On Saturday we worked in our garden as I promised my dad. The afternoon was spent strimming, chopping, raking and stuffing all the left-over greenery into bags. We got loads done and the place is beginning to look less overgrown.
As a reward, ♥ got some red snapper & squid at the fish counter at this big new-ish coop, and we asked his mum back in Louisiana (who is very good at fishing) for the best way to cook it, and it turned out to be delicious!
I cut my dad some watermelon slices as he'd been working all morning before we even woke up.
His Basil
Our little white squid
Concertina-effect
Squid swelling up on the Grill-pan
Starter: concertina garlic squid on a bed of salad with garlic&chilli prawns
Red Snapper being prepared
Finished plates
Main: marinaded red snapper on a pea-mash with spicy sausage & roasted garlic cubes
Neighbourhood cat in our garden: ♥ calls him Garfield
Chocolate chip cookie midnight craving
Concertina Squid Starter
1/2 a squid per person
2 cloves of garlic
3-4 prawns per person
salad leaves
chilli
lemon
salt & pepper
Firstly score one side of the squid by putting a large kitchen knife inside the body and using another to slice in 1/2 cm intervals. Drizzle with olive oil, a crushed garlic clove and salt & pepper. Place in hot grill pan for about 2 minutes on each side. Serve on a bed of salad with a light dressing & a slice of lemon
For the prawns, heat some olive oil in a pan, throw in the prawns, crushed clove of garlic, chilli & seasoning and maybe a shot of Tabasco if you want a kick, and cook for about 3 minutes or until they are entirely pink.
Red Snapper
2 nicely sized Red Snapper fillets
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tsp Dijon Mustard
2 Tsp Creole Seasoning such as Tony's
a finger sized slice of spicy sausage such as Chirizo or Paprika Kabanossi
2-3 potatos
Garlic
Pinch of Sugar
Pea Mash
1-2 potatos
200-300g frozen peas
small slice of cheese of your choice
salt&pepper
1/2 cup milk
(Opt. Handful of fresh mint leaves)
Firstly make a marinade for the fish by mixing the tablespoons of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard, creole seasoning together. Cover the fish in the dark mixture and leave to soak in a bowl while you make the other preparations.
To prepare the peas & roasted oven potato cubes peel & cut 1-2 potatoes into cubes and boil with the peas. The remaining 3-4 peel and parboil. Once reasonably soft, take out and cut into cubes. Put on a baking tray with parchment paper and drizzle with olive oil & 2 crushed garlic cloves. Season with enough salt and mix them all together. Bake in oven at 356°F/180 °C for 15 minutes or until golden and crispy.
When the peas and potatoes are ready, pop into a food processor with the wedge of cheese, milk, plenty of salt (some may want to add a few fresh mint leaves here) and blend until a smooth consistency.
For the fish, melt some butter in a pan, and place the fish fillets in flesh down for 2 minutes at a medium temperature. Turn over on the skin-side for the remaining 3 minutes. Take off heat and place each piece on a serving of the pea mash. Use the juices of the fish pan to sauté the sausage cubes - add a small swig of balsamic vinegar and a pinch of sugar to slightly caramelize and voilà, all you have to do is sprinkle these sausage cubes along with the roasted potato cubes around the outside of the fish. Bon Appetit.
