SouthseaScene

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!

This orange and Harissa glazed mackerel take minutes to cook and ideal for a midweek supper. Mackerel has a strong flavour and so can take the robustness of the Harissa sauce.  Mackerels are easy to fillet yourself because there are no scales to clean and the flesh would usually come off the bones easily. Fresh fish should have bright eyes, shiny skin and smells of the sea.  Ingredients for cooking 2 mackerels: 2 tbsp vegetable or olive oil 1 tbsp plain flour 1 tsp paprika 2 tbsp Harissa powder 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil zest and juice of 1 small orange In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoon Harissa powder with 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and zest and juice of one small orange. Then mix 2 tablespoons of flour with 1 teaspoon paprika and dust the fillets in this. Fry the fillets skin side down first for about 3 minutes and then the other side for 2 minutes. When the mackerel is fried, add this mixture and let it boil to a sticky sauce.  Serve these delicious fillets ...

One of the best things of living by the sea (and on an island) is the access to fresh fish. Okay, this one we had tonight was from Waitrose but I have been hankering over some lovely fish dinner after the heaviness of the Christmas food orgy. This seabass recipe is delicious with some jacket potatoes and steamed vegetables. Tonight we had Helda beans which is sweeter and less stringy. You just need to steam it for 3 minutes. So here's the recipe... Make sure the fish is nicely descaled and gutted. Seabass gills can be really sharp so ask your fish counter to do the job of descaling and cleaning the fish. Keep the head on. Score the side of the seabass. Slice some ginger thinly and insert the ginger pieces into the slits. For each seabass, marinate with 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsbp orange juice, juice of half a lemon and 2 tbsp of vegetable oil. Leave it for an hour or so, if possible. Then put the fish under a heated grill for 7 minutes on one side and 4-5 minute...

This article appears in the Portsmouth View published 12 August 2016.  Portsmouth has become a real foodie paradise and no one is more pleased about it than me. I love food, not only in eating it, but also in creating meals. So living here is such a delight for me. The monthly farmers market on Palmerston Road is a must and the next one is on 21 August. It is the best place to find fresh local produce and stock up on delicious cakes, preserves or wines. Summer also means food festivals of which there are many you can find in this bustling city. We have just witnessed a Gin Festival in Portsmouth Guildhall, home also to beer festivals. In fact, make a note in your diary for the Octoberfest celebration there on 21 October. This weekend the Thai Food Festival in Castle Field, a regular feature on the summer calendar, will complement the Kite Festival nicely offering favourites such as pad-thai and fishcakes. Of course we also have the annual Southsea F...