Everyday Seafood - Nathan Outlaw (2016)
Bake
Salt and seaweed baked prawns, tomato and coriander salad
Cooking for a crowd is always a bit daunting, even for me! This prawn dish looks, smells and tastes amazing and is really simple to cook for a lot of people, providing you have the space. Try and find good quality sustainable prawns - it will make all the difference, trust me.
Serves 6
30 large raw prawns, peeled and deveined, but heads and tails left on
Olive oil to drizzle
2 good handfuls of dried seaweed
About 500g rock salt for baking
For the tomato and coriander salad
20 ripe plum tomatoes, halved
1 bunch of spring onions, trimmed and sliced
75ml white wine vinegar
100ml olive oil
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp cayenne pepper
A handful of coriander, leaves picked and chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat your oven to 200°C/Fan 185°C/Gas 6.
For the salad, put the tomatoes, spring onions, wine vinegar and olive oil into a bowl. Season with the ground coriander, cayenne and some salt and black pepper. Toss to mix and set aside.
Toss the prawns in a bowl with a little salt and a drizzle of olive oil.
Scatter the seaweed and rock salt in a large roasting tray. Lay the prawns on top and bake for 5 minutes, depending on the size of your prawns.
Meanwhile, add the coriander to the salad and toss together.
Remove the tray of prawns from the oven and place on a mat on the table. Eat straight away, using your hands. No time for cutlery, but provide bowls and forks for the salad, and finger bowls.
Scallops with Cheddar crumbs, smoked paprika and coriander butter
I’m particularly fond of baked scallops. Like many of my recipes, I came up with this one at home, after rummaging through the cupboards to see what I could find. Cooking the scallops in this way protects the delicate meat from direct heat, giving you a lovely soft cooked texture. Feel free to vary the flavourings for the crumbs and butter as you like.
Serves 4 as a starter
12 fresh scallops, shelled and cleaned (shells reserved)
240ml white wine
For the crumbs
200g crustless good quality bread
A handful of coriander, leaves picked
75g Davidstow Cheddar, grated
For the smoked paprika and coriander butter
300g unsalted butter, cut into cubes and softened
1 banana shallot or 2 standard shallots, peeled and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled, halved (germ removed) and finely chopped
2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
A handful of coriander, leaves picked and finely chopped
Sea salt
To serve
1 lime, cut into wedges
Preheat your oven to 220°C/Fan 205°C/Gas 7. Clean the best 12 scallop shells, dry well and reserve for cooking.
To make the crumbs, blitz the bread and coriander in a food processor until the bread is reduced to crumbs and the coriander is finely chopped. Add the cheese and blitz for 30 seconds. Tip onto a tray and set aside.
For the butter, put the soft butter into a bowl with the shallot(s), garlic, smoked paprika and chopped coriander. Mix well to combine and season with salt to taste. Set aside until ready to cook.
When ready to eat, place one scallop in each of the reserved shells. Sprinkle 20ml white wine and dot 30g butter on each one. Scatter the crumbs evenly over the top and place the scallops on a large oven tray. (You may need to use 2 trays.)
Bake the scallops for 6-8 minutes. To check that they are cooked, insert a small knife into the centre of a scallop and hold it there for 10 seconds. Pull the knife out and place it on the back of your hand; if the blade feels hot, they are ready. (It should not be piping hot.)
Serve the scallops straight away, with lime wedges.
Baked oysters with watercress and anise butter
This is a version of the Oysters Rockefeller that we cook at Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen. The Porthilly oysters we use are fantastic for cooking and great in this dish. If you have any of the flavoured butter left over, wrap it well and freeze it, but I doubt you will - it tastes too good.
Serves 4
24 live rock oysters
About 500g rock salt for baking
100g fresh breadcrumbs
For the watercress and anise butter
150g watercress, leaves picked
150g spinach leaves
150g unsalted butter
3 small shallots, finely chopped
1 small green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
30ml Ricard Pernod
30g tarragon, leaves picked
To serve
Rock salt or seaweed
For the butter, bring a pan of salted water to the boil. Add the watercress and spinach and blanch for 1 minute. Immediately drain and plunge the leaves into a bowl of iced water to cool quickly. When cold, drain and squeeze out the excess water.
Heat a small pan over a medium heat and add 50g of the butter. When it is bubbling, add the shallots and chilli and sweat for 3 minutes until the shallots are translucent. Add the Pernod and simmer for 30 seconds.
Tip the contents of the pan into a blender. Let cool slightly, then add the tarragon and blanched watercress and spinach. Blitz to combine, then add the remaining 100g butter. Blend for 30 seconds, scraping down the sides of the jug once or twice. Transfer to a bowl, cover and set aside.
Preheat your oven to 200°C/Fan 185°C/Gas 6. Line a large baking tray with enough salt to allow you to sit the oyster shells on without them toppling over. Open the oysters and prise off the top shell. Drain off the juices. Cut the muscle to release the oyster but leave it in the rounded shell; check for any fragments of shell.
Top each oyster with a generous helping of the watercress butter and sprinkle with an even layer of breadcrumbs. Bake for 12 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are golden and crispy. Serve immediately, on little salt mounds or nestled in seaweed.
Stuffed squid, red peppers, chickpeas, olives and sherry
This is a great way to cook those medium or slightly larger squid, which are perfect for a single portion filled with a tasty stuffing. The stuffing in this recipe isn’t supposed to all stay inside the squid pouches; some of it will ooze out to create a delicious sauce. I’d suggest serving this dish with a simple rocket salad, dressed with a little balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
Serves 4
4 medium squid, bodies 20-25cm long, cleaned and tentacles reserved
Olive oil for cooking and to drizzle
2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
2 red peppers, peeled, cored, deseeded and diced
4 ripe plum tomatoes, cored and each cut into 6 pieces
100g pitted black olives, quartered
400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
16 basil leaves, finely sliced
500ml dry sherry
100g unsalted butter, diced
500ml fish stock
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat your oven to 200°C/Fan 185°C/Gas 6.
Place a sauté pan over a medium heat and add a generous drizzle of olive oil. When hot, add the shallots, garlic and red peppers and sweat for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and olives and cook for a further 5 minutes until the tomatoes soften and begin to collapse. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add the chickpeas and cook for a further 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Lay the cleaned squid pouches in an oven tray and season all over with salt and pepper. Season the tentacles too, but set these aside on a plate.
When the stuffing mixture is cool, stir through most of the sliced basil. Now, using a spoon, fill each squid pouch with as much stuffing as it will take. If there is any stuffing mixture left, add that to the tray too.
Pour the sherry over the stuffed squid and dot with the butter. Bake for 15-20 minutes, basting with the mixture every 5 minutes. Pour on the fish stock and cook for another 10 minutes, adding the tentacles to the tray for the final 5 minutes.
Place a stuffed squid pouch on each warmed plate with the tentacles alongside and spoon on some of the sauce. Scatter over the remaining sliced basil, add a drizzle of olive oil and serve straight away.
Haddock baked in a bag with béarnaise butter
For me, baking and steaming are the best ways to cook haddock. That’s why fish and chips are so good - the fish steams inside its protective batter jacket. Other cooking techniques seem to dry out the fish too much. I’m a fan of béarnaise sauce, so I decided to create a simple butter with the same flavours. It marries so well with the fish, tomatoes and mushrooms, bringing the whole dish together. You can use cod, hake or really fresh whiting in place of the haddock, if you like.
Serves 4
4 filleted haddock portions, about 150g each
8 small field mushrooms, peeled and stem removed
4 plum tomatoes, halved
Olive oil for cooking
4 garlic cloves, peeled, halved (germ removed) and finely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the béarnaise butter
250g unsalted butter, diced and softened
2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
A handful of tarragon, leaves picked and finely chopped
1 tsp cracked black or coarsely ground black pepper
1 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
Preheat your oven to 220°C/Fan 205°C/Gas 7.
To make the béarnaise butter, put the butter, shallots, tarragon, black pepper, salt and wine vinegar into a bowl and mix until evenly combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Cover and set aside.
To cook the mushrooms and tomatoes, line a baking tray with two layers of foil, making sure they overlap the edges of the tray. Drizzle the top sheet of foil with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the mushrooms and tomatoes on the foil and season them too. Sprinkle with the chopped garlic. Place the tray in the oven and cook for 10 minutes.
To cook the fish, take the tray from the oven and give the tomatoes and mushrooms a squeeze to check that they are nearly cooked. Season the haddock with salt and pepper and drizzle generously with olive oil. Place the haddock skin side up on top of the mushrooms and tomatoes. Spread some of the béarnaise butter on top of the haddock.
Cover the fish with two more sheets of foil and fold the top and bottom foil edges together to make a sealed parcel. Place the tray back in the oven and cook for 12 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and rest for 2 minutes.
To serve, carefully cut open the foil at the top (don’t let the steam scald you). Using a fish slice, carefully lift the fish onto 4 warmed plates. Share the tomatoes and mushrooms equally between the plates and spoon the buttery sauce over the fish. Serve immediately.
Turbot fillets, seaweed crust, olive oil and lime hollandaise
Turbot is such a great fish to bake. Here I’m coating it with a seaweed and breadcrumb crust, which adds flavour and protects the fish from the direct heat of the oven. It’s also perfect for soaking up the turbot’s natural cooking juices. Using olive oil instead of butter in the classic hollandaise works really well - do give it a try. I like to serve this dish simply with boiled new potatoes and broccoli.
Serves 4
4 filleted turbot portions, about 180g each, skinned
100g plain flour, to dust
2 medium eggs, beaten
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the seaweed crust
100g fresh breadcrumbs
2 tbsp dried seaweed flakes
2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
Finely grated zest of 1 lime
For the lime hollandaise
175ml olive oil
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime
2 egg yolks
2 tbsp water
Preheat your oven to 220°C/Fan 205°C/Gas 7.
For the seaweed crust, put the breadcrumbs, seaweed, parsley and lime zest into a food processor with a pinch of salt and a generous grinding of black pepper. Blitz until the breadcrumbs start to go green, but don’t overwork. Tip the breadcrumb mixture out onto a tray.
Check your fish fillets for any bone or sinew. Have the flour ready on a plate and the beaten eggs in a shallow bowl. One by one, dip one side of each fillet into the flour, then dip the same side into the egg. Finally lay the turbot fillets, coated side down, in the seaweed crumb mix and pat down gently. Leave the fillets like this until you are ready to cook them.
To make the lime hollandaise, warm the olive oil in a pan until tepid, then add half the lime zest and remove from the heat. Place the egg yolks in a medium heatproof bowl and add the lime juice and water. Stand the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water and whisk until the mixture thickens enough to form a ribbon when the beaters are lifted.
Remove the bowl from the pan and slowly whisk in the olive oil, in a thin, steady stream. Once all the oil is incorporated, season the hollandaise with salt and pepper to taste. Cover with cling film to prevent a skin forming and keep warm while you cook the fish.
To cook the fish, place the turbot fillets, crust uppermost, on an oiled baking tray and bake for 8-10 minutes until the fish is just cooked.
Carefully lift each turbot fillet onto a warmed plate. Sprinkle with the remaining lime zest and serve straight away, with the lime hollandaise.
Sardine, pepper and shallot flatbreads
These flatbreads go down well whenever I cook them for friends - I think it’s because everyone loves a pizza and they come pretty close. Sardines work well, because of the lovely oiliness you get from them, but herrings or mackerel would be good too. You can vary the topping ingredients but make sure the mixture isn’t too wet or the bread will be soggy. For a party, you could make a large flatbread - it will look amazing.
Makes 4
8 sardines, scaled, gutted and filleted
A little light olive oil, for oiling and drizzling
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the flatbread dough
250g self-raising flour, plus extra to dust
2 tsp sea salt
250g full-fat Greek yoghurt
1 tbsp chopped tender rosemary leaves
2 tbsp Davidstow Cheddar, grated
1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
For the topping
50ml olive oil
50g unsalted butter
4 banana shallots, peeled and sliced
2 red peppers, peeled, deseeded and sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
1 tender rosemary sprig, leaves picked and chopped
75ml red wine vinegar
50g caster sugar
1 tbsp small capers in brine, drained and rinsed
A bunch of basil, leaves picked and shredded
To make the flatbread dough, place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well until evenly combined and the mixture forms a dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 2 minutes. Cover with a clean damp cloth and set aside while you make the topping.
For the topping, heat a medium pan over a medium heat and add the olive oil and butter. When hot, add the shallots, peppers, garlic and rosemary. Cook, stirring, frequently, for 5 minutes, until the veg start to soften. Lower the heat and cook gently for a further 5 minutes.
Now add the wine vinegar and sugar and cook until the vinegar has reduced right down, then add the capers and season with salt and pepper to taste. Tip the mixture onto a tray and set aside to cool.
Preheat your oven to 220°C/Fan 205°C/Gas 7 and oil two large baking sheets with olive oil.
Divide the bread dough into 4 equal portions and shape each into a ball. Roll out each one to a round or oval, the thickness of a £1 coin. Lift onto the oiled trays.
Stir the shredded basil through the cooled shallot mixture, then divide it between the dough bases, making sure you spread it right to the edges. Bake for 10 minutes.
While the flatbreads are in the oven, oil and season your sardine fillets. Take the flatbreads from the oven and lay 4 sardine fillets on top of each one. Return to the oven and bake for another 8 minutes.
As you take the flatbreads from the oven, drizzle with a little olive oil. Serve at once.
My fish pie
Everyone has their own recipe for a fabulous fish pie. For me, it has to be one-third cod, one-third salmon and one-third smoked haddock. Too much cod and it’s bland, too much smoked haddock and it dominates, too much salmon and it’s greasy. As for those who make it posh with lobster, prawns and scallops, that’s just a waste. I’ve cooked this recipe for two and I’ve cooked it for 200… I think it’s bloody lovely! If you want some veg with it, you can’t go wrong with buttered, minted peas and carrots.
Serves 8
For the mash
1.5kg floury potatoes, such as Maris Piper
100g butter
200ml milk
For the filling
300g cod fillet, skinned
300g smoked haddock fillet, skinned
300g salmon fillet, skinned
1 litre whole milk
100g butter
100g plain flour
2 tbsp finely diced shallots
2 tbsp gherkins, chopped
1 tbsp small capers in brine, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp chopped tarragon
1 tbsp chopped chives
1 tbsp chopped chervil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the topping
150g Davidstow Cheddar, grated
8 medium eggs
For the mash, peel the potatoes and cut into even-sized chunks. Place in a large pan, cover with cold water, add a large pinch of salt and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until tender.
Drain the potatoes and let them sit in the colander for a few minutes, then return to the pan. Mash until smooth and beat in the butter and milk. Season well with salt and pepper and set aside.
Preheat your oven to 180°C/Fan 165°C/Gas 4. For the filling, pour the milk into a large pan and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, cut all the fish into chunks.
Melt the butter in a medium pan over a fairly low heat and stir in the flour. Cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes, being careful not to let it brown. Gradually stir in the hot milk. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. Take off the heat and stir in the shallots, gherkins, capers and herbs. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Add the fish and toss to combine.
Tip the seafood and sauce into a 30cm square (or similar) baking dish. Spoon or pipe the mashed potato on top and scatter over the cheese. Bake for 20 minutes until the topping is golden.
Meanwhile, bring another pan of water to the boil, then carefully lower in the eggs. Cook for 6 minutes, then drain and place under cold running water until the eggs are cool enough to handle. Peel the boiled eggs and cut in half.
When the pie is ready, remove from the oven and poke the halved boiled eggs into the potato topping. Serve straight away.
Smoked haddock and curried lentils, lime yoghurt
Great quality smoked haddock marries surprisingly well with curried lentils, and lime yoghurt lends a cooling, refreshing contrast. If you’re not keen on smoked fish, use plain haddock, hake or cod - something with a good flake to it. And if you’re not a fan of lentils, new potatoes work well.
Serves 4-6
2 sides of smoked haddock, 500-600g each, skinned and pin-boned
100g unsalted butter, diced
50ml light rapeseed oil
Sea salt
For the curry paste
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp yellow mustard seeds
4 garlic cloves, peeled
3 green chillies, halved and deseeded
For the lentils
400g Puy lentils
Light rapeseed oil for cooking
2 red onions, peeled and root removed, thinly sliced
50g fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
350g baby plum tomatoes, halved
100ml tamarind liquid (see note)
100ml coconut milk
50g soft brown sugar
A handful of coriander, leaves picked and roughly chopped
A handful of mint, leaves picked and roughly chopped
For the lime yoghurt
200g full-fat Greek yoghurt
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime
Preheat your oven to 200°C/Fan 185°C/Gas 6.
Oil a sheet of foil large enough to hold the smoked haddock in one layer. Dot the butter over the fish and then cover with another sheet of foil. Fold the edges together to form a sealed parcel and place on a baking tray. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and set the sealed parcel to one side for 10 minutes to rest.
Meanwhile, for the curry paste, finely grind all the spices together in a spice grinder or with a pestle and mortar. Transfer to a small food processor, add the garlic and chillies and whiz to a fine paste, adding a few drops of water if needed. Season with a good pinch of salt.
To cook the lentils, put them into a pan, add water to cover and some salt. Bring to a simmer over a medium heat and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes until just cooked. Drain and tip onto a tray to cool.
Heat a sauté pan and add a drizzle of oil. Add the onions, ginger and garlic and sweat for 2 minutes until starting to soften and colour. Add the curry paste and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes until they start to break down. Add the tamarind liquid, coconut milk and sugar. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
For the yoghurt, in a bowl mix the yoghurt with the lime zest and juice and season with salt to taste.
Unwrap the parcel and flake the fish into a bowl, keeping it in chunky flakes. Reserve the cooking juices.
When ready to serve, add the lentils to the sauce and warm through for 2 minutes. Add half the herbs, the smoked haddock and reserved cooking juices and stir through carefully, trying not to break up the haddock flakes. Divide the curry between warmed bowls. Top with a generous spoonful of the lime yoghurt and scatter over the remaining herbs.
Note To make tamarind liquid, soak a piece (about 25g) of compressed block tamarind in 150ml warm water for 10 minutes, then strain through a fine sieve; discard the pulp.
Crab and saffron pasta bake
Pasta bakes can be boring, but not this one! It’s a fantastic way of using crab, especially as you include the tasty brown meat. Rice-shaped orzo pasta is particularly good here but other pasta works too (see note). I use the best Cornish crab I can get my mitts on but crab from anywhere is fine, so long as it’s fresh. A shaved fennel and rocket salad tossed with a lemony dressing is a great accompaniment, as it cuts the richness perfectly.
Serves 4
150g brown crabmeat
200g white crabmeat, picked
300g orzo pasta
200ml fish stock
150ml milk
300ml double cream
1 tsp saffron strands
35g brown breadcrumbs
30g Davidstow Cheddar, grated
Preheat your oven to 180°C/Fan 165°C/Gas 4.
Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and add the pasta. Bring back to the boil and cook for 6-7 minutes, then drain. Rinse out the pan, then return the pasta to it. Add the fish stock, milk, cream and saffron. Bring to the boil, stirring all the time.
Add the brown crabmeat to the mixture and immediately turn off the heat. Stir well, then add the white crabmeat. Stir again, then tip the mixture into an oven dish.
Mix the breadcrumbs and grated cheese together and sprinkle over the pasta. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and bubbling.
Note You can use any shaped pasta, but you’ll need to adjust the initial cooking time accordingly - the aim is to undercook the pasta by a couple of minutes at this stage.
Smoked salmon, cauliflower and asparagus bake
This is real comfort food for me. It’s the sort of dish I want on a chilly spring evening, with plenty of good crusty bread to mop up the juices. It doesn’t need anything else. You might like to add some extra smoked fish, such as mackerel or haddock, with the salmon. You could also bake small portions in little individual baking dishes to serve as a starter.
Serves 4
200g smoked salmon
50g unsalted butter
50g plain flour
200ml fish stock
200ml whole milk
12 asparagus spears, woody parts removed, cut in half
1 large cauliflower, broken into small florets
2 tsp English mustard
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp chopped tarragon
100g Davidstow Cheddar, grated
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat your oven to 200°C/Fan 185°C/Gas 6. Cut the smoked salmon into strips and set aside.
To make the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes to make a roux. Heat the fish stock and milk together and add to the pan gradually, little by little, stirring all the time to avoid lumps. Once all the liquid is incorporated, cook the sauce over a low heat for 20 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a pan of salted water to the boil. Add the asparagus and blanch for 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and immediately plunge into a bowl of iced water to cool quickly. Blanch the cauliflower for 4 minutes and refresh in the same way.
When the vegetables are cold, drain well and arrange in an oven dish. Lay the smoked salmon over and in between the vegetables.
When the sauce is ready, stir in the mustard and chopped herbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the sauce over the vegetables and scatter the grated cheese on top. Bake for 15 minutes until golden and bubbling. Serve on warmed plates, with bread and butter on the side.