Sample recipe from: The Book of Thai Cooking: Fish with coconut and galangal

4 tbs vegetable oil
1 shallot, chopped
4 cm piece of galangal, finely chopped
2 stalks lemon grass, finely chopped
1 small fresh chilli pepper, seeded and chopped
125 ml coconut milk
2 tsp fish sauce (nam pla)
5 chilantro (leaf coriander) twigs
About 350 g fish fillets, for example from a small flounder or sole or other flatfish
1 small onion, sliced
Freshly ground black pepper

Heat 1 tbs oil in a wok and add shallot, galangal, lemon grass and chilli. Stir-fry for about 3 minutes, until the stuff begins to brown slightly. Put into a food processor, add coconut milk, fish sauce and the stalks from the chilantro and blend (purée?) well. Put the fish into a heat-proof, shallow bowl that fits into the mouth of a saucepan, and pour the sauce over it. Cover the bowl, put on top of a saucepan with boiling water, and steam for 8-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in the wok at medium heat. Add the onion and fry, stirring occasionally, until browned. Remove from the wok with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Put the chilantro leaves in the wok and fry for a few seconds. Remove like the onion and drain on kitchen paper. Serve the fish with the chilantro leaves and onion sprinkled on top and plenty of ground black pepper on top of that.

Recipe I would like to try: Smoked herring patê

Most of my recipe booklets live in folders and boxes that I rarely open, but most of them contain at least one recipe I would like to try. Here is one of them:

Patê brisée:
200 g flour
100 g butter
1 egg yolk
3 tbs water

Sauce:
200 g sour cream
100 g mayonnaise
4 tbs lemon juice
60 g chives
Salt and pepper

Patê:
500 g kippered (salted and smoked) herring
100 g onions
1 egg white
Salt and pepper
A dash of vinegar

Brisée pastry:
Mix flour, sugar and butter until the mixture forms fine crumbs. Add water and egg yolk and knead into a solid smooth mass. Refriegerate for several hours. Roll out and line a patê dish or other deep oven-proof dish with it.

Sauce:
Mix mayonnaise and sour cream until smooth. add finely chopped chives and lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Patê:
Grind together the herring and onion, either by running through a food grinder twice, or by processing on a food processor (use the blades). Mix in the egg white, spices and vinegar. Put into the brisée-clad dish and bake at 100°C for 60 to 90 minutes. Increase the temperature to 190°C for about 5-6 minutes at the end of the cooking time.

Sample recipe from: Cheap and tasty: Julia’s fish au gratin

Serves 4.
Time: 40 minutes.

400 g fish fillets
1 slice (about 200 g) white cabbage)
1 onion
1 carrot
Water
Salt and pepper
Butter/margerine
1 sachet bernaise-sauce powder
Grated cheese (optional)
Chopped parsley (optional)

Cut the fish into about 2 cm thick slices.

Wash and trim cabbage, onion and carrot and chop (or grate) very finely – the pieces should be no thicker than a toothpick. Sautée quickly in the butter – the veggies should not change colour. Put veggies into a greased oven-proof deep dish. Make a hole in the center of the veggies and put the fish pieces into it. Flavour with salt and pepper. Bake, covered, at 200°C until the fish is cooked through.

Make the bernaise sauce according to the instructions on the sachet and pour immediately over the fish and serve. Optionally, sprinkle the cheese over the wole thing, put back in the oven until the cheese is bubbly and golden, sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Sample recipe from: Cheap and tasty: Tasty fish soup

4 servings
Time: 30 minutes

1 leek
2 tbs butter or margarine
100 ml rice
1.2 litres fish stock
1/2 tsp thyme
300 g fish fillet or 1 can (300 g) fish balls in cooking liquid
100 ml chopped dill
400 ml deep-frozen peas

Wash and slice the leek.

Melt the butter in a cooking pot and sautée the leek slices and rice. Add the stock and thyme. Cook for about 15 minutes.

Cut the fish fillet into cubes, about 2 cm (1 inch) or if you’re using fish balls, quarter them. Add to the soup and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add the peas and dill just before serving.

Sample recipe from The Big Ready Steady Cook Book: Oven-baked haddock with potatoes and tomato-herb sauce

Haddock is my favourite every-day fish, but I usually just poach it with a little bit of salt and lemon juice. When you can get fish as fresh as it is here in Iceland, the simple method is often the best way of enjoying the fresh flavour, but I do like a change every now and then.

Creator: Alastair Little
Found on page 69

Serves 4.

450 g (12 oz) haddock fillets
225 g (8 oz) potatoes, thinly sliced
50 g (2 oz) butter
225 g (8 oz) frozen peas
100 ml (3 1/2 fl.oz) white wine
1 onion, chopped
300 ml (10 fl.oz) double cream (whipping cream)
2 tomatoes, skinned, seeded and finely chopped
2 tbs chopped fresh parsley
1 tbs chopped fresh dill
2 tbs snipped fresh chives
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Lemon wedges, to serve

Put the haddock on a greased baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the potato slices on top of the fish so that they overlap slightly. Dot with half the butter and season with a little salt and pepper. Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 12-15 minutes, or until tender and golden.

Cook the peas in salted boiling water for 3 minutes until tender. Drain well. Set aside.

Put the wine and chopped onion in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes or until the onion is tender. Add the peas, cream, chopped tomatoes and the rest of the butter and gently warm through. Add the chopped herbs and season with salt and pepper.

To serve, put the fish in the centre of a large plate and spoon the sauce around it. Garnish with lemon wedges.

Sample recipe from Salads: French tuna salad

Serves 1-2.

1 leaf iceberg lettuce
1/2 can tuna in water
2-3 whole olives (black, according to the photo)
1 sliced hard boiled egg
1 tomato

Dressing:
2 tsp vinegar
1/2 clove garlic, pressed
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 tbs salad oil

Mix the sauce and let stand for a while to let the flavours meld. Chop the salad leaf and put on a plate or plates. Add chunks of tuna, olives, egg slices and tomato wedges.

Pour the dressing over the salad or serve on the side.

Sample recipe from The Spice Cookbook: Baked fillet of haddock with sesame seed crumbs

This book, while it is full of tempting recipes, is unfortunately of the type that assumes that can and packet sizes are the same everywhere and at every time.

This is a fallacy. An envelope of dry yeast is not the same size in Europe as it is in the USA, and the USA envelope sizes may have changed since the book was published (can sizes may have done so too), yet the book is touted in the introduction as a future heirloom. Additionally, there are shortcuts in the book using ingredients that may not be available to everyone, such as onion flakes. This is an annoying, but not insurmountable, problem for a foreign cook using the book four decades after it was first published.

Rant over. Let’s turn back to the recipe. Sesame seed with fish sounds faintly oriental, except no glazing or exotic spices are involved, just baking under a layer of crumbs.

700 g (1 1/2 lbs.) fillet of haddock
A dash of salt
6 pats of butter or margarine
3 cups soft bread crumbs
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 tbs toasted sesame seeds*
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted

*To toast sesame seeds, place them in a shallow baking pan and heat in a preheated oven at about 175°C (350°F) for 20 to 22 minutes, stirring 2-3 times to ensure even toasting.

Cut fish into 6 even-sized pieces and arrange in a buttered 23 cm (9 inch) square baking pan. Rub a dash of salt lightly over each piece and dot each with a pat of butter.

Combine the remaining ingredients and cover the fish lightly with the mixture. Bake at 175°C (350°F) for 25-30 minutes or until bread crumbs are browned. Serve hot.

Recipe from Quick Dishes: Herring à la Maison

This is a typical Scandinavian herring dish.

Prep time: 15 minutes.
Makes 4 servings.

1 large red onion
1 bunch dill
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
3 tbs wine vinegar
2-3 tbs sugar
1 tbs oil
400 g marinated herring

Peel and chop the onion very finely. Mix with chopped dill, pepper, vinegar, sugar and oil. Cut the herring into bite-size pieces (you can also buy it already in pieces). Arrange on a serving dish. Pour the sauce over the herring. Let stand while you cook some potatoes to serve with the dish.

Serving suggestion from me:
Serve as part of a Scandinavian-style cold buffet (smörgåsbord) with other cold dishes, such as Russian style herring salad, smoked salmon, gravlax, ham, and other cold delicacies.

Most, if not all herring dishes are delicious as a topping for rye bread.

Recipe from Quick Dishes: Fish soup with mushrooms

Preparation time: 25 minutes.
Serves 1-2.

140 g fresh haddock fillets (= one small fillet)
1/2 can mushroom soup (I am assuming they mean Campbell's or at least the same size of can)
100 ml water
1/2 can tomatoes (I assume this means a standard can)
100 g arctic shrimp, unshelled
White pepper
1/4 tsp lemon pepper
1/4 bunch fresh dill
1 cube fish stock, optional

Put the soup in a saucepan with water and tomatoes and heat to the boiling point. If you want a more flavourful soup, add the stock cube. Cut the fish into bite-size pieces and add to the soup and cook for 5 minutes. Shell the shrimps. Adjust taste with white pepper and lemon pepper. Add the shrimps and finely chopped dill and simmer gently for a few minutes more. Be careful not to boil the soup at this point, as the shrimps will become tough if you do (they need gentle poaching). Serve immediately.

Recipe from The Silver Palate Cookbook: Salmon Mousse

1 envelope (7 g) unflavoured gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup Hellman's mayonnaise
1 tbs lemon juice
1 tbs finely grated onion
Dash of Tabasco-sauce
1/4 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp salt
2 tbs finely chopped dill
2 cups finely flaked poached fresh salmon or canned salmon, skin and bones removed
1 cup heavy cream

Put the cold water in a large bowl and soak the gelatin in it until softened. Stir in the boiling water and whisk the mixture slowly until the gelatin dissolves. Cool to room temperature.

Whisk in the mayonnaise, lemon juice, chopped onion, Tabasco, paprika, salt and dill. Stir to blend completely and refrigerate for about 20 minutes, or until the mixture begins to thicken slightly. (An icy water-bath hastens the process).

Fold in the flaked salmon. Whip the cream until it is fluffy and forms peaks and fold gently into the salmon mixture. Put the mixture into a decorative bowl or mold, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Serve on toast, black bread or crackers, or slice and serve as a first course, garnished with watercress.

(I love salmon mousse served with a simple sauce made from sour cream, garlic and a dash of salt).





This mold is nice if you plan on having your guests help themselves.

If served in slices, I recommend a loaf mold or a plain circular mold.

Indian recipe: Machchi Do Piaza (Bengali curried fish)

500 g (1 lb) firm white fish fillets
2 tsp ground turmeric
Lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tbs chopped fresh ginger
2 tsp chopped garlic
2 ripe tomatoes, chopped
2 large onions
1/4 cup mustard oil or other vegetable oil
4 fresh green chillies, seeded and sliced
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup water

Wash the fish and rub with half the turmeric and lemon juice and set aside. Put remaining turmeric, chilli, ginger, garlic, tomatoes and one roughly chopped onion into a blender and purée. Slice the remaining onion very finely.
Heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the sliced onion, stirring frequently, until it is golden. Remove from pan and reserve. Put the spice-onion purée into the pan along with the chillies. Stir over medium heat until the colour of the paste darkens and the oil separares from the paste. Add the fish, salt and water and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes. Do not stir, so as to not break up the fish, but shake the pan occasionally. Add the fried onions after 10 minutes. Serve with rice.