Fish Goulash

 

This is a simple dish but definitely one of my favourites.  It's lovely at any time but ideal when you have friends or family coming round and want to rustle up something at short notice.   I usually have peppers and onions in the fridge and some fresh or tinned tomatoes at the ready.  Even though it's probably nicer made with fresh chunky cod fillets, you can use any white fish, fresh or frozen.  I used some inexpensive frozen basa fillets for the first time today which were fine.  Just make sure you thaw out the fish before using.

You can use fresh or tinned tomatoes or a combination of both.    The onions, peppers and tomatoes are cooked in a large wide based pan, then the fish is added to the pan towards the end of the cooking time.  So it's handy to make the first part in advance, then add the fish when your friends arrive.

The natural yogurt is optional but it does make it nice and creamy!

Ingredients                                                                         Serves 2 - 3

About 300g white fish fillets

2 small onions

1 red pepper

1 green pepper
1 clove garlic

about 300g tomatoes, skinned
(or equivalent tinned tomatoes)

1 tsp paprika

2 tbsp olive oil

fresh basil leaves (optional)

1 tbsp natural soya yogurt

Method

Skin the tomatoes by placing in a bowl and covering with boiling water. Leave for about a minute, then remove with a fork, and when cool enough to handle, peel away the skins.

Peel and slice the onions thinly and crush the garlic.   Heat the olive oil in a large wide-based pan.  I use a non-stick saute pan with a glass lid.  

Add the onions and garlic, cover with the lid, and cook over a medium heat for about 5 minutes.

Slice the peppers into long strips and add to the pan.

Cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften.  Add a teaspoon of paprika and stir for a few moments before adding the tomatoes and some freshly ground salt and pepper.   

Simmer uncovered over a low heat for about 20 minutes until the mixture has reduced and thickened.

Cut the fish into generous chunks and stir into the goulash.

Simmer for a further 10 to 15 minutes over a gentle heat until the fish is cooked.  Stir in a spoonful of natural yogurt and some chopped basil leaves.

Serve with rice and a green salad or vegetable.

Smoked Mackerel with Lemon Risotto

Including oily fish in our weekly diet is believed to have some wonderful health benefits. Mackerel, salmon, sardines and herrings are excellent sources of omega-3 which is known to help reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes, protect us against strokes, lower our blood pressure and our cholesterol levels. 

Mackerel is currently plentiful in the UK when it's in season during the summer months so it's a good sustainable choice.  Smoked mackerel is fantastic too. It's an incredibly versatile food, relatively inexpensive and a great way to boost your health at the same time!   

Even though it's good just as it is served cold with a salad, mashed up in sandwiches or made into a pate, smoked mackerel is also delicious hot, served as a main course with vegetables.  Celeriac and potato mash, fried tomatoes and a green vegetable go particularly well or, for a change, serve it as I've done here with a tangy lemon risotto.

This simple risotto really compliments the rich flavour of smoked mackerel. It's made the traditional Italian way with arborio rice and has a lovely creamy consistency, completely unlike fluffy basmati or long grain rice.  It takes a little longer and needs plenty of stirring but it's well worth the effort! 


Ingredients                       Serves 4

3 to 4 smoked mackerel fillets
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 leek, finely shredded
2 tbsp olive oil
300g arborio rice
2 vegetable stock cubes (e.g. Kallo)
Juice and grated zest of one lemon
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
freshly ground salt and pepper



Begin by heating the olive oil in a large heavy-based saucepan - I use a large Le Creuset casserole dish.  Fry the chopped onion for 3 or 4 minutes over a medium heat, then stir in the garlic and cook for a minute or so before adding the shredded leeks. Carry on cooking for about five minutes until softened but not brown.

Prepare the stock by pouring a litre of water into a saucepan, add the two vegetable stock cubes and bring to a low simmer.

Peel away the skin from the fish and lay the mackerel fillets either on a plate or on a sheet of foil.  Place under the grill and leave on a lowish heat to warm through slowly.

                                     
Add the rice to the leek and onion mixture and stir continuously for a few minutes with a wooden spoon to allow the rice to fry a little in the pan.

Now pour in a ladleful of hot stock and simmer gently, uncovered, stirring well until the liquid has nearly been absorbed.  Carry on adding the stock a little at a time and keep stirring and simmering, allowing the rice to absorb the stock before adding any more.   If you run out of stock, just use boiling water. 

When the rice is nearly cooked and most of the stock has been absorbed which usually takes 15 to 20 minutes, add the chopped parsley, the grated zest and juice of a lemon and some salt and pepper.  At this point, the risotto should still be moist, but not swimming about in a sea of liquid!   Taste the rice to check if it's cooked - it should still have a slight bite to it, (al dente, as they say) rather than be soft and mushy.

By now your mackerel fillets will be hot, though hopefully not cooking! You can either leave them whole and place individually on top of a serving of risotto or alternatively, flake the fish into pieces and mix into the risotto.

Best served hot and straightaway or it's liable to go thick and sticky! 

If you do have any leftovers,  it's very easy to form the cold risotto into rice balls or croquettes.  Roll in some flour or polenta and fry for 4 to 5 minutes in olive oil until golden.

Moroccan Fish Tagine

Even though I haven't eaten meat, eggs or dairy products for thirty years, I'm not vegetarian or vegan as I eat fish.  It's always seemed like the right decision for me and I've never read anything in all that time that has convinced me that eating fish is bad for my health, in fact quite the opposite.

However, I don't eat it that often and when I do, I like to know where the fish I buy comes from so I'm not contributing to over-fishing or unnatural farming practices.  Fortunately, choosing fish clearly labelled sustainable or responsibly sourced and certified by the MSC (Marine Stewardship Council)  is an option that is available to us in the UK.

A few years ago, I came across a recipe for a fish tagine created by the London restaurant "Moro".   I've simplified their recipe but it still retains that wonderful Moroccan flavour and everyone seems to love it.  

Any filleted white fish will do, such as cod, haddock or hake. Just make sure there are no bones for some unsuspecting person to find on their plate or, worse still, in their mouth!  The fish is marinated in a traditional Moroccan charmoula which is what really makes this dish special.  

It's an ideal recipe for a party as you can make most of it in advance,  then simply cook the fish when you're ready to eat.  When you bring your piping hot tagine to the table and remove the lid, your guests will be blown away!

Serve with some good rustic bread, a mixed green salad or a green vegetable.

Ingredients for four people

For the Charmoula:

1 clove of garlic
1 level tsp sea salt
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp red wine vinegar
Juice of half a lemon
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small bunch of fresh coriander

4 thickish fillets of white fish, skinned
3 green or yellow peppers, sliced
18 - 20 small waxy new potatoes

 (e.g. Pink Fir Apple, Charlotte)
About 15 ripe plum/cherry tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
Olive oil
A handful of black olives
100ml water

First make your charmoula.  In a pestle and mortar, grind the cumin seeds to a powder, then tip out on to a plate.   

Now, using your pestle and mortar again, pound together a peeled clove of garlic and a teaspoon of sea salt until creamy smooth. 

Add your ground cumin powder, then the paprika, lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil and finely chopped coriander.  Stir well together. 

If necessary, cut your fish into even sized fillets. Remove the skin if you can and pull out any bones. Place the fish in a shallow dish and pour two thirds of the charmoula over the top.  Then leave to rest in the fridge for at least 20 minutes or up to two hours.

Meanwhile, boil the potatoes in their skins for 10 to 15 minutes until almost tender.  Drain and cool, then peel away the skins and cut in half lengthways.

Peel and finely slice the garlic.  Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan or saute pan. Fry the garlic over a medium heat until lightly browned. 

Add the sliced peppers, cover with a lid and cook until they begin to soften.

Now add the halved tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes on a medium heat until they start to soften.

Pour in the remaining third of the charmoula and stir well.  Add some freshly ground pepper.

(If you're serving this to friends and family, you can prepare everything up to now in advance)

Using a tagine, if you have one, or any casserole dish with a lid that can be placed over a heat source (e.g. a cast iron dish like Le Creuset) first spread the potatoes evenly over the bottom. 

Now put about two thirds of the pepper and tomato mixture over the potatoes.  Then, lay the fish fillets evenly on top of that and put the remaining pepper and tomato mixture over each piece of fish.  

  

Finally, scatter the black olives over the top, add the water and then drizzle on the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. 

Cover with a lid and cook over a medium heat for about 15 minutes (allow a bit longer if you're re-heating the vegetables from cold) until the fish is lightly cooked and flakes easily. 

This looks and smells wonderful when you bring it to the table.  Carefully lift out a piece of fish with a generous portion of potatoes and peppers onto each plate. I serve it in large pasta bowls to catch all the delicious sauce.