leek, cover and sauté gently for a about 10 minutes. Stir every now and then, do not brown! Season with salt and pepper. Add potato pieces to the onion and leek, give it a stir. Add 500 ml/2 cups of fish stock, bring into a boil and simmer until the potato is cooked.

At the same time remove the fish from the bones carefully, flake into smaller pieces (discard the fish skin and bones). Using a slotted spoon, take couple of spoonfuls of the potato-leek mixture from the soup and put aside. Discard the bay leaf. Add the milk, bring gently into a boil. Add about half of the smoked fish. Mash the remaining soup or pureé using the hand-held/immersion blender. Season with salt and pepper.

To serve, place a large spoonful or two of potato-leek-smoked fish mixture into the middle of each soup bowl, then ladle the liquid soup neatly into the bowls as well. Garnish with chives and serve.

Friday, December 12, 2014

Layered Vegetable Salad with Smoked Salmon

(From the Nami-Nami recipe archives.)

Layered smoked salmon salad / Suitsulõhega kasukas

"Kasukas" - "fur coat" - is a name for a layered vegetable salad that is very popular here in Estonia, especially during the cold and dark season. The salad has chopped cured herring as the bottom layer, topped with layers of grated or chopped beets, carrots, potatoes and other vegetables and "glued together" with thin layers of mayonnaise. The recipe - or rather an alternative way to serve the popular "rosolje" salad - came to Estonia from Russia in the second half of last century. In Russia "fur coat" aka "shuba" is still one of the most popular salads on the festive table (here's a lovely English-language blog post about the traditional "cured herring under fur coat"), and the un-layered "rosolli" is also a must on Finnish Christmas tables). Whereas I love beets, I dislike cured herring, so I tend to skip that salad on buffet tables. When making this at home, I'd usually make a double portion and divide the salad between two glass bowls - one with herring and the other without. Until I came across a version using smoked salmon in Natasha's Kitchen blog. That was about a year and a half ago, and since then I've made this salad over and over again and converted many kasukas-haters into kasukas-lovers.

Traditionally this salad is made and served in a big glass bowl that proudly shows off all the layers, and then it's spooned into serving plates (rather like a trifle). For a neater presentation, you may want to use individual glass bowls instead (see top photo). A note to my Estonian readers - I like making this with külmsuitsulõhe aka cold-smoked salmon (Pepe Kala makes a wonderful one!), rather than with kuumsuitsulõhe aka hot-smoked salmon.

Suitsulõhega kasukas

Layered Smoked Salmon and Vegetable Salad
(Suitsulõhega kasukas)
Serves about 6 to 8

Kasukas suitsulõhega

200 g smoked salmon
400 g potatoes
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
200 g cooked beetroot (roasted, steamed or boiled)
250 g carrots
about 300-400 g good-quality mayonnaise
2 eggs

Boil (unpeeled!) carrots and potatoes until soft, but not mushy. Drain, cool a little, then peel.
Hard-boil the eggs, then cool and peel.

To compose the salad:
1. Cut the salmon into small pieces and scatter evenly at the bottom of a 2-litre (approximately 2-quart) glass bowl.
2. Grate the potatoes coarsely, scatter over the salmon.
3. Scatter chopped onion over the potato layer.
4. Gently spread about half of the mayonnaise over the onion layer.
5. Grate the beetroot coarsely, scatter over the mayonnaise layer.
6. Grate the carrots coarsely, scatter over the beetroot layer.
7. Spread rest of the mayonnaise over the beetroot layer.
8. Finely grate the eggs, scatter over the mayonnaise layer.

NB! As the mayonnaise is seasoned already, there is no need to season any of the layers with salt and pepper!

Cover the bowl with clingfilm and put into the fridge for a few hours for the flavours to combine (and the beetroot colour to stain the other layers :)) The salad can be happily made on a previous day as well, as it keeps rather well.

This recipe was also included in my latest cookbook, Jõulud kodus ("Christmas at Home"), published in Estonian in November 2011.

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Gravlax with sea-buckthorn berries



Sea-buckthorn is a popular autumn berry here in Estonia. I'm afraid it's not so widely known in the US where most of my blog readers are based. However, given that Doctor Oz has been touting sea-buckthorn as one of the superberries, this may change :) 

Sea-buckthorn berries have a pleasant, but very tart flavour. They can be used instead of lemons - and here sea-buckthorn juice is used as a replacement for lemon juice in curing some nice salmon. 

Use highest quality fresh fish to make this dish. 

Gravlax with sea-buckthorn
Serves four to six

500 g fresh salmon filet
2 Tbsp natural/unsweetened sea-buckthorn juice
2 Tbsp kosher salt or Maldon sea salt flakes
1 Tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp freshly ground black or white peppercorns
handful of sea-buckthorn berries

Remove any bones with pliers. Brush with sea-buckthorn juice. 
Combine salt, sugar and pepper, spread the curing mixture over the fish and rub it gently in. Cut the filet into two even chunks, place them together, flesh sides touching. 

Wrap the salmon tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours or up to 48 hours. 

Unwrap salmon, discarding the curing mixture (rinse quickly, if necessary, and pat thoroughly dry). 

Tp serve, place gravlax skin side down on a cutting board. Cut the gravlax into thin slices with a fileting-knife (a long, narrow-bladed knife), cutting against the grain, and slightly diagonally. 

Other sea-buckthorn recipes:
Mulled sea-buckthorn drink @ Nami-Nami
Sea-buckthorn jelly with kama mascarpone mousse @ Nami-Nami
Sea-buckthorn and Amaretto cheesecake @ Nami-Nami
Sea-buckthorn and apple tart @ Nami-Nami
Sea-buckthorn sorbet @ Nami-Nami
Cardamom panna-cotta with sea-buckthorn and apricot compote @ Nami-Nami
Sea-buckthorn juice @ Russian Season
Sea-buckthorn @ Real Epicurean
Gelbe grütze @ Küchenlatein
Coconut cream custard on sanddorn mirror @ Vegalicious Recipes
Sea buckthorn curd with raspberries @ Swedish Food
Sea-buckthorn cheesecake @ Bumpkin Mag
Sea-buckthorn mousse @ Andie's Veggies
Sea-buckthorn kissel with Greek yoghurt @ Suvi sur le vif

    Saturday, August 02, 2014

    Simple, yet decadent fish supper: pan-fried vendace

    Praetud rääbised / Pan-fried whitefish and tomato salad

    This was originally posted in August 2012. I reposted this in late June, when the catching season for Lake Peipus vendace began and fresh and smoked vendace was again available, if pricey (going rate for a kilogram of smoked fish was about 20 Euros in June. But, oh so worth it). Now the Finnish vendace - slightly smaller, but just as delicious - has hit the market stalls, and we had pan-fried vendace for dinner tonight. Hence the reposting :)

    Vendace is a wonderful freshwater whitefish that you'll find all over the northern continental Europe. The Latin name is Coregonus albula, and although it looks quite similar to the Estonian "national fish" Baltic Herring (räim aka Clupea harengus membras) that belongs to the herring family, then vendace is actually part of the salmonidae family alongside salmon, char, trout, graylings and other freshwater whitefishes.You're most likely to come across vendace (also called European cisco) in the lakes of Finland, Sweden, Russia and Estonia, as well as some lakes in the UK, Poland and Northern Germany. When I say the lakes of Estonia, I mean Lake Peipus - and must sadly admit that vendace has been scarce in the local waters during the last years.

    Imagine my excitement when I saw beautifully fresh vendace at the local farmer's market yesterday morning! I immediately bought some hot-smoked vendace for lunch, and almost a kilogram of fresh vendace for dinner. It's such a delicate and excellent fish that doesn't need much messing around. A quick bath in a seasoned rye flour, followed by frying in hot butter or oil - you'll find the "recipe" below. I served the fried vendace with a fresh tomato salad, and the meal was enjoyed by all, including the small kids.

    A note on vendace roe. The dark orange-coloured vendace roe (rääbisemari/löjrom) is a true delicacy, and Kalix löjrom from  the Swedish Botnia Bay archipelago has even been granted a PDO (protected designation of origin) status by the European Union, just like Prosciutto ham from Tuscany or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese from Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna. When the rather excellent roe of common/European whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus) cost 799 SEK (Swedish crowns) in a supermarket in Stockholm back in early June, then the vendace roe was almost double the price, 1490 SEK:


    Sorry for the photo quality - it was a quick snap with my mobile phone.

    Names in other languages: rääbis (Estonian), muikku (Finnish), ryapushka (Russian), löj (Swedish), corégone blanc/la petite marène (French), Kleine Maräne (German).

    Pan-fried vendace
    (Pannil praetud rääbised)

    Praetud rääbised / Pan-fried whitefish

    fresh vendace (calculate about 2-3 fish per person)
    rye flour or oatmeal
    salt
    freshly ground black pepper
    fresh dill, finely chopped
    oil and butter for frying

    Season the flour with salt and pepper, then roll the fish in the flour until evenly covered. Heat some butter and oil (or just one or the other) in a heavy frying pan over medium heat. Add the fish and fry for a few minutes on one side until dark golden brown, then carefully turn over and fry the other side for a few minutes again.

    Garnish with a sprinkling of dill and serve with boiled new potatoes or potato mash, and perhaps a dollop of good home-made mayonnaise (be sure to click on the link if you haven't seen the cool Nami-Nami video recipe yet).

    Sunday, December 22, 2013

    Estonian delicacies: spiced sprat sandwiches


    The Baltic sprat (Sprattus sprattus balticus) is a subspecies of the European sprat (Sprattus sprattus), also known  as brisling or skipper. They are up to 12,5 cm long (about 5 inches), small, silvery and herring-like. The sprats are commonly marinated in a mixture of black pepper, allspice (aka Jamaican pepper), cloves, nutmeg, coriander seeds, bay leaves, salt and sugar etc. The result: spiced Baltic sprats aka vürtsikilud, a famous Estonian delicacy.

    Vürtsikilud aka spiced Baltic sprats are used to make some delectable small sandwiches here in Estonia, known as kiluvõileivad (literally, sprat sandwiches). I knew they were popular, but didn't realise they're so popular. You see - I've been to four different Christmas parties during the last week, and kiluvõileivad were served at three of them. Each time these were the first to disappear off the table (yes, I did keep an eye of them to verify that). When I shared the realisation on Nami-Nami's Facebook page, then oven 300 people clicked on the LIKE-button to declare their love for kiluvõileivad :) 

    These aren't necessarily a Christmas food, you can serve them throughout the year, but somehow I've  just noticed their particular popularity at this time of the year. You've actually seen them here on Nami-Nami before, they were part of our New Year's Eve party spread back in 2007 (see the blog post) - back then I garnished them with finely grated eggs. So I've been "guilty"of serving them during winter festivities as well :)


    In any case, I thought it's a good idea to share the "recipe" with you, my dear readers. Although hard-core fans of kiluvõileivad probably filet and pickle their own fresh Baltic sprats, then you can buy rather decent prepared and canned/packed Baltic sprats in the supermarket. I use the Briis brand, made in a nearby Maardu town, so they're almost local :)


    Do buy a packet or two next time you're in Estonia, ok! ;) Alternatively, you could try with Swedish "anchovies" (these are actually sprats or Baltic herrings), probably available at IKEA, but these are much sweeter in flavour.

    Estonian spiced sprat sandwiches
    (Kiluvõileivad)



    sliced dark rye bread
    butter, at room temperature
    cleaned spiced sprats fillets
    red onion and/or green onion tops, chopped
    hard-boiled (quail) eggs

    Remove the crusts of the bread and butter the bread slices. Cut into small rectangles, top with a cleaned spiced sprat fillet. 
    Top with either sliced or grated hard-boiled (quail) egg, then sprinkle with chopped onions. 
    Serve and enjoy.  

    Wednesday, June 19, 2013

    Smoked salmon and spinach quiche

    Spinati-suitsulõhepirukas / Spinach and smoked salmon quiche

    Some seven years ago, when my dear K. and I met for a long weekend date in Paris. One morning we had a late breakfast at Bread & Roses, a lovely deli-cafe near the Luxemburg gardens. I cannot recall exactly what else we had, but we definitely had a really lovely smoked salmon and spinach quiche. I even wrote about it back in 2006, after baking it in Edinburgh (yes, back then I was still living in the beautiful capital of Scotland, and K. and I were having a long-distance relationship. We had no idea what life had in store for us, and definitely didn't think we'd be happy parents to three little kids in 2013 :))

    The quiche is still a favourite with us, always bringing back nice memories of those promising spring days in Paris. I've modified the recipe a little over the years, and here's the adapted recipe for you, my dear readers.

    Smoked salmon and spinach quiche
    (Spinati-suitsulõhepirukas)
    Serves six

    NOTE that an American cup is 240 ml, an ounce is about 28 grams and 100 grams of butter is 7 Tbsp - in case you need to convert the measurements! 

    IMG_5716.jpg

    All-butter crust:
    180 g all-purpose flour (300 ml)
    100 g cold butter, cubed
    a pinch of salt
    2-3 Tbsp cold water

    (Or use your favourite pâte brisée/shortcrust pastry recipe; you'll need about 300 grams).

    Filling:
    150 g cold-smoked salmon or trout, chopped
    300 to 450 g frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
    300 to 400 ml double cream/whipping cream/heavy cream
    3 large eggs
    100 g cheese, shredded
    salt and freshly ground black pepper

    Start by making the pie crustIf using your hands, then rub the butter into the flour (with salt added) until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. If using a food processor, then place flour and salt into a food processor and pulse until combined. Add the cold butter and pulse until you have a mixture that resembles a coarse meal.

    Add a spoonful or two of cold water and pulse again, until the mixture just clumps together. Mix until the the dough forms a ball. Press the dough into a greased or non-stick springform pan, 24 cm (9'') or 26 cm (10'') in diameter, going slightly higher up on the sides when using the smaller cake pan.

    Place the pan into fridge or freezer for about 30 minutes.
    Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200 C (400 F). 

    Bake the pie shell in the middle of the oven for about 15-20 minutes, until golden and beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan. 

    For the filling, whisk together the cream, eggs, salt and pepper. Add the chopped fish, spinach and shredded cheese. Spoon the filling into the partially baked tart shell and continue baking for about 30-40 minutes, until the filling is set and golden brown. 

    Cut into wedges and serve either hot, at room temperature or cold. A nice green salad on the side would be nice. 

    Smoked salmon and spinach quiche. Suitsulõhe-spinatipirukas.

    Friday, June 07, 2013

    A great starter recipe: Shrimp and cucumber salad with mint vinaigrette


    Photo by Juta Kübarsepp for the May 2013 issue of Kodu ja Aed ("Home and Garden", an Estonian monthly)

    Back in early April, when I was trying to decide what starter would suit my Mother's Day menu spread in the next magazine, a FB-friend mentioned Jamie Oliver's shrimp and cucumber salad in a totally different context. I'm not a huge fan of shrimps - although I'm getting there, slowly - and I never figured out which Jamie's recipe my FB-friend was talking about. However, I came across this shrimp and cucumber salad recipe by Ellie Krieger, which sounded pretty good. After some minor tweaking I settled for this extremely light and healthy - and beautifully elegant, don't you think? - salad that works brilliantly as a starter.

    Highly recommended. And let me warn you - I've witnessed people with impecable table manners drinking the minty-cucumber-shrimp "juice"from the bottom of the glass - it's so good :)

    Shrimp salad with cucumber and mint
    (Kurgi-krevetisalat mündiga)
    Serves 4 to 6 as a starter
    Adapted from Ellie Krieger

       Photo by Juta Kübarsepp for the May 2013 issue of Kodu ja Aed ("Home and Garden", an Estonian monthly)

    400 g cooked shrimps (peeled weight)
    1 long cucumber
    a large handful of fresh mint
    2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
    1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
    1 Tbsp finely grated lemon zest
    sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

    Drain the shrimps thoroughly. (If using frozen shrimps/prawns, then defrost them slowly overnight in the fridge).
    Rinse the cucumber, then peel and cut into small cubes. If the seeds are rather large, then scoop the soft seeded part out first.
    Chop the fresh mint leaves finely.
    In a bowl, mix the shrimps, cucumber and mint. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice, sprinkle with lemon zest and season with salt and pepper. Toss everything gently together.
    Serve at once or macerate in the fridge for a few hours.

    Similar recipes:
    Kalyn added Sriracha sauce to Ellie's version and got Spicy shrimp and cucumber salad with lemon, mint and cumin
    Burmese shrimp and cucumber salad @ Girl Cooks World
    Shrimp salad on cucumber slices @ Gina's Skinny Recipes
    Shrimp and cucumber salad with dill vinaigrette @ Epicurious
    Shrimp and cucumber salad with horseradish mayonnaise @ Bon Appetit
    Seared shrimp with cucumber salad @ Martha Stewart

    Tuesday, March 12, 2013

    It's Pasta Time: Tagliatelle with creamy spinach and pan-fried salmon

    Makaronid kreemja lõhe-spinatikastmega / Tagliatelle with pan-seared salmon and creamy spinach sauce

    One of my favourite pasta dishes recently is this clean-looking pasta (usually tagliatelle, but I've also used linguine) with seared salmon, fresh spinach and cream, with a light lemon kick. For an extra quick version I've used smoked salmon, but using fresh salmon is much wallet-friendlier and has more kid-appeal as well. Also, it's a great way to use that thinner tail-end of the fish that I usually put aside when baking salmon in the oven.

    Note that there's no Parmesan cheese in the dish!!!

    Tagliatelle with creamy spinach and pan-fried salmon
    (Makaronid praetud lõhe ja spinatiga)
    Serves 4

     400 g tagliatelle pasta (linguine or spaghetti would work as well)
    water and salt, for cooking pasta

    400 g salmon or trout fillet
    butter, for frying
    100 g fresh baby spinach leaves, rinsed
    about a cup of double cream
    a handful of fresh parsley
    1 lemon, zested
    sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

    Bring a large pot of water into a rolling boil, season with salt and cook the pasta al dente according to the packet instructions.

    Meanwhile heat the butter on a large frying pan over moderate heat. Place the fish onto the pan, skin-side up, and fry for 3-4 minutes. Flip over and cook for another 2-3 minutes. (The fish will be still undercooked, but you'll cook it further in a minute).

    Remove the fish fillet from the frying pan: Pan-seared trout / Praetud forellifilee

    Using two forks, break the fish into bite-size chunks: Pan-seared trout / Praetud forellifilee

    Heat some more butter on the frying pan, add the rinsed spinach leaves and cook till wilted.

    Add the cream, season with black pepper, parsley and lemon zest. Return the fish to the pan and simmer for a minute or two.


    Drain the pasta, toss with the sauce and serve immediately. 

    Makaronid kreemja lõhe-spinatikastmega / Tagliatelle with pan-seared salmon and creamy spinach sauce

    Similar recipes:

    Wednesday, February 27, 2013

    Grilled mackerel with potato and chorizo hash

    Grilled mackerel with potato and chorizo hash / Grillitud makrell chorizo-kartuipadjal

    Doesn't this look like something wonderfully light and spring-like? We've had couple of beautifully sunny days here in Estonia recently and I do believe now that this looooong and greyish winter will end, eventually.

    Here's a simple lunch or dinner idea, using new potatoes, cooking chorizo (you can choose a spicy or milder one, it's up to you) and fresh mackerel. Flavoursome and filling!

    Grilled mackerel with potato and chorizo hash
    (Grillitud makrell chorizo-kartulipadjal)
    Adapted from DeliciousMagazine.co.uk
    Serves 4

    500 g new potatoes, skin on
    2 whole mackerels, filleted into 4 either by you or your fishmonger
    2 Tbsp olive oil
    juice of 1 lemon
    1 garlic clove, crushed
    a small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
    100-150 g cooking chorizo, cut into smaller chunks
    salt and black pepper

    Wash the potatoes thoroughly, then parboil in salted water until just tender. Drain and cool slightly.

    Put the fish fillets into a shallow dish. Mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, crushed garlic, chopped parsley. Pour over the fish, then season generously with salt and pepper.

    Grilled mackerel with potato and chorizo hash / Grillitud makrell chorizo-kartuipadjal

    Peel the cooled potatoes, chop into smaller pieces.

    Pre-heat the grill to high.

    Prepare the potato and chorizo hash. Heat a large frying pan and cook the chopped chorizo over a high heat for about 2 minutes or until the oil starts to run. Add the chopped potatoes and cook for another 8-10 minutes, stirring every now and then, until the chorizo and potatoes are golden and crisp.

    When the potatoes and chorizo are cooking, lift the mackerel fillets from the marinade. Place onto a grill rack and grill for 7-8 minutes, until the skin is golden and the flesh is cooked through.

    To serve, spoon the potato and chorizo onto warmed plates, place the fish fillets on top, drizzle with some herb oil and serve immediately.

    Grilled mackerel with potato and chorizo hash / Grillitud makrell chorizo-kartuipadjal