Escalope of Cod With a Soft Parsley Crust, Crème Légère with Chives

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4x200g cod fillets
• Dijon Mustard
• 2 tablespoons mushroom duxelles
• 2 tablespoons tomato fondue
• 1 recipe soft herb crust
• 400ml fish stock
• 100ml olive oil
• 200ml white wine


To Serve

• 1 recipe white wine sauce
• 100ml double cream, semi whipped
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons finely snipped chives


Method

• Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°C/ Gas 6
• Smear each piece of fish lightly with mustard
• Then add layers of duxelles, fondue and soft herb crust
• Line a casserole with butter. Put the cod, and enough stock, oil and wine, mixed together, to cover the fish but not the topping. Bring to boil on top of the stove, and then place in a preheated oven for 5-7 minutes
• Heat the sauce gently, add the cream, blend quickly with a hand blender, season, then add chives at last moment.
• To serve, put cod on each plate with sauce around it.


Sid’s Note
Good accompaniments are noodles or spinach


Rego’s Prawn Peri Peri

Serves 6

This dish brings back many memories for me, as during the mid 70s when doing my compulsory military service I was posted to the border of Mozambique in northern Natal, at Kuzilonde, just above Kosi Bay. This area is ranked as one of South Africa’s truly wild places, lakes, sub-tropical shores, and warm beaches. Even though we were warned of the danger of crocodiles, hippos and bilharzia, we would still take the odd swim in the lakes and rivers. I can remember the fish eagles, leatherback turtles and white-backed night herons and spending time with the Zulu fishermen when setting their ‘Thonga’ fish traps and then spearing the fish once in the trap.
This is where I met Rego, fleeing Mozambique in fear of his life into South Africa, with hundreds if not thousands of other ethnic Portuguese Mozambiquens. I befriended Rego and in all this madness we found some time over a beer or two to talk food. I stayed in contact with Rego and we became friends as he had an infectious enthusiasm for what I can only describe as East African-Portuguese Cookery. I am yet to emulate the Peri Peri Chicken which Rego prepared on the Barbeque, but this Prawn Peri Peri recipe is a good start.
The best prawn to use is the Black Tiger Prawn which is found on the East African and Australian coast.

Ingredients
• 2 kg Black Tiger Prawns.

Marinade
• 200 ml extra virgin olive oil
• 10 birds eye chillies, deseeded and finely sliced
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• zest and juice of 4 limes
• 8 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
• small bunch of parsley chopped
• 150 ml white wine vinegar
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 2 tbls paprika
• 1 tbsp cayenne

Method
1. If prawns are frozen, defrost in fridge, not under water. Remove heads and with a sharp knife cut down the back and devein. Remove legs.
2. In a bowl mix all ingredients well. Store in a sealed container for at least 36 hours so the flavours infuse.
3. Once aged, remove a ¼ of the marinade and return to fridge, to use as a dipping sauce for cooked prawns
4. Fire up your BBQ
5. Toss prawns in remainder of marinade and leave in fridge for a hour.
6. Remove prawns from the marinade. I enjoy putting them on a skewer. If you are using bamboo skewers, soak in water for 5 minutes first.
7. Place used marinade in a saucepan and gently bring to the boil and simmer for 3 minutes and set aside ready at your bbq
8. Place prawns of hot bbq and cook about 2 minutes on each side, do not overcook! The flesh should be firm but not hard, the inside of the prawn should be opaque and not glassy.


Roast Supreme of Cod with a Sweet Curry and Brioche Crust

Serves 6

Ingredients
• Supreme of Cod approx. 200g per person
• 300g Brioche
• 1 shallot finely chopped
• 1 heaped teaspoon madras curry powder
• pinch saffron powder
• 2 tablespoons fresh coriander, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper
• flour
• dash of olive oil for frying cod

Method
1. Break brioche with your hands and roughly crumb, place in food processor (magi mix) with chopped shallots, curry powder, saffron, coriander, pinch of salt, freshly ground black pepper and lightly crumb for 15 seconds.
2. Mix in 2 tablespoons olive oil and set aside.
3. Lightly season cod and dust lightly with flour and seal in hot pan with a little olive oil until lightly brown all over.
4. Place on baking sheet and top with a generous amount of brioche crust, place in a preheated oven at 180C/Gas mark 4 for 7-8 minutes.
5. Serve on top of saffron risotto with a dash of lemon butter.