ArchiveJune 2022

Potatoes…what’s not to like…

A couple of weeks ago the World Potato Congress was held in Dublin hosted by the Irish Potato Federation. It was the first to be held in Ireland, despite our long, complicated and tragic relationship with the potato.

The startling news from the congress was the Irish government report that there had been a 25% drop in the consumption of potatoes in Ireland over the past 10 years. I’m saddened but not surprised…

It is of course, partly due to the growing popularity of other foods, pasta, grains, rice, couscous and the perception that potatoes are fattening.

However, good to remember that potatoes are, to quote a much-overused word, a Super Food, super nutritious, and super versatile. My personal veggie hero, definitely a desert island staple.

Don’t we all know that the humble spud can be cooked in a million different ways – boiled, sautéed, roast, steamed, fried, layered up in gratin, added to stews, tagines, casseroles…They can be dressed up or down, used to spin out other dishes. An intrinsic part of  vegetarian and vegan diets…full of goodness.

However not all potatoes are flavour packed so when you find varieties like Home Guard, British Queen, Sharp’s Express or Charlotte, snap them up.

They are all ‘earlies’ and so delicious that you just want to boil and eat them with lots of good butter and flaky sea salt…one of the highlights of the year for me is digging the first new potatoes and making a wish that we’ll all be as well this time next year.

Here on the farm at the cookery school, we grow a small quantity of organic blight resistant varieties including Premier, Solist, Alouette, Carolus, Agri and Vitabella.

Nonetheless, the perception that potatoes are a diet disrupter,a fiddle to prepare and take much longer to cook doesn’t help their popularity. I personally prefer to buy freshly dug potatoes and give them a quick scrub. Strange as it may seem, they will have much more flavour and keep better.

A few little tips.

For maximum flavour, boil them in their jackets, add plenty of salt to the water- this really soups up the taste…Sea water is even better.

Resist the temptation to soak them. Instead, if you want to get ahead for Roasties, (peel, save the peel to make the potato skin crisps).  Dry them well, toss in extra virgin oil, pop them into a bag in the fridge till needed. They won’t discolour and will keep their flavour, roasties are even better when cooked in duck fat, dripping or lard but I also love smashed potatoes, all crusty on the outside and squishy inside.

Great for a barbeque too.

I am also loving this potato crisp frittata, based on a recipe from Home Cooking with Ferran Adriá.  I have added some parsley and a little tarragon but the original without herbs is also delicious(annual marjoram would also be a tasty substitute).

We also love crispy potatoes with labneh and fresh herbs or just wedges with Aioli, a delicious and satisfying way to get kids to eat potatoes. A filling, wholesome, super chic- supper for just a few cents.

After all that, tell me what’s not to like about potatoes but do go out of your way to find organic or chemical free tubers, otherwise they may have been sprayed multiple times, and have had a dose of glyphosate as a desiccant just before harvesting…

Seek out a local grower on NeighbourFood or buy directly from a Farmers Market stall.

Potato Crisp Tortilla

You’re all going to love this simple tortilla.  Of course it’s delicious warm but also brilliant picnic food or for school or office lunch.  Serve little bites to nibble with drinks.

Serves 4

6 large eggs

75g (3oz) potato crisps

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, for serving

1 tablespoon parsley, chopped

1 teaspoon tarragon, chopped (or annual marjoram)

1 x 15cm (6 inch) pan

Whisk the egg really well.   Add salt and freshly ground black pepper and the chopped herbs. 

Heat the pan over a medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and swirl around the pan.  Add the potato crisps, toss and allow to soak for a minute or two.  Pour in the egg mixture, loosen around the edge and allow to cook gently for 4-6 minutes.

Cover with a lid or an upside-down plate.  Gently flip the tortilla onto the plate.  Add another tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to the pan, then slide the tortilla back into the pan, uncooked side downwards.  Continue to cook over the medium heat for 2 minutes, then slide the tortilla onto a warm plate and serve with a salad of organic leaves – delicious.

Good to know…double the quantity of ingredients and use a 25cm (10 inch) pan to serve 6 or 8 hungry guests.

Crispy Potatoes with Labneh and Soft Herbs

Another chic way to use up boiled potato.  The combination of crispy potato, soft creamy labneh and fresh herbs is mind blowing…yet inexpensive. 

Serves 4-6

900g (2lb) cooked boiled potatoes

450g (1lb) soft labneh (dripped natural yoghurt)

150ml (5fl oz) softly whipped cream

fresh herbs – sprigs of chervil, tarragon, flat parsley and chives

Peel and cut the potato into approximately 2.5cm (1 inch) square chunks.

Heat oil or beef dripping in a deep-fry to 200°C – cook the potatoes in batches until really crisp and golden. Drain on kitchen paper.

Fold the cream into the labneh and loosen with a few tablespoons of whey if too thick. It should be the consistency of softly whipped cream.

Serve the crisp potatoes immediately in wide bowls with a few dollops of labneh and a generous handful of soft fresh herb sprigs on top.

Note: New Potatoes do not need to be peeled

Potato Wedges with many riffs

These are my grandchildren’s favourite kind of roasties. They particularly love all the crusty skin and enjoy dipping them.

Serves 4-6

6 large preferably ‘old’ potatoes e.g. Golden Wonder or Kerr’s Pinks

olive oil or beef dripping (unless for vegetarians)-duck or goose fat are also delicious

sea salt

Preheat the oven to 230˚C/450˚F/Gas Mark 8.  

Scrub the potatoes well, cut into quarters lengthways or cut into thick rounds 2cm (3/4 inch) approx.   Put into a roasting tin, drizzle with olive oil and toss so they are barely coated with olive oil.   Roast in a preheated oven for 30-45 minutes depending on size. 

Sprinkle with sea salt and serve in a hot terracotta dish.

Cheesy Potato Wedges

When almost cooked, sprinkle 110-175g (4-6oz) grated Cheddar cheese or a mixture of Cheddar, Parmesan and Gruyère generously over the potatoes. Pop back into the hot oven or under a hot grill for 5 to 6 minutes until the cheese has melted.  Serve ASAP.

Rustic Roasties with Aioli (Garlic Mayo)

Add 2-3 crushed cloves of garlic and 2-3 teaspoons of chopped flat-leaf parsley to 225g (8oz) of homemade mayonnaise and season to taste and serve as a dip with freshly cooked wedges. 

Potato Wedges with Sweet Chilli Sauce and Sour Cream

When the roasties are crisp and golden.  Drain on absorbent kitchen paper.  Season with flaky sea salt.

Serve immediately in a deep bowl with a little bowl of sweet chilli sauce and sour cream on each plate.

Toby’s Smashed Potatoes

My son Toby also cooks these on the BBQ, the contrast of crisp edges and soft centre is irresistible.  Great as a side but also pretty irresistible to munch on as a snack.  Best made with freshly cooked potatoes but a brilliant way to revitalise leftover boiled potatoes.  I sometimes sprinkle the crunchy smashed potatoes with  chopped chives and a grating of Parmesan or Coolea cheese.

small to medium sized potatoes

extra virgin olive oil

flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Optional – freshly chopped rosemary, thyme, smoked paprika, cumin, coriander…

Boil the freshly scrubbed potato in well salted boiling water until almost fully cooked.

Drain, allow to dry off for a couple of minutes.

Preheat the oven to 230˚C/450˚F/Gas Mark 8.

Brush a roasting tin or baking sheet with extra virgin olive oil.  Distribute the potatoes evenly in a single layer over the base.  Use a potato masher or a fork to crush each one to a height of about 1cm (1/2 inch) – we’re not talking neat, the more knobbly, the better. 

Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, season with flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  They’ll be delicious roasted until golden, 20-25 minutes but of course one can also sprinkle with finely chopped rosemary, thyme leaves, smoked paprika, a few chilli flakes, freshly ground cumin or coriander…

Sprinkle with a few flakes of sea salt and serve. 

Two new cookbooks this week, one arrived on my desk by snail mail which I love.

I still greatly enjoy the excitement of opening my post and there it was, provocatively entitled Hot Fat.

The other, more whimsically named Breadsong was written by father and daughter duo Kitty and Al Tait.

On our recent UK adventure, I detoured over 100 miles to buy this book at source…and to get it signed by the indomitable Kitty…

It’s the story of the Orange Bakery in Watlington, reputedly England’s smallest town with a market building dating to the 15^th century.

Watlington has a famous history that goes right back to the 6^th century but this sleepy little town is more well-known nowadays for the tiny Orange Bakery on the High Street.

If you arrive before 10.30 a.m.  you will most likely see a queue snaking up along the street.

Arrive as we did by 11.10AM and you would be lucky to find anything to buy…We were fortunate to get one croissant, one cinnamon bun and half a loaf of porridge bread…and delicious they were…

I accidently came across the Orange Bakery on Instagram, loved the bread but was also intrigued by the story of this 14-year-old, red-haired baker…A bit of backstory – Kitty was bouncing with the joys of life until she became totally overwhelmed with anxiety and depression. She gradually withdrew from the world – every parent’s worst nightmare.

One thing led to another and after a few whirlwind months, Kitty and her Dad opened the tiny  Orange bakery which among other things helped to feed the local community during the pandemic.

Breadsong is an enchanting book, a cross between a cookbook that celebrates the magic of baking and a brave, intimate, courageous memoir which for me was ‘unputdownable’.

I quote – ‘‘If you told me at 14, when  I couldn’t even get out of bed with depression and anxiety that 3 years later, I would have written a book, I would never have believed you. But here it is –the story of the Orange Bakery. How I went from bed to bread and how my dad went from being a teacher to a baker. You reading it means everything to me’’ Kitty Tait.

Bread making worked its magic and for us it was a joy to meet Kitty and her Dad and their whole joyful team whom Watlington has taken to their hearts. I have invited them to come to Ballymaloe Cookery School to teach a bread class in the future so I will keep you posted…

This is the very best kind of book to get an enthusiastic amateur started because Kitty and Al learned from scratch, gradually honing and perfecting their bread making skills by constantly testing and retesting the recipes. 
They also take the mystery out of making your very own sourdough starter and share the magic of bread making…

Breadsong is published by Bloomsbury Publishing – www.bloomsbury.com

The other book Hot Fat is the second in a series of small books from Ireland’s newest publisher, 9 Bean Row Books.

This one is co-written by Russell Alford and Patrick Hanlon (fried-food aficionados) aka The GastroGays.

They are absolutely obsessed with anything that can be put in a deep fryer or a pot of dripping and aren’t we all…It’s a fantastic little book but in the words of Oscar Wilde‘ Everything in moderation including moderation’.

Sounds counter intuitive considering the devastating impact we know that too much greasy fried food has on our health and waistlines. But fried food doesn’t have to be greasy or unhealthy. So much better to cook your own hand cut potato chips in top quality oil or fat than opt for the easy alternative… A couple of potatoes will also make a ton of delicious crisps at a fraction of the cost… 

Russell and Patrick answer all the pertinent questions re types of frying fats, changing the oil, how to get the crispiest crust, best batter…

How about Ginger beer onion rings, black pudding scotch eggs, fish fillet burgers and a brilliant version of Ireland No. 1 favourite  takeaway, the Spice bag. It’s all there + donuts and deep-fried ice cream and much, much more besides in this deliciously irreverent but deadly serious little book that packs quite a punch. Love the funky design and Nicky Hooper’s illustrations also…

Hot Fat is published by Blasta Books – www.blastabooks.com

Tempura Oysters

From Hot Fat is published by Blasta Books
That shatteringly crisp tempura is truly something special when it comes to frying. The key here is using something carbonated and keeping it freezing cold, so we opt for sparkling water and keep it in the fridge for at least an hour before using.

*Yuzu is an East Asian citrus fruit that’s something like a cross between a lemon, a grapefruit and a mandarin. Stirring the juice into a standard mayonnaise adds a whole other dimension, especially good when paired with seafood.

Serves 4-6 as a snack

sunflower or vegetable oil, for deep-frying
40g (1 1/2oz) plain flour
40g (1 1/2oz) rice flour
40g (1 1/2oz) cornflour, plus 30g (1 1/4oz) extra for dredging
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt (the oysters have a natural salty-sweet flavour, so you don’t need much)
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
12 oysters, shucked and flesh patted dry
150ml (5fl oz) fridge-cold sparkling water

To Serve
lemon wedges
yuzu mayonnaise* (see intro)

Heat the oil in your deep-fryer to 180˚C/350˚F.

Whisk together the plain flour, rice flour and 40g (1 1/2oz) of cornflour in a mixing bowl with the salt and white pepper.

Put the simmering 30g (1 1/4oz) of cornflour in a small bowl and dredge the oyster meat through it to completely coat, shaking off the excess.

Whisk the cold sparkling water into the mixing bowl until just combined into a thin batter, like a crêpe batter. Don’t over mix the batter – in fact, some small lumps are positively encouraged. Working quickly, cover the oysters one by one in the batter, then place gently into the hot oil.

Cooking in batches of four or five oysters, fry for 60-90 seconds before lifting the basket to drain, then further draining on a wire rack set over a baking tray lined with kitchen paper.

Enjoy immediately with a squeeze of lemon juice or dipped into yuzu mayonnaise.

Korean Fried Chicken

From Hot Fat is published by Blasta Books
What makes Korean Fried Chicken different? A couple of things: crucially, a blend of flours and starches and it’s double fried, the combination of which results in a shatteringly crisp coating that is then smothered in a fiery, punchy, sticky, crimson-coloured sauce that still retains its crisp as you eat. Talk about finger-lickin’ good! This is next level – napkins at the ready.

Serves a greedy 2

6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
300ml (10fl oz) buttermilk
2 teaspoons gochugaru or paprika
sunflower or vegetable oil, for deep-frying

Coating
60g (scant 2 1/2oz)plain flour
60g (scant 2 1/2oz) rice flour
60g (scant 2 1/2oz) potato starch or cornflour
1 teaspoon baking powder
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Sauce
4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar or Shaoxing rice wine
2 tablespoons gochujang
2 tablespoons sriracha
2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
2 tablespoons caster sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon aekjeot or nam pla fish sauce
1 tablespoon gochugaru
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon butter

Garnish
sesame seeds
spring onions, sliced into thin lengths or at an angle
thinly sliced or chopped fresh red or green chilli

Cut each chicken thigh into two or three pieces to make bite-sized chunks and season with salt. Whisk the buttermilk and gochugaru or paprika together in a large bowl or baking dish. Submerge all the chicken in the buttermilk, cover and marinate in the fridge for a good 4-6 hours (leaving it overnight is fine too).

When it’s time to cook, remove the buttermilk-brined chicken from the fridge about 30 minutes before frying.

Heat the oil in your deep-fryer to 150˚C/300˚F.

Combine all the coating ingredients in one bowl. (If you’ve run out of baking powder, use 60g (scant 2 1/2oz) self-raising flour instead of the plain flour.

Working quickly and without shaking off too much of the buttermilk, dredge the chicken pieces in the flour mix, ensuring a generous and even coating. Working in batches, add each piece directly into the fryer and cook for about 5 minutes, until cooked through and light golden.  Remove from the fryer and set aside on a wire rack set over a baking tray lined with kitchen paper while you cook the rest of the chicken.

When all the pieces have had their first fry and have been drained, crank up the temperature of the oil to 190˚C/375˚F.

Meanwhile, put all the sauce ingredients in a saucepan set over a medium heat and bring to the boil, then drop down to the lowest heat setting and give it a stir every so often just to keep it warm and pourable.

Fry all the chicken for a second time for 90 seconds to 2 minutes, until it looks incredibly crisp and has darkened in colour. Depending on the size of your fryer basket, you may need to do this in two batches.

Place the chicken into a large heatproof bowl and pour over all the sauce, tossing to coat each piece. The chicken will soak up the sauce but still retain its crispness.

Plate up with a generous sprinkle of sesame seeds, sliced spring onions and fresh chilli on top. Alternatively, serve in a steamed bao or as a burger. Kimchi or some sharp pickles are the ideal supporting side act or you can go all out on the whole banchan experience of a table laden with small side dishes.

Corn Dogs

From Hot Fat is published by Blasta Books
A fairground favourite in the States, the corn dog consists of a hot dog speared on a stick, dipped in a thick cornmeal batter and fried until golden with a signature fluffy interior beneath its crisp jacket.

Makes 6 large or 12 small corn dogs

sunflower or vegetable oil, for deep-frying
120g (scant 4 1/2oz) fine cornmeal
80g (3 1/4oz) plain flour
1 large egg
175ml (6fl oz) buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon caster sugar
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
6-8 large skinny frankfurter-style sausages and 6-8 skewers
a small dish of cornflour (cornstarch), to coat

To Serve
ketchup
yellow mustard

Heat the oil in your deep-fryer to 180˚C/350˚F.

Prepare your batter by adding the cornmeal, flour, egg, buttermilk, salt, sugar, paprika, white pepper, garlic powder (if using) and baking soda into a mixing bowl and whisking vigorously to combine, then transfer to a tall glass, measuring jug or NutriBullet beaker, any of which provide the height that enables enviably easy dippage to completely coat the dogs.

Pat the dogs dry on kitchen paper. If making small corn dogs, cut each one in half to make two, but if making large ones, just keep them whole. Skewer each one with a wooden or bamboo skewer three-quarters of the way up through the centre, taking care not to veer off and tear through the side.

Put the cornflour in a wide, shallow dish or tray, then dredge each of the sausages through it, coating completely and shaking off any excess – this helps the cornmeal batter to stick. Set aside on a plate, ready for dipping.

When ready to dip and coat, holding the wooden skewer, submerge each sausage head-first into the batter, twisting gently to coax the batter to stick, then gently and slowly twisting as you pull the skewer up and out of the glass or jug to reveal a completely coated corn dog.

Working quickly, gently lower the battered corn dog head first into the hot oil (rather than into the fryer basket, which should already be submerged), hovering the top in the oil for a little bit to get it accustomed and then lowering it in. At this point, give the submerged basket a rigorous shake to ensure the corn dog doesn’t stick to the bottom.

Repeat this process as you fry in batches of two to four, depending on the size of your fryer, for 3-4 minutes in total. About two-thirds of the way through the cooking time, you may want to use tongs to turn the corn dogs gently to ensure they colour evenly.

When the corn dogs are an even golden colour, you’ll know they’re done, so lift them out one by one or together in the basket, drip-draining any excess oil. Allow to further drain and cool on a wire rack set over a baking tray lined with kitchen paper as you continue with the next ones.

Enjoy immediately with ketchup and yellow mustard, your choice of condiments or just as is.

Variation
If you’d prefer to make hush puppies (and please your vegetarian pals!), we suggest upping the quantity of both cornmeal and flour by 50g (2oz) each and stirring a small 200g (7oz) tin of sweet corn (drained) through the batter for extra texture. A very finely chopped spring onion wouldn’t go amiss in that mixture too for a little allium kick if you don’t mind the green speckles though these gorgeous blond bites. Drop generous tablespoons of the batter into the hot oil (at 180˚C/350˚F) and fry until lightly golden, turning once during frying.

Miracle Overnight White Loaf

From Breadsong published by Bloomsbury Publishing
This was the first bread recipe I learnt to bake, and how the simple ingredients transform into a loaf still feels like magic. All you need to make a loaf twice as fast as anything on the supermarket shelf, with a crunchy crust and pillowy crumb, is a casserole dish with a lid and an oven that can get up to 230˚C/450˚F/Gas Mark 8. If you make only a single recipe from this entire book, this one will probably give you the biggest thrill. It’s truly a miracle.

Makes 1 loaf

500g (18oz) strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
10g (scant 1/2oz) fine sea salt
3g (scant 1/8oz) instant dried yeast (1 teaspoon or slightly less than half a 7g (1/4oz) sachet)
330ml (11 1/4fl oz) lukewarm water

Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and add the salt and yeast. Stir everything together using either a sturdy spoon or your hands. Bit by bit, gently mix in the lukewarm water until a shaggy dough forms. We call this the Scooby dough in homage to Scooby-Doo.

Place a damp tea towel over the rim of the bowl and leave in a cosy (draught-free) place to prove for 12-16 hours, overnight is best. Time transforms your scrappy, dull dough into a bubbly, live creature of its own.

Once your dough has risen and is bubbling away, tip it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Remember, it’s alive, so the greater respect you show the dough with gently handling, the more it will reward you and the better your loaf will come out. Gently shape the dough into a ball (a well-floured plastic dough scraper really helps here), making sure there is a light coating of flour all over.

Place the shaped dough on a sheet of parchment paper, cover with a damp tea towel and set aside in a warm, cosy place to rest for 1 hour.

Halfway through the resting time, preheat the oven to 230˚C/450˚F/Gas Mark 8 (or as high as it will go). Put a large cast-iron casserole dish with a lid and a heatproof handle into the hot oven for 30 minutes to heat up.

Once the casserole dish is good and hot, carefully take it out of the oven and lift off the lid. Uncover the dough and using the parchment paper, lift and then lower the dough into the heated casserole dish. Using a sharp knife, razor blade or scissors; score the top of the dough with slashes in any pattern you like – one long slash, a cross, a square or even a smiley face.

Pour a couple of tablespoons of water inside the casserole around the dough, replace the lid and put the dish back in the hot oven. Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on. Remove the lid to reveal your magnificent loaf and then continue to bake uncovered for a further 10 minutes to get a nice, golden crust or 15 minutes if you like your loaf a bit darker.

Place the loaf on a wire rack and leave to cool for at least 30 minutes. This is the hardest part, but it’s also the most important as the bread keeps cooking after you take it out of the oven.

*For variations on above, please refer to the book.

Vegan Nut Butter and Banana Cookies

From Breadsong published by Bloomsbury Publishing

Makes 15 cookies

125g (4 1/2oz) mashed banana (1 large banana or 2 small)
125g (4 1/2oz) crunchy peanut butter
125g (4 1/2oz) soft light brown sugar
125g (4 1/2oz) plain flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
80g (3 1/4oz) vegan dark chocolate chips (optional)
a pinch of coarse sea salt flakes

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the banana and peanut butter until creamy. You can use either a handheld electric mixer or the paddle attachment on a stand mixer. Stir in the sugar and mix again until all combined.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, bicarb, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the banana-peanut butter mixture and mix well. Throw in the chocolate chips, if using. Gently roll the dough into a ball, cover in parchment paper and put it in the fridge to chill for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 190˚C/375˚F/Gas Mark 5 and line two baking trays with parchment paper.

Scoop the cookie dough into 15 even-sized balls and place at least 5cm (2 inch) apart in the baking trays. Using the tines of a fork, flatten each cookie by making a crisscross pattern on the top. Sprinkle over coarse sea salt flakes and bake in the hot oven for 10-15 minutes or until the edges go crispy but the middle is still gooey. Let cool for a few minutes then eat.

World Ocean Day is on Wednesday the 8th of June 2022.

I am not fully clear if this is meant to be a celebration or a day of reflection to remind us of the chronic mess we humans have got ourselves into.

In our busy lives, most of us have taken the oceans for granted. We somehow haven’t understood that mankind depends on the health of the oceans for our very existence.

The oceans cover over 70% of the earth’s surface, provide 97% of the world’s water supply as well as 80% of the planet’s biodiversity. 

94% of the earth’s living species exist within the oceans and apparently much is yet to be discovered.

70 – 80% of the oxygen we breathe is produced by marine plants plus the oceans feed and provide livelihoods for billions of people.

The ocean plays a vital role in our climate. It’s the ocean currents that govern the world’s weather. For decades scientists and marine biologists have stressed that rapidly rising ocean temperatures are causing the ice to melt, altering coral reefs and coastal ecosystems, causing cold water habitats to shrink resulting in less plankton available for marine life.

Rising temperatures are putting low lying nations such as the Maldives in the Indian Ocean at immediate risk of disaster.

Enough statistics….

For centuries, the oceans have been used as a dumping ground for all manner of waste, sewage, plastic in its many forms, six pack rings, fishing nets, polystyrene…. which harm sea mammals, fish and seabirds who get entangled in it or feed it to their young mistaking it for food. 

Although the ocean is vast, it turns out it is more easily polluted and acidified than was originally thought.

Many of you will have read about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a vast floating dump, 15 times the size of Ireland in the Pacific Ocean. It contains over 100 million tonnes of plastic debris.

We have reached a tipping point…….

At last, scientists and governments of many countries are cooperating to limit overfishing and control pollution in a frantic effort to slow down global warming – hopefully it’s not too late.

Here in Ireland, a little progress has been made but there is still much to be done.  Year-round swimmers have given further impetus to the Clean Beach campaign and Blue Flags are much coveted.

So after all that, let’s go back into the kitchen to cook some delicious fish…

But where do we find information on sustainable fish, it’s much easier to get information on the health benefits. 

There are few things more delicious than a piece of spanking fresh fish simply cooked.  Freshness is everything.  Remember, fresh fish look bright and lively and DOESN’T smell fishy, stay alert when shopping, freshly landed (could be five days old) is altogether different to freshly caught. 

Forever and ever, fish has been referred to as ‘brain food’ and numerous studies confirm the health benefits of eating fresh fish at least once a week.

The omega-3 fat found in fish is now scientifically proven to be helpful in the treatment of depression, Alzheimer’s, dyslexia, dyspraxia and ADHD….

www.bim.ie

From the cook’s point of view, fish is the quintessential fast-food.  I am a big fan of crudo or thinly sliced raw fish but it must absolutely be fresh.  If that idea doesn’t ‘float your boat’, there are a million other super quick recipes to enjoy with your family and friends.

It’s really easy to overcook fish, remember the flesh just needs to change from translucent to opaque, a matter of two to three minutes if the fillet is thin like plaice, lemon sole or megrim. A little longer for a piece of hake or haddock.

It’s also worth knowing that sea vegetables are 10 to 20 times more nutritious than anything grown on land.

Sustainable fish in Irish water?

It is unbelievably difficult for the concerned public to get simple coherent information on what to buy and believe me – I’ve tried!  My preferred option is day boat fish but there are few enough day boats still fishing around our coasts for a variety of reasons.

The bigger boats can go further out and stay longer at sea.  They target the fish shoals with sophisticated technology.  The ‘unintended’ consequences often result in copious amounts of by-catch and decimation of the ocean floor and breeding grounds.  Many species have been overfished almost to the point of extinction which impacts on many other species and habitats in the complex web.  So, let’s do our best to seek out non-threatened species and strive to support our local fishing communities.   Be prepared to pay more for day boat fish if you are fortunate enough to be able to source it.

Try at least to ascertain that the fish you buy is caught in Irish waters so we are supporting the Irish fishing community who are experiencing unprecedented challenges.

Check out Sustainable Seafood Ireland – www.sustainableseafood.ie

SSI: office@sustainableseafood.ie

(01) 8472376

Yummy Fish Fingers with Garlic Mayo

The hake stocks are in good shape, fresh hake is a superb fish, sweet and flaky.

Serves 8

8 pieces fresh haddock, hake or pollock cut into fingers 11.5 x 3cm (4 1/2 x 1 1/4 inch) approximately

salt and freshly ground black pepper

white flour, seasoned well with salt, freshly ground and pepper and a

a little cayenne or smoked paprika (optional)

Egg Wash

2-3 beaten free-range, organic eggs and a little milk

panko or dried white breadcrumbs

To Serve

crunchy Little Gem lettuce leaves

Garlic Mayo

225g (8oz) homemade mayonnaise

Add 1-4 crushed garlic cloves (depending on size) to the egg yolks as you start to make the mayonnaise.  Add 2 teaspoons of chopped flat-leaf parsley at the end and season to taste. 

Heat the oil in a deep fry to 180˚C/350°F.

Season the fingers of fish with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Then, dip the fish, first into the well-seasoned flour and then into the beaten egg and finally coat evenly all over with the crumbs of your choice.  Pat gently to firm up…!

Heat some olive oil or clarified butter in a wide frying pan over a medium heat.

Cook the fish fingers until golden and crispy on the outside and cooked through into the centre. Drain on kitchen paper.  

I love to wrap them in crunchy Little Gem lettuce leaves, add a dollop of garlic mayo (aioli)/mayo of choice and enjoy. 

Smoked Mackerel Pâté, Potato Crisps and Dill or Fennel Sprigs and Flowers

A fun and delicious way to serve a fish pâté.

Cooked fresh salmon, smoked salmon, mullet, trout or herring can be substituted in the above recipe.

Serves 6-8

110g (4oz) undyed smoked mackerel or herring, free of skin and bone (we use Belvelly smoked mackerel –www.frankhederman.com )

50-75g (2-3oz) softened butter

1/4 teaspoon finely snipped fennel

freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2-1 clove garlic, crushed to a paste

salt and freshly ground pepper

Homemade Potato Crisps (see Darina’s Letter 8th May 2022 – OFFAL)

Garnish

sprigs of dill or fennel and flowers

Next make the smoked mackerel pâté.

Whizz all the ingredients in a food processor. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper, taste, add freshly squeezed lemon juice and garlic. It should be well seasoned and soft. Cover and chill until needed.

To Serve

Put a generous tablespoon of smoked mackerel pâté on a small plate.  Cover the entire surface with homemade potato crisps.  Tuck tiny sprigs of dill (or fennel) in between the crisps and dill or fennel flowers.

Baja-Style Fish Tacos

All along the coast in Baja, California, the beach shacks offer fish tacos and there’s no reason you can’t enjoy them at home too. If you’d rather not have batter, you can just sprinkle the fish fillets with a mixture of salt and spices such as cumin, paprika and maybe some chilli powder before shallow frying.

Makes 10

10 portions of fresh fish – haddock, monkfish, brill, plaice, lemon sole, weighing about 125g (4 1/2oz) each

olive oil, for deep-frying

Chilli Beer Batter

225g (8oz) plain flour

2 teaspoons English mustard powder

2 teaspoons mild or hot chilli powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

3 organic, free-range eggs

225ml (8fl oz) light beer or a mixture of beer and water

Chipotle Mayonnaise

225ml (8fl oz) homemade mayonnaise

1 1/2 tablespoons puréed chipotle chillies in adobo

juice of 1 lime

1 tablespoon chopped coriander

a pinch of salt

To Serve

10 corn tortillas

20 lettuce leaves

Guacamole (see recipe) or avocado slices

Tomato Salsa (see recipe)

a few sprigs of coriander

First make the chilli beer batter. Sift the flour into a bowl and add the mustard and chilli powders, salt and sugar. Make a well in the centre, crack in the eggs, then gradually add the beer, whisking all the time from the centre to the outside of the bowl in ever increasing concentric circles until all the flour is incorporated. Cover and leave to stand while you make the mayonnaise.

Mix the chilli in adobe, lime juice and coriander with the mayonnaise and season to taste.

Warm the corn tortillas either individually in a pan or better still wrap them in a parcel and heat at 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 for 5–10 minutes.

Heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer to 190°C (375°F). Dip each fish fillet in the batter, then cook for 4–7 minutes until crisp and drain on kitchen paper. This will depend on the thickness of the fish. Alternatively, fry in a deep saucepan with 5 – 7.5cm (2 – 3 inch) depth of olive oil.

Put a little lettuce on one half of a warm tortilla, top with a chunk of crispy fish, some chipotle mayo, guacamole, tomato salsa and a sprig of coriander, fold over and enjoy!

Guacamole

Choose really ripe avocados for guacamole.

2 ripe avocados (organic if you can find it)

3-4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons freshly chopped coriander or flat parsley

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Scoop out the flesh from the avocado.  Mash with a fork or in a pestle and mortar, add lime juice, olive oil, chopped coriander, salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Serve immediately.  Otherwise, cover the surface of the guacamole with a sheet of damp parchment paper to exclude the air.  Cover and keep cool until needed.

 A little finely diced chilli or tomato may be added to the guacamole.

Tomato and Coriander Salsa

In Season: Best in Summer and early Autumn when tomatoes are ripe and juicy.

This sauce is ever present on Mexican tables to serve with all manner of dishes. Salsas of all kinds both fresh and cooked have now become a favourite accompaniment to everything from a piece of sizzling fish to pan-grilled meat.

Serves 8-10

8 very ripe tomatoes, chopped

2 tablespoons red or white onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1-2 chillies, deseeded and finely chopped Jalapeno or Serrano

2-4 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander

squeeze of fresh lime juice

salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar

Mix all the ingredients together. Season with salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar.  Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Roast Fish in three delicious ways

An inspired way to cook either whole fillets or individual portions of fish, I’ve given three separate sauce suggestions here but even a simple dill butter makes roast fish into a feast. Needless to say, other ‘round’ fish, such as hake, haddock, ling or cod can be cooked in exactly the same way.  Pollock stocks are not in good shape at present. 

Serves about 20

1 whole wild fresh salmon or Mowi (organic farmed salmon)

butter or extra virgin oil, about 25g (1oz)/25ml (1fl oz) 

flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Tomato and Dill Topping

4–8 tablespoons chopped dill

4–6 ripe tomatoes, deseeded and diced, sprinkled with a little flaky sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and sugar

110–225g (4-8oz) extra virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 250°C/500°F/Gas Mark 9.  

Descale the salmon, fillet and remove the pin bones. For the topping, mix the dill and diced seasoned tomato together with the extra virgin olive oil.

Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Put the fillets of fish on top. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon the dill and tomato oil over the surface. Roast for 8–10 minutes or until cooked and tender.

Serve in the tray or transfer the salmon onto one or two hot serving dishes. Sprinkle with a little fresh dill and dill flowers. Serve immediately with a salad of organic green leaves.

Roast Salmon with Teriyaki Sauce

To make the teriyaki sauce, put 100ml (3 1/2fl oz) light or dark soy sauce, 100ml (3 1/2fl oz) dry white wine, 2 large, thinly sliced garlic cloves, a 4cm (1 1/2 inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced, 2 tablespoons of wholegrain mustard and 2 tablespoons of soft brown sugar into a stainless-steel saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 3–4 minutes. (Alternatively, spoon over the fish before putting it in the oven.) Roast the fish as above. Brush the fish generously with the teriyaki sauce, sprinkle with fresh coriander and serve.

Roast Salmon with Pul Biber

Prepare the salmon as above, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with pul biber and flaky sea salt. Roast as above. Serve with a good green salad.

Mussels with Tomato and ‘Nduja

Serves 4

2kgs (4 1/2lbs) mussels

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

50g (2oz) sliced onions

1 clove of garlic, crushed

450g (1lb) very ripe fresh tomatoes (peeled and chopped) or 1 x 400g (14oz) tin of tomatoes, chopped

salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar to taste

pinch of chilli flakes

1/2 – 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

175ml (6fl oz) rich cream

2-3 tablespoons parsley, coarsely chopped

Wash and check that the mussels are tightly shut.  Keep refrigerated.

Next, make the tomato base. 

Heat the oil in a stainless-steel sauté pan or casserole.  Add the sliced onions and garlic, toss until coated, cover and sweat on a gentle heat until soft but not coloured – about 10 minutes. It is vital for the success of this dish that the onions are completely soft before the tomatoes are added.  Add a pinch of chilli flakes and the smoked paprika.    Add the ripe tomatoes or the chopped tinned tomatoes with all the juice to the onions.  Season with salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar (tinned tomatoes need lots of sugar because of their high acidity).  Cover and cook for just 10-20 minutes more, or until the tomato softens, uncover and reduce a little.  Tinned tomatoes will need to be cooked for longer.  Add cream and allow to bubble for 3-4 minutes and taste for seasoning.

*The base can be prepared to this point.

Just before serving.  Bring the base back to the boil, add the mussels in their shells.  Cover, stir from time to time and cook on a medium heat until the shells open, 3-4 minutes approx.

Turn into warm bowls, scatter with coarsely chopped parsley and serve with lots of good sourdough to mop up the juices.