Warming Winter Recipes - Fish Recipes for the Cold Winter Months

The following recipes are, except for the 'bouillabaisse', economical to shop for and the ingredients are readily available. Remember that recipes are only a guide you do not have to stick strictly to my ingredients or methods.

Common sense, an open, creative adapting mind plus good quality seafood and ingredients makes for the most scrumptious of foods.

A glass of wine whilst peeling, chopping, stirring and tasting is not only healthy, it's enjoyable. It helps create that beautiful synergy that seems to flow when cooks are preparing fresh food in a relaxed atmosphere. Foods that get the gastric juices flowing soul food I call it.

Bouillabaisse or Just-a-Base'

Most encyclopedias of gastronomy define 'bouillabaisse' as a Provence dish made out of seafood cooked in a white wine and fish stock, flavoured with garlic, parsley, saffron, pepper and bay leaves. There are many adaptations of this fishiest of fish soups.

Purists say there is only one real and authentic bouillabaisse and that is one made in the Mediterranean region from Marseille to Toulon. Modern day Greeks hotly debate this, claiming their ancestors invented the tasty broth of soup. Who cares?

Every country in the world can create or re-create foods similar to other countries, however all dishes have a slight difference of flavours and textures, creating their own uniqueness from the localised ingredients used.

Western Australia is blessed by an abundance of such product, seafood in particular. Have a play and create your own unique version of bouillabaisse.

Ingredients

(serves around ten hungry guests)

2 kg assorted fish pieces
(cutlets, chunky and thin fillets - check what your fish monger has and ask his advice)
1 kg mussels, cleaned and de-bearded 6 green crabs, cleaned
I green crayfish, any size, cut into chunks
200 gm scallop flesh
20 yabbies
20 whole green prawns or cutlets
2 onions, peeled and chopped
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tin of peeled and chopped tomatoes
2 leeks, split, washed and roughly chopped (use white part only)
2-3 litres fish stock
a good slurp of olive oil
a handful of parsley, roughly chopped,
plus a few sprigs of dill or fennel, thyme, a bay leaf or two,
and a pinch of saffron
1 glass white wine (Riesling is great)
salt and pepper
a little orange or lemon zest
lots of crusty bread

Method

In a large heavy-based sauce pan or large casserole heat olive oil and lightly cook without colour the onions, leek and garlic for two minutes.

Add tomatoes, then the thickest pieces of fish, crabs, yabbies, cray, prawns, herbs and citrus zest.

Add saffron, salt and pepper and cover with fish stock (see below) and wine. Simmer with lid on for five minutes.

Add scallops, mussels and thinnest pieces of fish (like whiting or herring) and cook for a further seven to ten minutes.

Garnish using a sprinkle of parsley and dill.

Leave in casserole and serve in large bowls with lots of crusty bread.

Serving

The traditional recipe is to pour the broth over the bread, I prefer the dunking method.

Fish Stock

If you are not an angler or it's too wet, cold and blustery to pit your skills against mother nature to catch a feed, then your friendly fish shop proprietor will usually give you some fish bones to make a basic stock.

Fish stock is cheap, easy to make and is used as a base for many healthy body warming wintry dishes. Stock can be thickened with a roux (butter, flour mixed together) to form the base for a creamy chowder, or used to add a delicate full flavour to fish curries, bouillabaisse style mixed seafood dishes or simply used as a broth in my version of Thailand's spicy, clear Tom Yam soup.

Don't be put off by the thought of fishy smells wafting through your kitchen from a bubbling cauldron of fish stock.

Preparing fish stock is easy, takes less than one hour and your feline friends will think they are in cat heaven.

Make the stock in reasonable quantity and use straight away or after straining reduce the stock down by simmering by two-thirds to make a strong flavoured liquid that can be frozen in small containers or ice-cubed and bagged for later use.

Ingredients

(makes around one litre)

1 kg fish bones (saltwater fish, wings are perfect)
a splash of olive oil
2 medium onions, roughly chopped
1 glass of white wine, (riesling or semillon)
1.5 litres cold water
5 peppercorns
1 bay leaf
2 sticks of celery, roughly chopped
1/2 lemon
a handful of fresh parsley, stalks and all

Method

Wash any traces of blood and innards from fish bones.

In a heavy based saucepan lightly fry (saute) on a medium heat in olive oil the onion and celery without colouring for around five minutes. This extracts maximum flavour from the vegetables.

Roughly chop fish bones into pieces, add to pan. Add water, wine, peppercorns, bay leaf, parsley and lemon. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for forty minutes.

Remove froth from surface of stock two to three times during cooking. Strain, cool and refrigerate.

Pink Snapper with anise tomato sauce

This is a lovely dish for a cold wintry day. Serve with a semillon or sauvignon blanc or buck the trend and enjoy with the light, gamy, earthy flavours of a pinot noir.

The play of sweet licorice anise, saline Greek olives and the distinct flavour of snapper is quite magical.

Ingredients

(serves four)

3 tbls olive oil
I tbls garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup spring onions, finely chopped (separate white bulb from green tops)
1/4 tsp anise seeds, lightly crushed
1 tsp capers, drained and rinsed twice
1 cup peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes with juice
1/2 cup fish stock 112cup white wine
1 tsp grated orange zest
2 tbls sliced, pitted black Kalamata olives pinch sea salt
pinch ground black pepper
4 snapper fillets around
ISO gram each, boneless
2 tbls flour
sprigs of coriander or dill for garnish

Method

Heat half the olive oil in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and spring onion bulbs, cook without colouring for three minutes.*

Stir in anise, capers, tomato and fish stock, simmer for around five minutes until most moisture evaporates and sauce thickens. Turn off heat, stir in orange zest and olives. Season to taste.

Keep warm while you fry the fish as described below.

*A tiny dash of Pernod or Ouzo adds a lovely flavour to the sauce. Add to pan after cooking garlic and onion.

Fish

Heat remaining oil in nonstick frying pan over high heat. When oil is hot, lightly dust fish in flour and put in pan skin side up.

Reduce heat to medium and cook until golden brown and inside of fillet is slightly opaque, around two to three minutes. Turn over and cook other side. Remove fish and place on serving plate.

Gently re-heat sauce, add green diced spring onion and spoon over fish. If sauce seems too thick, add a little more stock. Garnish with herbs.