4 red mullet (snapper), olive oil,
6 to 8 sprigs of fennel, juice of 1 lemon,
lemon quarters to garnish.
Score fish lightly on each side with sharp knife. Reserve 2 tabs chopped fennel leaves. Chop up remaining leaves & stalks finely. Lay the fish on a grill pan (broiler) and stuff them with some of the fennel, laying rest of it between the fish.
To serve hot -- simply lay whole fish on flat dish and scatter the chopped fennel leaves over them. Surround with lemon quarters.
To serve cold -- after cooling, skin and fillet the fish and lay fillets on flat dish. Sprinkle with lemon juice and scatter chopped fennel leaves over them, and garnish with cut lemons.
450 g or 1lb hake or halibut, juice of 2 lemons, 6 scallops,
6 giant prawns (jumbo shrimp), 225g or 8 oz or 1/2 lb prawns/shrimp,
1 Cos lettuce, 1 green pepper, 1/2 cucumber, 4 hard-boiled eggs.
Herb Sauce -- 100 g or 4 oz or 1/2 cup ricotta or medium-fat cream cheese, 150 ml or 1/4 pt or 2/3 cup buttermilk, squeeze lemon juice,
sea salt and black pepper, 3 tabs. chopped tarragon.
Put fish in large saucepan and just cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and poach gently until fish is cooked. Remove pan from heat and allow the fish to cool in cooking liquor. When cool, drain the fish, remove all skin and bone and break flesh into large flakes. Pour the juice of 1 lemon over the fish and set it aside while preparing other ingredients.
Poach the prepared scallops for 4 to 5 minutes in same water as fish. drain them, discarding the liquor, moisten with lemon juice and set aside. Shell all prawns and soak them for 10 minutes in cold, slightly salty water.
Wash lettuce and cut into strips. Deseed the pepper and peel cucumber.
Cut them into sticks like thick matchsticks. Put shredded lettuce in large bowl and cover with pepper and cucumber. Pil flaked fish in centre, and surround with halved hard-boiled eggs. Scatter the prawns and sliced scallops on top.
Make herb sauce by pureeing the cheese and buttermilk together in a blender, adding a drop of lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in chopped tarragon. Pour sauce over the salad and mix well before serving.
This makes a light main course for a summer meal.
675 - 900 g or 1 1/2 to 2 lb fish bones, heads ,etc
1 onion 1 carrot 1 leek 1 celery stick 3 stalks parsley,
1 bay leaf , 2 sprigs thyme (or lemon thyme), 2 sprigs lovage,
1 tab sea salt, 10-12 black peppercorns, 2 tabs white wine vinegar.
Wash fish bones, trimmings and put in deep pan. Peel onion, carrot, clean leek and celery. Add vegetables to pan with herbs and salt and peppercorns. Cover with cold water. Add 2 tabs of white wine vinegar or a drop of white wine, and bring to boil, slowly.
Simmer gently for 45 minutes, then strain the stock, discarding all the solid ingredients, and leave it to cool before using.
If flavour is weak, reduce stock by fast boiling.
12 scallops,
150 ml or 1/4 pt or 2/3 cup white wine
150 ml or 1/4 pt or 2/3 cup water
sea salt and black pepper
1 tab flour
150 ml or 1/4 pt or 2/3 cup light or thin cream
1 tab each of chopped tarragon, dill, chives and parsley.
Cut scallops off their shells, discarding the beard-like fringe and intestinal thread. Wash white part and the coral, pat dry, and cut them into quarters. Put the wine and water in shallow lidded pan.
Add pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring to boil, then put in scallops. Cover, and simmer for 8 minutes, or until tender.
Lift out scallops with slotted spoon and keep warm.
Keep cooking liquid warm in saucepan. Mix butter and flour together in cup until they form a smooth paste. Drop paste, bit by bit, into the cooking liquid and stir until smooth, simmering very gently to make a sauce.
Add cream and stir again, then stir in chopped herbs. Put scallops back into sauce for a moment to reheat, then pour it all into shallow serving dish.
Serve alone, with crusty bread and butter, as a first course, or with boiled rice as a light main course. When scallops are expensive, fewer of them may be used and the quantities made up with new potatoes, skinned, boiled and cut into thick slices. In this case, do not serve with rice.
675 g or 1 1/2 lb halibut or swordfish,
3 tab olive oil, 1 tab lemon juice,
1 tab each of chopped tarragon, dill, and parsley,
2 lemons to serve.
Skin and bone fish, cut into neat cubes and put them in a bowl. Pour over olive oil and lemon juice, and stir in chopped herbs.
Leave 3 to 4 hours, then thread cubes onto 4 skewers. Grill (broil) slowly, turning often
revamped 3 January 2004