Spaghetti alle vongole (Spaghetti with Clams)

Ingredients

• 700grams small fresh clams 
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed and finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon anchovy paste, or 4 drained anchovy fillets, finely chopped
• 400 grams of skinned chopped tomatoes 
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley
• 400 grams cooked spaghetti
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

• Wash and scrub the clams and put in a large saucepan.  
• Cover pan with lid and place over a high heat for 3-4 minutes.  Give this a shake every minute, until all the clams have opened and discard any that remain closed.
• Strain into a sieve and reserve the clam juice.  
• In a separate pan, heat oil and add the garlic until lightly coloured.  
• Stir in the anchovy paste/fillets and then add the tomatoes along with the reserved clam juice and wine.
• Add the parsley and bring to the boil, then simmer, uncovered for 20 minutes.
• Add seasoning to taste and toss in the spaghetti until well coated with the clam mixture.

Tod Mun Pla - Thai Fish Cakes

Ingredients

• 500 grams snapper, redfish or cod, skinned and boned
• 2 tablespoons red curry paste
• 2 fresh kaffer lime leaves, roughly torn
• 2 spring onions, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 2 tablespoons coriander, finely chopped
• 3 snake beans (30g), finely sliced (substitute with found French beans if necessary)
• 2 small fresh red Thai chillies, finely chopped
• Oil for deep frying (preferably peanut)

Method

• Slice the fish into small pieces and the blend or process the curry paste, lime leaves, spring onions, fish sauce and lime juice until it forms a smooth paste.
• Transfer fish mixture into a medium sized bowl and add coriander, beans and chilli.
• Wet your hands and roll a heaped tablespoon of the mixture into a ball then flatten into a cake shape; repeat with remaining mixture.
• Heat oil in a wok or large saucepan and deep fry cakes in batches, until they reach a golden red colour
• Drain on kitchen paper and serve with cucumber dipping sauce.

Gravad Lax

Ingredients

• 750 grams of fresh salmon fillet, skin on
• 85 grams sugar
• 120 grams salt
• 8 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon coarse white pepper

Mustard Sauce

• 2 tablespoons mild sweet mustard (Swedish if possible)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup vegetable oil

Method

• Scale and debone (using tweezers) the fillet, but leave the skin on the underside.
• Make some small slits across the salmon so the marinade can soak through the fish.
• Mix the salt, sugar and pepper together and rub into the fillet, then sprinkle the dill over it.
• Place a heavy baking tray on top of the fillet and leave to marinade at room temperature for 4 hours.
• Refridgerate for 48 hours, turning occasionally.
• Rinse the salmon well in cold water.
• Slice very thinly on an angle and serve with the mustard sauce, boiled new potatoes and lemon wedges.

Cook Island Marinated Raw Fish Salad (Ika Mata)

I was born in Rarotonga, Cook Islands.  My parents were there on Government business for a few years, but by the time I was six months old we had returned to New Zealand.  I went there on holiday when I was in my early 20's and felt I had found an island paradise.  Simply beautiful.  This is a festive dish, enjoyed throughout the Cook Islands.

Ingredients

• 1kg firm white fish (snapper, cod)
• 6 lemons, to make 120ml lemon juice plus extra to cover 
• 1 grated carrot 
• 4 chopped spring onions 
• three tomatoes, halved and sliced lengthwise
• 200ml coconut milk
• Pepper and salt 
• Mixed salad leaves  

Method

• Chop fish into bite sized pieces (1cm thick) and cover with fresh lemon juice. 
• Cover with the lemon halves and refrigerate over night, stirring occasionally. 
• Remove and drain from lemon juice and mix with the remaining ingredients.
• Stir in some fresh lemon juice to coat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve slightly chilled over mixed salad leaves.

Seafood Chowder

Ingredients
1 cup of prawns, peeled, de-veined and roughly chopped
1 cup of scallops, roughly chopped
1 cup of mussel meat, chopped
500 gram snapper or cod fillet, cubed
1 onion, diced
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
2 sticks celery, roughly chopped
1 carrot, finely sliced
1 cup creamed corn or tinned corn
1 litre fish stock or water
1 litre milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon flour, dissolved in 2-3 tablespoons of water
2 tablespoons olive oil
200 ml cream
Parsley, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Combine the fish stock and milk in a large pot and bring to a light simmer.
2. Add onion, potatoes, celery, carrot, creamed corn, and garlic and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Add the fish and shellfish and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the cream, then slowly stir in the flour mixture and stir until thickened.
4. Season with salt and pepper.
   
5. Serve piping hot with parsley sprinkled on top.
   

Spanish Tapas - Garlic Shrimps (Gambas al Ajillo)

Here's how to make Spanish Tapas - Garlic Shrimps...ole'!

Ingredients

500 grams large shrimps, shell and head remove, tail intact
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon chillie flakes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon Spanish or sweet paprika
1 tablespoon of sherry
3 tablespoons of fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 French baguette
1 lemon

Method

1. Heat olive oil over a medium heat.
   
2. Add garlic, chillie flakes and saute for 1 minute.
   
3. Increase the heat and add shrimps, paprika, lemon juice, and sherry.
   
4. Saute until shrimps turn pink
   
5. Season with pepper and salt and sprinkle parsley with.
6. Serve hot along with fresh bread.

...and that's how you make Gambas al Ajillo!

Seafood Cataplana

Here's how to make a Seafood Cataplana, a traditional Algarvian meal

Ingredients

1 kilo fresh firm fish fillets, such as monkfish, snapper, cod, cut into large chunks
12 mussels (shell on), cleaned
12 clams (shell on), cleaned
12 king prawns (shell on)
6 squid tubes, sliced into 1cm rings
1 cup of white wine
60 mills extra virgin olive oil
1 large brown onion, cut into long slices
1 green pepper, cut into long slices
1 red pepper, cut into long slices
2 tomatoes, skinned, seeds removed and roughly chopped
5 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
10 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves

Salt to taste

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
   
2. Heat a large skillet and add olive oil, then add the onions and garlic and saute until soft.
3. Add peppers and gently saute for another 5 minutes.
4. Add tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.
5. In a Cataplana or heavy oven proof casserole dish, add the seafood, vegetables and remaining ingredients.
   
6. Cover with lid and cook in the oven for 30-40 minutes.
   
7. Place in 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes.
8. Ladle into warmed soup bowls and serve with crusty bread.

...and that's how to make a seafood cataplana!

Rachaels ' BBq King Prawns with Garlic Lemon Dressing

...And another legend from my friend Rachael, here's how to make bbq king prawns

Ingredients

1 Kilo large raw Tiger Prawns, shell and head on
2 lemons, juiced
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
Sea salt to taste
220 grams butter

Method

1. BBq or grill off prawns. Set aside and keep warm.
2. In a deep pan, add lemon juice, salt and garlic and lightly saute for 1 minute.
3. Add butter and gently melt into the lemon garlic mixture.
4. Serve over prawns with melba toast to dip.

...and that's how to make bbq king prawns with garlic and lemon!

Tom Yum Talay

This is how to cook Tom Yum Talay, similar to Poh, a favourite in Thailand and other parts of South East Asia.

Ingredients

• 5 cups fish or chicken stock
• 1 stem of lemon grass, sliced diagonally into 2.5cm pieces and crushed
• 8 kaffir lime leaves, whole
• 2.5 cm piece of galengal, sliced
• 6 tablespoons lime juice
• 4 large red whole dried chillies
• 1 cup straw or button mushrooms, quartered
• 1 teaspoon red dried chillies crushed
• 2 teaspoons peanut oil
• 4 green lipped mussels, shell on, beard removed and cleaned
• 12 king prawns, shelled with tail remaining and deveined
• 150 gram fillet of snapper (or other firm white fish), sliced into 4 even pieces
• 150 gram squid hoods, scored and sliced into 2.5cm pieces
• 1/2 cup thai basil, torn
• 6 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons coriander, torn

Method

• Bring stock to the boil and add the lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, lime juice, whole chillies and mushrooms and lightly simmer for 20 minutes.
• Mix crushed chillies with peanut oil to form a paste. Add to stock.
• Add remaining ingredients and bring to boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, but discard any muscles that have not opened.
• Serve in individual bowls, evenly distributing the seafood.

...and that's how to cook tom yum talay!

Phad Thai (Thai Fried Noodles)

Here's how to make phad thai with chicken and prawns, a staple on any Thai menu

Ingredients

400 grams rice noodles
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon garlic, crushed and roughly chopped
1 small chicken breast, cut into 2 cm cubes
16 raw king prawns, shells off with tails intact, deveined
2 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon shrimp paste
2 tablespoons pickled white radish (optional)
50 grams tofu, cut into 2cm cubes and lightly fried
1/2 teaspoon dried chillies, chopped
1/2 cup spring onions, sliced
1 cup beansprouts
2 tablespoons roasted peanuts, chopped
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons nam pla (fish sauce)
2 tablespoons tamarind paste
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons coriander, roughly chopped
1 lime, cut into slivers
extra beansprouts

Method

1. Soak rice noodles in boiling water for 20 minutes. Drain, but keep a little of the water back as this need to go into the wok and will soften the noodles.
   
2. Mix together the tamarind paste, sugar, crushed peanuts and lime. Set aside.
   
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wok and fry chicken until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Remove and set aside.
4. Cook prawns until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Remove and set aside.
5. Add the rest of the oil into the wok and add the shrimp paste, pickled radis, tofu and chillies. Then add the noodles, beansprouts, spring onion and stir fry for 1 minute.
6. Add the chicken and prawns and then add the tamarind mixture.
7. Push contents to the edge of the wok, making a circle in the middle, to which you add the the eggs. Lightly scramble the eggs and mix into the main ingredients.
   
8. Stir fry till heated through.
9. Serve with the extra beansprouts, peanuts, coriander and lime.

...and that's how you make phad thai!

Creamy Prawn Linguinie

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
16 king prawns, shelled and de-vained with tails intact
200 grams shrimps
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
4 tomatoes, skinned and finely chopped
1/2 cup white wine
Juice of 1/4 lemon
150 grams cream
1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
Rocket for garnish
Fresh Parmesan

Method

1. Gently saute onion and garlic till onion is transparent.
2. Add tomatoes and wine and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. While sauce is simmering cook the linguine.
4. When linguine is almost cooked, add cream, parsley, prawns and shrimps and gently heat through.
   
5. Drain linguine and toss with sauce.
6. Serve with grated Parmesan and top with rocket.
   

Chinese mixed seafood with vegetables

Ingredients

100 grams tiger prawns, de-vained and cut into three sections
6 large scallops, sliced into three pieces
100 grams squid
1 1/2 tea spoons salt
pepper
6 table spoons vegetable oil
5mm piece of ginger, sliced into match sticks
1 medium green chili, sliced on an angle
2 spring onions, sliced on an angle in 2cm pieces
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 each of green and red pepper cut into chunks
1 medium carrot, thinly sliced on an angle
1 rib celery, thinly sliced on an angle
2 tablespoons chicken stock (preferably home made)
1 tablespoon light soya sauce
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 teaspoon cornflour
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Method

1. Mix together sherry and cornflour to form a paste and set aside.
   
2. Clean squid under cold running water and made a criss-cross score (being careful not to go all the way through the flesh). Do this about 1cm apart, then cut the squid into 2 cm chunks
3. Coat seafood mixture with salt, pepper to taste and 1 1/2 teaspoons oil
4. Heat 4 tablespoons of oil in a wok or frying pan and add prawns, scallops and squid
5. Cook over a high heat for 1 1/2 minutes the remove from pan and set aside
6. Add remaining oil and add ginger, garlic, spring onions, peppers, carrot, celery and chilli.
7. Stir fry for 30 seconds, then add stock, soya sauce and sherry and cornflour paste
8. Bring to boil and add the cooked seafood and cook for a further minute
9. Add sesame oil and serve with steamed rice or fried noodles.
   

Fried Crumbed Scallops

Ingredients

Serves 4

24 Plump fresh Scallops, roe on
1/2 cup plain flour
1 cup hard bread crumbs
3 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
Vegetable oil for frying
Lemon wedges

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 100c.
   
2. Wash scallops and pat dry with clean towel.
3. Put flour, eggs and bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls.
4. Add paprika and salt to flour and mix evenly.
5. One scallop at a time, dip into flour mixture, then egg, then roll in bread crumbs and place scallops on one level on tray.
   
6. Continue with the rest of the scallops and place tray in fridge for 30 mins to "set" crumb mixture.
7. Heat a frying pan over the hob and add about an inch of oil.
8. Test with one scallop first and oil is ready when you hear sizzling.
9. Fry in batches until golden brown (about 2 minutes), arranging scallops around the edge of the pan - don't over crowd the pan - and place in the oven in an oven proof dish which has been lined with kitchen towel while you finish frying the remaining scallops.
   
10. Serve with baked potato with sour cream, lemon wedges, tartare sauce and crispy green salad.
    

Mussels in White Wine, celery and Garlic

Ingredients

Serves 4

24 mussels
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 Spanish (red) onion, sliced lengthways
3 cloves garlic, crushed and roughly chopped
1 celery rib, finely chopped
2 teaspoon ginger, finely chopped
2 cups white wine
1 cup cream
Salt and Pepper
1/2 cup parsley, chopped

Method

1. De-beard mussels and clean shells. Keep in cool water until ready to cook.
2. In a large saucepan, gently sweat onions, celery, ginger and garlic for 5minutes.
3. Add wine and bring to the boil, reduce head and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add mussels and cook until their shells open (disguard any that have not opened).
5. Stir in cream (do not boil or cream will separate) and season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Divide into 4 large soup dishes and garnish with chopped parsley.
   

Smoked Fish Pie (with local NZ fish)

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

Prepare the fish

1 whole smoked kahawai (or a firm smoked white fish)
5 pepper corns
two bay leaves
1 cup of milk

1. Carefully remove all the flesh from the fish, omitting any bones and place in a large microwavable dish
2. Add pepper corns, bay leaves and milk
3. Cook on high for 4 minutes
4. Remove fish, strain liquid and set aside

Prepare the Sauce

50grams butter
1 heaped tablespoon flour
Strained flavoured milk from the fish preparation
50grams grated cheddar cheese

1. Heat butter in a saucepan until melted.
2. Add flour, stirring constantly until it foams.
3. Slowly, stirring as you go, add flavoured milk.
4. Bring to the boil and stir until thickened.
5. Add cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste.
   
6. Add more milk if too thick.

Prepare the Pie

2 cups pre cooked rice, of which 1 tsp tumeric was added to water while cooking
3 desert spoons oilive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
2 celery ribs, sliced
4 hard boiled eggs, halved
1 cup of cooked shellfish of your choice e.g. shrimp, scallops, muscles
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

1. Heat olive oil in large frying pan and add onion, garlic and celery. Cook until onion has turned opaque.
2. In a large bowl combine the sauce, flaked smoked fish, vegetables and shellfish.
3. Spread rice across the bottom of an oven proof dish then spoon the sauce mixture on top of it.
   
4. Carefully insert the boiled eggs so that they are covered by the sauce.
5. Sprinkle with the cheddar cheese and place back in a pre heated oven on 170c for 30 mins.
6. After 30 mins turn oven to grill mode and grill off the top of the pie until golden.
   
7. Serve with mixed green leaf salad.
   

Thai Green Curry Prawn or Chicken (Gang Keow Wan Goong/Gai)

Ingredients

Serves 4

3 tbsp vegetable oil

2 large chicken breasts cut into thin strips

or 24 tiger prawns shelled, devained and butterflied with tails intact

1 tin of bamboo shoots sliced into matchsticks

Two 400 ml tins coconut milk

4 kermit eggplants (optional depending on availability)

6 french beans cut in half

1/2 red pepper sliced into long strips

1/2 green pepper sliced into long strips

2-3 desert spoons thai green curry paste***

2 desert spoons of brown sugar

1 tblsp nam pla

1/4 cup of roughtly torn corriander

Additional corriander for garnish

Method

1. Heat oil in a wok or large frying pan and add paste. Gently fry this until it becomes aromatic.
2. Slowly add coconut milk, stiring that paste in as you go.
3. Bring to the boil and then add chicken or prawns, then add vegetables
   
4. Turn down heat and gently simmer for 10 mins if using chicken and 5 mins if using prawns.
5. Add sugar, nam pla and corriander.
6. Serve curry in individual small bowls with garnish and accompany with steamed jasmin rice
   

***I prefer to use the manufactured Thai curry paste. It is just better than any recipies I have tried myself. Make sure you get one that is authentically Thai though, as some of the "less authentic" pastes just don't make the grade.

Creamy Prawn Linguini

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
16 king prawns, shelled and de-vained with tails intact
200 grams shrimps
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
4 tomatoes, skinned and finely chopped
1/2 cup white wine
Juice of 1/4 lemon
150 grams cream
1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
Rocket for garnish
Fresh Parmesan

Method

1. Gently saute onion and garlic till onion is transparent.
2. Add tomatoes and wine and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. While sauce is simmering cook the linguine.
4. When linguine is almost cooked, add cream, parsley, prawns and shrimps and gently heat through.
   
5. Drain linguine and toss with sauce.
6. Serve with grated Parmesan and top with rocket.