Dukkah-Crusted Fish with Cucumber Salad

Dukkah is an Egyptian nut and seed mixture. Eat on bread, sprinkle over salads and vegetables, or use to coat fish. It keeps well in an airtight jar, so mix a reasonable quantity at a time.

6 x 180 g portions filleted, firm white fish, skinned and sliced on the diagonal

freshy squeezed lemon juice, salt,

milled black pepper, butter

lemon wedges for squeezing

Dukkah

250 g sesame seeds

125 g coriander seeds

125 g hazelnuts, roasted and skinned

75 g cumin seeds

Cucumber Salad

1 English cucumber

salt

1 red onion, finely sliced

1 fresh red chilli, seeded and finely chopped 10 ml sugar

50 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice

Dukkah: Roast all the ingredients separately in a dry frying pan. Grind in a hand mill or blender, keeping the mixture coarse (don't allow the nuts and seeds to become oily). Mix and store in a sealed bottle.

Cucumber Salad: Make ahead so that it can drain and chill; it is best within 2 hours of preparing. Finely slice the cucumber (a mandoline works best), sprinkle with salt and pile in a sieve. Set aside to drain for 10 minutes.

Rinse with cold water and spread on a cloth to dry. Mix in a bowl with the onion, chilli, sugar and lemon juice. Cover and chill.

To Serve: Sprinkle fish with lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, roll in dukkah and fry in sizzling butter in a non-stick frying pan, turning once. As it's thinly sliced, the fish cooks in a minute or two.

Place on warm plates and serve with cucumber salad and lemon wedges. Serves 6

Pomegranate's Pickled Fish

This is well worth making in large quantities, as it improves with keepin and has a fridge life of two weeks, if kep well covered.

1,5 kg yellowtail, kabeljou or geelbek (Cape salmon), filleted and skinned

200 ml vegetable oil

1 kg onions, finely sliced

15 ml fresh, well-made masala

5 ml fennel seeds

5 ml coriander seeds

5 ml black peppercorns

2 ml whole cloves

4-5 bay leaves, preferably fresh

125 g dried apricots

500 ml red or white wine

(red gives a deeper colour to the dish)

10 ml coarse salt 75 ml vinegar

30 ml brown sugar

Place fish in a baking dish which allows sufficient space for the sauce.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the onions very slowly until they begin to colour; allow about 30 minutes, so the onion becomes nice and sweet.

Stir in the masala, fennel, coriander, peppercorns, cloves and bay leaves, fry for about 30 seconds, then add the apricots, wine and salt. Simmer very gently uncovered for about 20 minutes (or longer) until the flavour is just right; the wine reduces and the oil begins to thicken the sauce; don't rush things!

Add the vinegar and brown sugar. Check and adjust the flavour if necessary.

Set the oven at 200 °C. Pour sauce over the fish, cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Pierce with a fork to see if the fish is-nearly done; if not bake for 5 minutes more (cooking time depends on the oven and the baking dish, but remember that the fish will continue to cook as the sauce cools).

Cool completely, then cover and refrigerate for at least a day before serving.

To Serve: Offer as is, or serve on salad leaves with home-made mayonnaise. Serves 10 as a starter or light lunch

Harvey's Beurre Blanc

If beurre blanc needs to be made ahead, keep warm in the double boiler over hot water. Never reheat, as it may curdle.

If this happens, pour into a jug. Place two more egg yolks into the double boiler and whisk over simmering water until pale and thickened. Slowly pour in the curdled beurre blanc, whisking constantly. Left-over beurre blanc may be frozen and reconstituted as above.

1 shallot or pickling onion, very finely chopped

100 ml white wine

50 ml tarragon vinegar

100 ml cream

2 egg yolks

500 g unsalted butter, cut into blocks white pepper, freshly squeezed lemon juice

Place the shallot or onion in a double boiler with the wine and tarragon vinegar. Place on the stovetop and boil uncovered until only 15 ml liquid remains.

Add the cream and simmer uncovered until it thickens.

Place the pot in its base half filled with boiling water and place on the heat.

Whisk in the egg yolks one by one until the sauce thickens.

Add the butter a few blocks at a time, whisking constantly. The butter should soften and thicken the sauce without melting. Season with white pepper and lemon juice. Serve immediately.

Makes 700 ml; Serves 7-10

Season's Dill Beurre Blanc

Beurre Blanc (previous recipe) 60 ml chopped fresh dill

Prepare the beurre blanc. Stir in the chopped dill.

Makes 700 ml; Serves 7-10

Legends' Mushroom Cream Sauce

50 g butter 45 ml flour 5 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice

125 ml chicken or Fish Stock (page 209) 125 ml cream

salt and milled black pepper

200 g button mushrooms, sliced

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Remove from the heat and blend in the flour, lemon juice, stock and cream, and season with salt and pepper.

Cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes until the sauce is smooth and thickened.

Add the mushrooms, cover and simmer for a minute or two until mushrooms are tender.

Serves 6

Harvey's Tomato Vinaigrette

3 ripe plum tomatoes 5 ml balsamic vinegar 5 ml brown sugar salt and milled black pepper 1 clove garlic, crushed

150 ml olive oil

Blend together all the ingredients in a blender or food processor.

Makes about 200 ml

Smoked Salmon Creams with Fresh Crab

brown and white meat from 1 crab

1 ml cayenne pepper ml grated nutmeg 15 ml chopped fresh chives

eggs, lightly beaten 50 ml cream

30 g smoked salmon

'watercress and lemon slices for garnish

Set the oven at 190°C. Place the crab meat, ayenne pepper, nutmeg and chives ina food processor and purée smoothly. Add the eggs.

Whip the cream to soft peaks, add the crab purée and fold together gently until well mixed.

Line eight well greased ramekins (about 7,5 cm in diameter and 4 cm deep) with smoked salmon, fill to three-quarters with crab mixture and place in a bain- marie half filled with boiling water. Bake for about 30 minutes until firm.

To Serve: Turn out the ramekins on warm plates and garnish with lots of watercress and sliced lemon.

Serves 2 as a main course;

4 as a starter

Trout Fillets Layered with Spinach and Feta

4 trout fillets, skinned

6 sheets phyllo pastry

melted butter

500 ml baby spinach leaves, well washed and trimmed

200 g feta cheese, crumbled

Lemon Butter Cream Sauce 100 g butter

60 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice 60 ml cream, whipped

salt and milled black pepper

30 ml chopped fresh dill

Set the oven at 180° C. Grease a baking tray. Butter a sheet of phyllo pastry and place a trout fillet on it. Spread spinach on the trout, and crumbled feta on top. Place another trout fillet on top and wrap in a neat parcel with 2 more buttered phyllo sheets. Make another parcel in the same way.

Place the parcels on the baking tray and brush with melted butter. Bake for about 20 minutes until the pastry is golden and the fish is cooked.

Lemon Butter Cream Sauce: Whisk the butter and lemon juice together in a medium saucepan. Slowly whisk in the whipped cream and allow to thicken. Season with salt and pepper. Add the dill just before serving.

To Serve: Place trout parcels on warm plates and pour lemon butter sauce over. Serves 2

Smoked Salmon Gnocchi with Parsley Butter

If you wish to make gnocchi ahead of time, cover with oil and store in the fridge for up to four days. Drain well and dip in hot water to reheat.

3 potatoes (about 350 g), peeled and cubed 200 g smoked salmon

80 g (150 ml) cake flour

1 egg

5 ml dried dill

milled black pepper

Parsley Butter

100 g butter

5 ml chopped fresh parsley freshly squeezed lemon juice

Boil the potatoes in salted water until cooked. Drain and mash.

Purée the smoked salmon in a food processor or blender. Mix in the potato, flour, egg, dill and a little pepper, and knead well. Roll into about 40 small, irregular pieces - they should not be perfect rounds.

Bring water to the boil in a medium saucepan. Add the gnocchi in batches;

when they rise to the surface they are cooked. Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon, place on a warm plate and keep warm.

Parsley butter: Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Stir in the parsley, and season with pepper and lemon juice. Pour over the gnocchi and serve hot.

Serves 4-5 as a main course;

6-8 as a starter

Baby Octopus in Peanut and Soy Sauce

750 g baby octopus, well cleaned freshly squeezed lemon juice, olive oil watercress sprigs for garnish

Peanut and Soy Sauce

125 ml soy sauce

15 ml crushed green ginger

50 g roasted peanuts, crushed 100 ml cream

Place the baby octopus in a bowl and pour over plenty of boiling water. Drain, tip back into the bowl, and squeeze over plenty of lemon juice.

Peanut and Soy Sauce: Whisk together all the ingredients in a small saucepan, adding the cream last. Bring to the boil.

To Serve: Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan, add the octopus and fry for a few minutes until sizzling hot. Toss in the peanut and soy sauce and garnish with sprigs of watercress.

Serves 6