Carpaccio de Saint-Jacques au Citron Vert

Pour 2 personnes

- 8 noix de Saint-jacques très fraîches
- 1 petit citron vert
- 2 ou c.café d'huile d'olive vierge
- 2 pincées de fleur de sel
- poivre noir du moulin
- une pincée de baies roses


Laver les noix de Saint-Jacques sous l'eau froide et les sécher dans du papier absorbant. Les découper en fines rondelles et les disposer sur les assiettes.
Presser le citron vert et arroser les Saint-Jacques de son jus. Placer une heure au réfrigérateur.
Juste avant de servir, arroser d'un filet d'huile olive, saupoudrer de fleur de sel, de poivre du moulin et de baies roses concassées.

A Creamy and Cozy Fish Soup with Wild Rice

Serves about 3 for a full dinner

about 500ml fish stock
1 can coconut milk
1/2 onion, finely sliced
1 celeri branch, finely chopped, and a few leaves, chopped
1 clove garlic, mashed
peanut oil
salt, pepper
100g wild rice
200g prawns, cleaned
200g white fish (like cod), cut into chunks
as many mushrooms a you like, roughly sliced
a few scallops
a small bunch of parsley


Rinse the wild rice under cold water, and boil according to the instructions of the package, usually in salted water for about 45 minutes, low heat.
In a wok pan, sauté the sliced onion, garlic, mushrooms, in a bit of peanut oil.
In a large saucepan, heat up the coconut milk and the fish stock. Add the sautéed onion and mushrooms, celery and leaves, parsley, a bit of salt and pepper, and simmer for about 30min.
Add the fish, prawns and scallops, and cook for another 5min. Adjust taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the cooked wild rice and serve. This velvety soup can be enjoyed with toasted bread and white wine.

Ankimo

It might be very hard to cook Ankimo if you don't live in Japan, but as we plan to have it again because is was sooooo good, here is our recipe. Ankimo is basically steamed anglerfish liver, and it tastes very much like a delicate foie gras, to be enjoyed with grated daikon and sake or white wine.


Serves 4-6 as an appetizer

1 fresh anglerfish liver
about 100ml soy sauce
about 100ml white wine


Rinse the liver in cold water, you can soak it for a few minutes. Gently remove the blood vessels without tearing the liver apart.
Put it in a clean plastic bag (a transparent freezing bag is fine), pour some soy sauce, mix gently and leave it for 1 minute.
Remove from the bag, pat the liver dry with kitchen towels, and put it in a second bag with white wine. Rinse gently with the whine, remove from the bag, and pat the liver dry with kitchen paper.
Lay it on aluminum foil and wrap it the longitudinal way. The liver can be slightly folded inside the aluminum foil, to form a regular cylinder. The foil should be rather tight. Seal it well and steam for 30 minutes.
Take the roll out from the steamer and let it cool down at room temperature. When it has cooled down, put it in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
Remove from the fridge about 15 minutes before serving. Cut slices about 1 inch thick, and serve with grated daikon and lemon dipping sauce.

Wonderfully Crispy and Fluffy Fish'n Chips

This dish had been in our minds (or in Paw's mind) for a few weeks. Would we be able to replicate the most famous of British dishes in our humble kitchen? Answer is yes!
As for many recipes, the result is as good as the ingredients are, so you have to get the best quality of the freshest cod, and new frying oil, and you'll be laughing!





Serves 2


For the fish:
4 fillets of cod
125g flour
1 teasp baking powder
pinch of salt
80-100ml lager beer (chilled, very important)
sunflower oil for frying

salt and malt vinegar


For the dip:
3 tablesp ketchup
1 tablesp grated horseradish
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
a few drops of tabasco (optional)
pinch of salt

Chips or baked potatoes


Have the frying oil ready to be used.
Make the batter for the fish: in a large salad bowl, mix the flour, pinch of salt and baking powder, and gradually add the cold beer while mixing with a wooden spoon. The amount of beer has to be adjusted on the spot. The batter should not be too runny, but it should just coat the spoon. Dip the fish fillets into the batter to coat them.
Heat up the oil to 180 degrees. Fry the fish 2 by 2 until golden, about 2-3 minutes on each side. You can add some peaks of batter with a spoon while frying if you like.
Remove from the oil, sprinkle with salt. Serve with chips and the dip, and drizzle with a few drops of malt vinegar.

Red Curry and Coconut Tuna Steaks

Serves two

2 fresh tuna steaks

For the marinade:
1 teasp red curry paste
2 tablesp white wine
1 tablesp lemon juice
1 teasp (level) sugar
pepper

grated coconut for coating
peanut oil

For the dressing:
2 tablesp fish sauce
2 tablesp lemon juice
2 teasp sugar
1 tablesp fresh corianger, chopped


Combine all ingredients of the marinade and leave the tuna to marinate for 10 minutes (turn from time to time).
Coat the steaks with grated coconut. Heat up a couple of tablespoons of peanut oil, and cook them for about 2 minutes on each side.
Serve right away, with basmati rice, vegetables, and drizzles of dressing.

Zucchini, Prawn and Smoked Salmon Risotto

Definitely the best risotto this year. And believe it or not, this is recipe number 100! Omedetoooo H&M's cooking notes!






Serves 2-3 as a dinner:

zucchini purée:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small zucchini
1/2 onion, finely sliced
salt, pepper
a bunch of fresh basil

risotto:
1 small zucchini
about 300gr fresh shrimps, peeled and cleaned
2 small cups (about 250g) arborio or japonica rice
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
a handful of parsley, chopped
2 cloves garlic
thyme (fresh or dry)
50ml vermouth (or Marsala, Martini bianco)
50ml white wine
about 750ml vegetable stock (equiv. 2 cubes)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt, pepper
a few leaves of basil, chopped
about 100gr smoked salmon
about 30g butter



Make the zucchini purée: Slice the first zucchini. Sauté it in a frying pan with olive oil and the half onion. Add salt and pepper, continue cooking with occasional stirring on low/medium heat for 15min. Add the fresh basil and blend. Reserve this purée.

Slice the second zucchini. In the same friying pan, sauté the slices with little olive oil, salt and pepper (not too much) and let then get a nice golden color on both sides. Reserve.

In the same frying pan, sauté the shrimps in a bit of olive oil, with mashed garlic, a little salt and pepper (a couple of minutes, just until cooked). Reserve.

Start making your basic risotto:
Bring the stock to a simmer in a saucepan. Put the olive oil in a separate large pan, add the onion, then 1 clove of mashed garlic and the parsley and cook very gently for about 5 minutes, without colouring, until soft. Add the rice (it will sizzle) and turn up the heat. Add the thyme. Don't let the rice catch on the bottom of the pan, so keep it moving.

Pour in the vermouth and wine. Keep stirring all the time until it has evaporated, leaving the rice with a lovely perfume.

Add the stock to the rice a ladle at a time, stirring and waiting until it has been fully absorbed before adding the next. Turn the heat down to low so the rice doesn't cook too quickly, otherwise the outside of each grain will be stodgy and the inside hard and nutty (you don't want to cook it too slowly either, or it will turn into rice pudding!) and continue to add ladlefuls of stock until it has all be absorbed. It should take about 30 minutes for the rice to have softened but is still a little al dente. Check the texture from time to time. You might not need to add all the stock. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper if necessary. Add turmeric, lemon juice.

When the risotto is cooked incorporate the zucchini purée, the grilled zucchini and shrimps, the smoked salmon, fresh basil. Add the butter, turn off the heat and let it rest lid on for a minute.
Mix and serve, decorate with shrimps, salmon and basil.

Pâtes aux Boulettes de Thon à la Sicilienne

Une recette adaptée de Péché de Gourmandise, elle même adaptée de Jamie Oliver. Les boulettes de poisson offrent une alternative intéressante aux boulettes de viande, surtout en été où leur goût frais et citronné est le bienvenu.






Pour 3 personnes:

Pour les boulettes :
300 g de thon frais
35 g de pignons (remplacés par des noix de cajou)
une pointe de cannelle
1 c à c d'origan
15 g de chapelure ou mie de pain
30 g de parmesan râpé
1 oeuf
1 c à s de jus de citron
Sel et poivre

Pour la sauce tomate :
Huile d'olive
1 petit oignon pelé et finement hâché
2 gousses d'ail écrasées
vin blanc
1 c à c d'origan
1 boîte de tomates de 400 g
1 c à s de purée de tomates
une pincée de sucre
2 feuilles de laurier
une poignée de basilic frais ciselé
Sel et poivre


Préparer les boulettes: couper le thon en petits cubes, et les hâcher finement avec un bon couteau. Concasser les pignons.
Mélanger tous les ingrédients et former des boulettes avec les doigts (un peu difficile parce que collant, mais patience).
Les mettre au frigo pendant la préparation de la sauce.

Préparer la sauce: Hâcher l'oignon finement, le faire revenir dans une poêle assez haute avec de l'huile d'olive pendant 5 min. Ajouter les gousses d'ail, déglacer avec du vin blanc. Ajouter les tomates en boîte, la purée de tomates, la pincée de sucre, l'origan, le laurier, sel et poivre, et un peu d'eau. Laisser cuire à feu très doux pendant 20-30 min. Rajouter de l'eau si nécessaire, contrôler la teneur en sel.
Ajouter les boulettes de thon une à une et continuer la cuisson pendant dix minutes. Servir et parsemer de basilic ciselé.

Bouillabaisse

Notre version de la bouillabaisse, bien sûr sans rascasse et autres poissons méditerranéens, mais ils peuvent être facilement remplacés par des poissons à chair blanche que l'on trouve ici.
Autre différence, le fenouil hors de prix au Japon a été remplacé avec succès par des graines de fenouil et du céleri en branche. Et ma foi, c'était succulent, comme à Marseille, ou encore mieux...






Pour environ 4 personnes:

quelques c.soupe d'huile d'olive
1 grand oignon, en tranches fines
2/3 d'une branche céleri et 1/3 des feuilles, en petits morceaux
1 blanc de poireau, en petits morceaux
1 c.café de graines de fenouil, légèrement concassées
3 gousses d'ail écrasées
un petit verre de vin blanc
4 belles tomates, en dés
1 c.soupe de purée de tomates
une poignée de persil hâché
une feuille de laurier
1/2 c.café de poivre de cayenne
1 c.café de curcuma (remplacer par du safran si possible)
sel et poivre
environ 500ml de fumet de poisson (voir en-dessous)
4-5 belles pommes de terre, pelées et coupées en 3 ou 4
4 grosses crevettes
selon la taille, environ trois poissons à chair blanche (rascasse, daurade, congre..), écaillés et évidés par le poissonier


Pour le fumet de poisson:
la carcasse (tête et os) d'un grand poisson (chez le poissonier)
une botte de persil
1 feuille de laurier
1/4 onion
1/3 de céleri en branche et 2/3 des feuilles
la partie verte d'un poireau
environ 1 litre d'eau

Pain grillé et rouille pour servir



Préparer le fumet de poisson: mettre tous les ingrédients du fumet dans une grande casserole (à froid) et faire bouillir à feu moyen/fort pendant une demi-heure, en enlevant les impuretés qui montent à la surface. Filtrer le tout et réserver.

Préparer la bouillabaisse: dans une cocotte, faire revenir l'oignon dans l'huile d'olive sur feu doux pour le faire dorer.
Ajouter le céleri et le blanc de poireau et continuer à remuer pendant 2-3 minutes. Ajouter l'ail et les graines de fenouil et touiller encore un peu. Verser le vin blanc et incorporer les tomates et la purée de tomates. Mélanger et ajouter le persil, le laurier, le poivre de cayenne, le curcuma ou safran. Saler et poivrer (comme le fumet n'est pas salé il faudra environ 2 c.café de sel).
Laisser mijoter pendant 5 minutes, et ajouter environ 500ml du fumet de poisson petit à petit, en contrôlant le goût et la teneur en sel. Ajuster si besoin).
Laisser cuire encore 5 minutes puis ajouter les pommes de terre. On peut partiellement couvrir la bouillabaisse et laisser cuire les pommes de terre à feu modéré pendant 10-15 minutes, jusqu'à environ 70% de leur cuisson.
Retirer la bouillabaisse du feu. Avec une louche, retirer la moitié de la soupe (sauf les pommes de terre) et la mixer pour l'homogénéiser, puis la verser à nouveau dans la cocotte avec le reste. Mélanger.
Remettre sur le feu et ajouter les crevettes et les poissons (préalablement bien lavés), couvrir et laisser cuire pendant 5 minutes où jusqu'à ce que les poissons et les pommes de terre soient cuits.
Servir avec du pain grillé et de la rouille, accompagné d'un vin blanc (Pinot Blanc ou Riesling Alsaciens sont parfaits)

Salmon and Cabbage Tamarind Curry

Serves 3-4

3 tbsp tamarind juice (taken form 1 tbsp block in 100ml warm water)
6 salmon filets
1 teasp salt
1 small onion
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic
1 teasp grated ginger
1 teasp ground coriander
1 teasp ground cumin
2 teasp ground turmeric
2 dried chillies
1 tbsp tomato purée
400ml coconut milk
about 200ml water
1/2 teasp garam masala
1 teasp brown sugar
1/4 cabbage, leaves roughly chopped
2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, chopped


Prepare the tamarind by softening 1 tbsp tamarind block with 100ml warm water.
Cut the salmon into bite-sized chunks, rub with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and set aside.
Halve and finely slice the onion. Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan and fry the onion until soft, but not coloured. Add the crushed garlic and ginger and fry for a further 1 minute, stirring all the time.
Turn the heat down low, sprinkle over the ground coriander, cumin, turmeric, and chillies, and stir continuously until the spices give off a warm, toasted aroma - about a minute.
Add 3 tbsp of the tamarind juice, tomato puree, coconut milk, water, the remaining salt, garam masala, and the sugar. Simmer the curry, uncovered, for about 15 minutes before tasting. If you feel the curry needs it, add a touch more tamarind and chilli.
Add the cabbage and cook for another 10 minutes. Add the fresh coriander and the fish to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes, or until cooked. Serve with steamed rice.

Grondin Perlon en Robe de Mariée

Nous avons pû apprécier ce délicieux poisson chez nos amis Megumi et Akihiro, et nous nous sommes empressés de tester la recette peu de temps après.
Le grondin perlon est excellent, mais on peut utiliser tout poisson à chair blanche et ferme, comme la daurade, le flétan, la rascasse par exemple. Demander à votre poissonnier de l'évider pour vous, et ce sera un jeu d'enfant.
La cuisson en croûte de sel permet à toutes les saveurs de se développer sans s'échapper, et le poisson reste juteux et tendre.







Pour 2 personnes

1 poisson à chair blanche ferme, évidé
1 citron, coupé en morceaux (8 ou plus)
2 gousses d'ail, pelées et coupées en morceaux
1 bouquet d'herbes (persil, thym, romarin...)
400g de sel
2 blancs d'oeufs, légèrement battus
1 c. soupe de farine
huile d'olive vierge


Rincez le poisson préparé par votre poissonnier sous l'eau du robinet, et séchez-le à l'intérieur comme à l'extérieur en tapotant avec du papier absorbant.
Remplissez l'intérieur du poisson avec le citron, l'ail et les herbes.
Préparez la pâte de sel en mélangeant le sel avec les blancs d'oeufs, et ensuite la farine.
Deposez un peu de cette pâte (de la forme du poisson, comme pour un lit) sur un plat allant au four. Mettez-y le poisson fourré, ventre en-bas, et tapissez le tout de pâte de sel (la tête et la queue peuvent rester hors du sel).
Enfournez à 180 degrés pendant 25 a 40 minutes, selon la taille du poisson. 25min pour une truite, ensuite adaptez pour des poissons plus grands.
A la sortie du four, brisez la croûte de sel et retirez la chair du poisson, servez-le avec un filet d'huile d'olive vierge, des pommes de terre et une salade.

Ebi No Chiri Sosu (Chili Sauce Prawns)

I requested this dish for my birthday dinner, as Monsieur H cooked for me. It is a Japanese recipe that is now adapted by many chinese restaurants.
It contains several ingredients that you can find at Asian markets.
The recipe might seem a bit complex, but it's totally worth it!





Serves 2
- 12 big prawns
- salt (1/2 teasp + 1/2 teasp)
- starch (1 tablesp + 1/2 teasp + 2-2.5 tablesp)
- 1 tablesp water
- 2 tablesp sake
- 1/4 egg white
- vegetable oil
- 150ml chinese broth
- 2 tablesp ketchup
- 1/2 tablesp hot miso paste (tohbanjan)
- 1 tablesp sugar
- 1 tablesp chinese liquor (shohkohshu)
- pepper
- 2.5 tablesp finely chopped spring onion (half and half)
- 1 clove garlic, mashed
- 2 teasp grated ginger
- 1/2 tablespoon vinegar


Peel and de-vein the prawns and put them in a bowl. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and mix with your hand as if gently massaging, until it becomes gluey (make sure your hands are clean).
Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon starch and 1 tablespoon water, and mix again in the same way.
Rinse the prawns under cold water. Any bad smell should be gone by now.

Pat the prawns dry with kitchen paper, and put them in a bowl. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons sake, and mix with your hand until the prawns have absorbed the liquid.
Add 1/4 of an egg white and mix until it gets bubbly.
Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon starch, mix and leave it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Bring the prawns back to room temperature.
Heat up a fair amount of oil in a wok pan (enough to deep fry the prawns). If you can monitor the temperature of the oil, heat it up to 120 degrees celsius, and add prawns one by one. Fry them until they are red and start rolling up. This should take only a couple of minutes.

Remove the prawns from the pan and discard the oil. If the pan is dirty, wash it, and add another 2 tablespoons of oil.
Add tohbanjan over low heat, and when sizzling, add ketchup. When it gets bubbly add garlic, ginger, half of the spring onion, and wok everything.
Pour the broth evenly from the side of the wok pan. Turn up the heat, add sugar, salt, pepper, chinese liquor.
When boiling, add back the prawns. After this step you have to be quick otherwise they will become hard and overcooked.
It will settle and start boiling again. At that point you can add the other half of the spring onion, and 2-2.5 tablespoons of starch diluted in an equal amount of water.
When the sauce is binded, add 1 tablespoon oil, and when it appears at the surface turn off the heat. Add 1/2 tablespoon vinegar and it is ready to be served, with rice and vegetables of your choice.

Tuna Tartare on a Spinach Mousse

This appetizer is perfect for a special occasion, it looks quite festive doesn't it?
Béatrice from by La Tartine Gourmande, who developed the recipe, made it for a New Year's Eve dinner, and we had it recently on Mr. H's birthday.












Serves 4

For the spinach mousse
- 120ml heavy cream (cold)
- a bunch of fresh spinach (about 200gr)
- 2-3 tablespoons of fresh coriander
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1 sheet of gelatin of 1.5gr
- salt, pepper to taste

For the tuna tartare
- about 250gr fresh tuna
- zest of 1 lime
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger (or ginger paste)
- 1.5 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives


To prepare the mousse:
Wash the spinach and the coriander, and boil them in salted water for about 3 minutes.
Strain them and rinse under cold water. Squeeze the excess water out of the spinach.
Purée the spinach and coriander in a blender or a food processor.
Soak the gelatin for a few minutes in cold water. Meanwhile, whip the cold cream into whipped cream.
Heat the milk, squeeze the excess water from the softened gelatin and dissolve it in the milk.
In a bowl, mix the purée with the gelatin/milk and whipped cream. Fold carefully to keep the preparation light. Season with salt and pepper and divide it between the serving glasses. Place in the fridge for several hours so that it sets.

To prepare the tartare:
Mix the grated ginger, lime zest, lime juice, honey, soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil and chopped herbs.
Dice the tuna, mix it with the sauce and let it marinate for 10 minutes.
Top the mousses with the tuna tartare and decorate with more chopped chives.


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J'ai trouvé cette recette sur le blog de Béatrice, by La Tartine Gourmande.
Allez y faire un tour à l'occasion, il y a de bonnes recettes et des photos magnifiques.


Pour 4 personnes

Pour la mousse aux épinards
- 120ml de crème liquide
- environ 200gr d’épinards frais
- 2-3 c.soupe de coriandre fraîche
- 3 c.soupe de lait
- 1 feuille de gélatine de 1.5gr
- sel et poivre

Pour le tartare de thon
- environ 250gr de thon rouge frais
- zeste d’un citron vert
- 1 c.café de racine de gingembre frais râpé très finement
- 1.5 c.soupe de jus de citron vert
- 1 c.café de miel liquide
- 1 c.soupe de sauce soja
- 1 c.soupe de sauce nuoc-mâm
- 1 c.soupe d’huile de sésame
- 1 c.soupe de coriandre fraîche hachée
- 2 c.soupe d'oignon tige, haché


Pour préparer les mousses:
Lavez les épinards et la coriandre, et faites les cuire dans de l’eau bouillante salée pendant quelques minutes. Égouttez-les et rinsez-les à l’eau froide. Pressez les épinards pour enlever l’excès de liquide.
Mixez les légumes et réservez cette purée.
Mettez la gélatine à ramollir dans de l’eau froide. Pendant ce temps, fouettez la crème froide en chantilly.
Chauffez le lait et ajoutez la gélatine bien essorée pour la dissoudre.

Mélangez délicatement la purée de legumes dans un saladier avec le lait/gélatine et la chantilly. Salez et poivrez et répartissez dans des verres. Mettez au frigo pendant plusieurs heures pour que la mousse prenne.

Pour préparer le tartare:
Mélangez dans un bol le gingembre râpé, le zeste de citron vert, le jus de citron, la sauce soja, le miel, la sauce nuoc-mâm et l’huile, ainsi que les herbes hachées.
Coupez le thon en petits dés et ajoutez-le à la sauce. Mélangez bien et laissez mariner pendant 10 minutes.
Répartissez dans les verres et décorez avec quelques tiges restantes.

Prawn and Cabbage Curry

The Paw and I are sort of curry addicts. We like all kinds of curries and we could cook and eat curry any time. Indian curry is probably my favourite, especially if it comes with Naan bread (recipe will feature soon).
I was first sceptical about the association of tomato and coconut cream, but if you ever try you will surely come back to it as it does work really well.



Serves 2-3


- 2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter, see below)
- 1 small onion, finely sliced
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed to powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- 2 teaspoons ginger paste (or freshly grated ginger)
- 2 cloves of garlic, mashed
- 1 can diced tomato (400ml)
- a pinch of sugar (1/2 teaspoon)
- a good pinch of salt
- about 300ml coconut cream (or coconut milk)
- 16 prawns
- about 1/3 of a small round cabbage, leaves trimmed and chopped relatively large.
- 2 teaspoons dried chili flakes (optional)
- a small bunch of fresh coriander


Ghee is clarified butter, important in Indian cuisine and also used in Egyptian and Ethiopian/Eritrean cuisines. It is considered a "healthy" fat, but more importantly it gives a characterictic flavour to your dish. You can prepare your own ghee (I did) by simmering unsalted butter in a large pot until water has boiled off and milk has curdled. For a recipe see here

If you are using raw prawns, which is recommended, peel away the shell and leave only the very end of the tail. Remove the intestinal vein that runs down the back with a toothpick. Reserve in the fridge while you start cooking.

In a wok pan, heat up the ghee, and brown the sliced onion over medium/low heat for about 10 minutes.
Add coriander seeds, cumin, paprika, chili, turmeric, ginger, and fry for a couple of minutes.
Add the tomato can and mashed garlic, salt, sugar, and cook for 5 minutes.
Stir in the coconut cream and let the flavours come together for about 15 minutes over medium heat, uncovered.
Add the cabbage and the prawns, chili flakes, and simmer for 10 more minutes.
Sprinkle with fresh coriander and serve with naan bread or rice.

Buri no Teriyaki *

I know it is quite difficult to prepare this dish if you are not living in Japan.
Buri (Japanese yellowtail or amberjack, from the family of the jacks, jack mackerels and scads) is native to the northwest Pacific, from Japan to Hawaii.
This fish is a seasonal favourite in the colder months when the meat has higher fat content.

Teriyaki ("Teri" for "shiny" and "Yaki" for "grilled") sauce is another highlight of Japanese cuisine. It is not only used for fish, so if you can't find any "Buri" it also works very well with chicken.


Serves 2-3

- 4 fillets Buri
- salt
- 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil

For the marinade
- 40ml soy sauce
- 40ml sake (or white wine)

For the Teriyaki sauce
- 40ml soy sauce
- 40ml mirin (a rice wine similar to sake, but with a lower alcohol content)
- 1/2 tablespoon honey
- a pinch of pepper
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste or grated ginger (optional)



Buri can have a very strong fishy taste, which doesn't fit the Japanese likings.
To get rid of the disturbing "fishiness", sprinkle both sides of the fillets with salt and leave them for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, put about one litter of water to boil.
Pour the boiling water over the salted fish (it will sart cooking a bit, this is normal), then rinse the fillets under tap water.


Prepare a marinade with equal amounts of soy sauce and sake (or white wine if you don't have any sake) and soak the Buri in this marinade for about 15 minutes.
After this, remove the fish from the marinade and pat them dry with kitchen paper.
Heat up a little bit of oil in a frying pan and fry the fillets until brown (about 2 minutes on each side).
Mix all the ingredients for the Teriyaki sauce (soy sauce, mirin, honey, pepper, ginger) and pour it over the fish. Let it simmer until the sauce has reduced and thickened (not more than 5 minutes otherwise the fish will become dry).
Serve with rice and slices of boiled daikon (a type of white radish).


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Je n'ai pas trouvé l'équivalent Francais de ce poisson, le "Buri". Selon la nomenclature latine il est Seriola quinqueradiata, ou pour traduire littéralement de l'anglais, "queue jaune".
Ce plat est très apprécié par ici, surtout en période hivernale. La sauce Teriyaki (Teri pour "brillant" et Yaki pour "grillé")
est souvent utilisée en cuisine Japonaise, et très bonne également avec du poulet.


Pour 2-3 personnes

- 4 fillets de Buri
- du sel
- un peu d'huile

Pour la marinade
- 40ml de sauce de soja
- 40ml de saké (à defaut, du vin blanc)

Pour la sauce Teriyaki
- 40ml de sauce de soja
- 40ml de mirin (un genre de saké à moindre teneur en alcohol)
- quelques tours de poivre
- 1 c. café de gingembre en tube ou rapé (pas essentiel mais c'est meilleur)


Pour se débarasser du goût "poissoneux" très prononcé du Buri, saupoudrer les deux côtés des fillets de sel, et les laisser pendant 10 minutes. Pendant ce temps, faire bouillir de l'eau (environ 1 littre).
Verser l'eau bouillante sur les fillets, qui vont légèrement cuire. Les rincer ensuite sous l'eau du robinet.
Mélanger saké (ou vin blanc) et sauce soja en quantités égales et laisser reposer le poisson dans cette marinade pendant un quart d'heure.
Au bout de ce temps, enlever les fillets de leur marinade et les sécher en les tapotant avec du papier de cuisine.
Chauffer un peu d'huile dans une poêle et faire rissoler les Buri jusqu'a ce qu'ils aient une belle couleur dorée (environ 2 minutes de chaque côté).
Mélanger tous les ingrédients de la sauce Teriyaki (sauce soja, mirin, miel, poivre, gingembre) et la verser sur le poisson.
Continuer la cuisson jusqu'à ce que la sauce ait reduit et soit assez épaisse (pas plus de 5 minutes).
Servir avec du riz et des tranches de daikon bouillies.

Thai Fish Cakes with a Sour Dip

This is another fish recipe from Delia Smith's collection.
These fish cakes have the characteristic Thai flavor that we quite like. It makes a dinner for 2 or an entrée for 4.



For the fish cakes
- 500gr white fish fillets (no skin, no bones), roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon red curry paste
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 small spring onion, finely sliced
- 2 tablespoons fresh coriander
- 1 tablespoon lime (or lemon) juice
- 1 tablespoon coconut milk powder
- pinch of salt

For the dip
- 1 small carrot, roughly grated
- 1 cucumber (in Japan. Otherwise 10-15cm of cucumber), roughly grated
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste (or fresh ginger)
- 1 tablespoon crushed peanuts or cashew nuts
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 30-40ml rice vinegar (or wine vinegar)
- 1 tablespoon groundnut oil or olive oil
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- pinch of salt and pepper

Simply place the chunks of fish, the coriander leaves, lime juice, spring onions, curry paste, garlic, coconut milk powder and a little salt in a food processor and blend till you have a finely minced texture – don't blend it to a fine purée, though, as this is not so good. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Next take dessertspoons of the mixture and form them into balls, squeezing the mixture together. Then flatten them out with the palm of your hand into small cake shapes about 4 cm in diameter (a little bit of flour might help). You should get about 16 in all. When all the fish cakes are ready, put them on to a floured plate, cover with clingfilm and leave them in the fridge for a couple of hours to firm up.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Mix the sugar with vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, oil, salt, pepper, peanuts, and pour over the grated carrot and cucumber.

To cook the fish cakes, heat a few tablespoons of oil in a frying pan and, when it's very hot and beginning to shimmer, fry the cakes for about 2 minutes on each side, then drain on kitchen paper. Garnish with sprigs of coriander and serve with the dipping sauce and white rice.

Roasted Fish Topped with Sun-dried Tomato Tapenade

This recipe was taken from Delia online, with minor changes.
Don't get turned off by the photo, it actually tastes very good. And if you have a leftover of tapenade you can keep it in the fridge for a few days and spread it on toasted bread. Yummy...




For 3 persons

- 5 or 6 fillets of white fish (cod or haddock or other, without skin)
- about 15 black olives, deseeded
- 3-4 sun dried tomatoes, chopped, and 2 tablespoons olive oil
- about 6 anchovies
- 2-3 teaspoons capers
- 1 heaped tablespoon grated parmesan
- 1 fat clove garlic, chopped
- a bunch of fresh basil leaves
- pepper


If your sun-dried tomatoes were not preserved in oil, soak them in 2 tablespoons olive oil over night. Otherwise, you can use the oil from the jar for making the tapenade, and a little bit of oil from the anchovies.

Place all the ingredients (except fish) in a food processor and blend them together to a coarse paste. Do not over-process; the ingredients should retain some of their identity.

When you're ready to cook the fish, wipe the fillets with kitchen paper, then fold them by tucking the thin end into the centre then the thick end on top of that so you have a neat, slightly rounded shape. Place on an oiled baking sheet, then divide the tapenade mixture equally between them, using it as a topping
Place the baking tray on a middle shelf in the oven, bake the fish for 20-25 minutes at 200 degrees, and serve straight away.
Serve with a green salad and boiled potatoes.

Two Tomato Tuna Rolls

This is another successful recipe from Péché de Gourmandise.
Tasty and healthy, very Mediterranean. What else could one ask for?


For two:

- 2 fresh red tuna steaks (make sure you get good quality tuna)
- 2 chunks of sun dried tomatoes
- about 250gr small plum tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes), cut in half
- 1 small zucchini, finely sliced
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried sage (or fresh, even better)
- about 4 tablespoons white wine
- olive oil, salt, pepper
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 small pinch of sugar
- 2 squares of aluminium foil

Cut the sun dried tomatoes into very thin slices, and soak then in water while you take care of the rest, changing the water 2 or 3 times. This will take away their rough saltiness.
With a well sharpened knife, delicately open the tuna steaks by cutting in lengthwise without completely reaching the end. Flatten them and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

For each steak, cut 2 plum tomatoes into thin slices and lay them on the tuna in a row. Add the sliced and drained sun dried tomatoes.
With a brush, spread about 1 tablespoon olive oil onto each aluminium foil (be generous, the oil will prevent the fish from sticking to the aluminium). Sprinkle the foil with salt and pepper. Lay the tunas on the foils and roll them, wrap them tightly, forming a cylinder (like a big candy).
Put them in an oven-proof dish and cook in a pre-heated oven at 190deg for 20min (this was for our oven. For a normal oven 180deg or 15min are probably enough).

While the fish is cooking prepare the veggies. In a frying pan, heat up 2 tablespoons olive oil with the mashed garlic, and saute' the slices of zucchini for a couple of minutes. Add white wine, salt, pepper, sage, and cook for 5 more minutes.
Add balsamic vinegar and a pinch of sugar and let it reduce a bit (1 or 2 min). When it is ready to serve, stir in the rest of the plum tomatoes (30 seconds is enough).

Take out the tuna from the oven and unwrap. Cut the rolls into thick slices and display on individual plates. Add the veggies and sauce.

Japanese taste salmon skewers

This is a very simple and tasty recipe, with a strong sweet/salty accent. The bacon wrapping gives a smokey flavor to the salmon, nicely complementing the soy-honey marinade.

You need:

- 500gr salmon filet, cut into 2-3cm chunks
- about 10 strips of thin bacon
- white part of a leek, cut into 2cm chunks (optional)
- small wooden skewers

For the marinade:
- 50ml soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger
- 2 cloves of garlic, mashed
- 1 big tablespoon of honey
- pepper

Combine the ingredients for the fish marinade. Stir well and add the salmon chunks. Cover and marinate for at least one hour, and if you think about it give it a mix from time to time.
Skewer the salmon, leek and bacon, so that the strips are nicely wrapped around the fish. Fat from the bacon will keep the salmon juicy and tasty.
Ideally, this recipe is done is summertime for a barbecue. If it is winter though, you can cook the skewers in a 200degC oven for 15 minutes, or better, put them under the grill for 5 minutes and turn them from time to time.
While they are cooking you can make a quick sauce out of the marinade that is left. Just add 1 tablespoon of white whine and let it simmer for a couple of minutes over medium heat. To thicken it, add 1 teaspoon of potato starch diluted in a bit of water. Goes well with rice.

Thai red pumpkin and seafood curry **

This recipe is adapted from the book Nigella Bites or from the TV program of the same name. The list of ingredients is quite long, but it is a fairly simple recipe with guaranteed rich flavour and taste.


For 3-4 persons

- about 600-700gr pumpkin, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
- 4 salmon fillets, cut into bite-sized chunks
- big shrimps (as many as you want)
- a handful of spinach (or any other green vegetable)
- 1 can of coconut cream (or coconut milk if you want a lighter meal)
- 2-4 teaspoons red curry paste
- 2 teaspoons turmeric (or saffron)
- 1 garlic clove (mashed)
- a pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 4 teaspoons fish sauce (or Nuoc Mam)
- 250ml fish stock
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 lime
- 1 lemongrass stalk ( or dry, optional)
- coriander (fresh or dry, optional)

Put the coconut cream over medium heat into a large saucepan with the curry paste. Let it sizzle and, using a whisk, beat it together until combined. Add fish stock, fish sauce, soy sauce, turmeric, sugar, mashed garlic, lemongrass, pinch of salt, zest of half the lime, and let it sizzle for 5 minutes to bring all the flavours together.

Add the pumpkins. When they are tender (this may take between 10 and 20 minutes) add the fish and the shrimps and give them another 5 minutes. Squeeze in the juice of half the lime, and stir in the green vegetables and coriander. Mix everything and cook it for a couple more minutes.
Serve with plain Thai or basmati rice (Japonica works well too).