Here’s a quick and easy way to serve oysters for those who prefer them cooked. To make the topping, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a frypan and add 2- 3 finely minced cloves of garlic. When the garlic is softened but not brown, add 4 tablespoons of white breadcrumbs and cook, stirring constantly, until…… Continue reading grilled oysters
Category: fish & seafood
fish with green sichuan peppercorns
After seeing this Chengdu recipe in Fuchsia Dunlop’s The Food of Sichuan, I bought green Sichuan peppercorns. This unripened version of the red Sichuan peppercorn has become popular in Sichuan cuisine over the last century. The flavour is brighter and fruitier than the red peppercorns. Altogether delicious. First cut 325g (11½ oz) of fish fillets…… Continue reading fish with green sichuan peppercorns
scallops and cauliflower
Scallops and cauliflower make a fabulous pair. Cauliflower is often served as a purée with scallops but here it retains its integrity. This wonderfully well-balanced and complex recipe, by Chris Blanchard and Richard Reddington for Food & Wine, is quick and easy to cook. What more could you ask? First cut a cauliflower into florets…… Continue reading scallops and cauliflower
seafood japchae
Japchae is amongst the most popular dishes in Korea. It’s a stir-fry of noodles, vegetables and, in my case prawns and squid. The transparent noodles are made of sweet potato starch and have a lovely chewy texture. Soak 6 – 8 whole dried shiitake mushrooms in boiling water for a few hours before you start…… Continue reading seafood japchae
spicy mussels
This recipe, from THE RIVER CAFE COOKBOOK by Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers hails from the Puglia region of Italy. Serve it with crusty bread. Scrub clean 2kg (4½ lbs) of fresh mussels. In a large saucepan heat 60ml (2 fl oz) of olive oil and add the mussels, 150ml (5 fl oz) of white…… Continue reading spicy mussels
prawns in spicy tomato sauce with caraway
This interesting recipe, from the wonderful Moro: the Cookbook by Sam and Sam Clark, hails from Turkey. In a heavy saucepan heat some olive oil and gently fry 3 thinly sliced cloves of garlic until they colour slightly. Add 1½ teaspoons of whole caraway seeds and 2 crumbled dried chillies and cook briefly. Add a…… Continue reading prawns in spicy tomato sauce with caraway
grilled octopus
Here’s a simple way to prepare wonderfully tender grilled octopus. Serve with lemon wedges as a starter or with crusty bread and salad for lunch. If you boil octopus for long enough it becomes nice and tender. If you have a pressure cooker, even better. Place the cleaned tentacles or whole octopus in a pot…… Continue reading grilled octopus
prawn and butternut curry
The acidity of tomatoes and the sweetness of butternut pumpkin (squash) lend a great balance to this prawn (shrimp) curry. If you’re looking for a way to impress, use the outside of the pumpkin as a serving dish. In a heavy saucepan, melt some ghee or vegetable oil and add a finely diced onion, 3…… Continue reading prawn and butternut curry
crab omelette
Although fresh crab is always the best, it can be expensive and time-consuming to cook and pick. Here’s an Asian-style omelette to make with ready-picked blue swimmer crab meat from the store. For the filling, remove the crab meat from its container and add finely sliced spring onions, 2 teaspoons of oyster sauce and ground…… Continue reading crab omelette
squid and water spinach salad
Water spinach (water morning glory, water convolvulus or in South East Asia kangkong) is a semi-aquatic plant which grows in tropical climates and is eaten as a vegetable all over Asia. I’ve used it in many cooked dishes but I also like it raw. Here it’s paired with tender poached squid in a salad with a…… Continue reading squid and water spinach salad
michelle picker cooks 