Poh's Steamed Fish

Fish Soup

 I was so lucky to get some chicken stock at Crop Swap last Saturday. I used it tonight, in a fish soup. It was so gelatinous that it didn't move from the jar until it was well tilted towards the pan. This soup is seriously fabulous; made with my favourite flavours of saffron, turmeric, fennel seeds etc combined with local fish, split mung, a dash of white wine, bottle tomatoes, veg freshly picked from my garden..... including leeks, nettles....

Zucchini Risotto with Gremolata Fish

500g zucchini, unpeeled, chopped into 3cm cubes Olive oil 2 tspns garam masala 1 brown onion, finely sliced 2 garlic cloves, crushed 2 cups risotto rice 1 litre chicken/fish stock

600g fish fillets   Gremolata 1/3 cup finely chopped parsley Olive oil Grated rind 1 lemon 2 cloves garlic, crushed

 

Fry zucchini pieces in hot oil until cooked but still firm. Stir in garam masala and fry a little longer. (I also added some fennel seeds and cumin seeds)

Heat stock and keep hot.

Heat olive oil in a pan and cook onion gently until soft. Add garlic and rice and stir to coat.

Add 1 cup at a time of the stock to the rice and stir, on gentle heat, until absorbed before adding more. This will take a good 30 minutes or more. Do not rush it…. Have a glass of wine while you relax and enjoy the process.

Meanwhile combine the gremolata ingredients and press onto the fish fillets. Cook the fish in a pan. Flake gently.

Gently mix the zucchini and the fish through the risotto and serve with lemon wedges.

Absolutely delicious!

MUSSELS RECIPES

I love mussels and they are so cheap. ($6.90 / kg at Angelakis in the central market).
1 kg mussels in shells serves 2 - 3 people. To serve more I buy some mussel meat, rather than more in shells or you get too big a volume to cook in a pan.

THAI RED CURRY MUSSELS

2 Tbl peanut oil

1 stalk lemongrass, crushed

1 Tbl Thai red curry paste

1/2 cup white wine

1 can coconut milk

2 Tbl fish sauce

2 Tbl fresh lime juice

2 Tbl chopped corinader stems

1 kg mussels, de-bearded

2Tbl chopped coriander leaves

4 Tbl chopped Thai basil leaves/ Vietnamese mint leaves / laksa herb leaves

Into a large pan put the first 8 ingredients and bring to a boil. Stir to combine. Add mussels, cover, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook 5 minutes or until all the shells are open. Add the herbs to the liquid and cover for 1 minute more. Serve on rice or (I prefer) organic buckwheat noodles, so it is almost like a soup.

ITALIAN MUSSELS WITH PASTA

1/2 jar tasty pasta sauce (bought is fine!)
3/4 cup white wine
chilli powder or fresh to taste
1 kg mussels, de-bearded
spaghetti / fettuccine
olive oil
1/2 cup chopped parsley / other suitable herb

Cook pasta, drain, tossin the oil and parsley.
Meanwhile, place pasta sauce, white wine and chilli in a large pan and bring to the boil.
Add mussels, cover and simmer 5 minutes or until shells are all open.
Serve pasta, top with mussels and liquid. Don't forget to wear a red shirt while eating!

ENGLISH MUSSELS IN CREAM SAUCE

1 kg mussels
2Tbl butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 small stalk of celery, chopped
pepper
2/3 cup white wine
1/3 cup cream
1/3 cup yoghurt
chopped parsley

Melt butter in a large pan. Add onion, celery, pepper, wine and mussels. Cover and simmer 5 minutes until the shells are open. Remove mussels from the pan and reduce liqid to 1/2 cup.
Remove from heat and stir in cream, yoghurt and parsley. May reheat gently but do not boil.
Serve with rice or other.

SEAFOOD LAKSA

I made this version the other night and it was fabulous.

serves 4

500g mixed seafood
1Tbl (or less) Thai red curry paste (original recipe said laksa paste)
1 cup vegetable stock
1 cup water
200ml coconut milk / cream
2 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped
150g organic Jap buckwheat noodles
2 bok choy, roughly chopped
2 large spring onions, thinly sliced
3 or 4 sprigs laksa herb
1 bunch coriander, roots chopped and leaves chopped


Cook the curry paste briefly in a hot pan then add seafood, stock, water, coriander roots, lime leaves and coconut. Bring to the boil. Simmer, uncovered a few minutes, until seafood is just cooked.
Meanwhile cook noodles according to packet instructions.
Stir into seafood : bokchoy, laksa herb, spring onion and coriander leaves and cook, uncovered until bok choy is just wilted.
Divide noodles between bowls and top with laksa mixture.

Thai Red Curry Mussels

Cooked by Alex, Feb 07

2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 stalk lemongrass, crushed
1 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
1/2 cup white wine
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
2 tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1kg mussels, debearded
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander stems, plus 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
4 tablespoons chopped Thai basil or Italian basil leaves

Heat a wide pan.
Add oil, the lemongrass, curry paste, wine, coconut milk, fish sauce, and lime juice and bring to a simmer, whisking.
Add the mussels, cover the pot, and let steam until opened. During the last minute of cooking, add the coriander and basil.
Serve with rice.
Why would you eat a take-away when this takes only a few minutes to prepare and is so good.
Kate

BREAM FILLETS WITH BOK CHOY

Serves: 4
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 teaspoons grated or crushed ginger
3 teaspoons olive oil
grated zest and juice of 1 orange
4 bream fillets, about 150 g each
1 tsp sweet chilli sauce
3 teaspoons soy sauce
3 teasooons rice vinegar
I star anise
2-3 bok choy, cut in quarters lengthways
I teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
salt and black pepper
(shreds of orange zest, blanched )
rice
1. Heat the oven to 200°C. To make the marinade, combine the garlic, ginger, oil and orange zest in a small bowl, then rub the mixture over the bream fillets. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes.
2. Place the fish flat-in a baking dish. Mix together the orange juice, chilli, honey, soy sauce and vinegar, pour the liquid around the fish and add the star anise. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for >12 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and leave the fish to rest for 3-5 minutes. '
3. Meanwhile, bring 5 cm of water to the boil in a steamer, or a saucepan large enough to hold a basket that all the bok choy will fit into. Steam the bok choy for >3 to 5 minutes until just tender but retaining a slight crunch.
4. Drain the bok choy halves, drizzle with sesame oil and lemon juice and season .to taste. Transfer to serving plates, top with
the fish and pour over the pan juices.(Garnish with the blanched orange zest.)
Kate