Underwater Skindivers and Fisherman's Association

Thanks to Chef Jai Gibbons

Ingredients

• 2 medium sized ludericks, filleted, skin off and diced
• 1 clove garlic(diced)
• 1 knob ginger(diced)
• 1 brown onion (diced)
• 1 tomato(diced)
• 2 red chilli, (diced)
• Turmeric powder 1 tablespoon
• Cumin seeds, toasted and ground 2 tablespoon
• Coriander seeds toasted and ground 2 tablespoon
• Black mustard seeds, 1 tablespoon
• Fenugreek, ½ teaspoon
• Curry leaves (optional)
• Ghee or veg oil 50ml
• 1 tin of lentils or half a cup of dried brown lentils.
• Salt
• Pepper

Optional

• Rice
• yoghurt
• coriander to garnish
• roti
• poppadom’s

 

Method

Heat ghee or oil on a high heat in a large saucepan or pot and add black mustard seeds. Cook until they start popping. Add the curry leaves and fry in the oil until fragrant. Turn the pan down to medium and add the garlic, ginger, and chilli. Cook until garlic is starting to go slightly golden and fragrant. Add the remaining spices and cook until combined and dry.. Add the onions and cook for another 5-10 minutes until the onions are tender and translucent. Add the tomato and cook until it is broken down and reduced Add a small pinch of salt to help build flavour. Add your lentils. If using tinned lentils strain them and use less water in the next part. If using dried lentils add them to the pan and toast them of for a few minutes before adding 500mls of water and cooking with the lid on. Adjust the amount of water through the cooking process to keep it a nice consistency. Cook for 30 minutes – 1 hour. Topping up the water as required. Once the lentils are tender and the flavour is developed adjust your seasoning and lightly season the diced fish, add your diced luderick and quickly stir through while raw. (make sure the fish is submerged). Put the lid on and let it cook gently for 5-8 minutes. (do not stir at this point or the fish will break up and lose its texture.)

Serve with steamed basmati rice, fresh coriander, yoghurt and your choice of roti or poppadom’s.

Thanks to Chef Jai Gibbons

Ingredients

• 1 eastern crayfish
• 500mls full cream milk
• 40g butter
• 40g flour
• 100g sharp cheddar cheese
• Chives (finely sliced and stems set aside for sauce)
• Bay leaves
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Optional-
• Chips/roast potatoes
• Fresh salad (Radicchio, radish, rocket, fennel etc)

 

Method

Mornay sauce

Put milk to a small pot with 2 bay leaves and the bottom part of the chives, add to the heat and slowly bring up till simmering. Turn the heat off and let it infuse. Strain the milk into a small jug or bowl. Clean the pot and add the butter and heat until foaming, add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Cook on a medium heat, stirring for 1-2 minutes or until blonde in colour. Add the warm milk gradually while continuously whisking allowing the sauce to thicken before each addition of milk. Once all the milk is added continue whisking until there are no lumps and the sauce thickens. Turn off the heat and add the grated cheese while stirring until incorporated. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside and cover with baking paper so a skin does not form.

Crayfish

Preheat oven to 160c. Put a large pot of water on the stove and bring to the boil. Blanch the crayfish for 1 minute and remove from the water (this helps the meat to come away from the shell). Cut the crayfish in half and season lightly with salt, pepper and olive oil, put a heavy base pan on the stove on a high heat. Add your crayfish shell side down to the pan and put it into the oven. Check every few minutes depending on the size. Once the crayfish is 60% cooked remove from the oven. Spoon over mornay sauce, turn the oven onto grill and put the lobster back in until the sauce is nice and golden. Remove from the grill and add chives and cracked black pepper to the top and serve with your choice of garnish, chips/ roast potatoes/ salad.

THANKS TO CHEF JAI GIBBONS

Ingredients

• 1 pan sized bream (scaled and gutted)
• 2 knobs ginger
• 1 bunch of green shallots
• 100ml rice bran oil/canola oil
• Salt
• Rice flour ½ cup
• 1 tsp Chinese five spice
• Optional-
• Asian greens (Buk choy, Chinese broccoli etc)
• Jasmine rice (1 cup for 2 people)

 

Method

Sauce- Microplane/finely grate the ginger, finely slice the shallots, add them to a jar or small heat proof bowl, heat 70ml of the oil until just starting to smoke, pour the oil carefully over the ginger and shallots and stir. Leave it for 5 minutes then add about 40ml of water and mix well. Add salt to taste. Refrigerate the dressing until cold.

Fish- Scale and gut the bream and dry really well, trim the fins off with scissors, take a sharp knife and score the flesh a few times on each side, season very lightly and pat dry with paper towel. Make a mix of about half cup of rice flour, a teaspoon of five spice and a pinch of salt. Turn the oven on to 160c. Put a heavy based pan on a high heat, once hot add remaining rice bran oil and swirl around the pan to coat the whole pan. Place your bream into the rice flour mix and evenly coat, dust off excess and place into the hot pan. Turn pan down after about 20 seconds to medium heat and get a nice colour and crust on the fish do not move it around much just be patient. Once a beautiful crust has formed (this will be the presentation side) shake the pan gently to see if the fish is not stuck to the pan, gently flip the fish over and put the pan into the oven. Check after 5 minutes, the flesh should almost be pulling from the bone but not falling off. Take out of the pan and enjoy.

Serve with steamed Asian greens, jasmine rice and add the dressing over the fish as you please.

Thanks to chef Jai Gibbons

Ingredients

• 1 medium sized goatfish
• 1 onion (finely diced and offcuts and skin kept for stock)
• 2 cloves of garlic (finely minced)
• White wine 1 cup
• 1 cup of arborio rice
• 1 stick of celery (cut into chunks)
• 2 fresh ripe roma tomatoes (diced
• Basil leaves
• Dark chilli paste (incas food aji panca brand) 2 tablespoons/to taste
• 1tsp smoked paprika
• 80g of butter unsalted
• 50g parmesan (microplaned/grated fresh)
• 30ml extra virgin olive oil (finishing)
• 60ml of olive oil for frying (stock and rice)
• 20ml veg oil for cooking the fish
• salt to taste
• fresh cracked pepper to taste

 

Method

Fish- scale/gut goatfish, pat dry and set aside fillets on a plate skin side up to let the skin dry and let the fish come to room temperature.

Cut the bones/head and fins into chunks and wash the blood out in cold water (change the water a few times) cut the eyeballs and gills out.

Stock- heat 30ml of olive oil in a pot that can hold about 2L of liquid, add the bones and roast them on a moderate heat until golden (keep stirring so the bottom does not burn)

Once the bones are golden and there is a sticky caramelised layer in the bottom of the pot add the onion offcuts, celery and cook until tender, deglaze with ½ cup of white wine and reduce by half, then add 1.5l of water and cook for 1 hour or until the stock is nice and rich in flavour, it should smell like a nice prawn flavour. Strain the stock and set it aside.

Risotto – heat 30ml of olive in medium sized saucepan on a medium heat, add onions, garlic cook until translucent, add seasoning and rice cook until slightly toasted while stirring continuously, add the chilli paste and paprika, cook for 20 seconds. Increase to a high heat, add wine and fresh tomatoes and cook until the moisture has been absorbed. Reduce heat back to medium/low, start adding the warm stock about 150mls at a time stirring occasionally. As the rice absorbs the stock, continue adding stock gradually and continue until rice is cooked through but still al dente (has a slight bite to it). Turn off the heat, add another ladle of stock and let rest with the lid on while you cook the fish.  Finish with butter, parmesan and olive oil, stirring until incorporated. At this point you may need to add a little more stock (or water if you have used all the stock) to loosen the risotto it should slowly spread along the plate as your serve it; like a thick soup, it should not be firm!  Adjust seasoning to your personal taste. Garnish with fish and add basil leaves. Drizzle some olive oil over the top. And add a touch more black pepper.

Fish cooking-  season fish with salt on the skin, heat a cast iron or heavy based pan on a high heat, add cooking oil and let it heat until slightly smoking or shimmering, turn the pan to coat the whole surface, gently place the goatfish into the pan skin side down and press the fish down lightly, let the fish relax and turn the heat down to medium. Once the skin is crisp and slightly golden and about 70% cooked flip the fish over and add about 20g of butter and slowly baste (spoon the butter over the fish skin). After about 20 seconds remove the fish and let it rest for a moment while you finish the risotto and plate it up.