Chinese Style Steamed Fish

This is another dish that my mother would of made back at home, or at least my reinterpretation of it.  Simple and nutritious, bringing together the main ingredients you’ll find in Cantonese cuisine of ginger, garlic and soy sauce, with a little coriander and pinch of salt, you can enjoy this recipe with any firm fish.

Lightly Marinated Chinese Steamed Fish

INGREDIENTS

1x spring onion
1x nub of ginger
A bunch of coriander
1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
A pinch of salt
A pinch of sugar
2 tablespoons water
600 grams of firm white fish
2 tablespoons oil

A little knife work is needed

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Fish Jook/Congee

I live half a world a way from where I was born.  One dish that I consider comfort food, a dish that you enjoy as a child, a dish when you’re feeling a little sick or a dish that reminds me of home, is jook or congee.

Basically a rice porridge/soup, one little scoop of rice can go a long way.  The beauty of this dish is that you can have it plain, or add chicken, fish, pork or any other condiments of your choice.  As a kid, my mother used to use a ham-hock bone, infusing it with it’s smokey, salty qualities, even better when you get at the bone marrow.

These days I tend to have it in the weekend, where I can make a large pot of it and share it over the course of a few days, as mentioned, a little can go a long way, from my heart to your stomach.

INGREDIENTS

A scoop of rice
Pinch of salt
Tablespoon of oil
3 litres of water
Ginger cut finely
2-3 Fish fillets
Finely cut ginger
Spring onions cut finely
Dried scallops (optional but recommended)

Chopped for your pleasure.

Panko Crumbed Fish Fillets

This weeks dish, is a spin on the idea of crumbed fish being greasy and slightly heavy.  I thought I’d make my own version of the humble dish, but this time tweak it a little as a healthier alternative by using panko crumbs.

Normally you associate panko crumbs being used in Japanese katsu dishes, giving them a light crunchy texture, they add an extra dimension to your dish when serving it.  With a quick cooking time of in the oven for just 10 minutes, if you’re short on time, during the week this dish is perfect for those on the go.

INGREDIENTS

500 grams of white fish fillet of your choice
120 grams of panko crumbs
Smoked paprika
Dill
Oregano
Garlic granules
Flour
2x Egg (you can use just the egg whites of a healthier alternative.

Herbs and spices for the crust

Seafood Pie

At the moment in the northern hemisphere, a cold snap has swept across the country, brining with it a bit of snow and less than ideal views.  Being indoor bound in periods like this, comfort food is normally the order of the day.  Some people prefer cake, other’s a pizza pie, what I prefer is a good old fashion pie, with crust and all.

Having grown up in the South Pacific, seafood was always readily available and while it doesn’t get quite as cold back home as where I live now, I still consider any time is still a good time to eat a pie.  In this case a seafood pie.

I could of made the pastry from scratch, but let’s face it, comfort food is also about convenience.  So apart from the pastry, how would I make this seafood pie, you ask?

In this case I’d start off with a béchamel sauce, which itself is based on a  roux or a flour and fatty substance based paste.  Flesh it out a little bit with some milk, an you have the basis of what  forms one of the three classical French sauces.  It’s also commonly refereed to as a white sauce, it’s one of the more useful bases you can make.

Once you’ve made the béchamel sauce, you’re virtually done, just drop in your filling, roll out your pastry, cover, baste and heat.  In 30 minutes you can treat yourself, to a steaming hot slice of pie.

Here fishy, fishy

Seafood Laksa

Mmmmm…. soupy, noodly, seafoody goodness. Such a simple dish, yet with such strong flavours, it can send you into a chilli inspired, food coma. This humble Malaysian dish, is famous the world over, with so many variations out there, you can even buy premade laksa base from your local supermarket these days, though in itself, it doesn’t take that long to actually make the paste yourself, with a little knife skill and a blender, you can quickly make something quite rewarding and tasty for your guests, since let’s face it, no one really makes a portion for one. Once you smell the aromas, it reminds you that a good meal, is to not only be enjoyed, but to be shared.

Recipe for a food coma