Streets & Pies

Walk the streets. If I had to point out a favourite thing when I'm abroad, it had to be lurk around. To have a sneak peek at non-touristic places, and somehow blend with the locals. Quite easy, if you're in a big city like London, and know your way around the language. Not so cool, when you're in Paris with my lousy French. But a closed mouth with an enigmatic smile, nice clothes and an extra colourful scarf will put you trough. Now try to blend in Cambridge or Bury St Edmunds or make an attempt to pronounce 'Kenneth' like a local... I've mentioned my flash trip to the UK last summer to meet my friend. N. lives in the Suffolk. Although I know the south of England fairly well, I had never made it to the center north of the country before. My day spent in Cambridge was lovely, and my visit to The Theatre Royal in Bury most memorable. As a good British girl, N. served me a pie for dinner. A few days ago I made a fish pie for dinner (hence the awful photos), and just couldn't stop all the memories that popped up.



Fish Pie
Slightly inspired from Jamie's Ministry of Food, original recipe here

Serves 4

4-5 large potatoes, peeled, and cut into large chunks
1 large carrot, peeled, and grated
150g Mascarpone cheese
Juice and zest of 1 small lemon
1/4 tsp red chili flakes
400g white fish fillets, cut into large chunks
8-12 king prawns, raw, peeled
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, and add the potatoes. Cook for 12 minutes or until soft. Grate the carrot into an oven dish. Place the fish an the prawns on top of the carrot, and sprinkle with chili flakes. Add the lemon zest and juice. Drizzle with the olive oil. Mix everything together.

Drain the potatoes in a colander and return them to the pan. Mash until smooth, then mix in the Mascarpone cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Spread evenly over the top of the fish and grated veg. Place in the preheated oven for around 40 minutes, or until cooked through, crispy and golden on top. Serve with steamed vegetables or a green salad. I served mine with caramelized butternut squash.

Herb Couscous with Salmon

Salmon is a regular in my kitchen. It's healthy, versatile and tasty. The fish quality is crucial to the outcome - this (wonderful and pricey) fresh salmon was so much better than any other that I ever had that I immediately forgot how expensive it had been. My often trips to the market are usually completed by my mum in law's supplies from a brilliant fisherman across the street from her place. I never choose exactly what I want and he always knows what to send. When the fish arrived, I've planned to make the salmon fillets for lunch, simply sautee in a little olive oil with couscous. So I went fishing for a different couscous recipe to go along my fish. Jamie's Dinners (that didn't have my attention for a long time) had this salmon with couscous that looked delicious. But then I didn't have most of the ingredients: no courgette or asparagus... Oh well, I've done it my way with what was available. It was served with a rocket salad with a hint of balsamic vinegar.

Herb Couscous with Salmon

Serves 2

2 fresh salmon fillets, boneless (about 200 grs each)
2 Tbsp olive oil
100 grs couscous
3 riped tomatoes, cubed
1/2 lemon juice
1 tsp oregano
1 garlic glove, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
salt and pepper to taste

In a bowl, put the couscous and add enough boiling water to cover. Set aside. Allow to hydrate for 5 minutes. In a thick-bottom saucepan, heat oil. Sautee salmon fillets for 2-3 minutes, each side. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the pan to a heated plate. Add the tomatoes, the chopped garlic and the oregano, and let it sautee for a minute. Mix in the couscous (previously removed from the bowl with a fork), stirring to combine whilst adding the lemon juice. If necessary, add a pinch of salt. Remove from the heat, add chopped cilantro. Return salmon fillets to the saucepan, on top of the couscous. Cover for 2 minutes to allow flavours to seat together.



Related recipes
Stuffed Salmon Fillets

Salmon on the run

Pesto works like a charm with any kind of pasta. That's nothing new. What I was yet to find out was how easy Pesto goes with oily fish. This is a really quick way to prepare salmon, and the result is most impressive - colorful, elegant and very tasty. I've served it with Rosemary Toasted Baby Potatoes and Spinach Mash.

Stuffed Salmon Fillets
Adapted from Annabel Langbein, Cooking to Impress without Stress

Serves 2

2 boneless, skinless salmon fillets (about 150 grs each)
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 Tbsp lemon juice

Stuffing
2 Tbsp homemade Pesto
I Tbsp toasted pine nuts
2 Tbsp chopped black olives
2 Tbsp sesame seeds to sprinkle

Using a sharp knife, cut a thin slash on the top of each salmon fillet. In a small bowl, combine pesto, pine nuts and black olives and stuff about 1 Tbsp mixture into each slash. Carefully, put stuffed salmon fillets in a baking tray covered with parchment paper.

Preheat oven to 220ºC (425ºF). Season fish with salt and pepper and squeeze over lemon juice. Sprinkle sesame seeds over both pieces of salmon. Bake for 8 minutes or until just cooked through.

Serve salmon with a spoonful of vinaigrette.