by James Martin
Pour the cream into the pan, add the saffron and season again. Cover and cook for 2 minutes more, then add the chopped herbs and stir through. Ladle the sauce and shellfish into four shallow bowls and top each with a salmon fillet.
JAMES’S TIP
Fresh mussels need to be alive before you cook them. Throw away any with broken shells or any that don’t close tightly when you tap them. To prepare mussels, pull off the stringy beards, scrape off any barnacles and give the shells a scrub in fresh water to clean them.
GIANT’S CAUSEWAY FISH STEW
I don’t know who looked more confused, me or the thousands of tourists all around me while we were filming this dish on the stones of the Giant’s Causeway. I’d never been before but it really is a sight to behold. In fact, the whole coastline of this part of Northern Ireland is worth a trip – it is rugged and beautiful in equal measure, as is the produce that can be found here. Ales, meat, dairy, fish… It is so rich and diverse with such amazing food.
SERVES 6
400g mussels, cleaned and debearded (see my tip)
25g butter
1 shallot, finely diced
25g plain flour
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
400ml full-fat milk
100ml double cream
1 medium floury potato, cooked and diced (you need 200g)
400g salmon fillet, skinned and chopped into 2-cm cubes
200g white crab meat
100g brown crab meat
small bunch of chives, chopped
To serve
double cream
olive oil
Place a large sieve over a bowl. Pour 100ml water into a large heavy-based saucepan and set the pan over a high heat. Add the mussels, cover with a lid and cook for 3 minutes until the mussels have steamed open. Strain the mussels through the sieve, reserving the liquor, then pick the mussel meat from the shells and set aside. Discard any mussels that haven’t opened.
In the same pan, melt the butter over a medium heat. As soon as the butter has melted, stir in the shallot and cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring regularly, until softened.
Stir in the flour, season, and cook for around 1 minute. Pour the reserved mussel liquor into the pan, stirring all the time, then add the milk and cream. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring continuously, until smooth.
Add the potato and salmon, stir everything together, then cover the pan and cook for 2–3 minutes until the potatoes are hot and the salmon has cooked through.
Stir in both types of crab meat and the mussel meat and warm through for a couple of minutes. Add a couple of tablespoons of hot water if the sauce is very thick. Season to taste and scatter over most of the chives.
To serve, ladle the stew into warmed bowls, drizzle with a little extra cream and olive oil, if you fancy, and garnish with the remaining chives.
FOLKESTONE FISH
The guys at Folkstone Trawlers are first-rate fishermen who supply restaurants and their little shop by the harbour. We waited there, early doors, to get the fresh catch and, with other boats bringing in different shellfish, I jumped at the chance to get a few bits of local fish to cook with. Sadly, nowadays most people buy fresh fish from supermarkets but if you have a stall or fresh fish shop near you, do use them as they need your support and the quality is usually brilliant. Plus, asking about the fish from the people who catch them is always best.
SERVES 2
1 whole lemon sole
2 monkfish fillets (around 200g in total)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
25g butter, plus an extra knob to finish
1 shallot, diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
100ml dry cider
200g mussels, cleaned and debearded (see my tip)
pinch of saffron
100ml double cream
small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Heat a large non-stick pan over a medium heat until hot.
Place the sole on a board and, using a pair of scissors, cut off and discard the fins. Use a sharp fish knife to remove the head (discard it), then cut the fish into 3 darnes and set aside on the board. Cut the monkfish into 5-cm chunks. Season all of the fish.
Pour the oil into the pan and add the butter. When the butter has melted and starts to foam, pop all the fish into the pan, spaced apart, and cook for 2 minutes. Flip the pieces of fish over and cook for a further 2 minutes, then transfer to a warm plate.
Keep the pan over a low to medium heat and add the shallot and garlic. Stir together and cook for about 1 minute, then pour in the cider and bring to the boil. Add the mussels to the pan, then add the saffron and pour in the cream. Stir everything together, cover the pan with a lid and cook for 2 minutes. Check all the mussels have opened; discard any that haven’t.
Remove the lid, add the fish to the pan to warm it through, then sprinkle over some chopped parsley and season well. To finish, stir in the remaining knob of butter. Divide between two bowls, spooning any buttery juices over the top.
LOBSTER WITH WHITE PORT & REDCURRANT JELLY
I cooked this on a riverboat passing the legendary three Michelin-star Waterside Inn at Bray, the place that helped put Britain on the international food scene. Opened by Michel and Albert Roux in the 1970s, the restaurant inspired local press to ask what the French were doing here. Looking at the team members who work and have worked there over the years, we can see it has fed the British food scene with more than just a restaurant – very few places can claim such a legacy. This dish is iconic. End of.
SERVES 2
100ml white port
100ml fish stock
300ml veal jus
1 cooked lobster, meat removed and shells reserved
65g butter
a pinch of cayenne
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
5-cm piece fresh ginger, julienned (sliced into thin matchsticks)
2 carrots, julienned
1 leek, julienned
2 tablespoons redcurrant jelly
3–4 sprigs of chervil, to garnish
To make the sauce, pour the port, fish stock and veal jus into a medium pan. Add the lobster shells and bring to the boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the liquid reduces to a third. Discard the lobster shells. Whisk in 50g of the butter and season with the cayenne and salt and pepper. Set aside and keep warm.
Heat the remaining butter in a sauté pan. When the butter has melted, add the julienned ginger, carrot and leek and 1 tablespoon of water and sauté until just soft. Add the lobster meat and redcurrant jelly and season well. Heat gently to melt the jelly and warm the lobster through for a couple of minutes. You may need to add another tablespoon of water to help dissolve the jelly.
Spoon the vegetables and lobster onto two warmed plates and spoon over the sauce. Garnish with chervil to serve.
HOMEMADE CRUMPETS WITH BUTTERED LOBSTER, SPINACH & SAMPHIRE
What a day we had filming at the oldest fighter squadron in the world: No.1 Squadron at RAF Lossiemouth. They wanted lobster on the menu, so their wish was my command, especially when they let me loose in the simulator of a Typhoon jet. But the best was yet to come when they let me fly a stunning old taildragger down the runway, up and over the lighthouse and around at a few 100 feet over the town.
SERVES 8
175g strong white bread flour
175g plain flour
2 x 7g sachets easy bake dried yeast
1 teaspoon caster sugar
½ teaspoon bicarbonate soda
1 teaspoon salt
350ml full-fat milk, warmed
100ml warm water
a little butter for greasing and frying
For the topping
100g butter
600g cooked lobster meat
200g baby spinach
200g samphire
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
nutmeg, for seasonin
g
You will need
8 crumpet rings (or 4 if cooking in 2 batches)
Tip both types of flour into a large bowl. Add the remaining crumpet ingredients, apart from the butter, and whisk together until smooth. Cover and leave to prove in a warm place for 2–3 hours.
Heat a large, flat griddle pan over a medium heat until hot. Lightly butter the inside of the crumpet rings, then brush the pan with butter and arrange the crumpet rings over it, spaced apart. Work in two batches if there isn’t enough space on the griddle pan to cook all the crumpets in one go.
Pour the batter into the buttered rings and cook over a medium heat for 3 minutes. Carefully remove the rings using a palette knife and flip the crumpets over. Cook for a further 2 minutes then transfer to a plate and keep warm.
For the topping, melt the butter in the same pan and add the lobster to warm through for a couple of minutes. Add the spinach and samphire and turn over in the heat until it wilts. Season well, grate over a little nutmeg and stir in.
To serve, pop a crumpet onto each plate and spoon over some of the lobster and greens.
ORKNEY CRAB PASTA
I might get in trouble as I travel around Britain for saying this but the crab I had in Orkney was the very best I’ve ever tasted. Don’t just take my word for it – Nick Nairn, who’s from Scotland, had never tasted it before and he agreed. We also tasted the best vinegar here too, and I nearly bought an island! I loved the Orkneys – it’s a very, very special place. And the ingredients around here are both pure and some of the very best.
SERVES 4–6
400g fresh tagliatelle pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
100ml dry white wine
100g brown crab meat
50ml double cream
200g white crab meat
1 red chilli, chopped
1 green chilli, chopped
zest and juice of 1 lemon
small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, add the pasta and cook following the packet instructions, until al dente.
Meanwhile heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat and sauté the shallots and garlic for 3–4 minutes, over a low to medium heat, until softened.
Pour in the wine and bring to the boil. Stir in the brown crab meat, followed by the cream and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Add the white crab meat, red and green chilli, lemon zest and juice and parsley. Season well and stir everything together.
Lift the pasta out of the pan using tongs and into the sauce. Mix thoroughly and spoon into individual warmed bowls.
BBQ SCALLOPS WITH BLACK PUDDING, APPLE & HAZELNUT BUTTER
The Orkney Islands are a must to visit – they turned out to be my favourite place on the trip and it happened to be on day one. From the air, as you fly over, the coastline and beaches resemble those of the Caribbean with clear sand and turquoise waters. They provide the ideal habitat for some of the greatest seafood found in Britain. Together with the scenery from its Viking past, the historic stones and old fishing ports still looking as they have always done, this is a unique place. I cooked this dish on the harbour wall at Stromness, a lovely small fishing port.
SERVES 6
200g salted butter, softened
1 English apple, thinly sliced and diced
small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
small bunch of dill, chopped
100g hazelnuts, chopped
50g black pudding, skinned and chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 scallops with roes attached
To serve
crusty bread
You will need
6 scallop shells, cleaned
300g seaweed to sit the shells on (optional)
Light your BBQ. When the coals are silvery in colour, it’s ready to cook on. There’s no need to put the rack on top as the scallop shells are going to sit on top of the coals.
Put the butter into a large bowl and add the apple, herbs, hazelnuts and black pudding. Season and mix well.
Pop 2 scallops in each shell, season, then spoon a sixth of the butter mixture on top of each one.
Place the shells directly onto the BBQ coals and cook for 3 minutes until the butter is hot and bubbling. Use long tongs to carefully lift each shell off the hot coals.
Divide the seaweed between six plates, if using, and sit a scallop shell on top of each pile. Serve with plenty of crusty bread to mop up the sauce.
BACON, SCALLOPS & APPLES WITH ONION RINGS
Northern Ireland’s golf courses are renowned as some of the best in the world but are an odd place to cook, even if you have the famous Belfast shipyard behind you. I toasted the oats in the bacon fat, as Paul Rankin said I should, and it worked, as did the amazing black butter we found in shops here. Made from cider apples, it’s also made on Jersey and you can buy it online. It’s great with cheese but delicious in this dish with the toasted oats.
SERVES 4
1 tablespoon olive oil
15g salted butter
8 thick slices of streaky bacon
8 scallops, cleaned, roes removed
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
50g black butter (or 25g salted butter and 25ml black treacle mixed together)
50g rolled oats
100ml veal jus
50ml dry cider
100ml jar of apple sauce, blitzed until smooth
For the onion rings
1 litre vegetable oil, for deep-frying
50ml whole milk
25g plain flour
1 large shallot, cut into thin rings
Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat until hot. Add the oil and butter and fry the bacon and scallops for 1–2 minutes, seasoning as they cook and tossing every now and then, until crisp and golden. Pop onto a large plate and keep warm.
Put the pan back on the heat and add the black butter and oats. Stir together, season and cook for 1–2 minutes, then top the bacon slices with this mixture.
Put the same pan back on the heat again and pour in the veal jus and cider. Simmer for a few minutes over a high heat until reduced by half. Set the sauce aside and keep warm.
Now for the onion rings: heat the vegetable oil to 160°C (325°F) in a deep, heavy-based saucepan, or until a breadcrumb sizzles and turns brown when dropped into it. (Note: hot oil can be dangerous; do not leave unattended.) Line a plate with kitchen paper.
Put the milk and flour into two separate bowls and season the flour. Dip the shallot rings into the milk, then into the flour and toss to coat. Carefully lower into the oil and fry for 1–2 minutes, until golden and crisp. Lift out and drain on the kitchen paper and season with a pinch of salt.
Spoon the apple sauce into a piping bag and pipe onto 4 plates, top each with 2 scallops and 2 oat-topped slices of bacon and finish with a few onion rings. Drizzle over the sauce and serve.
PRAWN & LIME FLATBREADS
Grace Dent, the brilliant food critic, and I were on a narrow boat in Birmingham, as you do, looking at the sights. Birmingham has a strong, diverse community and fantastic produce which makes it a food destination to explore – the way the city is evolving, building and moving forward fascinates me, and the food scene here is doing the same. These flatbreads are a fantastic combination of flavours inspired by this great city.
SERVES 2
150–175ml warm water
3g fast-action dried yeast
325g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
a pinch of sea salt
60ml natural yogurt
For the topping
300g raw tiger prawns, peeled and de-veined
1 teaspoon mild chilli powder
1½ teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon nigella seeds
1 r
ed onion, finely sliced
a generous pinch of sea salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
zest and juice of 1 lime
4 tablespoons lime pickle, chopped
To serve
4 tablespoons natural yogurt
small handful of mint, roughly chopped
small handful of coriander, roughly chopped
1–2 tablespoons chopped pistachios
Measure the water in a jug and stir in the yeast until it’s dissolved. Stir the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Add the yogurt, followed by the yeasted warm water. Stir everything together then tip onto a clean work surface and knead for 5 minutes until smooth. The dough should be sticky, but not impossible to work with. Shape the dough into a ball then drop it into a clean bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan)/425°F/gas 7 and slide 2 baking sheets (or use a pizza stone if you have one) in to preheat.
Just before the dough is ready, prepare the topping. In a bowl, mix the prawns with the chilli powder, garam masala, curry powder, nigella seeds and onion, then season with a good pinch of salt and drizzle over the olive oil. Finally stir in the lime zest and juice and toss everything together.
When the dough has risen, knock it back on a clean work surface dusted with a little flour. Divide into 2 pieces, then dust the work surface again generously with flour. Take one piece and roll it into a round, shaping as you roll, until it measures around 20cm in diameter.
Spread the dough with half of the lime pickle and top with half of the prawn and onion mix. Do the same again with the remaining dough, pickle and prawn mixture.
Carefully slide each flatbread onto the preheated baking sheets or pizza stone and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the bread has puffed up and is fully cooked through. The prawns should also be completely cooked (they should be pink and curled into a C-shape).