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Gruntie’s Paella– NEW !
Gruntie’s Haddock in a Mustard Sauce
Gruntie’s Norwegian inspired Baked Cod with Bacon Sprinkles NEW !
Gruntie’s Cod with a Warm Lentil and Rocket Salad
Gruntie’s Spicy Sticky Teryaki Salmon
Gruntie’s Creamy Salmon and Prawn Pasta
Gruntie’s Goan Fish Curry NEW !
Grunties Fresh Tuna Salad NEW !
Gruntie’s Paella
There are loads of varieties of Paella- meaty or fishy. Mine is meaty and fishy. I really love the extra dimension that the chorizo gives. If you don’t eat chicken or meat just leave out the chicken and add some courgette instead and substitute veggie chorizo for the meaty chorizo and the result will still be rather good. You are meant to use a large paella pan on the hob to cook this dish, I don’t actually own one, so I use a large roasting dish instead and it works fine.
Ingredients: To feed 4 to 5 peepses- About 400 gms of short grain [paella] rice, 2 plump chicken boobies, half a fresh green and half a red pepper, one chopped onion, a couple of crushed cloves of garlic, 4-5 ripe tomatoes- skinned and chopped, a couple [or more] of cooking chorizo sausages cut into chunks, 32 fl oz of chicken or veggie stock, a glass of white wine, fresh [or frozen] seafood of your choice [prawns, mussels etc], a teaspoon of saffron strands, [try to not use turmeric],a teaspoon of paprika, a few peas, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, lemon wedges as garnish, fresh parsley sprinkles.
Method: Cut the chicken into small chunks and brown in olive oil on a medium heat in your pan. Then soften the onion in some olive oil with the chicken and then add the garlic and green and red peppers which you have sliced thinly, add the chorizo and give it another stir and sizzle for a couple of minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and simmer for around 10 minutes. Lower the heat a little before pouring in the rice, paprika and saffron and give it another good stir before adding the stock and wine and allow the mixture to simmer until the rice softens. This should take around 20-30 minutes. Add more liquid if required at this stage, but don’t worry if there are some burnty bits at the bottom of the pan- that’s the bestest bit! Finally when the rice is nearly but not quite cooked. Adjust the seasoning and gently stir in the fishy bits and the peas. When this is thoroughly cooked turn off the heat and allow the Paella to stand for a few minutes before serving. Sprinkle on the parsley and don’t forget the lemon wedges.
Gruntie’s Haddock in Mustard Sauce
Ingredients: to feed 2 peeps – 2 haddock fillets, one finely chopped shallot, a glass of dry white wine, a teaspoon of dijon mustard, a few large dollops of creme fraiche [you can use cream], a little olive oil, some finely chopped parsley for the sprinkles, lemon wedges, salt and pepper.
Method: First of all start by making the mustard sauce. Sauté the shallot with the wine until the wine has reduced by a half, allow to cool slightly before mixing in the creme fraiche and mustard. Set to one side. You can fry the fillet quickly in olive oil but I tend to cook it in the oven for around 15 minutes. If you cook it in the oven brush some oil on the fillet, season well and cook it in a shallow oven dish covered with foil for the first 10 minutes. When it is cooked I pour some of the juices from the fish into the sauce which I reheat, add some ground pepper and a little chopped parsley and then pour this onto the plate. Place the fish on top of the sauce and serve with colourful fresh veg and a slice of lemon. Don’t forget the sprinkles!
Gruntie’s Norwegian inspired Baked Cod with Bacon Sprinkles
You could swap the haddock in the recipe above for a fillet of cod. It takes me back to our wonderful time in Tromso where this was a popular dish.
Gruntie’s Norwegian inspired baked cod with bacon sprinkles with Gruntie’s mash and baked Jerusalem artichokes
Method: Fry some finely chopped smoked bacon in a little oil in a pan until crisp and then dry them in kitchen paper. Bake the cod in the oven for 10 minutes with a dash of white wine. Sprinkle the bacon over the fish on the plate. In the picture above it is served in a mustard sauce with my baked mash potato and baked Jerusalem artichokes and steamed carrots. If you don’t eat piggy – try sprinkling the fish with lightly fried or roasted pumpkin seeds.
Gruntie’s Cod with a Warm Lentil and Rocket Salad
Ingredients: to feed 2 peeps: For the lentil salad: 100g of green lentils [continental or Puy], half an onion finely chopped, a crushed clove of garlic, half of a small leek finely chopped, a handful of roughly chopped rocket leaves, a few cherry tomatoes cut in half, dash of olive oil, dash of balsamic vinegar, handful of fresh parsley finely chopped, a big squeeze of lemon. For the fishy bit: 2 Cod fillets with skin on, parsley sprinkles.
Method: Cook the lentils according to the packet instructions in water or vegetable stock and then drain and set aside in a bowl. Lightly fry the chopped leeks and onions in some olive oil and add that to the lentils. Then add the rest of the ingredients [not the fish!] into the lentils and gently stir it in. Have a taste and adjust seasonings as required. Keep the lentils warm while you cook the fish. Lightly season the cod and then fry it in a little olive oil skin side down until it goes crispy. Flip it over and continue to fry for a couple more minutes. Plop the lentils onto a warmed plate and place the fish on top, skin side up. I like to serve this with steamed asparagus or broccoli spears but it’s up to you. In the picture above I added fried king oyster mushrooms which I cut into rounds. Don’t forget to add a slice of lemon to the plate and the sprinkles!!!
Gruntie’s Spicy Sticky Teryaki Salmon with Noodles [or rice]
You can use chcicken or tofu in this recipe instead of the salmon which works really well. Yum yum yum!!!
Salmon with asparagus, mange tout, peppers and noodles
Ingredients: To feed 2 peeps: 2 salmon fillets. For the teryaki sauce: A squashed clove of garlic, a small piece of fresh ginger – grated, a half a glass of mirin, half a glass of rice wine, half a glass of soy sauce [light or dark or a combination works well], 2 heaped dessert spoons of brown sugar, some chilli flakes and a dash of sesame oil.
Method: Remove the skin of the fish with a sharp knife and take out any small bones with tweezers. Wash the fish and then pop it into a plastic tub. Throw all of the teryaki ingredients into a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Allow to simmer for around 15 minutes or so. I like my sauce to be reeeaally sticky – so this means it will bubble and foam as it evaporates, so keep stirring it as it simmers. When it starts to get really gooey allow it to cool to room temperature and then pour it over the fish and marinade in the fridge for a few hours.
Bake the fish in a moderately hot oven for about 15 minutes. I cover the fish with foil for the first 10 minutes. The marinade may catch a little – that’s how I like it. (You may have to soak the pan before washing it up, sorry about that). I do sometimes cook the fillets on a barbie with great results. Serve with noodles or fragrant jasmine rice and a selection of colourful steamed vegetables.
Gruntie’s Creamy Salmon and Prawn Pasta.
This delicate dish is quick and easy.
Ingredients: To feed 2 peeps- About 100g of fresh salmon [with the skin removed] cut into small pieces, a good handful of raw skinned prawns. a clove of finely chopped garlic, a finely chopped shallot, knob of butter and a dash of olive oil, a dash of white wine, a couple of dollops of creme fraiche [or cream],some finely chopped parsley, salt and pepper, 2 lemon wedges, 180g of spaghetti [linguine works well too].
Method: Boil the pasta in plenty of salted water until it is al dente. At the same time, in a separate pan gently sweat the shallot and garlic in the butter and oil until they soften. Add the salmon and prawns and continue cooking until the prawns turn pink. Pour in the white wine and allow it to bubble, then stir in the creme fraiche and parsley. Add this to the drained spaghetti with some chopped fresh parsley and carefully mix it together. Season well with salt and pepper and then serve on warmed bowls. Don’t forget some parsley sprinkles, and a wedge of lemon. Oh, and never add parmesan to a fishy pasta dish- it’s just wrong!
Gruntie’s Goan Fish Curry NEW!
When I go out for a curry I never order fish but when I am at one of my beloved music festivals, such as Green Man in Wales, I inevitably head for the the Goan Fish Curry tent for dinner. I have now recreated this dish and it’s pretty close to the festival version methinks. It’s tasty, fragant and has a bit of a kick – give it go.
Ingredients: To feed 2 peepses – One onion, a couple of cloves of garlic, a fresh green chilli, a small piece of fresh ginger, a teaspoon of ground cumin, teaspoon of turmeric, teaspoon of ground coriander, a couple of cardamon pods, a teaspoon of garam masala, a bay leaf, 3 or 4 ripe tomatoes [you can use half a tin if you want but fresh tomatoes taste better], a large squeeze of fresh lime juice, half a tin of coconut milk – [about 70ml, you can freeze what you don’t use], a healthy amount of chopped fresh coriander, about 300 gms of firm white fish which is skinned and cut into chunks [I like to use haddock], a handful of raw plump prawns, salt and pepper, some oil for frying.
Method: Whizz the onion, garlic, chilli and ginger in a blender and gently fry it with the bay leaf in a large splash of oil in a large saucepan until the onions soften – stir frequently and make sure that the onions do not burn. Squish the cardamon pods with a knife and throw them in to the pan the with cumin, coriander and turmeric. Give it a stir and cook gently for another minute making sure that they do not burn. Add the chopped tomatoes and the coconut milk and simmer for a few minutes then squeeze in the lime juice. Give the sauce a taste and add salt and pepper if required, you can also add some water at this stage if the sauce is too thick and gloopy. Pop in the haddock chunks with the prawns and simmer gently for about 8-10 minutes until they are cooked. Add the garam masala and the fresh coriander, give it a gentle stir and serve straight away on a bed of basmati rice. Sprinkle some fresh coriander over the top and serve.
Gruntie’s Fresh Tuna Salad NEW!
This one is all about the presentation. You can use whatever salady things you fancy. I like to make mine colourful, so I use green, red and yellow salady bits.
Ingredients: To feed 2 peepses- Two fresh tuna steaks, half a red onion cut into thin slices, one shredded Cos [Romaine] lettuce, some baby corn, a couple of handfulls of cherry tomatoes [cut them into half or quarters], a few sliced radishes, a handful or two of Kalamata olives, a few anchovy fillets, a handful of french beans, a squeeze of lemon juice and some extra virgin Greek olive oil, some fresh parsley sprinkles, lemon to garnish.
Method- Steam the beans and the baby corn while you arrange all of the cold salady ingredients onto two plates, starting with the shredded lettuce and adding whatever you fancy on top. Squeeze a little lemon juice and drizzle some olive oil over the salad and put to one side. Brush the tuna steaks with olive oil and add them to a bloody hot frying pan. Sear the steaks for a minute or two on each side. Add the freshly steamed veg around the edge of the plates in an attractive pattern. Pop the cooked fish onto the salad in the middle of the plate. Sprinkle over the parsley and place a wedge of lemon on the side. Serve and eat straight away. [A cold glass of white wine washes this salad down rather nicely].
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