The Food Diaries

Chirashi salmon with a mixed green salad and yuzu dressing

Cook 1 cup of brown (or white) sushi rice with 2 cups of water as per your favourite rice cooking method (I use a rice cooker). Note that if you use white rice then you will need to rinse it well in cold water first to remove some of the starch. Meanwhile, in a small bowl mix together 40ml rice vinegar, 20ml sugar and 1tsp salt till well dissolved. Once the rice is cooked mix in the vinegar till the rice becomes glossy. Divide between two serving bowls.

Take two salmon fillets and cut into small cubes. Place in the centre of the rice and sprinkle with a little nanami togarashi (a Japanese chili/mandarin peel powder). In a separate bowl place 1tbs yuzu juice (a Japanese citrus fruit), 1/2 tsp wasabi powder, 1tbs mirin, 1tbs grapeseed oil and 1tbs shoyu. Mix well with some mixed salad greens (watercress, wild rocket, baby spinach). Place around the salmon. 

Serves 2.

Roasted sea bass with chive oil

Place 1/4 cup coarsely chopped chives in a food processor along with 1/3 cup olive oil and some sea salt and pepper. Process until smooth and strain through a fine sieve. Set aside.

Place 4 sea bass fillets (150-250g each) in a roasting pan drizzled with olive oil. Drizzle more oil over the fillets and season with sea salt and pepper. Place in a hot oven (200c) and cook for around 9 minutes, till the fish is just barely cooked through. You may need to adjust the time depending on the thickness of the fillets.

Transfer the sea bass to serving plates and sprinkle with the chive oil. You can warm the oil slightly before serving.

Serve with some boiled new potatoes.

Serves 4.

Samphire, roasted cod and ratatouille

Samphire is not actually a seaweed but a succulent which grows in tidal zones (estuaries, creeks, etc). It has a nice crunch to it, with a slightly salty flavour and provides a bright vegetable addition to the dinner plate. It can be foraged, but it’s recently become quite trendy so is much more easily available at the fish counter. It goes very well with fish.

This recipe serves 2.

Take a large handful of washed and trimmed samphire and snap into 2-3 cm pieces. Place a knob of butter in a pan (or substitute with olive oil) and stir fry the samphire for around 2-4 minutes, until the samphire starts to soften nicely. Season with sea salt and pepper, add a squeeze of lemon juice.

Serve with a couple of nice pieces of grilled cod on top of the samphire with a garnish of ratatouille on top. You’ll find the recipe for the ratatouille here. A wedge of lemon wouldn’t go amiss either.

Warm new potato salad with smoked eel and creamed horseradish

This salad presents a perfect pairing of buttery yellow new potatoes and rich and delicate smoked eel, bound together by a creamy yet bright and sharp dressing.

Bring some new potatoes (300g) to a boil and cook till done (once they are easily pierced with a fork). Keep warm till you are ready to assemble the salad. In the meantime, in a small bowl mix together 1 tbs creamed horseradish, 1 tbs light creme fraiche, 2 tsp white vinegar, 1 tbs olive oil, 1tbs each finely chopped chives and parsley, and some sea salt and pepper. Slice up the new potatoes and place in a serving bowl. Fold in the salad dressing. Drape the potatoes with bite-sized pieces of smoked eel (130g) and then sprinkle generously with salad cress.

Serves 3 as a starter or 2 as light lunch.

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Grilled Salmon with a sweet miso marinade served with roasted chantenay carrots

In a small bowl whisk together 3 tbs miso paste, 2 tbs mirin, 1 tbs sugar, and 1 tbs sake. Spread over 2 salmon fillets (around 100g). Marinate between 30 minutes and overnight. Remove the salmon from the marinade and place on an oiled or non-stick baking tray, skin side down (skinless fillets are fine too). Bake in the oven at 200c for about 12-15 minutes, till the salmon just cooked through. Add a final brush of marinade to gloss up the salmon and serve with some roasted chantenay carrots (baked in the oven at 200c till lightly golden with a drizzle of olive oil, honey and thyme).

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Seared swordfish with sushi rice and spicy Japanese dipping sauce

This recipe works best when the swordfish is super fresh (look out for shiny, slightly pink and almost translucent steaks).

Start by the preparing the rice: take 1 cup brown sushi rice and place in a pot with 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 12 minutes. Switch off the heat and let the rice rest till all the water has been absorbed. In a bowl mix together 2 tbs rice vinegar with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp sugar till dissolved. Transfer the rice to a bowl and stir in the rice vinegar using a flat spatula. Cover and set aside.

To make the sauce: in a small bowl mix together 2 tbs mayonnaise, 1 tsp ketchup, 1 tsp mirin, 2 tsp soy sauce, and 1/2 tsp wasabi powder (or prepared wasabi will do).

Heat 1 tsp rapeseed oil in a pan till quite hot, sprinkle black and white sesame seeds on both sides of 2 swordfish fillets. Sear the swordfish for about 1-2 minutes per side (depending on how rare you like your fish). Transfer to a cutting board and cut into slices across the grain. 

To serve: divide the rice between two bowls, place the swordfish slices overtop and add a large dollop of sauce on the side. Serve 2.

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The Breakfast Club: Kedgeree with a poached egg on top

In a pot place 1 cup brown basmati rice with 2 cups water, bring to a boil and then simmer, covered. Meanwhile, place a 250g fillet of smoked haddock in a pan and just cover with water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the fish from the pan (retain the water for later), remove the skin, and flake. Slowly fry 1 large shallot (or small onion) in a little butter till softened. Add 1/4 tsp turmeric and 1/2 tbs curry powder. Stir around briefly and remove from heat. Poach 2-3 eggs(this recipe serves 2-3, so count 1 egg per person). I love these poach pods.

Now add the fish, the shallot, 1/2 cup frozen peas, and the juice of 1 lemon to the rice. You can moisten the mixture with the cooking water from the fish to loosen the rice (it should be quite unctious), and finish with 1 tbs cream and a seasoning of sea salt and pepper.

Serve with the poached egg on top.

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Peruvian Ceviche - a Japanese-inspired recipe

Ceviche is a fab alternative to sushi - especially for those not a fan of raw fish. The citrus juices “cook” the fish to a delicate opaqueness. There has been quite a bit of Japanese influence over Peruvian food due to a wave of immigration to the country starting in 1899. Nobu, for instance, is of Japanese-Peruvian origin and this recipe draws on some of the flavours from his own recipe for ceviche (found in The Cookbook).

Choose a selection (1-3) from the following fish (for a total of 500g skinned fish fillets): wild sea bass, turbot, organic salmon, gurnard, pollack, sea trout. Cut the fish fillets into thin slices (cut against the grain - i.e. across the width of the fillet). Place in a shallow bowl. 

Mix together: the juice of 3 limes (50ml), 2 lemons (75ml), 25ml yuzu (or substitute with the 1 orange), 1 tbs soy, 1 tsp each of finely grated garlic and ginger, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp Japanese Chili pepper - Nanami Togarashi (or 1 mild red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped). Add 1 small red onion, very finely sliced, 2 celery sticks, also finely sliced and pour the sauce over the fish.

Leave to marinate between 20 minutes and 4 hours (the less time you marinate the fish, the more delicate and fresh the flavour).

Spoon the fish and marinade into 5 individual cups or glasses and garnish with halved cherry tomatoes.

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