Kingklip Exquise

Kingklip stuffed with crayfish in a mushroom crust with crayfish sauce

6 x 180 g portions filleted kingklip salt and milled black pepper

300 ml Fish Stock (page 209)

boiled new potatoes, blanched asparagus tips, steamed baby carrots

deep fried sliced leek and fresh dill fronds for garnish

Crayfish Stuffing

1 crayfish, 150 g-200 g

250 g button mushrooms, sliced 30 g butter

15 ml brandy

45 ml cream

Mushroom Crust

75 g butter

2 spring onions, finely sliced

200 g black mushrooms, finely chopped freshly squeezed juice of 'l2 lemon

250 ml soft wholewheat breadcrumbs 15 ml chopped fresh herbs (thyme, dill, parsley)

Crayfish Sauce

50 ml vegetable oil

5 ml chopped fresh basil

120 g Mirepoix (page ##)

60 ml tomato purée

80 ml brandy

500 ml Fish Stock (page ##)

beurre-manié (soft butter and flour mixed to a smooth paste)

Crayfish Stuffing: Cook the crayfish in boiling water for 7 minutes. Remove meat from tail and body and cut into strips. Reserve cooking liquid and shells.

In a medium saucepan sauté the mushrooms in butter until tender. Stir in the crayfish meat, add the brandy and flame. Add the cream and simmer uncovered until reduced to a binding consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Cool.

Mushroom Crust: Melt half the butter in a medium saucepan and sweat the spring onion until tender. Add the mushrooms and lemon juice and cook for 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Drain the excess liquid (retain for the sauce). Add the breadcrumbs, herbs and remaining butter.

Crayfish Sauce: Heat the oil in a medium saucepan and brown the reserved crayfish shells. Add the reserved cooking liquid, basil, mirepoix and tomato purée and cook gently for 5 minutes.

Add the brandy, flame, then simmer uncovered until reduced by half. Ad the fish stock and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan, bring to t boil and whisk in sufficient beurre-manié to thicken nicely. Season with salt and pepper.

Set the oven at 220 °C. Cut pockets in the kingklip fillets and fill with stuffing. Place in a buttered casserole, season with salt and pepper and spread with mushroom crust. Add the fish stock and bake for 5-8 minutes until cooked.

To Serve: Spoon hot crayfish sauce on warm plates. Place kingklip on top and arrange vegetables around. Garnish with deep fried leek and dill. Serves 6

Trout Dijonnaise

Trout may be stuffed 24 hours befor cooking. Keep refrigerated.

6 whole boned trout, heads on or off; about 300 g each before beheading butter and vegetable oil

salt and milled black pepper

grated nutmeg

1 onion, finely chopped

4 bunches spinach, well washed, ribs remove and shredded

250 g button mushrooms, sliced cake flour seasoned with salt

and milled pepper

small bunches of fresh herbs or chive flowers for garnish

Dijonnaise Sauce

250 ml Fish Stock (page 209) 125 ml white wine

60 ml medium cream sherry 250 ml cream

10 ml Dijon :mustard

5 ml pink peppercorns, soaked in a little port

15 ml chopped fresh chives

Dijonnaise Sauce: Bring the fish stock, wine and sherry to the boil in a medium saucepan and simmer uncovered until reduced by half.

Add the cream, mustard, peppercorns and chives. Season with salt and pepper and simmer uncovered until the sauce has reduced to a coating consistency.

Melt butter in a large saucepan and fry the onion until translucent. Add the moist spinach, cover and cook for 5-7 minutes until limp. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Ina frying pan fry the mushrooms in a little butter until the liquid evaporates. Mix in the spinach and cool. Stuff the mixture into the cavities of the trout.

Dip fish in seasoned flour and fry in sizzling butter and oil in a non-stick frying pan for about 4-5 minutes each side until done.

To Serve: Place trout on warm plates and coat with Dijonnaise sauce. Garnish with a small bunch of fresh herbs or chive flowers.

Serves 6

Sole Orientale

6 dressed baby soles, skinned

(180 g-200 g each)

butter and vegetable oil

2 carrots, cut into julienne strips

2 leeks, finely sliced

100 g button mushrooms, sliced

30 ml chopped spring onion

sliced pineapple and celery curls for garnish

Orientate Sauce

285 g can sliced mushrooms, drained 60 ml white wine vinegar

60 ml brown sugar

2 pieces preserved ginger, finely chopped 15 ml preserved ginger syrup

2 ml ground ginger

30 ml chopped spring onion

15 ml soy sauce

125 ml water

15 ml cornflour mixed with 30 ml cold water 50 g (about 1/2 punnet) fresh bean sprouts

Orientale Sauce: Combine the mushrooms, vinegar, brown sugar, ginger, ginger syrup, ground ginger, spring onion, soy sauce and water in a medium saucepan and simmer gently uncovered for5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the cornflour and water. Cook, stirring, for a few minutes until the sauce thickens. Add the bean sprouts.

Heat oil in a non-stick frying pan and stir-fry the carrots, leeks, mushrooms and spring onion until crisp-tender. Set aside. Season with salt and pepper.

Add butter to the pan and fry the soles until done, turning occasionally.

To Serve: Place soles on warm plates, top with vegetables and pour over the Orientale sauce. Garnish with sliced pineapple and celery curls.

Serves 6

Fish Fish....I love Cooking Fish

Seafood Selection Steamed over Fresh Herbs with Champagne Sauce

8 black mussels, on the half shell

16 scallops with roe (coral)

8 large prawns, deveined; shells on

4 x 80 g portions filleted kingklip, skinned
4 x 80 g portions filleted Norwegian salmon, skinned

salt, milled black pepper, lemon juice plenty of fresh herbs (parsley, lemon grass, basil, coriander)

Champagne Sauce

1 onion, finely chopped

15 ml chopped fresh herbs

(dill, parsley, thyme)

30 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice

250 ml champagne or sparkling wine

60 ml cream

120 g soft butter, cut into cubes

2 ml Worcestershire sauce

Place the seafood in the top layer of a Chinese steaming basket and season with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

Crush the herbs and pack in the bottom layer. Put the layers together, cover with the lid and steam over simmering water for about 12 minutes until the seafood is cooked.

Champagne Sauce: Combine the onion, herbs, lemon juice and champagne in a medium saucepan and simmer uncovered until reduced by half. Add the cream and reduce until thickened to a coating consistency.

Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter and Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt and pepper

To Serve: Arrange seafood on warm plates and offer the champagne sauce separately.

Serves 4

Kabeljou with Mediterranean Flavours

4 x 180 g portions filleted kabeljou, skinned 50 ml extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

5 ml crushed garlic

100 g sun-dried tomatoes, chopped 100 g black olives, pitted and sliced

3 fresh basil leaves, finely shredded 6 sprigs fresh coriander, chopped

15 ml finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

Potato and Corn Risotto olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

4 potatoes, peeled and diced into 2 cm cubes salt and milled black pepper

1 sprig rosemary

250 ml cream

kernels cut from 4 cooked sweetcorn cobs 50 g butter, cut into cubes

30 ml grated Parmesan cheese

Potato and Corn Risotto: Heat olive oil in a heavy saucepan and sauté the onion until golden.

Stir in the potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and add the rosemary and cream. Cover and simmer gently until the potatoes are soft. Uncovered and simmer briskly until the cream thickens.

Add the corn kernels, butter and Parmesan cheese and heat through.

Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a nonstick frying pan and seal the kabeljou over high heat. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the onion to the pan and fry until golden. Add the garlic and sun-dried tomato and simmer for a few minutes until softened. Add the olives, basil, coriander and parsley and season with salt and pepper.

Return the fish to the pan and simmer, spooning the onion-tomato mixture over, until cooked.

To Serve: Spoon potato and corn risotto onto warm plates and top with kabeljou. Serves 4

Lemon Grass Skewered Prawns with Peri-Peri Sauce on Japanese Rice Noodles and Tofu

24 large prawns, shelled and deveined 8 stalks lemon grass

salt, milled black pepper, freshly squeezed lemon juice, olive oil

160 g tofu, cut into strips

100 g rice noodles, cooked

20 g butter

10 ml soy sauce

80 g mixed julienned vegetables

Peri-Peri Sauce 50 g butter

1 onion, finely chopped

7 ml chopped garlic

6 fresh red chillies, seeded and chopped

20 ml tomato paste

50 g tomatoes, blanched, skinned and diced

8 sprigs fresh oregano, chopped

200 ml white wine 50 ml water

Impale the prawns on lemon grass spears and season with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

Peri-Peri Sauce: Heat the butter in a medium saucepan and sauté the onion, garlic and chilli until the onion is translucent.

Stir in the tomato paste, then add the diced tomato and oregano. Add the white wine and water and simmer uncovered until reduced and thickened to a pulp. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and fry the tofu until golden. Season with salt and pepper, add the rice noodles, butter, soy sauce and julienned vegetables and heat through.

To Serve: Grill the skewered prawns on both sides under a hot grill until cooked.

Spoon the tofu mixture onto warm plates, place prawns on top and brush with peri-peri sauce. Offer the rest separately. Serves 4