Oyster Soup

48 oysters

olive oil, salt, milled black pepper

100 g chopped onion 100 ml white wine

15 ml chopped fresh fennel

1 litre Fish Stock (page 209)

1 litre Mussel Stock

70 g butter

70 g (150 ml) cake flour 125 ml cream

chopped chives for garnish

Carefully open the oysters over a bowl to retain the liquor. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan and fry the onion until translucent. Add the wine, fennel and oysters, with their liquid. Bring to the boil, then strain the cooking liquid through a fine sieve into a clean pot. Discard onion and fennel. Add the fish stock.

Gently rinse the oysters to any grit.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Remove from the heat and blend in the flour. Cook, stirring constantly, until a sandy texture is obtained. Cool.

Bring the stock to the boil. Slowly whisk it into the flour and butter mixture over moderate heat until smooth and thicked. Season with salt and pepper. Bring o the boil and simmer for 5-10 minutes. dd the oysters and heat through.

To Serve: Ladle soup into warm bowls opped with lightly whipped cream and chives.

Serves 8

Linefish Bakedin a Reunion Parcel

6 x 180 g portions filleted linefish, skinned salt, milled black pepper, olive oil

200 g green ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

200 g onion, peeled and roughly chopped

100 g garlic cloves, peeled

1 red, 1 yellow and 1 green pepper, seeded and sliced into julienne strips

12 sheets phyllo pastry

(large enough to enclose fish and filling) melted butter

1 egg yolk

Reunion Sauce

butter

1 onion, finely chopped

2 tomatoes, blanched and finely chopped 5 ml turmeric

500 ml cream

250 g butter, cut into blocks

'/2 bunch fresh coriander, chopped

Place the fish on a greased baking tray and grill under a hot grill until lightly coloured. (Don't cook it through, as it will be finished in the oven.) Season. lightly with salt and pepper. Cool.

Grind together the ginger, onion and garlic in a food processor. Panfry in a little olive oil with the yellow, green and red pepper until soft. Cool.

Reunion Sauce: Heat a little butter in a medium saucepan and fry the onion, tomato and turmeric until the vegetables are soft. Add the cream and simmer uncovered until reduced by half. Whisk in the butter block by block. Add the chopped coriander.

Set the oven at 180° C. Place 6 sheets of phyllo pastry on a worktop, brush with melted butter and place another sheet on top in the shape of a star.

Spoon on the ginger/pepper mix, then a portion of linefish. Enclose in pastry and brush with egg yolk. Place in a greased baking tray and bake for about 15 minutes until cooked.

To Serve: Place fish parcels on warm plates and pour a little Reunion sauce around.

Serves 6

Sautéed Scampi with Peppers and Tarragon

24 large prawns, shelled and deveined olive oil

60 ml chopped fresh tarragon, or 5 ml dried tarragon

salt and milled black pepper

1 red, 1 yellow and 1 green pepper, seeded and cut into tiny cubes

4 courgettes, sliced

60 ml brandy

salad leaves, cucumber, cocktail tomatoes lemon wedges for squeezing

Heat olive oil in a non-stick frying pan. Lightly fry the prawns until they are sealed and change colour, tossing constantly. Add half the tarragon and season with salt and pepper.

Add the chopped peppers and courgettes and stir-fry over high heat until tender; don't allow the vegetables to overcook and change colour. Sprinkle over the remaining tarragon, pour in the brandy and flame.

To Serve: Arrange salad leaves, sliced cucumber and tomatoes on plates. Spoonscampi and vegetables alongside, and garnish with lemon wedges.

Serves 4

Cape Malay-Style Seafood Curry

6 langoustines, shelled and deveined

18 large prawns, shelled and deveined

400 g firm, filleted linefish

(like yellowtail), skinned

and cut into 2 cm cubes

200 g calamari tubes, well cleaned and sliced into rings

18-24 black mussels, on the half shell small bunch fresh coriander leaves for garnish

Curry

vegetable oil

2 onions, chopped

2 ripe tomatoes, blanched, peeled and chopped 15 ml seafood masala

5 ml turmeric 5 ml paprika 5 ml ground coriander

2 ml ground cardamom

2 bay leaves

500 ml Fish Stock

salt and milled black pepper

Curry: Heat oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion until translucent. Add the tomato, cover and cook gently for 5 minutes. Stir in the masala, turmeric, paprika, coriander, cardamom, bay leaves and stock and simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan and lightly fry the langoustines, prawns, linefish and calamari. Add the partly cooked seafood to the sauce and simme gently for 3-5 minutes until cooked. Ad the mussels and heat through.

To Serve: Tip the curry into a warm serving dish and garnish with coriand leaves. Serve with rice.Serves 6

Oriental Kingklip

4 x 200 g portions filleted kingklip; skin on cake flour seasoned with salt and milled black pepper

butter and vegetable oil

2 green peppers, seeded and sliced 1 onion, finely sliced

24 button mushrooms, sliced

125 ml mixed fresh sprouts

5 ml crushed garlic

5 ml crushed green ginger

60 ml commercial sweet and sour sauce

Toss the kingklip in seasoned flour. Heat butter and oil in a large frying pan and fry the fish until golden on both sides and cooked through. Place on warm plates and keep hot.

Heat oil in a wok or frying pan and stir-fry the green pepper, onion and mushrooms until crisp-tender. Stir in the sprouts, garlic, ginger and sweet and sour sauce and season with salt and pepper.

Pour sauce over or around the fish and serve immediately with rice.

Serves 4

Crab and Cashew Nut Salad

8 crab sticks (about 250 g)

50 g butter

freshly squeezed juice of ¹/2 lemon

'/2 medium English cucumber, sliced mixed lettuce leaves

100 g cashew nuts

Dressing

125 ml water

'/2 small onion, finely chopped

2 green pepper, seeded and finely chopped small bunch fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

30 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice

20 ml fish sauce

Dressing: Bring the water to the boil, add the remaining ingredients and simmer uncovered for 1 minute. Cool.

Cut the crab sticks into bite-sized pieces. Melt the butter in a non-stick frying pan, add the lemon juice and heat until sizzling. Sauté the crab sticks for about 2 minutes until golden. Remove from the heat, toss with the cucumber and cool. Drizzle over the dressing and toss.

To Serve: Arrange lettuce on a large platter (or individual plates) and top with crab mixture. Garnish with cashew nuts. Serves 4