Four Fabulous Fish Favourites
Wonderful ways to use a bin full of stunning fish.....
Last weekend my good man and I went fishing, it was a very productive trip indeed. I consider myself extremely lucky to live in a country with such an abundance of great kai moana (sea food) and to have the means to collect it is awesome. That said I’m fished out! If I eat another fish dish I swear I’ll start to grow scales. The scene in the movie Forest Gump where Bubba is rattling of the number of dishes that he can make with shrimp has been me standing at my kitchen sink in the last week!
Don’t get me wrong, no one has held a gun to my head and made me eat it, and the fact that fish is a perfect and very light protein is all good. My vege garden is firing off about now, so there’s been plenty of leafy greens to go with all that fishy goodness, a double shot of nutritionally dense nourishment is welcome.
One of the best things about catching a lot of fish is that you get to share it with people who might not have the means to do so. Giving away fresh snapper fillets is better than giving flowers in my opinion and my philosophy on catching fish does not include freezing it so if I catch more than I can use then it goes to others.
If you’re not into fishing yourself then a good fishmonger is like gold and to find one it definitely shouldn’t be a case of following your nose! The last thing a fish shop should smell like it fish funnily enough. Your local fishmonger should also be up for answering any questions you may have about the fish. I’d start with these -
What’s in season now?
How was this caught?
What would you choose?
How would you prepare this?
What’s the best way to store this?
Can you help me do X with this?
Fresh fish is also readily available in supermarkets these days. Look for the following when buying your fish -
Clear, bright eyes, not sunken.
Bright red gills.
Scales should not be missing and they should be firmly attached to the skin.
Moist skin. Really fresh fish feels slightly slippery.
Shiny skin with bright natural colouring.
Tail should be stiff and the flesh feel firm.
It should have a sea-fresh smell.
The aim with buying any seafood is to get the freshest you can.
These recipes are some that I have made during over the course of the last week. I’ve loved every mouthful and hope you get the chance to make them soon. x
Mai Mai Thai Fishcakes
This is a recipe that you can opt for a cheaper type of fish or in this case I used off cuts of bigger fillets.
Ingredients
250g boneless/skinless fish fillets
1 egg
zest of a lime
2 Tbsp chopped coriander
1 Tbsp red curry paste
2 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
Method
If you have a food processor add all your ingredients and pulse quickly to combine, you want a chunky texture for the fish not pulp. If you don’t chop your fish on a board until you have the desired texture and then add the other ingredients until well mixed.
Heat a little oil in a fry pan over a medium heat. Shallow fry tablespoons of the fish mix until cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Serve warm with a salad or as finger food with dipping sauce. A firm family favourite in our household with sweet chilli for dipping.
Fiji-Me Kokoda
Ingredients
500 g fish, very fresh white fish e.g. trevally, bluenose, tarakihi, snapper
½ cup fresh lime juice, freshly squeezed or lemon juice
½ cup coconut cream
½ red onion, finely diced
1 red chilli, large, finely diced, optional
2 spring onions, finely sliced
1 green capsicum, finely diced
2 tomatoes, seeds removed, finely diced
Method
Cut fish into small 1-2cm pieces. Combine with lime or lemon juice in a non-metal, non-corrosive bowl.
Cover and set aside to marinate overnight in the fridge - the acid of the citrus will cook the fish. Gently stir after 3 or 4 hours.
Mix in coconut cream, onion, chilli (if using), spring onions, capsicum and tomatoes.
Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Kingfish Ceviche with Pickled Red Onion
I just adore this recipe. It’s fresh and so full of light and luscious flavour and texture. The only thing to improve this recipe is a glass or two of chilled sauv blanc and a long afternoon with some nice company.
Ingredients
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar (or any other vinegar)
2 tsp sugar
½ red onion, very finely sliced
500g very fresh, white, firm-fleshed fish: kingfish, trevally, snapper, gurnard or tarakihi (if using kingfish or trevally, make sure you remove the blood line)
½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice (or a mixture of lemon and lime)
1 small green capsicum, cored, finely diced
1 punnet cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 red chilli, finely chopped (optional)
¼ cup roughly chopped coriander
Method
Mix the vinegar and sugar in a small bowl and add the red onion. Set aside in the fridge to marinate and pickle for about 20 minutes while you prepare the rest of the dish.
Slice the fish thinly and place in a large bowl. Add the lime or lemon and lime juice, toss together and leave in the fridge to marinate for 15 minutes until the fish is white. The acidity of the juice will 'cook' the fish and it will change from opaque to white in colour, looking just like cooked fish.
Drain the fish, reserving the marinating juices.
Drain the pickled red onion. Mix the fish with the onion and the remaining ingredients, and about ¼ of a cup of the marinating juice to taste.
Season with salt to taste
Sweet-as Fish Pie
Ingredients
800g kumara, peeled and chopped (I use the golds)
25g butter
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed and finely chopped
2 tsp of curry powder (I use curry masala)
50g butter
3 Tbls of flour
2 - 3 cups milk
750g smoked fish, skin and bones removed (I used king fish)
3 hard boiled eggs cut into 1/4
salt and freshly ground black pepper
small handful flat leaf parsley leaves chopped
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind
Method
Place kumara in a saucepan with a sprinkle of salt, cover with water and cook until tender. Drain well and then mash until smooth with the 25g butter. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 180 C.
Heat oil over a gentle heat and cook onion, celery, carrot and garlic until onion is soft. To this mixture add the curry powder and cook it out for a minute or two. Add butter to melt then stir in flour. Add milk gradually, stirring continuously to avoid lumps until a good consistency has been achieved. Gently stir in fish, parsley and lemon.
Transfer mixture to a baking dish approximately 30cm x 25cm and gently push eggs into this mixture.
Spread the kumara over the fish mixture and top this with breadcrumbs and grated cheese.
Bake for 25 minutes until the crumbs are golden and the filling is piping hot (cover with foil if the crumbs brown too quickly).