Crunchy Salmon Fishcakes

I never stop asking people around to teach me how to cook salmon. We find plenty of cooking videos online for that and I have tried a lot of them. But I’m quite far from having a collection of healthy food recipes that my family truly loves. So I’d like to share my recent find, crunchy salmon fishcakes for kids!

This is a great dinner-time treat for the kids, the Shredded Wheat and parmesan coating gives the fishcake a delicious crunch.

Annabel Karmel's crunchy salmon fishcakes

Ingredients

• 25g Bitesize Shredded Wheat
• 5 spring onions, finely sliced
• 250g cooked unsalted mashed potato
• 250g uncooked salmon fillet, skinned and chopped into small pieces
• 15g parmesan cheese, finely
• 2tbsp light mayonnaise
• 1tbsp ketchup
• 1tbsp sweet chilli sauce
• 1tsp lemon juice
• 1tbsp dill, chopped

Crumb coating:

• 120g Bitesize Shredded Wheat
• 25g parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 2 eggs beaten
• Light sunflower oil spray for cooking

To decorate:

• 6 slices of hard boiled egg
• 3 mangetout, halved
• Parsley sprigs
• 240g petits pois
• One radish thinly sliced

Method

1. Place 25g Bitesize Shredded Wheat into a freezer bag and use a rolling pin to crush them until they resemble fine shreds.
2. In a large bowl mix together the Shredded Wheat crumbs, spring onions, mashed potato, salmon, mayonnaise, ketchup, sweet chilli sauce, lemon juice, dill and season well.
3. Divide the mixture into 6 balls, chill for 3 to 4 hours to firm up.
4. For the coating place 120g of Shredded Wheat into a freezer bag and use a rolling pin to crush them until they resemble fine shreds. Mix in the grated parmesan cheese.
5. Dip the balls in the beaten egg, shaking off any excess, then coat in the cheesy Shredded Wheat crumb mixture.
6. Dip in the beaten egg a second time then into the cheesy Bitesize Shredded Wheat mixture again to thoroughly coat the balls.
7. Put each ball onto a chopping board or tray and pat into a fish shape, press on extra cheesy Shredded Wheat coating if any bald patches appear.
8. Spray a little sunflower oil into a pan and heat. Fry the fish cakes for 2 to 3 minutes on both sides until golden brown and the salmon is cooked through
9. Place the fish cakes on a plate and decorate with a slice of egg with a pea on top for eyes, half a sugar snap pea for a mouth and a piece of parsley for a fin. Place three slices of radishes for air bubbles coming out of the fish’s mouth.
10. Serve with petits pois which double up as the ocean floor.

By Annabel Karmel for Nestlé Whole Grain Cereals

Warm your Cold Days with Seabass Soup

As you may have known, Sea Bass is one of the most popular fish for cooking a range of fish recipes, and although there are a lot of fish being referred as bass, only black sea bass and striped bass are considered the true bass.

Bass fillets may be cooked and served in healthy meals like bass back, cooked in juniper and almond, which has a lot of interesting flavors and textures mixing in harmony with this dish.

Bass may be also included in healthy food recipes like curries and other savory dishes. Its taste and texture makes it excellent for soups, especially seafood soups served in bread bowls. A great example of this soup recipe is the Seabass Soup which is created by Valentine Warner.

Ingredients

1 fresh sea bass, skinned & filleted and cut into bite size pieces

½ onion, finely sliced

2 small leeks, finely sliced

2 sticks celery, finely sliced

2 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 bulb fennel, chopped

2 bay leaves

300ml white wine

300ml water

Small bunch fresh parsley

Toasted bread to serve

Salt

Black pepper

Olive oil

For the garlic mayonnaise (makes approx 200ml):

2 egg yolks

2 tsp Dijon mustard

½ lemon, juice only

150ml sunflower oil

50ml olive oil

2 cloves garlic, very finely chopped

Preparation

1. Heat some olive oil in a saucepan. Add the onions, leeks, celery, potatoes and fennel seeds to the pan. Cook for approx 8 minutes until softened and then add the fennel, bay leaves, white wine and water. Season with a pinch of salt and a good grinding of black pepper.

2. Bring to a simmer and leave to cook until the potatoes are nearly tender.

3. Now add the fish and stir gently into the pan. Cook for a further 2 -3 minutes before removing from the heat, ready to serve.

4. While the soup cooks, to make the garlic mayonnaise, whisk together the egg yolks, mustard and a tablespoon of lemon juice.

5. Add the sunflower oil in a slow but steady drizzle whisking all the time, then do the same with the olive oil. Season with a pinch of salt. Taste and add a little more lemon juice if necessary. Finish by mixing in the finely chopped garlic.

6. Chop the parsley and mix some through the soup reserving a little for garnish.

7. Spoon some mayonnaise on to toasted bread and serve alongside the soup like giant croutons. Sprinkle with any leftover parsley.

Recipe: Seabass Soup by Valentine Warner from lifestylefood.com.au

Thanksgiving recipe: Gluten Free Fish Pie

Another food trend that’s been going on for quite a while now (aside from paleo-diet; check it out, too) are gluten-free foods. Gluten is a protein complex found in wheat (including kamut and spelt), barley, rye and triticale (Wikipedia). If you’re gluten intolerant, you’ll have problems with Thanksgiving pies! I can’t imagine not eating pies this Thanksgiving.

 

But if you like fish recipes, and you’re into tying out new cooking recipes, then I’d like to share to you this gluten-free fish pie that I saw in Feastie.com. Here’s their recipe:

To serve 2 people.

Filling Ingredients:

175g Smoked Haddock

1 large Squid Tube

6 King Prawns

300ml Milk Bunch of Fresh Parsley

25g Garlic Butter

Sauce Ingredients:

50g Garlic Butter

3 heaped tablespoons

Corn Starch

400ml Milk

5 tablespoons Squid Brand Fish Sauce

Topping Ingredients:

2 medium - large Potatoes

25g Garlic Butter Good pinch of Salt

50g Gruyere

Directions:

1. Topping: Peel the potatoes and boil them on the hob (time will depend on potatoes, around 25 mins for regular white ones), add a pinch of salt to the water.
2. Whilst the potatoes are boiling prepare the seafood. Devein the prawns, remove any skin from the squid and cut into rings, check for any bones in the haddock.
3. Filling: Roughly chop the parsley. Heat a frying pan on high and melt the garlic butter with the milk. Add the seafood and parsley.
4. Cook for a couple of minutes. The prawns will be ready first, you'll know once both sides are pink, remove them and put into your serving dish, then the squid, then the haddock. Keep the milk. Break the haddock into flakes. Sauce: In a saucepan, melt the garlic butter on high, as it melts, slowly add the corn starch and mix with a wooden spoon. Keep adding the corn starch and mixing until you have a smooth blob of roux. Once the roux has formed add the milk that you cooked the seafood in and mix. Add the fish sauce. Keeping the heat at high the sauce will begin to thicken, keep adding the milk and mixing until you get a thick but smooth sauce. Take off the heat and put to one side. Topping: By now your potatoes should be boiled. Put them through a potato ricer for a beautifully smooth mash.
5. Add the garlic butter and salt and mix with a wooden spoon to form the luxurious mash. Heat a grill on high. Pour the creamy sauce over the seafood.
6. Spoon the mash over the filling, grate the gruyere on top. Put under the grill for 10 minutes.

Recipe from feastie.com, Gluten Free Fish Pie

Hastings Dover sole

Dover sole is esteemed in many European cuisines for its subtle delicate flavor with other types ranking lower in the preference of chefs. Similar to most prized seafood, it can be prepared with the simplest of fish recipes including baked fish recipes lightly seasoned; dipped in milk and dusted with a bit of flour; and panfried in olive oil. Since fillet of sole is very flat, it can be rolled like how chicken breast is rolled in your favorite cooking recipes.

Dover sole is a versatile fish that can be cooked whole or as fillets, either grilled, fried or poached. It’s traditionally cooked on the bone, with the upper skin stripped off prior to cooking (you can ask your fishmonger to do this for you). It works best cooked as simply as possible, either grilled, pan-fried or roasted. Dover sole is ideal with flavoured butters or simple sauces. Classic dishes include Sole Véronique (a French dish cooked with grapes and vermouth), Sole à la meunière (sole with a sauce of browned butter, parsley and lemon juice), or goujons (fillet strips dipped in egg and flour and deep- or pan-fried until golden-brown).

Hastings Dover sole

An indulgent meal for one: fresh Dover sole reaches new heights with luscious butter sauce and tiny brown shrimps.

Ingredients

1 whole Dover sole, skinned and trimmed

25g/1oz plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper

25ml/1fl oz olive oil

50g/1¾oz butter

1 shallot, finely chopped

½ lemon, juice only

10g/1/3oz capers

10g/1/3oz fresh parsley, chopped

50g/1¾oz brown shrimp

salt and black pepper

1 lemon, for garnish

Preparation method

Dust the sole in the seasoned flour. Heat a large frying pan until hot, drizzle over the oil and fry the sole on both sides for 2-3 minutes.

In another pan, melt the butter. Add the shallots and cook until they are soft and translucent and the butter is a nut-brown colour. Add the lemon juice (take care as the fat will spit).

Drain the shallots in a fine sieve set over a bowl and use the back of a spoon to squeeze any butter from the shallots. Reserve the buttery juices and discard the shallots. Stir the capers, parsley and shrimps through the flavoured butter and season with salt and pepper to taste.

To make the garnish, carefully peel the lemon and then use a spoon to remove any pith. Finely slice the lemon into rounds (so they resemble flowers).

To serve, spoon the sauce over the sole and top with lemon slices.

Source: bbc.co.uk

Another Way to Enjoy Kingfish – Tipsy Kingfish

Kingfish is a very good addition in starting a very healthy diet, say for example adding it in seafood chowder. Not only is it a very tasty fish, it is also rich in proteins and omega-3 fatty acids that are essential for bodily functions and to promote overall body health.

There are many cooking recipes that can be found to prepare kingfish. Other than cooking them in baked fish recipes, hey may be chargrilled, pan fried, smoked, or incorporated into hearty stews and savory dishes like curry.

Kingfish may be incorporated into pasta, a very fast and foolproof complete meal that’s easy to do. Wholemeal pasta with olives, basil, and kingfish has got protein, good carbs, and vegetables in one plate for lunch or dinner.

There are many ways to enjoy this fish and maximize the flavors to get the potential health benefits. Whether grilled, smoked, baked, or fried, there are a lot of recipes to choose from, depending on personal preference or the mood for the day. Here’s a good way to enjoy king fish for tonight’s dinner.

Tipsy Kingfish 
6-8 kingfish steaks 
Salt and pepper 
1 cup flour 
1/4 cup butter or margarine 
1/4 cup white wine (a light wine such as sauterne is preferred) 
Paprika 

Rinse and dry the steaks. 
Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roll in the flour. 
Place on greased broiler pan and dot with butter. 
Place 5 inches from the broiler for about 3 minutes. 
Pour the wine over the fish. 
Broil an additional 5 minutes. 
Baste with the wine, adding more wine if necessary. 
Sprinkle fish with paprika when it is done.

Simple Trout Salad

Trout are an important part of the food chain, aside from humans, for wildlife like brown bears, birds of prey and other carnivores which catch them during their vulnerable state of migration. It is quite tasty and can be prepared in many fish recipes. Recipes to try out include trout of the lake in compote herbs, healthy food recipes combining it with a multitude of ingredients like walnuts, bacon, broiled lime and tarragon.

Studies show that this fish has one of the lowest amounts of dioxins among oily fish, perfect for healthy food lovers who are looking forward to enjoying it. Adding it to your salad is one great way to do that. This trout salad recipe is a delicious, healthy salad bursting with flavour. Delicate trout fillets with crispy skin sit on a bed of sweet juicy peppers and mangetout. Throw on some lemon dressed rocket leaves to offset the sweetness of the peppers, and you have a salad that showcases some great fresh natural flavours.

Watch the video for the preparation

Ingredients

2 trout fillets

1 red pepper, halved and desseeded

1 yellow pepper, halved and desseeded

Approx 75g mangetout

Half a lemon

Extra virgin olive oil

A handful of rocket leaves

Salt

Pepper

Recipe source: theamateurchef.co.uk

BBQ’d Sea Bass

Bass is one of the most popular fish for many fish recipes. Bass may be included in curries and savory dishes.  Spices like rosemary, garlic, salt, and pepper enrich this hearty soup’s flavor and this makes very delicious, warm, and healthy cooking recipes. This tasty and delicious fish appears in most menus of fine restaurants as well as at the weekend grill, barbecue or even cooked in the oven with your favorite baked fish recipes.

Barbequed Sea Bass is a simple way to cook this fish and still maintain moistness and flavour. 

      Ingredients

For the dipping sauce

100ml/3½fl oz lime juice

100ml/3½fl oz soy sauce or Thai fish sauce

80g/3oz clear honey

1-2 bird’s-eye chillies

4 garlic cloves

10g/¼oz coriander stems, chopped

For the sea bass

1x 2.5-3kg/5lb 8oz-6lb 8oz whole sea bass, gutted and scaled (or 2 x 1.5kg/3lb 5 oz whole sea bass)

salt

3 garlic cloves, crushed

15g/½oz fresh ginger, sliced

3 stalks lemongrass, crushed and roughly chopped

4 lime leaves, crushed

small bunch coriander

2 banana leaves, cut into 25 x 30cm/10 x 12in pieces (available from online specialist suppliers)

4-6 wooden skewers, soaked in water for 20 minutes

Preparation method

For the dipping sauce, blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth.

For the sea bass, preheat your barbecue to a medium (150C/302F) heat. Allow the flames to die down and the coals to be covered in a grey ash.

Score the bass 3-4 times on either side and season with two pinches of salt per side, rubbing it in to the scores.

Stuff the cavity of the fish with the garlic, ginger, lemongrass, coriander and lime leaves.

Wrap the seasoned and stuffed fish in the banana leaves and fasten with the soaked skewers.

Place onto the preheated barbecue and cook on either side for 15-20 minutes with the lid closed.

Remove from the barbecue to a wooden board and allow to rest for a few minutes.

Unwrap the fish from the banana leaves and serve in chunks with the dipping sauce.

Recipe source: BBQ sea bass by Raymond Blanc from bbc.co.uk