I’ve journeyed along the coast of Croatia, Spain, Greek, Italy & of course France with friends over the cold winter months, continually requesting food pics, and then researching the restaurants, the menus and the ingredients. The traditional & simple recipes cooked with generations respecting history says it all. I love seeing stuffed & grilled local fish & seafood served with seasonal vegetables, olives, herbs & olive oil. Translating the flavour here, if you have access to a pizza oven, cooking your seafood & sides is as close as it gets to cooking in coal pits, outside grills over the beach vista and seaside fish barbecues.
Planning a spring family gathering lends itself to a luscious feast with fish & seafood.
A salad Niçoise base swapping fresh fish would be a winner, substantial, full of flavour and a festive summer sharing platter.
For 6 people, you’ll need
1 kilo of fresh white fish – try Kingfish, Barramundi or your preferred fish.
3 cloves of garlic, crushed and added to 200 mls of Olive Oil in a large bowl.
Add the fish to this mixture, transfer to the fridge for 2 hours while preparing the salad base.
Salad Base
6 free range eggs, boiled for 6 minutes, drain & cool under running cold water, crack the shell to let them cool quicker. When completely cooled, gently peel & slice in half.
200 grams fresh spinach or rocket
1 tin of your favourite anchovies in oil (approx. 95 grams)
1 kilo waxy potatoes, kipflers or baby red rascals, simmered till cooked, about 15 to 20 minutes. Always cook your potatoes in cold water to start.
Crush your anchovies (and the oil in the tin) and dump the cooked potatoes into this mixture, stir to coat the potatoes, cover and let the potatoes soak up the flavour as they cool to room temperature.
200 grams of green beans, trimmed, sliced into 1 inch angled pieces & blanched
1 small red onion thinly sliced, sliced from top to tail
6 large ripe Roma tomatoes, sliced in quarters.
100 grams of black pitted olives, sliced into long slices
Pick the leaves from 1 bunch of basil
30ml Aged Red Wine Vinegar
One lemon, half for the juice, half for wedges to serve,
Mix the vinegar & the lemon juice in a bowl with the salt flakes, add the sliced red onion, toss, then gently toss the sliced tomatoes
Having your Mise en Place organised it’s time to platter this festive dish
Layer the base of your large platter with the rocket or spinach. Spread out the cooled potatoes, then add the tomatoes, onions, green beans & olives evenly over the potatoes. Add the sliced soft boiled eggs around the border & sprinkle with the basil leaves.
You can oven roast your fish, or roast in the barbeque outside. Cook for about 15 to 25 minutes till your fish is just cooked through. Gently lay your cooked fish over the platter and drizzle with the cooking juices, adding the lemon wedges for folk to add extra zing as required.
Summer seafood & fish, the fresher your product, the better it’s going to taste, so an early morning trip to the fish market or your favourite fish supplier is best. Willoughby Seafood on Penshurst Street in North Willoughby has a great reputation.