Rose Gray - River Cafe Pocket Books: Fish and Shellfish

Contents List of Recipes

Introduction Every region of Italy has its own way of cooking fish and the recipes in this book reflect these regional differences. For simplicity, we have divided the chapters by the methods of cooking grilling, roasting, frying and poaching appropriate to each fish. In Liguria, where the fish is mostly small, fresh anchovies and sardines are fried in different ways. On the Tuscan coast and down to Rome, fish such as sea bass and red mullet are nearly always grilled whole. And raw fish has become increasingly popular in Puglia we ate raw tuna cut thickly with bruschetta, and in the Veneto lovely sweet langoustine carpaccio served with a ripe, fruity olive oil. Every region has its own way of preparing salt cod.

Travelling throughout Italy we have learned that the way you serve fish depends on where you are. A good fishmonger will have a wide variety of fish and be willing to prepare it in the way you require for your recipe. Most importantly the fish must be fresh. Look for bright eyes, scarlet gills, firm flesh and shiny scales. The stiffer the fish, the better. All recipes serve four unless otherwise stated. All recipes serve four unless otherwise stated.

All herbs are fresh unless otherwise stated. All eggs are large, free-range, organic unless otherwise stated. Wash all fresh herbs, fruits and vegetables in cold water before use. CHAPTER ONE RAW FISH

1 Sea bass carpaccio 2.5kg Sea bass, filleted 8 Cherry tomatoes, halved Juice of 2 lemons, plus 1 lemon cut into quarters 3 Dried red chillies, crumbled 3 tbs Marjoram leaves Extra virgin olive oil Place the bass fillets skin-side down on a board. Using a long-bladed knife, cut into slices as finely as you can along the whole length of the fillet. Place the slices side by side on cold plates.

Squeeze the juice and some pulp out of the tomatoes over the bass. The tomato acids will cook the fish. Drizzle with the lemon juice, season and add a few flakes of chilli. Drizzle with olive oil and scatter over the marjoram leaves. Serve with the lemon quarters. 2 Raw tuna bruschetta 500g Tuna loin, trimmed of skin and sinew 2 Dried red chillies, crumbled 1 Lemon, cut into quarters Extra virgin olive oil Bruschetta 4 Slices of sourdough bread 1 Garlic clove, peeled Extra virgin olive oil Cut the tuna across the grain into slices 5mm thick.

For the bruschetta, grill the bread on both sides. Rub one side lightly with the garlic clove, season and drizzle with olive oil. Serve the tuna raw beside the bruschetta, sprinkled with the chillies, black pepper and sea salt. Serve with the lemon quarters.

3 Langoustine carpaccio 16 Live langoustines Juice of 1 lemon, plus 2 lemons, cut in half Put the langoustines on a board and, with a sharp knife, cut lengthways from the head down. Season. Season.

Squeeze over the lemon juice and serve immediately with the lemon halves.

4 Fresh anchovies with chilli 500g Fresh anchovies, filleted 1 Dried red chilli, crumbled 2 tbs Finely chopped flat-leaf parsley Juice of 4 lemons Extra virgin olive oil In a serving dish, arrange a layer of anchovies side by side, not overlapping, and sprinkle with a little sea salt, black pepper, chilli and parsley. Pour over a generous amount of lemon juice this is what cooks the anchovies and some olive oil. Repeat the layers, ensuring the top layer is covered with oil and lemon. Cover with cling film and leave to marinate for at least 1 hour before serving with bruschetta (). 5 Fresh anchovies with rosemary 500g Fresh anchovies, filleted 1 Rosemary sprig 1 tsp Fennel seeds, ground 1 Dried red chilli, crumbled Juice of 2 lemons 3 tbs Red wine vinegar Extra virgin olive oil Finely chop the rosemary and mix it with 1 tbs of sea salt.

In a serving dish, arrange a layer of anchovies skin-side up, packing them closely together. Sprinkle over the rosemary, fennel, chilli and some black pepper. Pour over the lemon juice this is what cooks the anchovies the vinegar and some olive oil. Cover with cling film and leave to marinate for at least 1 hour before serving with bruschetta ().

CHAPTER TWO GRILLED FISH 6 Grilled sea bass brushed with rosemary and olive oil 2kg Whole sea bass, scaled and cleaned 2 Rosemary branches 1 Lemon, cut into quarters Extra virgin olive oil Preheat a grill, griddle pan or barbecue. Season the inside of the fish.

Put one rosemary branch in the cavity and lightly rub olive oil over the fish, especially on the tail. Generously season the outside of the fish. Put 6 tbs of olive oil in a small bowl. Place the fish on the preheated grill and brush it with the second rosemary branch dipped in the oil. Turn it over after about 8 minutes, brush again and season. Cook for a further 8 minutes, brushing the fish as it cooks.

Put the fish on a serving plate. Serve with the lemon quarters. 7 Grilled whole baby squid 600g Baby squid, cleaned 3 tbs Roughly chopped marjoram 2 Dried red chillies, crumbled Juice of 1 lemon, plus 1 lemon cut into quarters Extra virgin olive oil Preheat a grill, griddle pan or barbecue. Season the squid generously, inside and out. Push 1 tsp of marjoram inside each sac. Season. Season.

Place the squid bodies and tentacles on the hot grill and squeeze over a little lemon juice. When the flesh is lightly charred, turn immediately and grill on the other side. Serve with the sauce and the lemon quarters.

8 Grilled squid, chilli and rocket 4 Medium squid, cleaned Fresh Red Chilli Sauce () 200g Rocket Juice of 1 lemon, plus 1 lemon cut into quarters Extra virgin olive oil Preheat a grill, griddle pan or barbecue to very hot. Using a serrated knife, score the inner side of each flattened squid body with parallel lines 1cm apart, and then equally apart the other way to make cross-hatching. Place the squid and tentacles scored-side down on the grill and season.

Grill for 12 minutes. Turn the pieces over. Turn again and the pieces will immediately curl up, by which time they will be cooked. Combine 6 tbs of olive oil with the lemon juice in a bowl and season. Toss with the rocket leaves. Put the squid and tentacles on a plate with the rocket.

Spoon the chilli sauce over the squid and serve with the lemon quarters. 9 Grilled halibut 4 Halibut steaks, 23cm thick 2 Lemons, cut into quarters Salsa Verde () Extra virgin olive oil Preheat a grill, griddle pan or barbecue to hot. Lightly season the halibut on both sides and brush with olive oil. Place the fish on the grill and cook for 2 minutes, or until it comes away easily from the grill and is lightly browned. Turn over and grill on the other side for 2 minutes. 10 Grilled turbot 4 220g Turbot fillets Salsa Verde () 1 Lemon, cut into quarters Extra virgin olive oil Preheat a grill, griddle pan or barbecue. 10 Grilled turbot 4 220g Turbot fillets Salsa Verde () 1 Lemon, cut into quarters Extra virgin olive oil Preheat a grill, griddle pan or barbecue.

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