Salmon with Soba Noodles

This is an adaption of Anna Gare's Beef, Bean & Soba Noodles recipe.

I am in love with Anna's recipes, no kidding I've cooked half of her book! So when I saw Anna was hosting a Lifestyle Food Chefs Table I bought a ticket, so I could experience Anna cooking her own food :) 

Yes here I am, one of those obsessed fans. 

I told Anna I loved this dish and she said that it is also delicious with salmon. Who am I not to take such advice?!

Simply marinate the salmon briefly in a little of the dressing, made from ginger, garlic, soy sauce, peanut oil, rice vinegar, mirin and honey.

I substituted the beans with some beautiful asian greens.

This dish is so simple, while you cook your soba noodles, your salmon is pan fried for a few minutes each side.

The greens are cooked with the noodles.

Then serve with some spring onions and sesame seeds, and a generous amount of dressing.

It was delicious, healthy and simple cooking, thank you Anna!

The family loved it.

Kingfish Marinated in Squid Ink with Perfumed Fruit, Scallop and Coconut

Our favourite cafe Circa Espresso is full of interesting books.

On one visit we picked up the Bentley recipe book and were immediately taken by the recipe for Kingfish.

It actually seemed possible to create, with chef Brent Savage giving great tips on how to adapt home cooking to cheffy techniques.

I scribbled the recipe out on a serviette, as all food obsessed souls do?

The fruit is 'perfumed' with bergamot essence a couple of hours in advance.

The kingfish is cut into portions, coated in a mix of squid ink, oil and salt then popped in a ziplock bag.

The fruit and coconut (prepared with coconut cream and agar agar) are plated up.

The fish is cooked souv vide style by lowering the bag slowly in 67 degree water which pushes the air out.

The whole dish came together perfectly, the delicious fish, scented fruit, coconut puree with the soft scallop and the edible flowers. 

It was a floral light refreshing dish and felt like I was eating in a fine dining restaurant.

Still amazed it was created in our home.

Very special thanks to Restaurant Atelier for giving me the Bergamot essence.

Filo Fish Parcels and Plum Charlottes

When we saw some beautiful bream fillets at the fish shop I knew what I wanted to cook.

My brother, knowing I love farmers markets, saw this cookbook and bought it for me.

It is such a simple recipe using fresh ingredients.

The potato is boiled, cooled, sliced and arranged on four oiled filo pastry sheets.

Top with baby spinach and your fillet of fish.

Wrap up into a parcel and bake for 20 minutes.

The pastry was so flakey and the fish moist and delicious.

All it needed was a lemon sauce - next time I will make one!

The plum charlottes are also in the book. The dariole moulds are lined with butter and sugar followed by bread dipped in butter - no not a healthy recipe.

The filling was plum cooked with some cinnamon and once cool mixed with a little ground almonds. Top with a round of bread and bake for 25 minutes.

What a amazing result for a simple dessert. 

Surrounded by a pool of cream it was so crunchy and delicious on the outside,

and the plums that oozed from the inside were perfect.

Whole Snapper stuffed with Olives and Anchovies served with duck fat potatoes

I scored in my work 'secret santa' this year with a cook book!!! Gordon Ramsay's World Kitchen - sounds like my sort of recipes hey :)

Well my daughter has chosen the first recipe that we should cook, Stuffed Red Mullet. It looked delicious but Red Mullet is a Mediterranean fish and so we used snapper. 

Olives, anchovies, sundried tomatoes and garlic are pureed. 

The potatoes I parcooked before tossing in warm duck fat and baking with rosemary, whole garlic cloves and lemon wedges.

The snapper was seasoned and stuffed with the delicious puree.

Then baked for 20 minutes.

Served with the crisp and incredibly tasty potatoes.

The soft moist fish was perfect with the rich olive puree.

After eating this meal I was looking at Australia's Sustainable Seafood guide. Did you know that snapper is not a better choice when it comes to seafood? 

In the muppy household we try to make sensible ethical and environmental choices.

So from now on I am going to check before buying my seafood that I am making an appropriate choice by looking up this guide and chatting to my local fish monger.