Stephanie Alexander's tom yam goong
This soup is a Thai classic. Note that one is not expected to eat the whole kaffir lime leaves or large pieces of lemongrass found in each bowl.
Serves 6
green prawns 12 large
lemongrass (tender part only) 4 stalks
coriander 1 bunch, well washed
peanut oil 1 tbsp
shallots 3, sliced
chilli paste 2 tsp
chicken stock 2 litres
kaffir lime leaves 6
spring onions 4, cut into 3cm lengths
button mushrooms 150g, sliced
ripe tomatoes 2 large, peeled, seeded and diced
fresh chillies 2 or more, seeded and sliced
fish sauce 2 tbsp
fresh lime juice 100ml
Shell and de-vein prawns, reserving heads and shells. Back-split prawns and set aside. Cut lemongrass into 6cm pieces. Cut coriander roots from bunch and chop roughly. Strip off leaves to make 1 cup and set aside.
Heat oil in a large non-reactive pot and sear prawn heads and shells, shallots and coriander root until shells turn red. Add chilli paste and stock and simmer for about 10 minutes. Strain. Return stock to rinsed-out pot and add lemongrass, lime leaves, spring onion, mushrooms, tomato, chilli and fish sauce. Simmer for five minutes, then drop in prawns, add lime juice and simmer for 2-3 minutes until prawns turn pink. Taste for balance and adjust with more fish sauce or lime juice if necessary. Ladle into bowls and drop in coriander leaves to serve.
From The Cook's Companion Second Edition by Stephanie Alexander (Penguin, RRP £85)
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Darina Allen's salmon with tomato, ginger and coriander
Claudia Roden first introduced me to this; it sounds like an extraordinary combination but try it, it's delicious hot or cold. For the past couple of years we have had a few beautiful wild salmon from the Blackwater river, less than an hour's drive from Shanagarry, and have appreciated every precious mouthful.
Serves 6
olive oil 1 tsp
garlic 2-4 cloves, peeled, finely chopped
very ripe tomatoes 8, peeled and chopped
root ginger 1 tbsp, freshly grated
butter for frying
fresh wild salmon fillets 6 x 110g
coriander leaves 2 tbsp, freshly chopped, plus extra to garnish
sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and sugar
Put the olive oil in a wide, stainless-steel sauté pan, add the garlic and tomatoes and cook over a medium heat until the tomatoes soften and break down, for about 10–15 minutes. Add the grated ginger and cook for a further 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and sugar. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Cook the salmon gently in a little butter in a wide frying pan for about 3 minutes each side. (Alternatively put the salmon into the sauce, cover and cook gently in the sauce.)
Remove the salmon fillets from the pan and arrange on hot serving plates. Just before serving add the coriander and spoon the sauce over the salmon. Serve immediately.
From 30 Years at Ballymaloe by Darina Allen (Kyle Books, RRP £30)
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Jane Grigson's clams with samphire
In this recipe, samphire is teamed with clams (mussels or oysters could be used instead), and the sauce is flavoured with saffron. Only use the stringless green tips of samphire, serving the rest at another meal: 1 kg should provide enough.
Serves 6
samphire tips 6 handfuls
clams 36
dry white wine 150ml
shallots 2 small, chopped
carrot 1 medium, chopped
saffron a pinch, steeped in a little hot water
creme fraiche or half each soured and double cream 300ml
carrot and leek blanched, julienne shreds, to garnish
Wash and steam or blanch the samphire. Drain well. Scrub the clams. Bring the wine, chopped shallots and carrot to the boil, put in the clams, cover and leave for 2 minutes. Remove the clams, if open; otherwise leave a little longer until they open. Set aside six clams in their shells. Remove the remaining clams and discard the shells. Strain the liquor into a wide, shallow pan, add the saffron and its liquor, and boil down to concentrate the flavour. Stir in the cream(s), and boil slightly to thicken. Off the heat, stir in the clams and cool. Add seasoning, if necessary.
Put the samphire on six plates, spoon over the clams with their sauce, and decorate with the julienne and the reserved clams in their shells.
From Jane Grigson's Fish Book (Penguin, RRP £16.99)
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Elizabeth David's rougets à la provencale
Score large red mullets obliquely, twice, on each side and paint them with olive oil. Grill for about 10 minutes on each side and serve with the following sauce, which is a combination of two Provencal sauces, aioli, and sauce rouille: for the aioli, two large cloves of garlic pounded in a mortar, two yolks of eggs, a little salt, a third of a pint of olive oil, mixed exactly as for mayonnaise. For the red part of the sauce, pound the contents of a half-pound tin of red peppers (the roasted ones are best, as they are already skinned), or the equivalent in fresh peppers. grilled and skinned, with a teaspoon of paprika; add a teacup of fresh breadcrumbs, softened in water, then pressed dry, to the pounded pimentos. At the last minute amalgamate the two sauces, adding the aioli gradually to the pimento mixture.
From Summer Cooking by Elizabeth David (Penguin, RRP £9.99)
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Simon Hopkinson's paella
Serves 4
olive oil 2 tbsp
picante chorizo sausage 1 small (approx. 150g), skinned and cut into small pieces
squid 1 medium, approx 200g, cleaned
skinless, boneless chicken thighs 4, cut into small pieces
dry sherry 100ml
cherry tomatoes 200g
garlic 4 cloves
Spanish pimentón 1 heaped tsp
stringless, flat green beans 150g, thinly sliced
good-quality sweet red peppers from a jar 150g, thickly sliced
saffron threads 1 tsp
hot chicken stock 600ml
Spanish bomba or Calasparra rice 300g
mussels 750g, debearded and well washed
To finish the paella
garlic 2–3 cloves, finely chopped
chopped parsley 2 tbsp
olive oil 4–5 tbsp
lemons 2, quartered
Using a large paella pan (I use one that is supposed to be for six, as I prefer the extra room in the pan), heat the oil and in it gently fry the chorizo until the fat runs. Lift it out with a slotted spoon and put on to a plate. Now introduce the squid and very briefly fry until lightly coloured. Remove and slice into thin rings. Add to the chorizo.
Lightly season the chicken in the same pan with salt and pepper, and cook until golden brown, for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, put the sherry, tomatoes, garlic and pimentón into a liquidiser, process until very smooth then, using a small ladle, push through a fine sieve into a bowl (discard the solids). Once the chicken is well coloured add the tomato mixture to the pan and bring up to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomato mixture has thickened – almost to a thin purée and a bit oily in parts.
Now add the beans, peppers and saffron. Reintroduce the chorizo and squid, and carefully pour in the chicken stock. Stir all together and bring up to a simmer. Sprinkle the rice into the liquid and stir in well, making sure that it is evenly distributed among the chicken pieces; once you have done this try not to stir the rice again. Cook the paella over a moderate heat for a good 20 minutes, or until you can see the rice puffing up between the chicken.
Now carefully push the mussels halfway into the rice hinge-side down, in any space you can fit them. Then cover with foil and put in the oven for 5 minutes at 180C/gas mark 4. Once the mussels have steamed through, remove the foil. Mix together the garlic, parsley and olive oil. Trickle over the paella, arrange the lemon quarters over the rice and serve it directly from the pan on to very hot plates; remember, rice dishes cool quickly. Dig deep to find the sticky, golden and a touch toasty rice in the bottom of the pan. This is called socorat; it is the best bit of the paella and highly prized.
From Simon Hopkinson Cooks (Ebury, RRP £25)
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Where possible, please ensure your fish is sustainably sourced. For more information, visit fishonline.org
