BBQ Seabass with Carrot Top Sauce

One thing I love about farmers market is how different the vegetables are to those boring, drab ones in the supermarket; candy striped beets, tiger tomatoes and purple carrots to name a few. I also love it when carrots come with their green tops. Don't ask me why I just do! When I was making the fish stock for my soup I asked mum if I could put in the carrot tops, to which she replied probably not because they would be bitter. So I didn't. However, me being me was bothered about this and googled it. Shock horror my mother was wrong! Found a few recipes and adapted one to go with the seabass that we had bought earlier. The seabass was simple; stuffed full of herbs (rosemary, oregano, fennel, parsley and thyme), lemon slices and seasoning and then was brushed with garlic oil. This was then barbecued over charcoal (the only way to get that amazing taste in my opinion) and was served with runner beans from the garden, anya potatoes and the carrot top sauce

Carrot Top Sauce

What you need

A handful of carrot tops (discard any thick stalky bits)

1 garlic clove

trickle of oil (I used Norfolk rapeseed)

handful of toasted almonds

half a small bunch of parsley

2 tbsp of creme fraiche 

juice from half a lemon

What you need to do 

Blend the first 5 ingredients to a paste consistency. Stir in creme fraiche and lemon juice and season to taste.

BBQ Seabass with Carrot Top Sauce

Fish Soup

Today I had the long car journey home back to my gorgeous mum in Norfolk. I love Norfolk. My mum lives in a lovely house in a beautiful village near the coast. So lovely and friendly is the village that we have a cake stand, a fruit and veg stand, a lobster and crab stand and an egg stand, all accompanied by honesty boxes so you can pay for the produce without anyone having to man the stands.

Today we didn't visit any of said stands but instead mum went to the farmers market where she picked up some smoked haddock, salmon and cod and promptly handed it over to me. Seeing as it was still pretty warm I didn't want anything heavy so I decided on fish soup. I based this recipe on this one from the excellent Good Food website. I got the bones for the stock from the local fishmonger, within the bones was a John Dory; great for stock! The fantastic thing about this recipe is that you can add any fish/shellfish you want. Personally I don't think it would work with oily fish such as sardines but hey, that's the beauty of it, it's up to you!

Warning the below recipe is VERY garlicky, so don't expect anyone to willingly go anywhere near you the next day.

Fish stock

What you need

finely Diced carrot, onion, fennel and celery
a whole load of fish carcasses including heads
a few pepper corns
400g ripe tomatoes
a squeeze of tomato puree
pinch of saffron
strip of orange peel
3 cloves of garlic
1 small glass of wine
1 1/2 litres water


What you need to do

Because fish stock does not need long simmering (do not leave it longer then 40 minutes as the bones will start to dissolve it it will taste chalky and off boney calcium, not good!) the vegetables need to cut finely to really get all the flavour out. Once you've diced your vegetables add them to a large pan and soften.

Next add the tomatoes and garlic and cook till soft. Add the wine and let it reduce.Then add the other ingredients and cover with the water. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Stain through a fine sieve.

Fish Soup

What you need

Soup

roughly 1-1 1/2 litres of fish stock
400 g white fish
1 bag of baby spinach
roughly 600g of other fish (I used salmon and smoked haddock)
handful of prawns

Rouille

3 garlic cloves roughly chopped
2 egg yolks
½ tsp cayenne pepper
150ml olive oil
4 tsp tomato purée
lemon juice
Gruyère , grated to serve
baguette slices, toasted to serve
What you need to do

For the soup, poach the white fish in the stock and then blend. Add whatever other fish/shell fish you want and the spinach and it's a simple as that! Serve with the rouille, Gruyère cheese and baguette
.
For the rouille put the garlic into a pestle and mortar with some seasoning and grind to a purée. Transfer to a bowl. Mix in the yolks then start adding the oil, drop by drop beating all the time. The mixture should thicken as you add the oil. Add the tomato purée, then lemon juice to taste, then adjust the seasoning.

The floating baguette and rouille make it look unappetising but it was delicious!

 

Team Miss Nunn!

Whoops! Today was first blog post in ages. This is due to having a crazy last few weeks of school but hey, 6 weeks off now and look what one parent made me....

Team Miss Nunn Cupcakes!

Yum Yum Ninja

I am a huge fan of Riddle and Finns and so when I saw they were opening an Asian sister restaurant I was very excited. Then I saw they were offering 50% off on their first 2 opening days; I nearly wet myself with excitement!

So last Friday I dragged The Boy to sample the Asian delights. The place looks cool. The outside is all black with obligatory lanterns which look lovely at night. Inside is pretty chic, with wooden tables and walls, and birdcages. We were immediately met by a very lovely waitress and within minutes had our drinks and complimentary bits (a fermented, spicy cabbage, pickled cucumber and something else which I've forgotten). The menu was exciting and fitted all price ranges. After much deliberation we settled on Singapore chilli crab, lobster dim sum and barbeque crispy pork. When the food arrived my tongue did its little excited dance, it looked amazing. We lucked into the lobster dim sum first. The sweet meat was complimented by a dipping sauce (soy and vinegar I think?), it was fantastic.

lobster Dim Sum

We then tucked into the crab. At first we didn't have any tools but these were soon provided by our lovely waitress. The crab was very fresh and tasty lovely. However, personally I would have liked a bit of ginger and lime to cut through the sweetness as it did become sickly after a while. I also think that maybe they should ask customers if they know how to 'do' a crab as a novice may not realise how much white meat is in the main body.

Singapore Chilli Crab

 Lastly we moved onto the pork. Jesus this tasted goooood! Sticky, sweet and sightly smokey. Again, on a personal preference I would have liked it crispy, but that's just me. And for a grand total of £35 for the both of us with the 50% off (including wine) it was all a bloody bargin.

hmmmmmm bbq pork

For a second day I really take my hat off to Yum Yum Ninja and I urge people to go. I really hope they get the traffic as so many restaurants seem to have failed in that location. However, with Riddle and Finns being just next door and with the food being so tasty I'm sure they'll be just fine, I'll definitely be going again soon

Friday Fried Rice

My mum always told me to have a good meal before I go out. Since The Boy had text me at lunch time to say he'd bought a bottle of vodka and whiskey I though I'd better pay heed to mummy's wise words. I had some left over rice and vegetables in the fridge so I decided on fried rice. The beef was a bargain. In this recipe I used fillet; it's tail end and so was really reasonable.

What you need

250 g fillet steak
2 tsp cornflour
1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
100g rice noodles
splash soy sauce
splash rice wine
splash fish sauce
2 large garlic clove, finely chopped
2cm piece fresh root ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1 fresh red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
vegetables of your choice
400 g cooked rice
2 eggs
soy sauce to serve

What you need to do

Slice the meat and mix with the 5 spice and cornflour.

Heat up some oil in  wok until smoking. Then throw in the beef and cook for roughly 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon.

Then add the garlic, ginger and chilli to the wok, cook until the garlic just starts to turn golden and then add the vegetables. Stir fry for 1 minute then push the contents of the pan over to one slide and add the eggs. Scramble them until firm and then stir through the vegetables. Add the rice, rice wine, fish sauce, soy and a splash of water. Mix everything together and fry off the rice for a couple of minutes. Finely stir through the beef and serve with some sliced spring onion and soy sauce.

Friday fried goodness

Get on the Beef

I have not met many people who don't like burgers. I can't remember meeting anyone who doesn't like a great burger. Gone are the days when you would struggle to find one as well. In Brighton we are lucky enough to have the fantastic Trolls Pantry. If you haven't tried one of The Troll's gastronomic delights then get yourself down to the Wood Store where he is now trading and check him out, you won;t be disappointed.

Well on this sunny Thursday I rustled up my own and it was pretty tasty. I got the meat from Bramptons in Kemp Town. If your going to cook a burger, you have to get your mince from the butchers, this is a burger law.

What you need

Minced beef ( I used minced chuck steak)
1 onion, finely diced
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 tbsp of marmite

Then whatever toppings you like. My preference is gherkins, red onion, cheese, salad and tomato

A lovely treat. Served with wedges

A Little Bit of Something Nice

 When I'm in the mood for a salad my mind often wanders to the Pret Italian Chicken. Packed full of  ceasar chicken, pistachios, olives and roasted peppers amounst other things, this salad really does fill a hole. However, I obviously can't head down to Pret whenever my mind wanders so I decided to have a bash at my own. It's not quite there yet but its pretty damn tasty.

What you need

Cooked chicken breast mixed with ceasar dressing (bought or home made)
Bag of salad leaves
3 roasted peppers
small handful of pistachio nuts
few slices of cucumber and tomatoes
a few olives

Dressing

1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice , plus extra for squeezing
good pinch chilli flakes
4 anchovies fillets, finely chopped
3 tbsp good-quality mayonnaise
4 tbsp fat-free yogurt



Blend all but the last 2 ingredients for the dressing then stir through the mayo and yogurt then season to taste. Chuck all your salady bits on a plate and dress, it's that simple.

Tasty and pretty healthy

Ottomans

The first time my friend Stacey came to visit me in Brighton I took her to Ottomans. The night entailed eating (a lot), drinking ( a lot) and dancing around the restaurant with all the other diners and the owner, Yousef. It was bloody brilliant.

You start with bread....

Ottomans is on Lewes Road. Now anyone who lives in Brighton knows this is not the most glamorous of locations but please do not be put off. The food really is lovely. I am a creature of habit at Ottomans and always order the lamb beyati (spelling!?). It is HUGE and very tasty. It comes with a simple salad and 'Ottomans' rice. The lamb is incredible and is bursting with flavour. You're also, as by Turkish tradition, served fantastic bread with a naughty spiced butter. Continuing with tradition is the obligatory shot at the end of the meal.
The best thing about this place (apart from the food) is the atmosphere which is why I urge you to a) try and speak to Yousef, the owner, at some point and b) Go on a Friday or Saturday night. You won't be disappointed. 

Beautiful lamb