A Fish Curry

This is one of those recipes where you can play with the ingredients depending on what you can get your hands on at the time...I've listed what I used, but you could try adding some mussels, monkfish or whatever fish you fancy. This curry isn't too hot, it's just lightly and nicely spiced.






You need:
1 Large Onion - roughly chopped
500g (approx) Fish and Shellfish. I used these listed below.....
2 x Salmon Fillet - cut into bite sized pieces
2 x Haddock Fillet - cut into bite sized pieces
4 x Squid Tubes - cleaned and cut into rings
8 x raw, shelled Tiger Prawns
2 x Large Fresh Red Chillies - finely chopped
1 teaspoon Garam Masala
1 teaspoon Ground Turmeric
1/2 teaspoon of dried Chilli flakes
4 x Tomatoes - chopped
400ml Vegetable (or Fish) Stock
100ml Coconut Milk
2 tablespoons Olive Oil

Heat the Oil in a large, heavy based pan. Add the Onion and cook over a low heat for about 10 mins until softened and just starting to colour. Add the chopped Chilli to the pan, followed by the dried Chilli, Garam Masala and Ground Turmeric. Stir well to combine and cook for a minute.

Add the chopped Tomatoes and cook gently for 5 or 6 minutes. Now add the Stock and bring to the boil. Add the Fish and simmer for 7 or 8 minutes. Stir in the Coconut Milk and season to taste, then simmer for a final 2 or 3 minutes.

Serve with Rice and Naan Bread

Feeds 4

Salmon Lasagne

A tasty and filling change to the norm...you could probably make this with smoked salmon or trout - I just used salmon fillets. Plenty of fish in this, it's shame fish don't count towards your 5 a day.







You need:

250g Salmon fillets - cut into 1cm cubes
150g Frozen Queen (or baby) Scallops -defrosted
100g - Frozen Peas
100g - Raw Tiger Prawns - cut in half
3 or 4 sheets of Fresh Lasagne - must be fresh, not dried.
1 Onion - finely chopped
1 clove Garlic - crushed
1 Fennel Bulb - thinly sliced
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Fennel Seeds
1 bunch Fresh Dill - chopped
2 Tomatoes - quartered
2 tablespoons fresh Parmesan - grated
1 large Jar Bechamel Sauce - unless you want to make your own....
1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard

Heat the oven to 180c

Defrost the Scallops and Prawns for about an hour. In a large frying pan, add the Olive Oil and heat gently, then add the Onion, Fennel and Garlic. Cook gently for about 5 minutes until softened. Add the Fennel seeds and the Peas then season with Salt and Pepper and cook for another 2-3 minutes before adding the Dill. Stir well and remove from the heat.

Take a large baking dish, roughly the size of a sheet of fresh Lasagne and place a thin layer of the onion mixture in the bottom of the dish. Spread it out well and then place a sheet of Lasagne on top. Sprinkle over half the Salmon, half the Prawns and half the Scallops. Follow this with half of the remaining Onion mixture, then stir the Mustard into the Bechamel Sauce and pour about half of the Bechamel Sauce over the dish - you can use the white pasta sauce that supermarkets all sell these days.

Add another sheet of Lasagne, then fllow with the remaining Salmon, Scallops, Prawns and Onion mixture. Top with a final sheet of Lasagne. Pour over some more Bechamel Sauce, but you may not need to use all of it, as you don't want the dish to be too soupy. Top with the quartered Tomatoes and sprinkle with the Parmesan.

Bake for about 30 mins in the middle of the oven, and remove it when the top is starting to brown and bubble. 30 mins should be plenty of time to cook the Fish and the fresh pasta

Feeds 4.

Highland Pasta with Smoked Salmon

This is a really simple meal to make. The curry powder gives it an interesting twist.









You need:

225g Smoked Salmon - cut lengthways into strips
110g Rigatoni Pasta or similar
25g Butter
1 Onion - finely chopped
1 Clove Garlic - crushed
110g Chestnut Mushrooms - thinly sliced
1 teaspoon Curry Powder
1 tablespoon Plain Flour
150ml Dry White Wine
2 tablespoons Creme Fraiche
1 teaspoon Salt


Melt the Butter in a large pan then add the Onion and cook over a low heat for 5 or 6 minutes until soft. Add the Garlic, Salt and Mushrooms, cook for a further 2-3 minutes.

Mix the Curry Powder with the Flour, then stir into the pan to soak up the juices. Add the Wine slowly, whisking as you go.

Cook for 3 mins, then add the Creme Fraiche and stir well. The sauce is now ready, so set aside and keep warm until the Pasta is cooked.

While you prepare as above, cook the Pasta as per packet instructions

Add the Salmon to the sauce (re-heat if needed) and cook for a minute or so

Drain the Pasta and then mix together with the sauce.

Serve with Garlic Bread

Feeds 4

Salmon and Dill Tart

This is another one where i cheated and used a pre-bought pie case. I'm not mad on shortcrust pastry myself, but the filling was really good. This would make an ideal lunch to serve with a salad.








You need:

1 Shortcrust pastry case - pre bought
300g New Potatoes - sliced
284ml Single Cream
Zest of 1 Lime
2 Medium Eggs
3 tablespoons Fresh Dill - chopped
200g Smoked Salmon - cut into strips
Salt and Pepper to taste

Pre heat your oven to 190c. Cook the Potatoes in boiling water for 6 or 7 mins, until they are just about cooked through, then drain them. Beat the Eggs, Cream, Dill, Lime Zest and the salt and pepper together in a large bowl.

Lay half the Potatoes over the bottom of the pastry case, then spread half the Salmon on top and in the gaps. Pour over half the egg mixture. Now lay the remaining potatoes on top, followed by the salmon and top with the remaining egg mixture.

Bake for 20-25 mins until firm to the touch

Serve warm with a salad.

Feeds 4

Squid and Garlic Butter Risotto

If you like garlic, you'll love this. A really good weekend meal, when you might have a bit more time than during the week to prepare something different







You need:

8 raw Baby Squid
150g Butter
1 Onion - finely chopped
1.2 litres Vegetable Stock (or Fish Stock)
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
280g Arborio or Risotto Rice
3 cloves Garlic - crushed
90g Parmesan Cheese - freshly grated
2 tablespoons fresh Parsley - chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste

Rinse the Squid well and pat dry using kitchen paper. Cut them in half lengthways, then score using a sharp knife. You want to make those nice diagonal cuts, but be careful not to cut all the way through the Squid.

Heat the Olive oil and 25g of the Butter in a large pan and wait until the Butter melts before adding the Onion. Cook on a medium heat for around 5 mins. You want the Onion to soften but not turn brown. Add the Rice and mix well to coat each grain in the Oil/Butter. Cook for 2-3 mins, stirring all the time.

Gradually add the Stock, a ladle at a time and keep stirring. Wait until the Stock is absorbed before adding the next ladle. After about 20 mins, you should have used most if not all of the Stock and the Rice should be creamy and just al-dente.

Now melt 115g of the Butter in a pan. Add the Garlic and cook gently for 2 mins. Increase the heat to high and add the Squid to the butter and Garlic. Cook for 2 minutes only and stir well every few seconds. The Squid should pop itself into a nice tube shape when cooked, if you had nice sized pieces and scored it properly. If not, just make sure you cook it for 2 mins and stir it well :-)

Remove the Squid from the pan and set aside.

Remove the Rice from the heat and stir in the remaining Butter and the Parmesan Cheese. Stir well to combine and make sure the Cheese melts

Spoon the Rice onto plates and arrange the Squid on top - depending how big your Squid pieces were, you may want to chop them up a bit first. Serve with some of the Garlic Butter poured over the Squid and sprinkle with the fresh Parsley.

Feeds 4

Salmon Risotto

This recipe was supplied and cooked by my Mum....a nice easy Risotto without the customary butter/wine/garlic that you typically find in a lot of similar recipes.









You need:

250g Salmon Fillet - boneless and skinless, cut into 1cm chunks
1 Onion - finely chopped
1 Lemon - zest and juice of
225g Frozen Peas
500g Arborio Rice
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1.2 litres Vegetable Stock
Black Pepper to taste

In a large pan, gently fry the Onion for 5 minutes until softened. Add the Rice to the pan and stir for 2 or 3 minutes to coat the rice. Gradually add the Stock, a ladle full at a time, stirring often. Allow the stock to be absorbed before adding the next ladle full. After approx 15 minutes, or when the rice is cooked, add the Peas and the cubed Salmon. Turn the heat right down and cook for another 5 minutes. The heat in the rice will cook the Salmon and the Peas. Add the juice and Zest of the Lemon, add Black Pepper to taste, stir well and serve

Feeds 4

Tripoline Pasta with Squid

I chose to use Tripoline Pasta for this dish because the shape of it went well with the squid. Tagliatelle would be ok as well.








You need:

450g Dried Tripoline Pasta
1 small Onion - finely chopped
3 Garlic cloves - crushed
3 tablespoons Fresh Parsley - chopped
650g Squid - cleaned and cut into rings
150ml Dry White Wine
400g tin Chopped Tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried Chilli Flakes
6 tablespoons Olive Oil
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the Oil in a pan and cook the Onion for 4 or 5 minutes until it turns pale golden. Now add the Garlic. Cook for 3 or 4 mins then add 2 tablespoons of the Parsley.

Stir well, then add the Squid and stir again. Pour in the Wine, simmer for a minute or two and then add the Tomatoes and Chilli. Season to taste, cover and simmer for one hour. During the hour, you can add a little water if the sauce dries out too much.

After 40 minutes or so, bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook the Pasta as per the packet Instructions. When cooked, drain and add to the pan with the Squid. Stir well to mix everything together and serve sprinkled with the remaining Parsley.

Feeds 4

Pasta with Salmon and Creme Fraiche

A nice, quick and easy recipe this one...only takes 10 minutes from start to finish.








You need:

200g Fresh Pasta - Penne/Rigatoni or whatever you fancy
1 Red Onion - finely chopped
125ml Reduced Fat Creme Fraiche
2 Salmon Fillets - boneless, skinless. Chop into bite sized cubes
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Clove Garlic - crushed
1 tablespoon Fresh Parsley - chopped

Cook the Pasta according to the instructions. If using fresh pasta, this should just be a matter of adding it to boiling water for 4-5 minutes. If using dried, maybe 10-12 mins.

While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a pan and add the Onion and Garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes until softened but not coloured. Add the Salmon and the Creme Fraiche and cook for no more than 5 minutes, until the Salmon is cooked through.

Drain the Pasta and add to the pan with the Salmon. Stir in the chopped Parsley and serve.

Feeds 2

Spaghetti with Sardines

I based this recipe on a meal we had on holiday in Malta a few years ago.








You need:

2 x 120g tins of boneless and skinless Sardines - I use the ones in olive oil from Sainsburys
1 red Chilli - finely chopped
1 cup Dry White Wine
1 clove Garlic - crushed
175g Dried Spaghetti - or enough to feed 2 people
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
salt and pepper to taste
handful of fresh chopped Parsley

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the Spaghetti.

Now gently heat the Olive Oil in a large pan and add the crushed Garlic and chopped Chilli. Heat gently for a minute or two but do not allow the garlic to burn. Now add the Wine. Turn the heat up, bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer.

Simmer for 5 minutes to reduce the Wine by approx half...now add the Sardines to the Wine/Chilli/Garlic and gently flake with a wooden spoon. Heat gently for 2 or 3 minutes.

The Spaghetti should now be cooked. Drain well and return to the pan then add the Sardine/Garlic/Chilli/Wine. Stir well to combine, then stir in a handful of chopped fresh Parsley before serving

Picchi-Pacchi Spaghetti with Prawns

Apparently, Picchi-Pacchi is a Sicilian phrase that loosely translated, means fast or quick. This dish is certainly that and it only takes about 20 minutes to prepare, from start to finish.








You need:

350g dried Spaghetti - enough to feed 4! everyones idea of "enough" differs :-)
450g small vine-ripened Tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
2 Garlic cloves - finely chopped
2 red Chillies, - deseeded and finely chopped
1 bunch Spring Onions - thinly sliced
450g cooked and peeled King Prawns
a handful fresh Flat Leaf Parsley - chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the spaghetti and cook according to the packet instructions

Meanwhile, in a large bowl or over the sink, cut the Tomatoes in half and gently squeeze them to get rid of most of their juice/seeds, (no need to get obsessive about every last seed) then roughly chop them

Now heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add the Garlic and Chillies and heat for 1 minute. Add the Spring Onions to the pan and cook for another minute or so, then add the Tomatoes and cook gently for another minute, until they are just heated through but still holding their shape. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Drain the spaghetti well and add to the pan with the Tomatoes, Prawns and chopped Parsley. Mix everything together well and serve.

Feeds 4

Prawn Pilau

Another easy to make, low fat dish.










You need:

2 Tablespoons Curry Paste - I used Korma, from a previous dish
1 Small onion (very finely chopped)
300g Basmati Rice
700ml Stock (Vegetable or Chicken)
150g of cooked, peeled Prawns
1 Cup of Frozen Peas
1 Red Chilli (sliced into rings)
Handful of chopped Coriander

Over a gentle heat, fry the Onion with the Curry Paste for 5 minutes. Add the Rice and stir well to ensure all the grains are coated with the Curry Paste. Add the Stock and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes

Turn off the heat and stir in the Peas, the Prawns and the Chilli. Cover again and leave to stand for a further 5 or 6 minutes.

Fluff up the rice with a fork and serve with the Coriander scattered on top.

Feeds 4

Spicy Tuna Hash

So...following my recent kick up the arse health-wise, I've decided to make the next couple of posts slightly more healthy. This Tuna dish can be put together in about 15 minutes, and is dead easy to make.







You need:

1 Onion (chopped)
500g Cooked Potatoes (cut into chunks)
1 Tablespoon Curry Paste - I used Korma, but your call.
2 x 185g tins Tuna in Springwater (drained)
A handful of chopped Coriander or Parsley
1 Tablespoon Olive or Sunflower Oil

Gently fry the Onion in the Oil for about 5 mins. Add the Potatoes and the Curry Paste and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring well. It helps if you slightly crush the potatoes at this point.

Now stir in the drained Tuna and cook for a few minutes until it starts to "catch" on the bottom of the pan. Stir again and cook for a few more minutes.

Mix in the Coriander or Parsley and serve! How easy is that?

Feeds 2

Scallops with Vodka and Rigatoni

This came about because I didn't have any squid for the dish I planned to make. I knocked this up from some store cupboard essentials and some frozen Scallops.

You need:

200g of frozen Scallops - use the little white ones, not the expensive ones with orange roe attached

1 x 400g tin Plum tomatoes
4 or 5 large Basil leaves - thinly sliced (or chiffonade if you feel posh)
Dried Chilli flakes to taste
1 Onion - thinly sliced
2 large cloves Garlic - crushed
2 tablespoons Tomato Puree (paste)
1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
2-3 tablespoons Vodka
2 tablespoons Olive Oil

Gently heat the Olive Oil in a pan and add the Onion and Garlic. Cook gently for approx 5 mins until the onion is softened but not colored. Add the Tomato Puree, Oregano and Chilli flakes. Mix well and cook gently for another 2 or 3 minutes. - The chilli flakes we use are home made and hot as hell, so 1/4 teaspoon is plenty. You may need more to give it a bit of a kick.

Add the Plum Tomatoes to the Onion mix and stir well to break up the Tomatoes. Add the Vodka and Scallops then simmer gently for 10 mins.

Meanwhile, cook the Rigatoni according to the packet instructions. Drain the pasta well and return it to the cooking pan.

Add the Tomato/Scallop sauce to the Pasta and stir well to combine all the ingredients. Decorate with the Basil leaves



Feeds 4

Baked Salmon with Horseradish

Nice quick one today....we get through a lot of Salmon in our house, so we fancied trying a different recipe. Easy to make and worth the effort.

You Need:

1 Small Savoy Cabbage - shredded
4 Salmon fillets/steaks
2 tablespoons Horseradish sauce
2 slices white bread
2 teaspoons Thyme - chopped
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
Ground black pepper




Heat the oven to 200c. Blitz the Bread in a processor until you have fine breadcrumbs
Add the Horseradish and Thyme to the crumbs. Mix well

Place the Salmon on a lightly oiled baking tray and spread the breadcrumb mixture over the fillets. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes

Meanwhile, put the shredded cabbage in a large pan and pour on about a pint of boiling water. Cover and simmer for 8 minutes. Drain the cabbage well and then return it to the pan. Add the Greek Yogurt and lots of Ground black pepper. Heat it gently while the salmon finishes cooking.

Serve with Saute or Roasted Potatoes.

Feeds 4

Prawns in Garlic (Camerones Al Mojo De Ajo)

You can serve this as either a side dish or as a main, accompanied by white rice, green salad and Guacamole You might also want to serve some crusty bread to help mop up the sauce.

You need:

Juice of 1 Lime
2 Cloves Garlic - finely chopped (not crushed)
1/2 medium Onion - finely chopped
50g Fresh Parsley - finely chopped
1 Green Chilli - finely chopped
450g raw Tiger Prawns - shelled
1/2 Chicken or Vegetable stock cube - crumbled
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
2 tablespoons Butter or margarine
Pinch ground Black Pepper

Heat the Oil and Butter in a heavy based pan over a low to medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the Garlic, Chilli, Onion and Parsley. Fry for approx 5 minutes until the Onion has softened and the Parsley turns a dark green colour.

Now add the Prawns and the crumbled stock cube, along with the Lime Juice and the black pepper. Increase the heat slightly and fry for approx 3 to 4 minutes until the Prawns turn pink.







Serves 3 to 4 as a side dish.

New Orleans Rice & Shrimp

This is another easy meal that you can make with Crayfish Tails instead of Prawns - if you can find them.....

You need:

2oz Butter
3 Celery Sticks (finely chopped)
1 small Green Pepper (finely diced)
1 medium Onion (finely chopped)
1/4 pint of water
500g or 1lb raw Tiger Prawns
1 x 295g tin of Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
750g cooked Rice (I use American Easy cook Long Grain)
1 level Teaspoon Cajun Spice mix (available in most supermarkets)
1 x handful chopped Parsley


Heat the butter in a heavy based pan until melted. Add the Celery and Pepper and cook gently for approx 10 minutes (until well softened)









Add the Onion to the pan , stir well and cook for a further 5 minutes.










Mix the soup with the water and you should have approx 3/4 pint of "soup mix". Add to the vegetables and stir well to combine









Now add your Prawns of Crayfish to the mixture, along with the Cajun Spice mixture. I've chopped my Prawns small because it's feeding a toddler as well, but you don't have to! Cook over a low heat for around 10 minutes, stirring every now and then.







Now add the Parsley and the cooked Rice. Stir well to combine, then heat through for 2 or 3 minutes.









That's it done! Couldn't be easier.......