fish

shrimp laksa bowl

~ aplotzi ~ 1 Comment

Laksa is a creamy coconutty broth which is spicy, delicious and is  a very traditional Thai dish. It’s always served in a big bowl with noodles and with lots of garnishes, so it looks scrumptious. You can also make this recipe with whatever takes your fancy, so you can add different seafood to it like squid and scallops or shell fish. It’s up to you and if you omit the noodles you have a very tasty, creamy low carb meal. It’s perfect for date night dinner with your darling, when you fancy something hot and spicy.

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midnight spaghetti 2

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This is my second midnight spaghetti (sometimes called spaghetti di mezzanotte) only I use linguine, but you can use spaghetti if you prefer. I got this version from The New York Times and because of its simplicity and because it’s not only a great store-cupboard standby, it’s also perfect when you can’t be bothered to cook yet another massive meal at Christmas or any time and fancy something easy, delicious and quick. It’s the chefs choice because they arrive home tired and want something easy to cook after a day of cooking, and the reason it’s really tasty is because it’s flavour bombed with a combo of anchovies, garlic, chilli and capers. I love it with Parmesan or without. It’s also perfect served with a crunchy green salad with my vinaigrette or as a midnight feast in a candle lit kitchen à deux after a party.
Recipe 
Serves 2 (you can double or triple the quantities).
Ingredients:
250g of linguine or spaghetti
3-4 tablespoons of olive oil
4 anchovy fillets chopped
3 garlic cloves peeled and very thinly sliced
1 tablespoon of small capers chopped
¼-1/2 teaspoon of chilli flakes
A small bunch of parsley, finely chopped
Grated Parmesan (optional)
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creamy fish curry

~ aplotzi ~ 6 Comments

I love this delicious Madur Jaffrey dairy free creamy fish curry recipe and have been cooking it for ever. It’s perfect for Friday night dinner, a dinner party or as an antidote to all the Christmas fare at Christmas. It’s great served with a wedge of lime and fantastic to serve on Christmas eve to guests as a simple supper with basmati rice or with whatever you fancy.

Recipe

Serves 4.

Ingredients:
A thumb size piece of ginger
3 green chillies
7 cloves of peeled garlic
400ml can of coconut milk
250ml carton of coconut cream
4 tablespoons of coconut oil or olive
3 medium onions finely chopped
8 small tomatoes halved
800g of white skinless fish (haddock, cod, monkfish), cut into big chunks
¾ teaspoon of turmeric
¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper
A handful of coconut chips, toasted in a dry pan (optional)
A bunch of finely chopped coriander (optional)
Salt to taste

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crab linguine

~ aplotzi ~ 10 Comments

This is my 100th recipe on the blog. I’m really proud and grateful, thank you for subscribing, and as Julia Child used to say Bon Appétit!

I have had the crab linguine lots of times at Polpo restaurant in Nottinghill Gate with my friend Emily, we always order it and we are obsessed with it as it’s so good. I really wanted the recipe, however it isn’t in their cookbooks or online, so I have had to guess what it is. It took me six attempts before I got it right, that’s a lot of linguine and I’m now booking in to a health farm so I can do my jeans up again, however it was worth it. I really think Polpo have nailed it, and I hope you think I have too. The beauty of it is it only takes about twelve minutes to make and you can keep the ingredients in the store cupboard. Perfect for a stress free dinner party or just dinner for two. Ralph has just cooked and tasted it and he thinks that it is so easy and beyond amazing and you should definitely try it and everyone that has cooked this recipe has said it’s the best crab linguine they have ever had. Give it a try…

Recipe

Serves 2 (double or triple the quantities for more people).

Ingredients:
200g of linguine or spaghetti
170g tin of crab meat (drained which becomes 100g) or 100g of fresh white and/or brown crab meat
½ teaspoon of finely chopped red chilli or a pinch of dried chilli flakes
8 cherry tomatoes halved
A sprig of parsley finely chopped
2 tablespoons of fresh grated Parmesan
1 small clove of garlic minced
2-3 tablespoons of butter
Juice of half a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

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paella

~ aplotzi ~ 5 Comments

Hola! This is one of my favourite dishes ever.

I make it with a lower ratio of rice to seafood so it’s mostly seafood, which makes it more delicious and healthier. My version is created with all the amazing moorish flavours that are really special as I combined all the best bits from each Spanish recipe I could find and reworked it and it is really simple to make and only needs one pan. My friends think it is the best paella they’ve ever had, partly because the seafood is steamed on the rice for the last ten minutes so it’s tender and not dried out and over cooked. If you are feeding more people just double or triple the quantities, as needed. Just make sure you use a big enough pan.

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prawn and coconut curry

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This creamy dairy free coconutty curry is a brilliant dinner party dish served with basmati rice and a salad… or make half the quantity for dinner for two.

Serves 4.

Ingredients:
A thumb sized piece of ginger
1-2 green chillies depending on how hot you want it
7 cloves garlic
400 ml can of coconut milk
250 ml coconut cream
4 tablespoons of coconut oil or olive oil
3 medium onions finely sliced
8 small tomatoes halved
400-500g of large raw shelled prawns (I use king prawns)
1 ½ teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
A handful of toasted coconut chips (optional)
A bunch of coriander finely chopped
Salt to taste
1 lime

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venetian sardines

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This recipe was discovered by two pescatarian friends of mine on visits to Venice, and they have cooked it ever since. It’s really delicious despite the ingredients being an unlikely combo of sweet and sour. It’s real name is Sarde in Saor and it is served in most eateries in Venice. Try it for yourself and you will be pleasantly surprised. It also works well with mackerel too.

Serves 4.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup raisins
800g of sardine fillets, also works well with mackerel too
3/4 cup olive oil
3 shallots very finely sliced (I use a mandolin)
1/3 cup of white wine vinegar
1/4 cup of pine nuts
salt and pepper to taste
finely chopped parsley

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asian sea bass

~ aplotzi ~ 4 Comments

Asian flavours are always a winner in my book. This recipe is really easy and tastes sublime. Perfect for dinner for two.

Serves 2.

Ingredients:
2 sea bass
1 tablespoon mirin
20g of finely grated ginger
20g of ginger cut into match sticks and fried till crispy
5 spring onions cut in half
4 tablespoons of light olive oil
3 tablespoons of light gluten-free soya sauce
A sprinkling of roasted sesame seeds (optional)

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baked sea bass

~ aplotzi ~ 7 Comments

This Rick Stein sea bass recipe has all the great flavours of saffron, peppers with a hint of anchovy. One of my ex boyfriends discovered it and used to cook it for me a lot, because we loved it. So it’s perfect on a date night for a supper for two and even better with a salad. It’s a really easy to make too, so you aren’t too tired for your beloved.

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risotto milanese with scallops

~ aplotzi ~ 2 Comments

You can leave the scallops off if you don’t want them, but this combo of flavours is really good with or without. I get frozen scallops from the supermarket which are cheaper, and more convenient, but the scallops from the fish monger are super fab. The risotto is baked so it’s easy and you don’t have to stand over it, whilst entertaining.

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

  • 1 large pinch saffron
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 400g risotto rice
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 1 litre of hot, rich chicken, vegetable or fish stock
  • 30g butter
  • 30g grated Parmesan
  • small bunch parsley finely chopped
  • 1 lemon zested and wedged
  • salt and pepper

For the scallops

  • 200g frozen scallops (thawed)
  • 10 g butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

How:
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Heat a large oven proof saucepan, which has a lid, over medium heat.
Add the oil and onion and cook until soft, about 4 mins.
Add the saffron, rice and stock, cover with the lid and bake for 30 minutes.
Stir in the butter, Parmesan, salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with a sprinkling of parsley, lemon zest and a lemon wedge.

For the scallops, sear the scallops in a hot pan with the olive oil and butter for 1½ minutes each side until golden. Arrange them on top of the risotto.
Serve straight away.