Christmas tapa

On the lookout for something fishy and tasty to serve with drinks this Christmas I remembered a tapa we had in San Sebastian this summer. The above tapa is just about perfect considering there's nothing more fitting than prawns for Christmas in Australia. 

Place, in any order, on a short wooden skewer: a stuffed olive or two, half a tinned artichoke heart, two cooked prawns and a small piece of smoked salmon. Glisten the made up tapas with a little olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt.

Cheers!

sea urchins!

No recipe, what a pain but not in the neck! Instead, a little story about one of my favourite things just in case you come across them. Not that I would recommend handling them, leave that to the experts but eating them is a whole different ball game!

Sea urchins have long been regarded as an effective remedy for neck ache due to their high iodine and mineral salt content and are said to give a boost to virility. In ancient times gourmets celebrated their fine flavour and always served them alongside oysters at feasts and banquets.

I'm happy to say I'm not a sea urchin gatherer but I have enjoyed their multi coloured beauty from far above the ocean floor. Sea urchins are exceptionally delicate creatures, concealing in their spiny shell a soft centre and a very much sought after coral.

Scissors are used to open the mouth of the sea urchin to sever the connective tissue then tweezers are needed to open up a hole large enough to remove the delicate coral with a teaspoon. This coral is the reproductive glands and a true delicacy. Connoisseurs consume their catch raw with a little lemon, straight from the sea. The animal robed of its element goes off quickly but stored in ice they have a longer shelf life.

Sea urchin paté is made from sea urchin flesh, hake and butter and is used to enrich sauces, soups and scrambled eggs. More often than not sea urchin flesh is gently cooked, added to a béchamel sauce and served in the shell, au gratin, as in the above photograph.

Sea urchins are harvested in many places in the world and I am sure there are many ways to serve them that I don't know about nor have the time to research. My own experience comes from Spain, where I took this photo and where the true flavour of the sea is never more evident, than it is here, in every dish.

clam fest!

clams in white wine and garlic sauce

All kinds of mollusc can be used for this recipe and as much as I love clams (pictured above) I think pipis are more interesting both in size, giving a more substantial mouthful, and texture. Whatever your choice of mollusc for this recipe make sure you purchase sand cleaned mollusc and wash them thoroughly, discarding any that have opened or smell peculiar.

This is a great thing to do in a wok and Japanese Panko breadcrumbs are an excellent thickening agent. 1kg feeds roughly six people as part of a meal of many small plates or two people for a large starter.

Ingredients:

1kg fresh closed clams, or other mollusc (see note below), thoroughly cleaned
1-cup (250ml) water
Pinch of salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
5 spring onions both white part and approximately 3 inches of green
2 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
1-cup (250ml) white wine
Juice 1 small lemon
1 fresh or dried bay leaf
4-5 tablespoons Panko breadcrumbs
Parsley, chopped, for garnish

Method:

In a wok, heat to boiling point 250ml water and pinch of salt. Throw in the clams. Lower heat; cook the clams gently to prevent toughening. Cover the wok and cook until all the shells have opened, shaking the wok now and then. Discard any that have not opened. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep warm. Strain the cooking liquor and set aside.

Wipe the wok, heat the olive oil, add the onion and garlic and sweat until transparent. Pour in the wine and bring to the boil, stir in the breadcrumbs. Add the cooking liquor, lemon juice, bay leaf and season with black pepper. Return the clams to the wok and gently turn them through the sauce, stir in the parsley. Transfer the shells and sauce to a serving platter.

Note: substitute the 250ml of water (to open the shellfish) for fish stock providing the stock is not too salty. Substitute clams for pipis, small scallops or mussels or the mighty razor clam, my favourite of all. Clams are high in protein and contain fair amounts of calcium and iron.

Clam fest printable recipe, click here:
https://sites.google.com/site/foodvineprintablerecipes/home/clam-fest

sliced garlic and spring onions

prawn thyme!

We all love basil with tomatoes – yes, they are a marriage made in heaven BUT French tarragon with tomatoes is even better. Probably the last herb one would associate with tomatoes but you will be surprised how good they taste together.

Think outside the box for prawns too. On the plancha, most people would add chopped parsley but try fresh thyme instead, storks and all. It is quite something!

Ingredients:

As many large, unshelled, green prawns as you can eat!

Sea salt

Extra virgin olive oil

1 lemon, halved

Freshly picked thyme

Take a flat plancha if you have one otherwise use a frying pan. Smear some extra virgin olive oil over the surface with kitchen paper and rev up the heat. Scatter some sea salt over the plancha/frying pan and toss another pinch or two of sea salt over the green, unshelled prawns. Place the prawns, side by side; on the hot surface and cook 2-3 minutes on each side until they are pink, and the juices caramelize. Try not to overcook them.

The sea salt does three things: it stops the prawns from sticking to the plancha/frying pan, it brings out the natural juices and then it caramelizes them.

Transfer the cooked prawns to a warm serving dish, scatter over the fresh thyme, a drizzle or two of extra virgin olive oil and the juice of half a lemon. Place the other lemon half on the side of the serving plate.

Never mind your sticky fingers, just enjoy them….   

prawn thyme printable recipe, click here:

https://sites.google.com/site/foodvineprintablerecipes/home/prawn-thyme

mussels with pernod and mayonnaise

How to steam open a kilo of mussels with a good slug of pernod!

Wash thoroughly, debeard and place the mussels in a large saucepan, add a generous slug of pernod, cover with a lid and shake over the burner until all the mussels open. Add a couple of tablespoons of your best mayonnaise, two teaspoons of grain mustard and a handful of chopped parsley. Gently mix the ingredients through the mussels, add salt and pepper to taste and cook for a further minute. Turn the mussels out immediately onto a large serving platter and discard any that have not opened.

This unusual but impressive method of preparing mussels comes from my belle-soeur, Anita, in France.

Mussels with pernod and mayonnaise, printable recipe, click here:
https://sites.google.com/site/foodvineprintablerecipes/home/mussels-with-pernod-and-mayonnaise

Razor Clams

Bored with prawns and oysters for Christmas and then try one of my top favourite things, Razor clams (pinna bicolor).

I was amazed to find these heavenly clams at the Sydney Fish Markets just recently. I had always believed they were a European mollusk available only to travelers and those lucky enough to live on the Spanish or French coastlines where they are found in abundance. Elusive like Monk fish (Stargazer) in Australia, Razor Clams come from South Australia but are a rare sight and a food experience not to be missed. If I had my way, I would eat them every day and must confess I did exactly that when we were last on the Costa Brava. I could not get enough of them!

Pre-soaking them as follows is a personal choice and not necessary if the clams look clean or if your fishmonger says they have been pre-purged in salt water. If in doubt about their cleanliness fill a sink with water, toss them in and liberally sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of plain flour over the top of the water and leave for an hour or so. The clams ‘take’ in the flour then ‘spit’ it out cleaning themselves in the process. Then rinse in several changes of water. Mussels also benefit from this procedure.

There are several ways to cook Razor Clams depending on your preference.

To steam: Lay the clams in a bamboo basket or any kind of steamer and gently steam them for a few minutes until they open.

For a more rustic approach: pat them dry, turn with tongs continuously on a lightly oiled hot plate (a plancha) until they open and are cooked through.

To boil: Pour a little white wine, a little water , a sliced spring onion and a few sprigs of parsley into a saucepan, add the clams and bring to the boil and cook for exactly one minute. Drain immediately and discard the other flavourings.

I love to eat them coated with just a little garlic-flavoured extra virgin olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice, chopped parsley, a grinding of black pepper or two and masses of delicious bread to mop up the juices.

Prawns with Lemongrass & Palm Sugar

This is one of those stand-by recipes to have up your sleeve. I always keep a bag of green prawns in the freezer for those ‘just in case’ days and then find myself making this again, quite often. The lemongrass and Thai basil give a fresh clean taste but the palm sugar is the magic ingredient. I ring the changes with cous cous, pasta or noodles to bulk it up, depending what’s in the pantry, they all go well with the other ingredients.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

500g shelled, butterflied green prawns
3-4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons of ginger, finely chopped
1-tablespoon lemon grass, white part only, finely chopped
1 large brown onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 fresh red chilli, deseeded, finely sliced

2 kaffir lime leaves, chiffonade
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons palm sugar
1-tablespoon water
3 handfuls Thai Basil, torn
Fettuccine or noodles or cous cous

Method:

Pre-cook enough fettucine/noodles/cous cous for four people depending on the brand instructions. Drain and set aside.

Heat your wok to high beforehand then add the oil and allow it to come to temperature then add the onion, garlic, chilli, lime leaves, ginger and lemongrass. Stir continuously for 2-3 minutes. Add the prawns and turn until they change colour and become opaque – one or two minutes. Add the fish sauce, palm sugar and water. Cook for another minute or so then turn off the heat. Add the cooked noodles and gently turn through Add torn basil just before serving.

Asian Mussels

I wish we could buy the tiny black mussels so readily available in France – here in Oz we have to be content with a slightly larger variety. We are let off the cleaning for those in a rush - mussels can be purchased these days pre-prepared and vacuum packed if you cannot be bothered with all that scrubbing!

The following recipe from my friend Barbara Lowery appeals to my Asian sensibility and is well suited to our larger mussels – it is an appropriate dish to serve down under and elsewhere too! A beautifully balanced dish; sweet, sour, salty with only a hint of heat while the lingering taste of fresh mint and coriander leave you wanting more!

Serves: 2 as a large starter
Serve: 4 - double the mussels and 50% more of the other ingredients

1 kg black mussels, cleaned, de-bearded
Splash of wine to steam open the mussels
2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
2 tablespoons raw sugar
2 tablespoons fresh limejuice
1-tablespoon sweet chilli sauce (available from most supermarkets)
4-5 drops sesame seed oil
¼ sweet fresh chilli, finely sliced for garnish
1 lime, thinly sliced for garnish
¼-bunch coriander, leaves only, finely chopped for garnish
¼-bunch mint, leaves only, finely chopped for garnish

Method:

Place mussels in a large saucepan; add a splash of wine for flavour or the liquor from the vacuum pack. Heat the pan and shake it continuously over the heat until all the mussels steam open - this will take about five minutes. Remove from the heat, drain and discard any mussels that have remained closed.

In a separate bowl mix; fish sauce, raw sugar, limejuice, sweet chilli sauce and sesame seed oil. Place mussels in serving bowls and spoon over the prepared sauce. Garnish with lime slices, fresh chilli and herbs.