SouthseaScene

I love fish and there's such a variety you can find these days in your local supermarket. Eating fish is also good for you and here's a recipe I return to again and again because not only it is simple to make, but also very tasty. Cut a bunch of spring onion into thin sticks. Slice carrots into very thin rounds. Chopped an inch of ginger and set aside. In a mug mix together 3 tbsp each of soy sauce and orange juice, 2 tbsp sherry, 1 tbsp malt vinegar and 1 tsp sugar. Basa fillet (you can use cod or haddock, but basa I find to be the best to hold its form) 150 g per person. Pat dry with kitchen paper and cut into cubes. 2 tsp. Cornflour Salt and pepper Toss the dry fish pieces in the spiced flour and coat evenly. Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a frying pan and when hot enough, add the fish pieces and make sure the pan is not overcrowded. You want the fish pieces to brown to a crisp. Do not turn the pieces until 2 minutes is up, then flip to fry the other side another 2...

Sometimes you don't need to overthink your dinner. Pressed for time, and ideas, I recently fried plaice fillets with butter. The result was really delicious, especially if you squirt some lemon juice over the whole thing afterwards. You want to dust the fillet with plain flour and then fry them for 3-4 minutes on each side. I use 20-25g butter per 120-150g fillet.

Last weekend I was actually planning to make a crab and Gruyere tart, but unfortunately, there was no crab to be found apart from a small tub that will cost a fortune to make. Always happy to use ingredients that are at hand, I decided to make the tart with asparagus instead. Now is the season for local asparagus, that tastes slightly sweeter. For the pastry: 225g plain flour 110 g chilled butter a small glass of chilled water For the filling: 3 medium eggs, lightly beaten 200 ml double cream a pinch of nutmeg 100g Gruyere cheese, grated salt and pepper a bunch of fresh asparagus, about 12 stalks Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celcius and grease an 8-inch (20cm) baking tin with a removable base. To make the pastry, sift the flour into a bowl, then chop the chilled butter into small pieces and drop them into the bowl. Cover the butter pieces with flour and gently rub them with your fingertips until they resemble rough breadcrumbs. Add a pinch of salt and then slowly, a teaspoon at a ti...

This recipe originated from a meal I had at Tita Nelia Salazar's in Surabaya. I was visiting and she made this amazing dish. There are a lot more ingredients on her recipe, but this modification suits my kitchen and it has been a staple in our household for a very long time. Marinade each salmon fillet with 1 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tablespoon malt vinegar. Chop up a clove of garlic and a slice of ginger and add to the marinade with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.  Heat the oven to 180 degrees Celcius and bake the almond kin the juices with the skin side up for 20 minutes. You want the flesh to remain juicy. Serve with mashed potatoes, which can absorb the delicious jus. Steam carrots and broccoli go well with this dish. Thank you Tita Nelia!

Beef Semarang Style or Lapis Daging Semarang (in Indonesian) is a delicious way of cooking beef and a lovely meal to cook for a dinner party as it's simple and easy to prepare. This recipe is for 4 people, but be warned that the portion needs rice and a vegetable side dish to make a complete meal.  Ingredients:  450 grams beef sirloin or rump, sliced thinly, the size of a matchbox 1 medium onion, chopped  3 cloves of garlic  1 tsp freshly ground black pepper  3 tbsp dark soy sauce  ½ tsp nutmeg  1 tbsp dark sugar  2 tbsp oil  2 medium ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped  Gently beat the meat slices with a mallet to thin them out. Put the onion, garlic, pepper, soy sauce, nutmeg and sugar into a blender and blend to a smooth paste. Add a little water if necessary to keep the blades turning. Put the beef slices in a bowl and marinate with the sauce for about 1 hour.  Boil some water and blanch the tomatoes, peel the skin and chop them ...

When big fat and juicy British asparagus are in season, make this simple dish to take advantage of the subtle delicious flavour.  This recipe is for 2 people. Ingredients: A bunch of asparagus 150ml double cream 2 cloves of garlic, peeled but leave whole 30g Parmesan, grated 150g tagliatelle Trim the asparagus by snapping the stem with your fingers. Keep the tips aside. Boil the rest of the broken stems for 3 Min. In a separate pan heat the cream with the whole garlic to infuse the flavours. Add the boiled stem into the cream and blitz with a hand blender. Boil a pan of water for the tagliatelle and at the last 2 Min of boiling, add the asparagus tips. Drain and add pasta and tips to the cream mixture. Add Parmesan and seasonings and serve!

This recipe from Nigel Slater is delicious every time!  Ingredients 250g chicken breast cubed Juice of half a lemon 2 tbsp raisins/sultanas 2 tbsp pine nuts 2 tbsp olive oil 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp dried chilli flakes 1 fresh red chilli, chopped Mint 100g couscous Chicken stock Marinade the chicken together with the raisins, garlic, cinnamon, 1 tablespoon of the Extra Virgin Olive Oil and chillies in the lemon juice for 20 minutes. Dry fry the pine nuts on the pan and set aside. Boil the chicken stock, add to the couscous and cover for 5 minutes.  Heat the other tablespoon of olive oil in a pan and fry the chicken for 4-5 minutes until just cooked. Serve with on a mound of couscous and a scattering of mint. Here I have added some roasted red peppers because I can, but the above makes a richly flavourful dinner without. Thanks, Nigel!

I love noodles and I've tried various recipes to recreate the authentic taste of noodles from back home in Indonesia. I found this version from a different recipe which matched the authentic taste. What I love about this dish is that it's very easy to make. Dried noodles can be ready in 5 minutes, so while it's softening in boiled water, caramelise thinly sliced onions and fry some vegetables like peppers, courgettes, or broccoli. Once the vegetables are cooked, add the noodles and a tablespoonful of soy sauce plus the same quantity of malt vinegar. Mix well and let it brown in places. Then add a dash of oil and when it's hot make a well in the centre of the noodles and drop a whole egg into the well. Let it cook for a minute and then stir to combine the egg with the noodles and vegetables. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with some chilli sauce and prawn crackers, if you have some. This version of fried noodles is closest in taste to the one I ...

We have really enjoyed shopping for fresh fish in Viviers in Camber Dock. We would go and check out what's available during our lunch break and plan our dinner around what we find that day. One of the most common and cheap fish to have is mackerel and at Viviers you can find really shiny (fresh) ones. Mackerel is also easy to prepare, partly because it doesn't have scales. Cleaning scales often adds to the time it takes to prepare fish for dinner.   Here's our fast and delicious recipe for a simple mackerel fillet with chilli and lime Ingredients per person One mackerel, butterflied Juice of half a lime 1 tsp of dried chilli flakes 1 tsp of vegetable oil Line the grill pan with aluminium foil and brush with the vegetable oil. Lay the fillet skin side down and sprinkle with the chilli flakes and squirt with the juice of half a lime. Let it stand for 10-15 minutes if you can to let the chili mingle with the lime juice. Heat the grill and grill for 5-7 minutes...

This rapid coq au vin takes only half an hour to make. For two people, the ingredients are: 2 bacon rashers, chopped 1 medium onion, roughly chopped 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 4 chicken thigh fillets, boned and quartered 1 tablespoon plain flour 150 ml of red wine 200 ml chicken stock 250 grams chestnut mushrooms, quartered a sprig of rosemary Do all the chopping and cutting. Cover the chicken pieces in the flour. Heat the oil in the pan and cook the bacon and onion for 5 minutes, add the chicken pieces and cook for another 5 minutes. Then add the red wine and bubble vigorously for 5 minutes before adding the stock, mushrooms, and rosemary. Simmer for 15 minutes until the chicken is well cooked. I tend to serve this with steamed rice, but it's also delicious with mashed potatoes, served along with some steamed carrots. Crack open a bottle of wine and enjoy!

As we're now on Coronavirus lockdown and supply is getting low, this simple recipe that uses very few ingredients might be helpful (if you can find pasta!). Prawns - 150 g pack serves 2 generously and 3 at a stretch Linguine - 75 g per person Garlic - 1 clove, crushed and diced Red chili - 1 medium, diced (substitute with 1 tsp dried red chili flakes) Butter - 25 g (or 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil) Sliced spring onions, if available - it just makes the meal a bit more moreish Parmesan - 25 g, grated Half a lemon to add zing, but also optional Boil some water in the pan and add the linguine. Set the timer to 10 minute as it takes the linguine 8-10 minutes to cook. Then melt the butter in a pan and add the spring onions, garlic and chilli. Fry it gently and as the timer shows 3 minutes to go, add the prawns and salt and pepper and drain the linguine into the pan with a little of the water to keep everything moist. Only cook the prawn for 3 minutes so it rem...

I love traditional recipes and someone just posted this one. Worth a try. These are said to have been made by a travelling food seller, Maggie Bridie of Glamis (in the days when the county of Angus was called Forfarshire). They were mentioned by J M Barrie (author of Peter Pan) who was born in Kirriemuir in that county. The original recipe used suet but since that is not always to everyone's taste, you can use butter or margarine. Ingredients (for six bridies): 1½ lbs (700g) boneless, lean rump steak. Lean minced beef can also be used. 2 oz (2 rounded tablespoons) suet or butter or margarine 1 (or 2) onion, chopped finely 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder Quarter cup rich beef stock Salt and pepper to taste 1½ lbs flaky pastry (home made or from a pastry mix packet) Method: Remove any fat or gristle from the meat and beat with a meat bat or rolling pin. Cut into half-inch (1cm) pieces and place in a medium bowl. Add the salt/pepper, mustard, chopped onion, suet (or butter/margarine) an...

Cooking for Valentine's Day need not be complicated. In fact, the joy is in preparing something to savour together. It's all about sharing the experience. So try this recipe for a romantic dinner. Ingredients: 1 tbsp vegetable oil 100g minced beef 1 small carrot, diced 1 small stick of celery, diced 1 small onion, diced 1 tsp thyme, fresh or dried salt and pepper puff pastry Heat the oil in a pan and add the onion, carrots and celery. Fry on medium heat for 5 minutes and let it sweat a little. Then add the mince and garlic, stir for 5 minutes or until the meat has turned brown. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the mixture into two small baking dishes; heart-shaped ramekins if you have them. Roll the puff pastry and cut into shape to cover the top of the baking dishes. You can add pastry hearts or initials if you want make it even more special. Pre-heat the oven as the pastry perform much better in a preheated oven. Bake for 15 minutes or ...

This is a recipe find that's great for cooking when you have had a long day at work, but you want something fancy and tasty. this takes 30 minutes to cook. Ingredients (to serve 4) 6 boneless chicken thighs quartered 6 rashers, smoked streaky bacon cut into short strips 1 tbsp oil 2 onions roughly chopped 2 tbsp flour 150 ml red wine A sprig or two of rosemary or thyme - I prefer rosemary for this myself 250g white cup mushrooms 200 ml hot chicken stock a pinch of parsley chopped - as a garnish, but hey you're short of time! Heat the oil in a pan and cook the onion and bacon for 2-3 minutes. Dust the chicken with flour, shake off any excess, add to the pan and cook for 5 minutes until golden brown. Add the wine and herb and bubble vigorously for 5 minutes, then add the mushrooms and the hot stock. Cover and simmer gently for 10-15 minutes, or until the mushrooms are tender and the chicken cooked through (no pink meat). Sprinkle with parsley and serve with st...