Norwegian Salmon with Scallops and Black Noodles

6 x 200 g portions Norwegian salmon;

skin on

Court Bouillon

400 g black noodles 5 ml chopped onion vegetable oil

15 saffron threads

30 ml chopped shiitake mushrooms

300 g scallops with roe (coral)

250 ml Fish Velouté

125 ml cream

30 ml butter

chopped chives and fresh basil leaves

for garnish

Poach the salmon in simmering court bouillon for 8-10 minutes. Drain and keep warm.

Cook the noodles in salted, boiling water for about 10 minutes until tender. Drain.

In a non-stick frying pan fry the onion in hot oil until translucent.

Add the saffron, mushrooms, scallops and fish velouté and simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes until the scallops are cooked. Stir in the cream and heat through.

Just before serving, fry the noodles in the butter in a large non-stick frying pan. Pile on plates with salmon, with the sauce spooned over. Garnish with chopped chives and fresh basil leaves. Serves 6

Thai Green Seafood Curry

2 scallops with roe (coral)

12 medium prawns, shelled and deveined butter

15 ml finely chopped onion

2 carrots, cut into julienne strips

2 courgettes, finely sliced

250 ml sliced shiitaki mushrooms

250 ml fresh bean sprouts

125 ml softened sun-dried tomatoes, sliced

30 ml commercial green curry paste

15 ml chopped fresh coriander

15 ml chopped fresh lemon grass stalks

12 fresh green chilli, seeded and sliced salt and milled black pepper

sesame seeds and chopped fresh coriander leaves for garnish

Melt butter in a non-stick frying pan and fry scallops and prawns over very gentle heat until they stiffen. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the onion, carrot, courgettes, mushrooms, bean sprouts and sun-dried tomatoes to the pan (with a little extra butter if necessary) and stir-fry until slightly softened.

Add the green curry paste, chopped coriander, lemon grass and chilli, and season with salt and pepper.

Return scallops and prawns to the pan and cook gently for 3-4 minutes until done.

Pile the curry into a serving dish and garnish with sesame seeds and coriander leaves. Serve with rice flavoured with garlic and shredded fresh basil leaves. Serves 4

Crayfish Bisque with Pernod and Fennel

4 crayfish

vegetable oil

2 carrots, sliced

1/2rib celery, sliced

3 ripe tomatoes, quartered

2 bulbs fresh fennel, sliced

1 fresh red or green chilli, sliced

30 ml cornflour

90 ml Pernod

30 ml brandy

2 litres Fish Stock

250 ml cream

extra whipped cream and chopped fresh fennel fronds for garnish

Pull crayfish tails from bodies, cut in half and extract the meat. Devein and cut into cubes.

Rinse clean the crayfish bodies and tail shells, and chop roughly.

Heat oil in a large saucepan, add the shells, carrots, celery, tomatoes, fennel bulb and chilli fry for about 15 minutes until the shells turn deep red.

Mix together the cornflour, Pernod, brandy and fish stock, add to the pot, cover and simmer for about 50 minutes. Drain through a sieve into a clean saucepan.

Add the cream and chopped crayfish meat and simmer for 1-2 minutes until cooked.

Ladle bisque into warm bowls and garnish with whipped cream and chopped fennel.

Serves 6

Oriental Scampi with Black Beans

50 g dried black beans

500 g shelled scampi or small prawns

1¹/2 small onion, finely chopped vegetable oil

100 g fresh bean sprouts

2 carrots, cut into julienne strips

2 courgettes, cut into julienne strips

1 rib celery, cut into julienne strips

5 ml finely chopped green ginger

30 ml teriyaki sauce

30 ml sweet chilli sauce

15 ml finely chopped fresh lemon grass stalks, or 2 ml dried lemon grass

60 ml chopped fresh coriander

1/4 fresh red or green chilli, chopped hot rice and deep fried rice noodles sesame seeds for garnish

Soak the black beans overnight in cold water. Drain.

In a non-stick frying pan fry the scampi with the onion in hot oil for 1 minute.

Add the bean sprouts, carrot, courgette, celery, ginger, teriyaki and chilli sauces and lemon grass and simmer for 3-4 minutes until the scampi is cooked.

Just before serving add the coriander and chilli.

To Serve: Scoop rice onto serving plates, pile on the scampi, and top with deep fried rice noodles and a sprinkling of sesame seeds.

Serves 4

Fillet of Kabeljou with Stewed Onion and Chive Butter

4 x 200 g portions filleted kabeljou geelbek (Cape salmon)

500 g onions

250 g butter

3-4 sprigs fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

200 ml white wine

200 ml water

salt and milled black pepper

125 ml cream

1 bunch chives, finely chopped

Set the oven at 250'C. Grease a large baking dish. Finely slice 400 g of the onions; finely chop the rest.

Heat half the butter in a frying pan and cook the sliced onion for about 20 minutes until deep golden and richly caramelized. Stir often - constantly at the end - to prevent burning. Drain briefly on kitchen paper and keep warm.

Place the chopped onion in the baking dish, add the thyme, bay leaves, white wine and water, and season with salt and pepper. Place fish on top, cover with foil and bake for about 8 minutes until choked. Lift fish from the baking dish, place on warm plates and keep warm.

Strain all the juices into a small saucepanand boil uncovered for about 5 minutes until reduced by half. Add the cream and simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes more until the sauce thickens to a coating consistency. Whisk in the remaining butter bit by bit. Add the chives.

To Serve: Spoon onion on top of the fish, pour a little sauce around and serve the rest separately. Serve with new potatoes. Serves 4

Panfried Linefish and Roasted Vegetables with Caper and Butter Sauce

4 x 200 g portions filleted linefish

500 g new potatoes

1 brinjal (about 300 g), cut in half and sliced about 5 mm thick

olive oil, salt, milled black pepper, butter
2 courgettes, sliced about 5 mm thick

2 ripe tomatoes, cut in half and sliced

15 ml finely chopped garlic

50 g drained capers

freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon

Cook the potatoes in their jackets in salted boiling water. Cool and peel.

Heat olive oil in a frying pan and stir-fry the brinjals, courgettes, and tomatoe until limp and golden. Add the garlic and season with salt and pepper. Set aside and keep warm.

Heat 50 g butter in a non-stick frying pan and gently fry the potatoes until golden. Remove from the pan and keep warm.

Add a little more butter to the pan an fry the fish until browned on both sides and cooked through. Place on warm serving plates with the vegetables.

Add another 80 g butter to the pan. When it foams, add the capers and lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. Pour over the fish and serve immediately. Serves 4

Fish Chermoula

8 x 200 g portions filleted kingklip, hake or linefish, skinned

Chermoula

125 ml finely chopped onion

2 ml ground cumin

2 ml chilli powder

125 ml chopped fresh coriander leaves

125 ml olive oil

30 ml boiling water

10 ml finely grated lemon rind

4 cloves garlic, crushed

2 ml paprika

2 ml ground saffron

125 ml chopped fresh parsley

125 ml couscous

30 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice salt and milled black pepper

Set the oven at 200°C. Butter a baking tray. Combine the chermoula ingredients in a bowl. Dip in the fish fillets to coat completely, place on the tray and bake for 10-12 minutes until the fish is done and the topping is lightly coloured. Serve with a fresh garden salad or steamed, buttered vegetables.

Serves 8

Crayfish Indienne

1 litre Court Bouillon

3 crayfish

3 medium, ripe, stringless mangoes small lemon leaves for garnish

Sauce Indienne

250 ml Mayonnaise

7 ml mild Madras curry powder

5 ml castor sugar

freshly squeezed lemon juice

Bring court bouillon to the boil in a large saucepan, add the crayfish and cook for 6-8 minutes, depending on size. Remove from the pot and place on a board. Strain the liquid into a shallow container.

Cut crayfish in half down the back and clean well. Place into the cool stock, cover and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.

Sauce Indienne: Mix together the ingredients until well blended.

To Serve: Cut off two 'cheeks' from each mango (don't peel), score the flesh and gently invert the skin to force the flesh up, displaying neat cubes.

Nap plates with sauce Indienne, place mango in the centre, and crayfish alongside. Garnish the mango with lemon leaves.

Serves 6

Provençal Baked Grunter

If grunter is not available, substitute another linefish.

1 whole grunter, gutted and cleaned; about 4 kg

salt and milled black pepper

125 ml stoned black olives

1 English cucumber, cut into julienne strips

fresh herbs for garnish

Provencal Sauce

80 ml olive oil

4 onions, sliced Chinese-style

1 red pepper, seeded and cut

into julienne strips

1 green pepper, seeded and cut

into julienne strips

1 yellow pepper, seeded and cut

into julienne strips

3 cloves garlic, crushed

5 ml chopped fresh oregano

15 ml chopped fresh dill

500 ml Italian Passata (available in tetrapacks at good supermarkets and delicatessens)

Provençal Sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and fry the onion and red, green and yellow pepper for about 3 minutes until lightly coloured. Add the garlic, oregano, dill and passata. Simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes until thickened.

Set the oven at 180°C. Oil a large sheet of heavy foil. Score the fish with three diagonal slashes on each side, cutting about 1 cm deep.

Place on the foil, season with salt and pepper, cover with Provençal sauce, sprinkle with olives and seal well to prevent moisture loss.

Place on a baking tray and bake for 30-40 minutes. Test for doneness; the fish is cooked when you can remove any of the dorsal fins with the inner bone attached.

To Serve: Unwrap the fish, place on a warm serving platter and garnish with cucumber and fresh herbs.

Serves 8

Chilli Prawn Pasta

32 large prawns, shelled and deveined olive oil

5 ml crushed garlic

2 ml Green Mamba (recipe below)

60 ml commercial tomato pesto

salt and milled black pepper

400 g taglierini

chopped fresh chives

grated Parmesan cheese

Green Mamba

20 large fresh green chillies, seeded and chopped

200 ml white wine vinegar

200 ml vegetable oil

Green Mamba: Purée the ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth. Place in an airtight container and chill in the fridge until ready to use.

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan, add the garlic, prawns and green mamba and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until the prawns are cooked. Add the tomato pesto and season with salt and pepper.

Cook the taglierini in a pot of boiling, salted water until done 'al dente'. Drain.

To Serve: Pile pasta into warm bowls and spoon chilli prawns on top. Sprinkle with chopped chives and serve with Parmesan cheese.

Serves 4

Prawn Bisque

800 g large prawns

butter, salt, milled black pepper

2 onions, finely chopped; skins on

5 ml crushed garlic 15 ml fish spice

45 ml tomato paste 1 litre cream

1 litre Fish Stock (page 209)

chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Deshell and devein the prawns. Cut into small pieces, cover and set aside. Reserve shells.

Heat butter in a large saucepan and fry the onion and garlic until translucent.

Add the prawn shells and fry until they turn red. Add the fish spice, tomato paste, cream and fish stock. Bring to the boil and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes until the soup thickens.

Strain into a clean saucepan, pressing on the solids to extract all the moisture. Add the chopped prawns and simmer for 3-4 minutes until cooked.

To Serve: Ladle bisque into warm bowls and garnish generously with parsley. Offer warm, crusty bread on the side. Serves 6

Seafood Crepes

Legends' Chive Crepes (page 209)

Legends' Mushroom Cream Sauce (page 213) Béchamel Sauce (page 212)

250 g filleted, skinless kingklip, cut into cubes 250 g whole peeled shrimps, well drained on kitchen paper (weigh after shelling)

60 ml dry white wine

60 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 ml fish seasoning

5 ml chopped fresh oregano

salt and milled black pepper

grated Cheddar cheese

chopped fresh chives and lemon wedges for garnish

Make the crêpes, mushroom sauce and béchamel sauce.

Bring the wine, lemon juice, fish seasoning and oregano to the boil in a medium saucepan.

Add the kingklip and shrimps, cover and simmer for 1-2 minutes until cooked. Strain, discard the liquid and add the mushroom sauce to the seafood and heat through. Season with salt and pepper.

Spoon the seafood mixture into the crepes, roll up and place on hot plates.

Heat the béchamel sauce (if necessary thin with a little milk or cream) and pour over the crepes. Scatter grated cheese on top and brown under a hot grill. Garnish with chopped chives and lemon wedges.

Serves 2