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SYDNEY SEAFOOD SCHOOL |
NOVEMBER 2008 - FEBRUARY 2009 |
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ROBERTA’S LETTER |
Make a New Year’s resolution to try some new seafood recipes, it’s easy with our inspirational line-up of exciting guest chefs including: Jonathan Barthelmess from Coast, Justin North from Bécasse, Mark Jensen from Red Lantern (see Chef Profile - CLICK HERE) and Lauren Murdoch from Ivy’s Ash Street Cellar.
Fresh seafood is the perfect base for quick and delicious salads, from retro Prawn Cocktails to a modern spin on Salade Niçoise, so we’ve developed a new Seafood Salads class for this program featuring 3 fast and fabulous dishes ideal as entrées or light meals. Plus there’s a feast of our ever-popular classes including Seafood BBQ, Thai, Salt & Pepper Prawns, Tapas and Chilli Crab.
The full program of Sydney Seafood School classes (plus guest chefs’ profiles) and the latest FISHline News can be viewed on our website.
Hope to see you at a class soon,
Roberta Muir
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Here’s Sydney Seafood School’s summer program of classes with a mouth-watering array of seafood dishes and another scrumptious issue of FISHline News, full of recipes, species info and cooking tips (and remember recipes from back issues of FISHline News can all be found at www.sydneyfishmarket.com.au).
If you’re looking for inspiration for the celebrations ahead, November’s your month, with the Australian Gourmet Traveller crew demonstrating recipes
to help you through the silly season; Kathy Snowball presenting a 3-course Festive Entertaining menu to delight family and friends without exhausting the cook; and Lyndey Milan’s Seafood and Bubbles Workshop with 4 fast and fabulous seafood dishes accompanied
by 4 festive sparklers.
New cookbooks are almost as much a part of the festive season as pine trees and Christmas cards, and on
25 November Lucio Galletto presents recipes from his beautiful new book Lucio’s Ligurian Kitchen, while Christine Manfield showcases recipes from
her spectacular new tome, Fire, on
6 December
(see Book Review - CLICK HERE).
In December Matthew Moran, from Aria Restaurant, presents his spin on modern Australian cuisine and Sean Connolly teaches recipes from the funky new Sean’s Kitchen.
And if time’s running out for Christmas shopping, remember you can purchase and print instant gift certificates
anytime of the day or night at www.sydneyfishmarket.com.au –
perfect for last minute shopping!
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SYDNEY SEAFOOD SCHOOL NOVEMBER 2008 - FEBRUARY 2009 |
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| FOOD WEBSITES |
Swiss lawyer François-Xavier (FX) shares his passion for gastronomy and cooking via FX Cuisine www.fxcuisine.com – whether it’s a Clam Juice Risotto recipe (using Mussels), the story of a visit to a Swiss cheese maker high in the Alps, or a review of Istanbul’s most popular seafood restaurant, there’s plenty to keep any foodie amused for hours.
Franz Scheurer from Australian Gourmet Pages www.australiangourmetpages.com provides wine suggestions for all the recipes in this newsletter. The AGP website includes restaurant, food, wine and spirit reviews and articles, and you can subscribe to the FREE e-newsletter from the homepage.
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Visit the FISHline pages at
www.sydneyfishmarket.com.au, for recipes, step by step preparation diagrams, information sheets on popular species, and tips on buying, storing and cooking fresh Australian seafood.
Oyster fans should check out
Moonlight Flat Oysters’ website
www.moonlightflatoysters.com.au –
where Oyster grower Steve Feletti shares all sorts of Oyster news and trivia. You can subscribe to his free newsletter online too.
Interested in reading more about the health benefits of seafood? Visit Oil of Pisces
www.oilofpisces.com for summaries of the latest research on fish oil and health.
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SYDNEY SEAFOOD SCHOOL NOVEMBER 2008 - FEBRUARY 2009 |
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FEATURE SPECIES: BUGS |
Killing Bugs
The easiest and most humane way to kill any crustacean is to chill it in the freezer for 30-45 minutes until it becomes insensible (but not long enough to freeze it). This should be long enough to kill Bugs, which can then be refrigerated as above (see www.rspca.org.au/policy/PostionG3.2.pdf for details on killing other live crustaceans).
Cooking
Steam, poach, deep-fry, pan-fry, stir-fry, grill, or barbecue Bugs. Moreton Bay Bugs have a sweet rich flavour, stronger than Rocklobsters but milder than Balmain Bugs, which have a more ‘fishy’ flavour. Undercook, rather than overcook, Bugs, as they will continue cooking in the residual heat; if overcooked the meat will be tough and leathery. Use the shell to flavour stocks, soups and sauces.
To boil an uncooked Bug, chill it well if it’s alive (see Killing Bugs above), then place into a large pot of rapidly boiling water that has been well salted (½ cup table salt to 2.5 litres water), for 6-8 minutes depending on size, timed from when the water returns to the boil. Refresh in iced water.
To serve in shell: place the chilled or cooked Bug on its back and, using a sharp knife or Chinese cleaver, split the length of the shell from head to tail. As Bugs have thick shells, which can be difficult to cut in half, you can always ask your fishmonger to halve them for you. Remove the digestive tract (grey thread) running down the middle of the tail meat and use a teaspoon to clean out the head cavity; some people retain the yellowy-orange tomalley or ‘mustard’ (liver), to enrich sauce or mayonnaise.
To serve meat only: either split Bug lengthwise (as above) and lift out the 2 pieces of meat, or, to keep the meat in one piece, turn tail over and cut down either side of the underside of the tail shell using kitchen scissors, peel shell back and remove meat.
Serving
Do not recook cooked Bugs, serve cold in salads or with mayonnaise (flavoured with garlic or herbs) or other dipping sauce; they’re excellent split in half as part of a cold seafood platter, and the meat can be used as a garnish for soups, tossed through hot pasta or in other dishes where it’s only lightly reheated, such as omelettes. To barbecue, cut in half lengthways and cook in the shell with garlic or herb butter drizzled over the cut surface. The firm raw flesh holds together well in soups, curries and casseroles and threaded on skewers for kebabs. Bugs can be used in almost any recipe calling for Lobsters, Rocklobsters, Prawns or Freshwater Crayfish.
The Eyes Have It
Remember how to tell Balmain and Moreton Bay Bugs apart: Balmain is a narrow peninsula and Balmain Bugs’ eyes are narrow, located close together in the centre of their heads. Moreton Bay is a wide bay and Moreton Bay Bugs’ eyes are set broadly apart on either side of their shells. Slipper Lobsters’ eyes are in between, closer to the edges than the centre, but not on the actual edge.
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Balmain Bug
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Moreton Bay Bugs
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While most of us would think twice about eating insects, one of Australia’s most sought-after seafood species is commonly known as a ‘Bug’. Members of the Scyllaridae (shovel-nosed or slipper lobster) family are closely related to Rocklobsters, and sometimes called bay, squat, shovelnose, or slipper lobsters, mostly due to their broad, squat shape.
They often bury themselves in sand or mud during the day and become active after dark, leading to their other common names of sand, or mud, bug. They’re generally available year round with peaks in late summer and autumn and are a great alternative to Rocklobsters and Prawns in most recipes.
There are 2 main types of Bugs available in Australia:
Balmain Bug refers to the seven Ibacus species found in Australia, the largest and most common of which is the Eastern Balmain Bug (Ibacus peronii). Despite their name, they aren’t unique to the Balmain area of Sydney, but are found around the southern half of Australia (with a pocket further north near Broome), though they’re mainly caught off NSW. They’re generally smaller than Moreton Bay Bugs with a broader body.
Moreton Bay Bug is the general name for members of the Thenus species; specifically the Sandbug (Thenus orientalis) and Mudbug (Thenus indicus). They’re found much further afield than Queensland’s Moreton Bay, living around the northern half of Australia’s coast, though caught mainly off northern Queensland. They’re generally larger than Balmain Bugs with a narrower body.
Slipper Lobster is another type of Bug harvested recreationally and occasionally seen in regional markets, especially in Queensland. They’re more like a Rocklobster in size (up to 50cm long), though not in shape, with broad flat bodies, small legs and short broad antennae; unlike other Bugs, their first pair of legs is larger than the rest.
Buying
Bugs are usually sold whole, sometimes live but often already cooked. If possible buy live from a tank, in which case they should be lively with a hard shell (indicating that they haven’t recently moulted) and all legs and antennae should be intact. Unlike Crabs and Rocklobsters, Bugs don’t survive well out of water; if buying chilled green (raw dead) Bugs, ask when they were alive, they should only be stored chilled for about 48 hours before being cooked. In cooked Bugs, look for brightly coloured, firm, intact, lustrous shells, without any discolouration, particularly at joints, and a pleasant fresh sea smell. They should feel heavy for their size and their tails should be tightly curled.
Storing
Live Bugs won’t survive long out of water and deteriorate quickly once dead. Live Bugs can be stored in a container, covered with a damp cloth, in the warmest part of the refrigerator (usually the crisper), for a few hours. If keeping any longer, chill them in the freezer to kill them quickly (see Killing Bugs below); wrap green or cooked Bugs or Bug meat in plastic wrap or place in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days (from when they were alive) or freeze for up to 3 months below -18°C.
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SYDNEY SEAFOOD SCHOOL NOVEMBER 2008 - FEBRUARY 2009 |
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MORETON BAY BUG SALAD WITH ROCKET, ASPARAGUS & SAFFRON |
BARBECUED SESAME LIME MARINATED BUGS
Halved Bugs in their shells make an impressive presentation piled on a platter, and this zesty marinade doubles as a spicy dipping sauce for the meat, which lifts easily out of the shells.
Serves 4 as an entrée
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12 green Balmain Bugs
(see notes)
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Sesame Lime Marinade
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2 limes, zested and juiced
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2 cloves garlic, crushed
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1 tablespoon sambal
oelek (see notes)
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⅓
cup peanut oil |
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1 teaspoon sesame oil
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2 tablespoons mirin
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1 tablespoon soy sauce |
Make Sesame Lime Marinade: combine all ingredients, mixing well.
Cut Bugs in half lengthways using a large sharp knife or Chinese cleaver; kitchen scissors can be useful to help cut through the last of the shell, especially on larger Bugs (see notes). Remove the digestive tract (grey thread) running down the middle of the tail meat, use a teaspoon to clean out the head cavity and place Bugs in a large shallow bowl. Pour marinade over them and leave to marinate for 15-20 minutes, turning once.
Meanwhile, heat a barbecue or char-grill plate.
Drain marinade off Bugs into a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Boil for a few minutes to thicken slightly. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, cook Bugs on barbecue, top shell-side down, for 3-4 minutes, until shells turn orange, then turn and cook underside for 3-4 minutes. Cook flesh-side for a further minute.
Pile Bugs on a platter and serve reduced marinade as a dipping sauce on the side.
Notes: If Bugs are live, chill them in the freezer for 30-45 minutes to kill them before cooking (see www.rspca.org.au/policy/PositionG3.2.pdf for more details). As Bugs have thick shells, difficult to cut through without a sharp, heavy knife, you can ask your fishmonger to halve them for you. Sambal oelek is an Asian paste of salt and chillies, a quick way to get a chilli kick into any dish, not just Asian ones; substitute with ¼ teaspoon dried chilli flakes or 1 small red chilli finely chopped if you prefer.
Wine suggestion: The acidity in this dish needs a touch of up-front sweetness and the Marc Brédif Vouvray 2004 is the perfect match. Sweet at first with lots of quince and honeysuckle, it finishes long and quite dry with a hint of orange blossoms.
www.negociantsaustralia.com
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Moreton Bay Bug Salad with Rocket, Asparagus & Saffron
Photo by Franz Scheurer
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Barbecued Seame Lime Marinated Bugs
Photo by Franz Scheurer
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This quick and easy entrée, using already cooked Bugs, can be prepared an hour or so ahead of time, covered and refrigerated; remove from the fridge 15 minutes before serving and drizzle on the aïoli at the last moment.
Serves 8 as an entrée
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8 cooked Moreton Bay Bugs |
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¼ cup extra virgin olive oil |
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1 tablespoon lemon juice
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Salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to taste |
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200g wild or baby rocket, washed and dried
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2 bunches thin green asparagus, blanched (see notes)
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Saffron Aïoli
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A pinch saffron threads, soaked in 1 tablespoon of water for 15 minutes
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2 cloves garlic, crushed
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½ cup whole-egg mayonnaise (see notes) |
Make Saffron Aïoli: whisk saffron mixture and garlic into mayonnaise. Set aside.
Slice Bugs lengthways and remove the meat from the shells, remove the digestive tract (grey thread) running down the middle of the tail meat. Trim ends of meat and chop the trimmings.
Combine olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and toss with rocket. Mound on a serving platter and arrange asparagus spears and all the Bug meat on top. Drizzle over some of the Saffron Aïoli and serve with remaining Aïoli passed separately.
Notes: If asparagus spears are thick and woody, snap off and discard the bottom section and use a potato peeler to peel the spears; if they are thin, you may only need to cut off the very end and not need to peel them. Blanch asparagus in well-salted boiling water for 30 seconds to 1 minute, then refresh in ice water, or cold running water, to stop the cooking. If you don’t want to make your own mayonnaise, use one made from whole eggs such as S&W or Thommy.
Wine suggestion: The Yalumba Y Series Viognier 2007 has the backbone this dish needs, with ginger and orange zest on the nose, spicy and mysterious, with grapefruit and apricots flooding the palate. www.yalumba.com
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SYDNEY SEAFOOD SCHOOL NOVEMBER 2008 - FEBRUARY 2009 |
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SEASONAL SEAFOOD – SPRING |
Leatherjackets are a deliciously moist white-fleshed fish often overlooked as they aren’t easy to fillet, but they’re usually sold as skinless trunks (i.e. head off) and the perfect fish to serve on the bone. Trim fins and tail, arrange in an oiled baking dish, sprinkle with salt and pepper and pour over some tomato passata (make your own by frying some onion and garlic in olive oil and adding a can of crushed tomatoes or buy a ready-made one from the supermarket or deli), scatter with capers, chopped basil and black olives, turn to coat in sauce and bake at 180°C for about 20 minutes, until flesh flakes when tested with a fork. Serve with couscous or steamed rice.
Tiny School Prawns are plentiful in spring and summer. Dust in flour, deep-fry and eat shell and all, drizzled with chilli oil or with mayo on the side spiced with sambal oelek (chilli paste), wasabi or curry powder.
Also in season…
Spring is the time for tiny new season vegetables, perfect for a light pasta dish: steam Blue Mussels open in a little white wine, taking them out of the pan as soon as they open and removing the meat from the shells; toss in a frying pan with plenty of olive oil, shelled green peas, sliced zucchini flowers, and sliced thin green asparagus or other fresh new-season greens, salt, pepper and freshly boiled short pasta such as penne. Snake beans are the perfect addition to a stir-fry, toss in hot peanut oil in a wok with peeled green Prawns until Prawns just change colour, then add a splash of green ginger wine, good dash of soy sauce, grated ginger, chopped garlic, pinch of castor sugar and squeeze of lime juice and serve over steamed jasmine rice.
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Spanner Crab
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Like all fresh food, the supply of seafood is affected by seasons and weather patterns. Some species are definitely more abundant (and therefore usually less expensive) at certain times of the year. The good news however is that with Australia’s diversity of climate, and the increase in aquaculture, many species are available all year round. Following are some species that are abundant in NSW during spring. For more details, visit www.sydneyfishmarket.com.au and check out the FISHline Seasonality Calendar.
Spanner Crabs, so named for their spanner-shaped nippers, tend to be a bit easier to pick than other Crabs. Cook a head of broccoli in some chicken stock until tender, puree in a food processor with a hefty dollop of sour cream, a handful of dill and a good grinding of salt and pepper, thin with a little milk or stock if necessary and garnish with cooked Spanner Crab meat. Sydney Rock Oysters are at their best from October – May, purists believe that freshly shucked they need no adornment, but they also make a great entrée served alongside a shot of Bloody Mary made by combining 150ml vodka, 20ml Worcestershire sauce, a good shake of Tabasco, 20ml lemon juice, 1 litre tomato juice, salt and pepper. Or, for a cocktail party, pop an Oyster in a shot glass and top up with Bloody Mary mixture.
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SYDNEY SEAFOOD SCHOOL NOVEMBER 2008 - FEBRUARY 2009 |
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FAQ: ANSWERS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS |
What’s the difference between a Lobster, a Rocklobster and a Crayfish?
True Lobsters, common in Europe and North America, have large edible front nippers and are only found in the Atlantic Ocean. Their Australian relations, with much smaller front claws, are Rocklobsters, though they’re often mistakenly called ‘lobsters’ or ’crayfish, and are known as spiny lobsters in other parts of the world. Crayfish, the freshwater relatives of Lobsters and Rocklobsters (called crawfish in the USA), are much smaller and found in rivers, dams and lakes. Yabby, Marron and Redclaw are the most common varieties. Slipper Lobster is another name for Balmain or Moreton Bay Bugs
(see Feature Species - CLICK HERE).
Why do seafood prices
vary so much?
Fresh Australian seafood is largely a product of wild harvest, its supply affected by seasons and weather, so its price is driven by supply and demand much more so than prices of shelf-stable commodity foods. Most fresh Australian seafood consumed in Sydney is bought through Sydney Fish Market’s daily auction where buyers bid for the fishermen’s catch. If there’s an abundance of a particular species, the price will be lower as there’s enough to go around. But if a species is scarce, the buyers will drive the price higher in an attempt to outbid one another for the little that’s available. Increased demand over Christmas, Easter and other public holidays also therefore drives prices higher.
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Rocklobster
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Check the FAQ page in the FISHline section of www.sydneyfishmarket.com.au and if you can’t find the answer there, email fishline@sydneyfishmarket.com.au
with your question.
What’s the difference between a fillet,
a cutlet and a steak?
Whole fish can be cut in several different ways. A fillet is the whole side of a fish cut away from the central back bone and rib cage. You may need several fillets from very small fish, such as Sand Whiting, to serve 1 person, while those from a larger fish, such as an 800g Snapper, may be an ideal portion size for 1 person. Fillets from very large fish, such as Swordfish or Tuna, are usually sliced vertically into steaks that are a suitable portion size for 1 person. Cutlets are a section sliced vertically through the whole fish, leaving the bones in; Salmon and Blue-eye Trevalla are often seen as cutlets.
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SYDNEY SEAFOOD SCHOOL NOVEMBER 2008 - FEBRUARY 2009 |
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DEMONSTRATOR PROFILE:
FIONA FORSYTH
Apart from the guest chef classes, all of the Sydney Seafood School’s regular classes (such as BBQ, Thai, Tapas, Chilli Crab and more) are taught by dedicated experts with many years' cooking and presenting experience. Fiona Forsyth also works fulltime in the School, managing FISHline enquiries.
Perhaps cooking’s in Fiona’s blood, her grandmother and mother both gaining their kitchen skills from the chefs in her great-grandmother’s hotel in Dundee, Scotland, before immigrating to Australia in the 1960s. Her first ‘pay packet’, at age 8, was for helping her grandmother during the school holidays in the nursing home kitchen where she worked. “I remember spending many school holidays in my grandmother’s kitchen learning how to bake”, says Fiona. As an only child, she often assisted in preparing family meals and would surprise her mother when she came home from work by having dinner already prepared, her parents being willing ‘guinea pigs’ for her developing culinary skills.
Home Economics was her favourite class in high school, leading to a career in teaching, though her interest in all things foodie also saw her working in the hospitality industry on weekends, and for a couple of years fulltime. Teaching won out though and for 14 years Fiona taught Home Economics, and when Hospitality was introduced as a course for Year 11 and 12 students, she was quick to train for and teach that subject too.
In 2003, she started thinking about a career change, becoming exhausted with the pace of high school teaching. When she attended a couple of Seafood School classes she thought “Wow – what a great job this would be, working with adults who’ve chosen to learn”. She started working as a freelance class assistant, and for a couple of years combined this with part-time high school teaching. In late 2007, she moved from assisting to demonstrating some of the Seafood School classes and, around the same time, joined the Seafood School team fulltime to look after the operational side of the School and manage FISHline, Sydney Fish Market’s consumer advisory service. “There’s a lot I enjoy about the School”, says Fiona, “but most of all it’s having access to premium-quality fresh seafood and being able to experience the creativity of Sydney’s leading chefs working with that produce”.
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FIONA’S SPRING RECIPE:
PRAWNS WITH GARLIC & PEPPER
Stir-frying is so quick and easy. I prefer the heat and taste of white pepper to that of chillies, but you could use chilli instead. Virtually any crustacean could be used for this recipe, Bugs, Rocklobster, Yabbies or Marron. You can also add more or less pepper to suit your taste and vary the type of mushrooms used.
Serves 4
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2 tablespoons vegetable oil
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750g medium green King Prawns
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100g oyster mushrooms, halved
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1 red capsicum, seeded and finely sliced
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1 zucchini, cut into 4cm batons
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2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
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3 green onions, cut into 3cm lengths
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½ teaspoon finely ground white pepper
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1 teaspoon castor sugar
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1 teaspoon fish sauce
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2 tablespoons water or chicken stock
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½ iceberg lettuce, finely shredded
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Steamed jasmine rice, to serve |
Peel and devein Prawns, leaving their tails intact.
Heat wok over medium-high heat then add oil.
When it’s hot, add Prawns and mushrooms and stir-fry until Prawns begin to turn opaque, about 1 minute. Add capsicum, zucchini, garlic, green onions, pepper and sugar, and stir-fry for about 30 seconds without browning the garlic, then add fish sauce and water (or stock) and stir-fry for another 30 seconds.
Serve on a bed of lettuce accompanied by steamed rice.
Wine suggestion: Jim Barry’s Watervale Riesling 2007 is minerally and dry, but, as the fruit was picked ripe, with plenty of spiciness. It provides the perfect balance to the pepper in this dish and the sweetness of the Prawns.
www.jimbarry.com
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Fiona Forsyth
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SYDNEY SEAFOOD SCHOOL NOVEMBER 2008 - FEBRUARY 2009 |
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CHEF PROFILE:
MARK JENSEN
FROM RED LANTERN |
The bright red, long, narrow terrace on busy Crown Street opened in mid-2002 and became an instant success. Smart but casual, full of warmth (from the colour scheme and the staff), serving authentic Vietnamese dishes with a modern twist in presentation – what’s not to love?
Classics such as Prawn and vermicelli filled rice paper rolls with the best-ever peanut dipping sauce, and the Red Lantern take on the ubiquitous salt & pepper Squid are about as good as it gets. Vietnamese food can be very tactile, often involving wrapping, folding and dipping, even cooking at the table, and banh xeo, crisp rice flour crepes wrapped around a Prawn, pork and bean shoot filling beg to be eaten in the hands. Whole fish is also popular in Vietnamese cuisine, with so much more flavour than fillets, and Red Lantern’s whole shallow-fried Snapper with fish sauce, lime and ginger is yet another flavour explosion. Of course there are plenty of dishes to keep the carnivores happy, such as slow braised wagyu brisket with cassia bark, star anise and five spice, as well as many delicious ways with vegetables. Coconut crème caramel to finish is a perfect blending of east and west, just like this classically trained Aussie chef working alongside his now wife, Pauline, and brother-in-law, Luke, cooking recipes handed down by their Vietnamese parents.
Red Lantern, 545 Crown St,
Surry Hills, 9698 4355
www.redlantern.com.au
See Mark Jensen at Sydney Seafood School on 9 February.
Visit www.sydneyfishmarket.com.au
or call 9004 1111 to book.
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Mark Jensen
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Mark Jensen came to cooking as a career later than most, at the age of 27. Tired of hairdressing, he decided to get away from it all and clear his head, so escaped to Byron Bay for 6 months, surfing in the morning and washing pots in a restaurant at night. And in the process, became completely enamoured with restaurant life.
Back in Sydney he landed a job with Matthew Moran at Paddington Inn Bistro, where he learnt the importance of using the freshest produce and allowing that produce to take pride of place in his dishes. Three years later he moved to the Bennelong Restaurant and the tutelage of Janni Kyritsis, who he credits with helping him hone his technique.
In 1995 Mark felt ready to strike out on his own and opened the Olympic Hotel Restaurant in Paddington. His simple French-Mediterranean dishes fast won him recognition and business was good. But fate has a way of throwing the unexpected in our paths, and in 2001 brother and sister Luke and Pauline Nguyen, who were working part-time at the Olympic while saving for their own venture, asked Mark to join them in opening Red Lantern. This meant a huge culinary-cultural shift for Mark, whose training thus far had been classical European, and he was understandably reluctant at first. The challenge was too good to refuse however and he soon realised that his experience to date had already given him an understanding of fresh produce and balancing flavours, the cornerstones of Vietnamese cooking, all that was needed was to master the cooking techniques. Enter Luke and Pauline’s chef parents, Lap and Phuong Nguyen, and family friend Master Chef Sifu Lee, who soon filled this gap in Mark’s culinary education.
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SYDNEY SEAFOOD SCHOOL NOVEMBER 2008 - FEBRUARY 2009 |
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CHEF’S RECIPE: SALAD OF CHAR-GRILLED SALMON
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Make the marinade: combine all ingredients and stir until sugar dissolves. Add Salmon and marinate for 30 minutes.
Heat a char-grill until medium-hot. Drain Salmon and pat dry. Place on grill and cook for 2-3 minutes each side, until well-coloured and medium-rare.
Set aside to rest for 5 minutes then flake into a bowl. Add salad ingredients, mix well, arrange on a platter and garnish with peanuts, fried red shallots and chilli.
Notes: Fried shallots, pickled chilli and fried garlic are available from Asian grocery shops. To make nuoc nam cham, the classic Vietnamese dipping sauce, combine ⅓
cup fish sauce, ⅓
cup rice vinegar, ½ cup water, 2 tablespoons white sugar. Stir over medium heat until boiling, cool, then stir in 2 finely chopped garlic cloves, 1 sliced red bird’s eye chilli and 2 tablespoons lime juice.
Wine suggestion: This is a dish that calls out for a beer and James Squire Golden Ale hits the spot. It stands up to the chilli and its sweetness works well with the Salmon.
www.jamessquirebrewhouse.net
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Red Lantern
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Serves 6 as an entrée
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1 x 400g fillet Atlantic Salmon, skin off
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1 tablespoon roasted, chopped peanuts
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1 tablespoon fried red shallots (see notes)
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1 red bird’s eye chilli, sliced |
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Marinade |
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2 teaspoons pickled chilli (see notes)
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1 clove garlic, minced
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1 tablespoon castor sugar
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¼ cup fish sauce
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Pinch salt flakes |
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Salad |
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2 bunches green asparagus, blanched
refreshed and cut into 4cm lengths
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1 Lebanese cucumber, julienned
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1 carrot, peeled and julienned
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100g bean sprouts
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1 x 5cm piece lemongrass, finely sliced
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½ cup mixed herbs (perilla, mint,
Vietnamese mint)
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2 teaspoons fried garlic (see notes)
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½ small white onion, sliced
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⅓
cup nuoc nam cham (see notes) |
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SYDNEY SEAFOOD SCHOOL NOVEMBER 2008 - FEBRUARY 2009 |
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COOKING STYLE RAW
Not all ‘cooking’, or at least all seafood dishes, need involve heat. Australian seafood is so fresh and of such good quality that it can often be eaten raw in a number of very simple preparations. The most important thing when serving seafood raw, or rare, is to ensure that you buy sashimi-grade seafood.
Very fresh seafood suitable for eating raw is called ‘sashimi-grade’. It’s caught and handled in such a way that peak freshness and quality are maintained. Fish are line-caught, landed onto a mattress (to minimise bruising) and killed instantly by brain-spiking (ike jime). This prevents the fish from struggling and releasing stress hormones and helps keep the body temperature low. The fish is then bled immediately, removing heat and waste products, and put into an ice slurry to drop the body temperature as close to 0°C as quickly as possible. Ideally sashimi-grade fish should be purchased on the day of consumption; after more than 24 hours in a domestic fridge, while it will still be premium quality, it won’t be at peak freshness and should be cooked rather than served raw.
RAW SEAFOOD PREPARATIONS
• Sashimi, the most common form of raw seafood, is available ready sliced from good fishmongers; Tuna and Salmon are the most common but ask about other varieties. Serve it simply with soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger or drape over sushi rice to make nigiri-zushi.
• Crudo, simply meaning ‘raw’, is popular on menus all over Italy, the most common form (sometimes incorrectly called ‘carpaccio’, see recipe at right) is paper-thin slices of raw seafood (Swordfish and Kingfish are popular) drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkling of salt flakes and grind of pepper.
• Tartare (again a take on a popular raw meat dish, steak tartare) is finely chopped fish usually served in a mound on a plate with melba toast and a simple garnish or two such as chopped capers or gherkins, citrus segments or tiny salad leaves; Salmon or Trout work well, but so do white fish such as Snapper. See recipes for Snapper Tartare and Tuna Tartare on the FISHline pages of our website.
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• Raw oysters freshly shucked need no accompaniment beyond a squeeze of lemon or dash of Tabasco, but they can also be dressed up with any vinaigrette-style dressing combining a range of vinegars and oils. See recipe for Bloody Mary Oyster Shooters on the FISHline pages of our website.
• Seared fish is a great introduction for people who aren’t sure about eating it ‘raw’. Remove fish from the fridge about 30 minutes before cooking, so it’s not icy cold in the centre. Brush with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper (or any other seasoning you like), then pop into a very hot pan for just a few seconds on each side, or longer if you’d like it cooked a little more. Remove from heat, rest for a few minutes then slice to show the lovely effect of crisp, browned exterior and glistening rare interior. Great as the feature ingredient in a warm salad, sliced with a dipping sauce as an entrée or as a main course with salad or vegetables. See recipes for Seared Tuna with Salsa Verde and Seared Chermoula Yellowtail Kingfish on the FISHline pages of our website.
TIPS FOR WORKING WITH RAW SEAFOOD
• Freshness is paramount; use only sashimi-grade seafood, kept well chilled; and cook any leftovers – don’t serve them raw the following day.
• Observe good hygiene, wash hands before starting and after handling other ingredients, and clean utensils, knives and boards between ingredients to avoid cross-contamination.
• Don’t serve straight from the fridge, let seafood rest at room temperature for 15-30 minutes before serving, as flavour is dulled by low temperatures.
• Keep it simple, let the seafood be the star, don’t overwhelm it with other flavours, just 1 or 2 colourful, premium-quality garnishes, such as good extra virgin olive oil, salt flakes, freshly ground pepper, bright little micro-cress, or fresh citrus segments.
• Sashimi-grade Tuna, Salmon, Kingfish and Swordfish are all commonly available, but look out for other varieties including Snapper, Whiting and Garfish.
Sydney Seafood School holds regular Sushi & Sashimi classes. The next ones are on 13 December and 28 February. Visit www.sydneyfishmarket.com.au or call 9004 1111 to book.
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Bloody Mary Oyster Shooters
Photo by Franz Scheurer
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SYDNEY SEAFOOD SCHOOL NOVEMBER 2008 - FEBRUARY 2009 |
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SWORDFISH CRUDO
Dishes such as this are often called ‘carpaccio’, which is raw beef drizzled with a lemony mayonnaise named for the brilliant reds and whites common in the paintings of Renaissance artist Vittore Carpaccio. As raw fish is rarely the bright red of Carpaccio’s paintings, similar dishes made with seafood are more correctly called ‘crudo’ (Italian for ‘raw’).
Serves 4 as an entrée
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1 x 600g piece sashimi-grade Swordfish (see notes)
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¼ cup lemon-infused olive oil
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Salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
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1 punnet micro-cress or baby herbs |
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Wrap fish tightly in plastic wrap and put in the freezer for 60 minutes to firm up before slicing.
Slice the fish as finely as possible, using a very sharp knife or slicing machine.
Arrange fish slices in a single layer on plates. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt flakes and a good grind of black pepper and garnish with micro-cress.
Notes: Sashimi-grade fish is normally sold trimmed,
if it is not, trim off any skin and dark muscle and check for bones before slicing it.
Wine Suggestion: This wonderfully subtle recipe needs a wine that doesn’t overpower it. Fox Creek Verdelho 2007, with its fig aromas and lime forward flavours, is a great match. www.foxcreekwines.com
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Swordfish Crudo
Photo by Franz Scheurer |
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SYDNEY SEAFOOD SCHOOL NOVEMBER 2008 - FEBRUARY 2009 |
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WHAT’S NEW AT SFM |
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New England-style Seafood Chowder
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Sydney Fish Market is proud to announce the launch of Market Pride, a new range of chilled premium seafood products, which makes cooking Australian seafood at home more convenient than ever. The collection ranges from heat-and-eat options such as New England-style Seafood Chowder, to a premium version of Australia’s favourite dish, salt and pepper squid. Each product contains fresh Australian seafood with minimal preparation required, no skinning, boning or slicing needed.
The initial range consists of: 2 soups (Prawn Bisque and Seafood Chowder); Silver Warehou & Atlantic Salmon Fish Cakes; and Szechuan Pepper & Salt Squid; with more products expected soon. Each pack has a simple recipe to turn the product into a delicious complete meal, with more recipes available at www.marketpride.com.au and in the Deliciously Simple Seafood booklet available wherever Market Pride is sold. So tonight you can whip up Prawn Bisque with Lemon Herb Yoghurt and Pita Toast, Szechuan Pepper & Salt Squid with Tzatziki Dipping Sauce, or Silver Warehou & Atlantic Salmon Fish Cakes with Avocado & Caramelised Onion, in less time than you’d imagine. Available from independent seafood retailers at Sydney Fish Market
and throughout Sydney and regional NSW. Visit www.marketpride.com.au for a list of retailers near you.
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SYDNEY SEAFOOD SCHOOL NOVEMBER 2008 - FEBRUARY 2009 |
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BOOK REVIEW
FIRE: A WORLD OF FLAVOUR
by Christine Manfield
Christine Manfield is a chef who prefers to set trends, rather than follow them, drawing inspiration from cuisines as diverse as French, Thai and Moroccan. A fan of bold flavours, her latest book is a beautiful volume with a dramatic red, orange and yellow velvet cover, the title referring to the fire she has in her belly for exploring the world and for all things culinary. It is at once a recipe book, with both classic dishes and unique creations; a travel guide with listings of where to eat, stay and shop in over 20 countries; and a memoir of wonderful adventures across the globe.
Manfield leads us on a world-wide culinary journey from Tokyo’s interactive robata grill restaurants, through the souks of Aleppo in Syria, to searching for the best tiramisu in Venice. And when we’ve finished with vicarious travel experiences we can whip up Vietnamese flavoured Lobster Lollipops; traditional Sri Lankan Stir-fried Curry Mud Crab; or Scallop Ceviche with Fennel Cream & Cucumber Jelly, a Manfield creation combining Spanish ingredients with the Japanese aesthetic of layered flavours and textures.
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Such seamless blending of techniques, ingredients, flavours and textures from various cuisines is what defines Manfield’s cooking, which she describes as “food that crosses cultural boundaries with confidence without being labelled ‘fusion’”; truly modern Australian cuisine. With over 300 recipes infused with fire, spice and a sense of adventure, Fire is full of inspiration for your next meal or your next holiday, and a great read.
RRP $99.95 (Penguin, Lantern)
ISBN 9781920989392
Chris will present some of her favourite seafood recipes from Fire on 6 December. Visit www.sydneyfishmarket.com.au or
call 9004 1111 to book. |
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SYDNEY SEAFOOD SCHOOL NOVEMBER 2008 - FEBRUARY 2009 |
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TO CONTACT SYDNEY FISH MARKET:
(ABN 24 064 254 306) |
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CALL
Reception |
+61 2 9004 1100 |
FISHline |
+61 2 9004 1122 |
Sydney Seafood School |
+61 2 9004 1111 |
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