When I find beautiful, sparkling fresh fish, I treat it simply, preferring to grill it with a soft herb butter, make a fish sandwich with a soft bap or simply bake it with seasonal vegetables. For seafood, maybe a little cream and herb sauce, but the point is to let the fish and seafood be the star of the show. The less fuss the better, letting its freshness shine through.
Recently, I picked up Scottish haddock and Cornish hake in pristine condition at my local fishmongers and rushed them home for a simple supper. The thick steaks of hake were baked with a sweet-sharp dressing; a bag of cockles were steamed briefly, then tossed with cream, mustard and tarragon; haddock was roasted with tomatoes and peppers. Some fine and rather special halibut ended up with a verdant basil butter.
These recipes celebrate our own fish and seafood, but choosing carefully, looking out for other sustainable choices, it is easy to make substitutions to the fish and seafood suggested here.
Grilled sardine, ’nduja bun
Ask for sardine fillets, otherwise you have to bone them. If you can only buy whole, cleaned fish, then cut off their heads, open the fish flat and cut out the backbone with a small, very sharp knife. It’s a messy task, but strangely satisfying.
Makes 4 buns
For the butter
butter 90g
soft ’nduja 150g
thyme leaves 1 tbsp
For the sardines
sardines 8, boned and butterflied
soft buns 4
Put the butter in a mixing bowl and beat with a wooden spoon until soft. Add the ’nduja and mash with the butter. Stir in the thyme leaves and set aside.
For the sardines, line a grill pan or baking sheet with foil. Get an overhead (oven) grill hot, place the fish skin-side up on the foil and sprinkle lightly with oil. (There is no need to season, the butter will do that for you.) Cook under the overhead grill for about 6-7 minutes, then slide a palette knife under each one, turn over and cook the other side for a minute or two.
Split the buns in half and spread thickly with the ’nduja butter. Place a hot sardine or two on each bun. Sandwich them together, letting the butter melt into the bun.
Baked hake, sweet and sour dressing
I love this dish, with its sweet-sour onion accompaniment. If you can’t locate thick steaks of hake, the recipe will work with other fish too. It is wonderful with salmon. Some new potatoes would be a fine accompaniment.
Serves 4
For the dressing
onion 1, medium
olive oil 4 tbsp
garlic 1 clove, crushed
white wine vinegar 125ml
water 50ml
caster sugar 2 tbsp
golden raisins 2 tbsp
peppercorns 8
For the fish
hake steaks 4 x 250g pieces
plain flour a little
olive oil 4 tbsp
parsley 2 tbsp
Peel and finely slice the onion into rings. Warm the olive oil in a shallow ovenproof pan (it will go into the oven later). Add the onion and fry gently over a low to moderate heat until it has softened but not coloured – 10 minutes or so. Stir in the crushed garlic, vinegar, water, caster sugar, raisins, peppercorns and ½ a teaspoon of salt, bring back to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Set the oven at 180C fan/gas mark 6.
Season the fish with salt and pepper, and flour each piece lightly. In a second pan, warm the olive oil then lower the fish into the oil and cook for 5-6 minutes on each side till it is light golden in colour. Spoon the oil over the fish as it cooks, then transfer to the pan with the onions and their dressing. Cover the pan with tin foil.
Bake for 12-15 minutes until the fish is cooked through. Finely chop the parsley and scatter over the onions and fish, then transfer to plates.
Cockles, cider, creme fraiche
Soft, sweet cockles, creamy sauce, thick toast. A treat for a light weekend supper.
Enough for 2
cockles in their shells 1kg
dryish cider 250ml
tarragon leaves 3 tbsp
thick slices of bread 2, for toasting
creme fraiche 150g
dijon mustard 1 tsp
Wash the cockles, throwing out any that are very heavy and probably full of sand or have broken shells.
Warm the cider in a deep, non-reactive pan. Tip in the cockles, close with a tight lid, and let them bubble for about 4 minutes, until the shells start to open. Remove the cockles with a large draining spoon, then pick the meat from the shells. It might appear to be an uphill task until you start, then you’ll get into an easy rhythm.
Finely chop the tarragon. Toast the slices of bread.
Stir the creme fraiche and the tarragon into the bubbling cider and cockle juices, season with black pepper and the mustard (no salt), and reduce for a couple of minutes over a high heat, then return the cockle flesh to the pan. Spoon on to the slices of hot toast, letting the sauce soak in.
Grilled halibut, basil butter
A quick recipe, with a deeply fragrant butter that can be used for many other things. Keep any that is left over in the fridge for another day.
Serves 2
halibut steaks 2 x 250g pieces
For the basil butter
butter 70g, at room temperature
basil leaves 20g
lemon 1, small
For the cucumber salad
cucumber ½
white wine vinegar 2 tbsp
olive oil 4 tbsp
green peppercorns in brine 1 tsp
parsley a small bunch
For the basil butter, cream the butter until soft with a wooden spoon. Shred the basil and mash to a puree with a pinch of sea salt. (Use a pestle or the back of a spoon.) Stir the basil into the butter. Finely grate the lemon zest, stir in, then set aside.
To make the salad, peel the cucumber and cut it in half lengthways. Scoop out the wet core and seeds with a teaspoon, then cut the flesh into thickish slices. Make the dressing by mixing together the vinegar and olive oil. Chop the green peppercorns and add to the dressing with 1 teaspoon of their brine. Finely chop the parsley and add to the cucumber. Pour the dressing over the cucumber and set aside for at least 20 minutes.
Heat an overhead grill. Place the fish on a grill pan or baking sheet and spread with some of the basil butter. Let the fish cook under the grill until nicely browned on top, about 8 minutes depending on how hot your grill is.
Brush once again with the remaining butter and eat with the cucumber salad.
Baked haddock, peppers, lemon, mint
Bright, sun-baked flavours here. Let the peppers and tomatoes get properly softened by the heat, even a little scorched here and there.
Serves 4
romano peppers 2
yellow or orange peppers 2
cherry tomatoes 400g
garlic 2 cloves
olive oil 6 tbsp
lemon 1
haddock fillets 4 x 250g pieces
olive oil 3 tbsp
mint leaves a small handful
Cut each of the romano peppers in half lengthways, discard the seeds and core, then slice each half into four. Do the same with the yellow peppers then put them all in a roasting tin.
Set the oven at 180C fan/gas mark 6. Halve the cherry tomatoes, scatter them among the peppers and season generously with salt and pepper. Peel the garlic, flatten with a knife and add to the roasting tin, tucking them in among the peppers. Pour in the olive oil. Cut the lemon into large pieces and add to the pan.
Bake for about 50 minutes till the peppers are patchily browned and the tomatoes have split and their juices are collecting in the bottom of the pan.
While the peppers roast, heat a thin layer of olive oil in a non-stick pan, then, when it is quite hot, season the fish and place it skin-side up in the hot oil. Leave for 3 or 4 minutes until the underside is lightly browned, then slide a palette knife under each piece and gently flip them over. Let the skin lightly brown for a couple of minutes, keeping the heat fairly high. Lift the fish out and place among the roasted peppers. Scatter the mint leaves over the fish and tomatoes, then, tilting the pan, spoon some of the roasting juices over the fish and continue to roast for 7-10 minutes.
Lift out and serve with the peppers, tomatoes and juices.
The Observer aims to publish recipes for sustainable fish. For ratings in your region, check: UK; Australia; US
