Spaghetti alla Granseola (Spaghetti with Blue Swimmer Crab, Cherry Tomotoes & Basil)

Spaghetti alla Granseola

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Trevally with Currant and Pine Nut Sauce

Trevally with Currant and Pine Nut Sauce

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Marron with Lemon, Chilli, Coriander and Parsley

Marron with Lemon, Chilli, Coriander and Parsley

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Prawn Saganaki

Prawn Saganaki

Ingredients
8 Green King Prawns
2 cloves garlic, peeled, thinly sliced
1 long red chilli, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
4 baby yellow roma tomatoes
4 small black Russian tomatoes
4 baby red roma tomatoes
60g feta
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley leaves
(Optional:  Lemon zest)

1. Cut through the underside of the head and shell of each prawn with kitchen scissors, then use a sharp knife to butterfly the prawns open. Remove the digestive tract and wipe clean with paper towel. Place cut-side up onto a plate.
2. Press garlic, chilli and coriander over the prawn meat, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. Marinate for up to 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven 250°C fan forced.
4. Heat an oven-proof frying pan over high heat until hot. Add enough oil to cover the base then add prawns flesh side down. Cook for 2 minutes, gently pressing flat with a spatula until golden. Turn over and cook few more minutes. Scatter the tomatoes over the pan, season with salt and transfer to the oven. Cook for 3 minutes until tomatoes just blistered.
5. Remove from the oven, crumble over the feta, scatter over the parsley, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Serve in the pan.

Recipe courtesy of:
MasterChef Australia on Ten

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Cured Ocean Trout Carpaccio

Cured Ocean Trout Carpaccio

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Cured Ocean Trout with Remoulade and Dill Vinaigrette

Cured Ocean Trout with Remoulade & Dill Vinaigrette

Cured Ocean Trout:
Ocean Trout filleted with skin on
Lemon rind finely grated
Rock salt or salt flakes
Sugar

Pin bone fillet and trim off and discard belly flaps and blood line as required. Put a large sheet of plastic wrap on a clean work surface. Pat dry fillet with paper towel.
Mix together salt, sugar and lemon rind until well combined.
In a flat, shallow baking tray add half the salt mix and place the fillet on top and cover the fillet with the remaining salt mix. Weight it down, cover and refrigerate.  The curing mixture will draw out the juices.
Remove fillet from the refrigerator and wash off salt mix with water.
Remove the skin and cut into required portions

Remoulade:
Home made mayonnaise (whole egg, Dijon mustard, olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and pepper)
Freshly grated celeriac

Dill Vinaigrette:
Coursely chopped Dill
Olive Oil
Lemon
Red or White Wine Vinegar
Salt and Pepper

Useful Websites:
http://carolcookskeller.blogspot.com/2008/05/citrus-marinated-salmon-with-confit-of.html
Make the citrus marinade for the salmon: Zested one orange, half a lemon, half a lime, and a third of a grapefruit.
Mixed zest in a bowl with some salt, white pepper, and sugar.
Spread part of the marinade on a sheet of aluminum foil, place the salmon fillet (skinned) on top, sprinkle the rest of the marinade on top of the salmon, wrap it up, and put it between two baking sheets (picture looks like baking trays) and put it in the fridge for about three hours.
Remove the salmon from  the refrigerator, rinse off the citrus marinade, pat the fish dry, cut it into servings and sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
Bring a pot of olive oil up to 110 degrees Fahrenheit, add the salmon pieces to it, and poach them in the oil (about 10 minutes).  Take the salmon out of the oil and let them drain for a minute on a paper towel-covered plate.

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Salmon Tartare with Lemon Creme Fraiche

Salmon Tartare with Lemon Creme Fraiche

Serves 2

Salmon Tartare:
250-300g fresh Salmon – skinned and boned (must be of the freshest quality)
Lemon
Chives
Sea salt
Pepper (I used a combination of ground black and white pepper)
Capers (I used dried, salted capers)
Eshallot
Olive Oil
Salmon Roe (to garnish)
Optional:  Finely grated lemon rind, dill

Dice salmon evenly into 1 cm sized cubes – enough to fill 2 small creme brulee sized ramekins.
To the salmon, add a good drizzle of olive oil, juice of about 1/2 a lemon, finely minced eshallot, capers and finely chopped chives. Gently mix until combined.  Season to taste.

Divide salmon mixture into ramekins and press down firmly until even on top.  Place ramekins into the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.

Lemon Creme Fraiche:
Creme Fraiche
Lemon – rind and juice
Lemon Thyme
Sea Salt
Freshly ground white pepper

Thoroughly wash lemon.
Place a couple of large spoon fulls of creme fraiche into a bowl and add finely grated rind from one lemon, juice of 1/2 the lemon, lemon thyme leaves from about 2 sprigs. Season to taste.
Place creme fraiche into a piping bag (I used a zip lock bag) and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Remove ramekins from the refrigerator and carefully run a knife around  the edge and turn out moulded salmon into the centre of each plate and serve with piped creme fraiche and garnish with salmon roe and sprigs of chives.

Notes:
– Salmon was purchased from Christies already filleted and boneless ($29/kilo)
– By adding the lemon juice to the salmon mixture, the  fish looses its shiny colour and turns opaque as the fish starts cooking in the lemon juice. Alternatively mold and plate immediately to eat or drizzle with lemon juice over salmon just prior to serving or use lemon rind only or drizzle with a simple oil and lemon vinaigrette when serving.
– Finely grated lemon rind could be added to the salmon
– Alternatively lemon could be substituted with lime.
– Some recipes suggest placing salmon in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to make it easier to slice.
– Further variations could include ginger or dill and garnishing with baby herbs.

Useful websites:
French Laundry At Home
Masterchef  Salmon Tartare
Delicious Days
Fine Living – Thomas Keller’s Salmon Tartare

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Chargrilled Stuffed Squid with green bean, olive and tomato salad

Chargrilled stuffed squid with green bean, olive and tomato salad

Ingredients
2 whole squid
2 anchovy fillets
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 eshallots, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh ciabatta or sourdough breadcrumbs
1 tsp finely grated lemon rind, plus 1 tbs juice
1-2 tbs coarsely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
¼ cup olive oil, plus extra oil to drizzle
100g green beans, blanched and refreshed in cold water
1 vine-ripened tomato, blanched, peeled, seeded, and diced
2 tbs sherry vinegar
150g marinated kalamata olives, bruised and pitted

1. To clean whole squid pull the tentacles firmly to separate head from tube (try not to break the ink sac, as the ink stains), cut below the eyes and discard head and guts, push beak (mouth) out from between the tentacles, discard beak. Remove quill (see-through plastic-like feather inside hood). Wash inside well to remove any remaining gut. Cut tentacles into 1.5cm lengths. *

2. Heat half the olive oil in a frying pan, cook anchovy, garlic and ecshallots until soft. Add tentacles and cook until opaque and just cooked. Season to taste.

3. Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, beans, olives, ½ tablespoon oil and vinegar in a bowl, season to taste.

4. Combine tentacle mixture in a bowl with lemon, parsley and breadcrumbs.

5. Spoon tentacle mixture into the squid hoods, leaving 1cm at the top to secure with a toothpick, drizzle with a little extra oil. Heat grillpan, cook squid, turning until golden and squid is just cooked through. Slice squid.

6. Divide salad among plates and top with squid, spoon over any remaining dressing to serve.

Notes:
* Skin also needs to be removed from the Squid
Substituted kalamata olives with ligurian olives (sweeter and nuttier)
Used light sourdough baguette from Bourke St Bakery for the breadcrumbs.

Recipe Courtesy of Masterchef Australia on Ten

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